Domaine de Treize Pierres
property details
for a Hub House co-operative coliving project
#336 🥇88% PICK • €175/210k • typical • town • 1800–2600m² complex • big old building on edge of medieval town
GOOD 🔨 effort
GOOD 🚌 transport
OKAY ✈️ access
GOOD 🛒 shops
GOOD 🏙 towns
GOOD 🧗 activities
OKAY ☀️ climate
OKAY ⛰️ nature
GREAT 🌷 garden
GREAT 🏠 building
GOOD ⛲️ hood
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Villefranche, Aveyron — near Figeac (Rodez, Cahors, Albi)
☃️2–8–14°☀️3☁️7 • 🍂12–21°☀️7☁️4
☃️2–8–14°☀️3☁️7 • 🍂12–21°☀️7☁️4
Compare all properties
Environment ✧ steep wooded river valleys and agricultural; strolls and some hikes near
Services ✧ all, town centre 20mins walk
Access ✧ station 30mins walk/bus; 1h45 Toulouse (last 7pm) +45mins airport; ~6h Barcelona, 7h Paris (last 2pm) or night train
Dedicated units for full-time residence.
Area ✧ 
✦ due to being partly protected, shops moving out, and the costs of bringing buildings up to standard, >35% are empty
climate is remarakbly mild with sun at least 25 days a month all year, winters are however nonetheless chilly and a bit drab however a cosy indoors with wood fire, and an orangerie/conservatory to take advantage of winter sun would still make spending time here quite pleasant
the town despite being just 12k people, is the largest for miles around, also hosting a large and lively weekly market in its impressive medieval entirely colonnaded market square
✦ a new square/greenspace is being created behind the cathedral and covered market (rarely used)
✦ for the summers a swimming spot is being created, plus a closer guignette on the river bank
✦ a good number of restaurants (inc bento) and a few cafes including one fancy
✦ bakery with wood oven 5mins walk; supermarket and organic 10mins walk
✦ not bad for a rural town
the walk down into town (20mins, or bus) passes a huge ugly dilapidated carpark which is due to be converted into a greenspace and restoring the streamfront, adding a direct pathway up to the property
✦ the walking distance into town is fine for the town's facilities itself, but makes using the train a bit labourious; the (free) bus is 3/8 mins away but doesn't save much time for the inconvencience of timings so probably a few electric sccoters to park at the station would be the solution, or if a group, then a minibus dropoff/pickup might be desireable
has some quiet riverfront paths but across town so strolls are mostly around the town, then a path going 20mins to the south, and a 25min loop, so some limited options; 10mins bike to tennis (actually 2 covered courts somewhere)
✦ a couple of biking circuits start 10mins away and extend to Najac and St Martin where possible to start or return by train, or skip the more difficult bits (lots of climbing)
✦ no hiking from door, however the train offers some variety with 4 stations (15–40mins) offering options both by bike and foot albeit with the shortest return being 3h45, giving opportunities for more relaxed hikes with lunch stop (returns at 2:30pm and 6pm, but more out)
✦ fairly calm kayaking is possible from the town, or at Najac (Apr-Oct) with SUP as well
✦ 30mins drive to a fairly technical via ferrata above river
small but pretty town of Figeac at 35mins train is a good trip, with an 8pm bus back
✦ several great villages: medieval Caylus 30mins bus, St-Cirq with its river cliff haulage route is only 40mins drive, as is Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val where there's good biking and hiking for occasional variation
✦ Rodez (5th best town to live in France) 50mins bus
✦ Cahors and Albi are also possible at 1h drive for more rare daytrips with diversions to break the journey
✦ Gaillac at 1h train is however more reasonable
access is fair from Toulouse airport (transit then train), but labourious from anywhere else
✦ the airport serves quite a few destinations fairly regularly year round such as Portugal, the UK, Brussels, Amsterdam, Krakow, Budapest, Malta, Morocco, even Montreal
✦ Paris will be ~5h train from 2032 (high speed to Toulouse) thus much improved and possibly bringing a 4pm departure in reach
✦ night train is either long via Toulouse, or with a good short 6am change
✦ Barcelona will regain direct to Toulouse shortly, otherwise involves a long wait and additional change
property detail ↗︎
✦ due to being partly protected, shops moving out, and the costs of bringing buildings up to standard, >35% are empty
climate is remarakbly mild with sun at least 25 days a month all year, winters are however nonetheless chilly and a bit drab however a cosy indoors with wood fire, and an orangerie/conservatory to take advantage of winter sun would still make spending time here quite pleasant
the town despite being just 12k people, is the largest for miles around, also hosting a large and lively weekly market in its impressive medieval entirely colonnaded market square
✦ a new square/greenspace is being created behind the cathedral and covered market (rarely used)
✦ for the summers a swimming spot is being created, plus a closer guignette on the river bank
✦ a good number of restaurants (inc bento) and a few cafes including one fancy
✦ bakery with wood oven 5mins walk; supermarket and organic 10mins walk
✦ not bad for a rural town
the walk down into town (20mins, or bus) passes a huge ugly dilapidated carpark which is due to be converted into a greenspace and restoring the streamfront, adding a direct pathway up to the property
✦ the walking distance into town is fine for the town's facilities itself, but makes using the train a bit labourious; the (free) bus is 3/8 mins away but doesn't save much time for the inconvencience of timings so probably a few electric sccoters to park at the station would be the solution, or if a group, then a minibus dropoff/pickup might be desireable
has some quiet riverfront paths but across town so strolls are mostly around the town, then a path going 20mins to the south, and a 25min loop, so some limited options; 10mins bike to tennis (actually 2 covered courts somewhere)
