35–37 Benac
property details
for a Hub House co-operative coliving project

Environment ✧ agricultural river plain, pine woods; beaches 1h15

Services ✧ all

Access ✧ station 10mins walk, 45mins Bordeaux, Paris 3h (last 7pm)

Dedicated units likely for part-time use only.

Area ✧ the little town is quite characterful on a tiny hill beside the river, with cobbled streets, a weekly market, an associative cafe, a couple of good restos (plus mediocre), a sit-down patisserie/tearoom, a winebar, a spice/local products shop, one decent bakery, a minimart almost next door, and 10mins bike to supermarkets (though easier to take train 10mins where there's two inc organic)
✦ lots and lots of towns and villages but few activities beyond easy hiking, kayaking, horse riding and of course cultural/landmarks
✦ kayaks and SUPs can be rented self-service on the canal (10mins bike)
✦ there's a formal public garden, and a large grassy hillside park; tennis 15mins walk, passable riverfront, small festival ground
✦ 15mins drive to village of Monsegur with its market hall and summer night markets
✦ 30mins drive to only just about passable wilderness being endless flat pine forests but Casteljaloux also has a swimming lake
✦ 10mins train to a long greenway through the forests, which runs for up to 5h biking to Mont de Marsan where a return train is possible (2h30 v 1h drive)

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Marmande is 10mins train then a 1h bus to Bergerac also serving Eymet (45mins)
✦ Libourne is a 45min drive
✦ the next stations along also offer a variety of routes, including some walkable and circuits beach at Arcachon is 1h15 drive/2h train, very doable by car for a long day out (last train back 8:30pm) or stopping overnight, and pleasant even in Jan

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Villeneuve-sur-Lot at 1h10 is a decent day out with sights on the way and possible kayaking/swimming

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in addition to exceptional trains access from Paris allowing easy northern connections, Toulouse is 2h30 (changing) +4h from Barcelona which is not unreasonable
✦ Bordeaux airport is fairly easy (45mins train, 25mins bus), Bergerac airport has a bus to Marmande (1h +10mins but long waits, and pickup wouldn't be offered), Toulouse airport is more hassle with changing train and tram, last train in at 6pm but has better and cheaper flights

Property ✧ compares to #315 just on the other side of Marmande, which is a much better property if no station without a quick dropoff/bus; Bordeaux at 1h from here isn't actually close enough to be a big draw, however access to nature and local life is actually better even if the property isn't as good the higher cost might only just be worth it and price could be reduced

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the location is actually decent, at the front it's a tiny little street that used to have a fair few shops (none really anymore) so there's shopfronts at ground level, whilst the back is much lower in a little canyon at a wide point tidied up as a square of sorts before descening under the railway (itself emerging from tunnel on both sides) to the riverfront
✦ 2 buildings, have at least one minor interior interconnect but could also at rear on terraces if extended
✦ at ground level on the street they have decent shop fronts, and at the south an 80m2 roof terrace above garages

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each building ~80m2 *3 +1 60m2 attic +70m2 garages
✦ long (16–17m) and narrow which would be quite problematic for creating rooms; both are 3.4m at rear, 5.4m at front, but 39 is higher with a usable attic, and apparently a tiny roof terrace or possibly a light well (would make room allocation much easier)
✦ windowed rooms at back would be a basic double and single with shared bath, whilst front would allow 2 ensuites, attic would gain several mezzanines with skylights, and then a mishmash of lightwell rooms plus a few others with windows where common spaces aren't needing them; there'd be space for a couple of studios or premium rooms
✦ 35+37 parcels 577+575 total footprint 331m2

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effort seems moderate for basic usability but not insignificant to optimise and acheive a good layout, not least the light wells, however there's two staircases and one could easily become a lightwell if suitably interconnected, but they are tiny
✦ rear needs a fair bit of consolidation work but could be phased, neighbour has replaced 2 storey facade with glass which works nicely and could expand the floorspace
✦ garages are very tall, would be good for cinema/mini auditorium; but prob split in 2
✦ part of the lower terrace could be an orangerie however it has good south exposure if becoming shaded in the afternoon so the outdoor space would probably be desireable, and there are multiple additional balcony-terraces above one of which could become a solarium, prob the 1st floor of both, the 2nd floor could remain a balcony
✦ the attic of 37 has windows on the rear and a side window