Grand Hotel
property details · for a Hub House co-operative coliving project
#382 🥈88% PICK • €58k • rustic • village • 300m² of satellite for fitout • good potential, location and courtyard • (actually old and not at all grand)
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Esperaza, southern France — near Limoux, Mirepoix, Carcassonne, Castelnaudry, (Pamiers) Google map (exact; regional approx.)
☃️10–17°☀️2☁️7 • 🍂13–23°☀️3☁️5
Environment: river valley below Pyrenees, hillside vinyards, scrub woods and rocky outcrops
Services: good; small town 25mins drive/bus
Access: airport and mainline station 1h drive/bus/train, +1h Toulouse, +3h30 Barcelona, +5h30 Paris or night
Regional
Local/Cadastral
Area ✧ this location would be focussed on villages and hills, whilst the town is not too far it's not that interesting and would be an only occasional outing
an unremarkable (needs beautification!) but decent riverfront village (1700 pop.) in a locality with (prettier) typically French villages and castles all about, and offering varied attractions heading into the hills, plus down the lower valley and towards the plains
✦ the village hosts a twice weekly market, the sunday one is well known as a creative/hippie market with many foreign alternative folks living around
✦ has a minimart, little organic shop, bakery, Argentian-organic-vegan cafe, good apero/bar (paella), burger place, good resto, corner cafe-bar, and a casual creperie; a supermarket 30mins walk
✦ plus both a dinosaur museum and a hat museum (but regrettably not a museum of dinosaurs in hats) mountain bike trails and hikes on doorstep such as 1h30 to a picturesque hilltop restaurant; whilst the hills around only reach 600m, that's a passable 350m climb and the trails are extensive extensive marked mountain biking trails, 4 from the door and more close by, including a short enduro trail
✦ more adventurous close and possible by bus for climbs to 1000m; nearby wild swimming and warm springs (but not notable); cathar castles, great countryside, mystical woods, forests and gorges in around 30mins, via ferrata 45mins
✦ many activity centres offering kayak, rafting, canyoning, climbing etc
✦ a tiny artifical lake 5mins drive for SUP but better on the river (5mins bike), and a larger for sailing 30mins drive, but often low water in summer
✦ coast is possible in 1h30 drive with choice of destinations and stops along way, as is skiing (multiple stations)
✦ there's several good villages close, and whilst the two notable towns are a trifle far at 1h (will reduce with railway), a smaller local town at 30mins is well known for is sparkling wine, and has a nice square; another in 45mins has an even more picture-postcard medieval square
almost hourly buses to Limoux (25mins, last 7:30pm), Carcassonne (1h, last 6:45pm) and Quillan (15mins, last 5:45pm; or 30mins bike)
✦ railway currently closed, only the first half to Limoux has been reopened with this section seemingly stuck in limbo and not likely to be reopened within the next 10 years(!); Limoux would be 15mins and Carcassonne 45mins instead of the bus
✦ acceptable connections with Barcelona (5h, 2 changes), a seasonal flight to Porto, and 4 more cheapflight airports including for Morocco, plus there's a Lisbon Flixbus for the cheapskates/lowimpact; the Paris night train runs only some days (daily may be restored), all other cases require a change in Narbonne or Toulouse
✦ the heart of the mountains is a hefty drive at 1h30, same for the coast so not reasonable for a day out, however there is a lake close with boats and SUP but the rivers are much better, and there's closeby peaks of 1200m
the climate is better than down in the valley because it's better sheltered from the winds that carry rain down there, thus there's a decent number of mild sunny days to take advantage of the outdoors even in winter; but hey with a hottub and firepit staying in would be fine too
property detail ↗︎
an unremarkable (needs beautification!) but decent riverfront village (1700 pop.) in a locality with (prettier) typically French villages and castles all about, and offering varied attractions heading into the hills, plus down the lower valley and towards the plains
✦ the village hosts a twice weekly market, the sunday one is well known as a creative/hippie market with many foreign alternative folks living around
✦ has a minimart, little organic shop, bakery, Argentian-organic-vegan cafe, good apero/bar (paella), burger place, good resto, corner cafe-bar, and a casual creperie; a supermarket 30mins walk
✦ plus both a dinosaur museum and a hat museum (but regrettably not a museum of dinosaurs in hats) mountain bike trails and hikes on doorstep such as 1h30 to a picturesque hilltop restaurant; whilst the hills around only reach 600m, that's a passable 350m climb and the trails are extensive extensive marked mountain biking trails, 4 from the door and more close by, including a short enduro trail
✦ more adventurous close and possible by bus for climbs to 1000m; nearby wild swimming and warm springs (but not notable); cathar castles, great countryside, mystical woods, forests and gorges in around 30mins, via ferrata 45mins
✦ many activity centres offering kayak, rafting, canyoning, climbing etc
✦ a tiny artifical lake 5mins drive for SUP but better on the river (5mins bike), and a larger for sailing 30mins drive, but often low water in summer
✦ coast is possible in 1h30 drive with choice of destinations and stops along way, as is skiing (multiple stations)