✦ a couple of biking circuits start 10mins away and extend to Najac and St Martin where possible to start or return by train, or skip the more difficult bits (lots of climbing)
✦ no hiking from door, however the train offers some variety with 4 stations (15–40mins) offering options both by bike and foot albeit with the shortest return being 3h45, giving opportunities for more relaxed hikes with lunch stop (returns at 2:30pm and 6pm, but more out)
✦ fairly calm kayaking is possible from the town, or at Najac (Apr-Oct) with SUP as well
✦ 30mins drive to a fairly technical via ferrata above river
small but pretty town of Figeac at 35mins train is a good trip, with an 8pm bus back
✦ several great villages: medieval Caylus 30mins bus, St-Cirq with its river cliff haulage route is only 40mins drive, as is Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val where there's good biking and hiking for occasional variation
✦ Rodez (5th best town to live in France) 50mins bus
✦ Cahors and Albi are also possible at 1h drive for more rare daytrips with diversions to break the journey
✦ Gaillac at 1h train is however more reasonable
access is fair from Toulouse airport (transit then train), but labourious from anywhere else
✦ the airport serves quite a few destinations fairly regularly year round such as Portugal, the UK, Brussels, Amsterdam, Krakow, Budapest, Malta, Morocco, even Montreal
✦ Paris will be ~5h train from 2032 (high speed to Toulouse) thus much improved and possibly bringing a 4pm departure in reach
✦ night train is either long via Toulouse, or with a good short 6am change
✦ Barcelona will regain direct to Toulouse shortly, otherwise involves a long wait and additional change
property detail ↗︎
Property ✧
✦ compare with #155 in the Cevennes a much more appealing area with tons of adventure (unlike here), but the property is more work, and its village is not as nice as this town, however half the price
originally included the exceptional 1500s chapel with interior entirely frescoed in the 1950s; ad has since removed this with price drop from 289k, presumably the chapel has been transferred to public ownership
✦ building and especially roof appear in good condition and works to make initially usable could be nominal; it is simply no longer up to standards, needing insulation, all windows replacing with double-glazing and electrics updating etc, but for coliving this could be done gradually, and dedicated (cohousing) units would be the responsibility of owners unless as part of a collective offering
✦ likely around 20 dedicated units in various layouts (30m2 studios to 3-bed apartments for families) from around €20k (+renovation costs), plus 15 generous coliving rooms
✦ in addition if it were required and agreed amongst those needing it, for old-age shared live-in assitance would be possible
adjoins a bigger wing with a modern glass facade previously renovated as the regional council's innovation hub, housing several organisations including a startup incubator; thus if outreach were a goal with a public community space, possibly café, rubbing shoulders with local entrepreneurial/policy actors mightn't be uncommon
compare with #271 which is a similar size, slightly more rural (with station) but probably overall requiring more effort, yet more characterful and retains its chapel — both ultimately quite similar
the building essentially has two faces
✧ the front being beside the modernised council building opening onto carparks, but views of which on lower floors are partly blocked by the chapel; this faces south-east getting most of the sun, and haing the most windows
✧ the rear opens onto the garden facing north-west so windows wouldn't get sun
✧ south wing top floor (mainly dug into the hill, but partly exposed to traffic on the upper road) has north-south windows getting all day sun
✧ north-east annexe is only 2 floors but also has north-south windows
✧ the farm buildings also have south exposure, plus a south-east wing that could gain windows
2000m2 flat garden in front of the building, half of which used to be kitchen gardens, the end raised above the lane with a bit of outlook
✦ 7500m2 of lightly wooded sloped land with a seemingly wide variety of trees, probably including fruit
✦ could easily add a pool, firepit, grass theatre, etc
4 floors plus basements with working lift; about 1600m2 easily usable
✧ north-east annexe 70m2 *2 =140, perched above the lane next to chapel at the front
✧ north section 180m2 *4 =720 (plus same basement)
✧ middle section 150m2 *4 =600
✧ south section 55m2 *4 =220
✧ south wing 110m2 *4 =440
✧ south wing shed 50m2
✧ north barn 100m2 *2
✧ large barn 300m2 *2 (ground may be smaller)
✧ annexe barn 130m2
✦ some of the ground floor spaces are garages, but basements not included above
✦ the annexe barn is pointless so would probably have its walls removed to simply become a covered 'square'
✦ barns could optionally be excluded from purchase thus sale circa 175k but would be good to acquire (later) as workshops, performance space, indoor yoga, playrooms; being far from main building some noise no issue; and of course for growing veg/orchards
for the main building roofs appear to be a mix of stone shingle (lauze; south at least) and slate (middle at least), whilst all the remaining are mechanical tile
there is a road 70m above the property, but other bypass roads carry north-south and east-west traffic, thus mainly only local peak-hour traffic from villages to the north-west, plus there's a row of trees and a small section of woods buffering
tax at 8k/year (currently; same as a 300m2 property in the Pyrenees!), might be kept low with a suitable associative category, but with a good number of dedicated apartments even a higher rate could be reasonably covered
✦ parcels 45,46,47,342, and 342 (to be split separating the chapel)
Acquisition of this or any similar property would require only around 10× co-owners at ~€20k each (for 6 months fractional studio, or a dedicated studio without fitout) covering about half of capital. Is fully compatible with older age and full-time familiies.
✦ compare with #155 in the Cevennes a much more appealing area with tons of adventure (unlike here), but the property is more work, and its village is not as nice as this town, however half the price
originally included the exceptional 1500s chapel with interior entirely frescoed in the 1950s; ad has since removed this with price drop from 289k, presumably the chapel has been transferred to public ownership
✦ building and especially roof appear in good condition and works to make initially usable could be nominal; it is simply no longer up to standards, needing insulation, all windows replacing with double-glazing and electrics updating etc, but for coliving this could be done gradually, and dedicated (cohousing) units would be the responsibility of owners unless as part of a collective offering
✦ likely around 20 dedicated units in various layouts (30m2 studios to 3-bed apartments for families) from around €20k (+renovation costs), plus 15 generous coliving rooms
✦ in addition if it were required and agreed amongst those needing it, for old-age shared live-in assitance would be possible
adjoins a bigger wing with a modern glass facade previously renovated as the regional council's innovation hub, housing several organisations including a startup incubator; thus if outreach were a goal with a public community space, possibly café, rubbing shoulders with local entrepreneurial/policy actors mightn't be uncommon
compare with #271 which is a similar size, slightly more rural (with station) but probably overall requiring more effort, yet more characterful and retains its chapel — both ultimately quite similar
the building essentially has two faces
✧ the front being beside the modernised council building opening onto carparks, but views of which on lower floors are partly blocked by the chapel; this faces south-east getting most of the sun, and haing the most windows
✧ the rear opens onto the garden facing north-west so windows wouldn't get sun
✧ south wing top floor (mainly dug into the hill, but partly exposed to traffic on the upper road) has north-south windows getting all day sun
✧ north-east annexe is only 2 floors but also has north-south windows
✧ the farm buildings also have south exposure, plus a south-east wing that could gain windows
2000m2 flat garden in front of the building, half of which used to be kitchen gardens, the end raised above the lane with a bit of outlook
✦ 7500m2 of lightly wooded sloped land with a seemingly wide variety of trees, probably including fruit
✦ could easily add a pool, firepit, grass theatre, etc
4 floors plus basements with working lift; about 1600m2 easily usable
✧ north-east annexe 70m2 *2 =140, perched above the lane next to chapel at the front
✧ north section 180m2 *4 =720 (plus same basement)
✧ middle section 150m2 *4 =600
✧ south section 55m2 *4 =220
✧ south wing 110m2 *4 =440
✧ south wing shed 50m2
✧ north barn 100m2 *2
✧ large barn 300m2 *2 (ground may be smaller)
✧ annexe barn 130m2
✦ some of the ground floor spaces are garages, but basements not included above
✦ the annexe barn is pointless so would probably have its walls removed to simply become a covered 'square'
✦ barns could optionally be excluded from purchase thus sale circa 175k but would be good to acquire (later) as workshops, performance space, indoor yoga, playrooms; being far from main building some noise no issue; and of course for growing veg/orchards
for the main building roofs appear to be a mix of stone shingle (lauze; south at least) and slate (middle at least), whilst all the remaining are mechanical tile
there is a road 70m above the property, but other bypass roads carry north-south and east-west traffic, thus mainly only local peak-hour traffic from villages to the north-west, plus there's a row of trees and a small section of woods buffering
tax at 8k/year (currently; same as a 300m2 property in the Pyrenees!), might be kept low with a suitable associative category, but with a good number of dedicated apartments even a higher rate could be reasonably covered
✦ parcels 45,46,47,342, and 342 (to be split separating the chapel)
towards ownership and use in any property
email jacob@hub.house, or join the Whatsapp group