✦ there's several good villages close, and whilst the two notable towns are a trifle far at 1h (will reduce with railway), a smaller local town at 30mins is well known for is sparkling wine, and has a nice square; another in 45mins has an even more picture-postcard medieval square
almost hourly buses to Limoux (25mins, last 7:30pm), Carcassonne (1h, last 6:45pm) and Quillan (15mins, last 5:45pm; or 30mins bike)
✦ railway currently closed, only the first half to Limoux has been reopened with this section seemingly stuck in limbo and not likely to be reopened within the next 10 years(!); Limoux would be 15mins and Carcassonne 45mins instead of the bus
✦ acceptable connections with Barcelona (5h, 2 changes), a seasonal flight to Porto, and 4 more cheapflight airports including for Morocco, plus there's a Lisbon Flixbus for the cheapskates/lowimpact; the Paris night train runs only some days (daily may be restored), all other cases require a change in Narbonne or Toulouse
✦ the heart of the mountains is a hefty drive at 1h30, same for the coast so not reasonable for a day out, however there is a lake close with boats and SUP but the rivers are much better, and there's closeby peaks of 1200m
the climate is better than down in the valley because it's better sheltered from the winds that carry rain down there, thus there's a decent number of mild sunny days to take advantage of the outdoors even in winter; but hey with a hottub and firepit staying in would be fine too
property detail ↗︎
Property ✧ reduced from 70k and prob higher, likely lowest acceptable price
✦ been with many agents for years, was bought pre covid by foreigners who did minimal initial work but then abandoned due covid
✦ for only 30k more there's far better balance and access in #381
north of the house is onto road, but quiet (not main)
✦ south opens into 120m2 courtyard which could be devloped into a very nice space with greenery
✦ there's a 30m2 ruin that could be rebuilt or indeed a new 40m2 wing could be added with a roof terrace for variety, and this would offer
✦ there's also 45m2 of additional built footprint that could be rebuilt raising the garden fully up a level (the mayor's office is quite willing to allow changes)
✦ simplest just to add a ~20m2 conservatory/orangery extension
✦ unusually there's no seemingly no neighbour's windows looking onto courtyard so private although there may be some minor side ones at ground level
✦ should be an exit into an alley making the market square just 70m away
✦ tennis and greenspace for picnics and games a short stroll, but outings would be better
some floors could be retained, all windows appear usable as interim but would need replacing
✦ the building is structurally sound having had some work to consolidate and the roof is good; except for one beam which could be resolved with a column
✦ has basic working plumbing (maybe no shower) and electrics and some other minor works
120m2 per floor but advertised as only 245m2 because attic needs work, new flooring and has lowish walls but still decent and would make a fine
✦ 13m wide and 9.8 deep
✦ with 5 windows along the 1st floor north this would make 5 good rooms, 4 windows in attic
✦ several beams appear in poor condition and need extra support; columns or angles would be aequate rather than replacing
✦ 120m2 south facing but enclosed courtyard (with alley access), could rebuild 70m2 ground extension (ruined) with first floor terrace and orangery
✦ only 3 windows across at rear but five front
✦ parcel #359 275m2; 28–32 Rue Victor Hugo
✦ been with many agents for years, was bought pre covid by foreigners who did minimal initial work but then abandoned due covid
✦ for only 30k more there's far better balance and access in #381
north of the house is onto road, but quiet (not main)
✦ south opens into 120m2 courtyard which could be devloped into a very nice space with greenery
✦ there's a 30m2 ruin that could be rebuilt or indeed a new 40m2 wing could be added with a roof terrace for variety, and this would offer
✦ there's also 45m2 of additional built footprint that could be rebuilt raising the garden fully up a level (the mayor's office is quite willing to allow changes)
✦ simplest just to add a ~20m2 conservatory/orangery extension
✦ unusually there's no seemingly no neighbour's windows looking onto courtyard so private although there may be some minor side ones at ground level
✦ should be an exit into an alley making the market square just 70m away
✦ tennis and greenspace for picnics and games a short stroll, but outings would be better
some floors could be retained, all windows appear usable as interim but would need replacing
✦ the building is structurally sound having had some work to consolidate and the roof is good; except for one beam which could be resolved with a column
✦ has basic working plumbing (maybe no shower) and electrics and some other minor works
120m2 per floor but advertised as only 245m2 because attic needs work, new flooring and has lowish walls but still decent and would make a fine
✦ 13m wide and 9.8 deep
✦ with 5 windows along the 1st floor north this would make 5 good rooms, 4 windows in attic
✦ several beams appear in poor condition and need extra support; columns or angles would be aequate rather than replacing
✦ 120m2 south facing but enclosed courtyard (with alley access), could rebuild 70m2 ground extension (ruined) with first floor terrace and orangery
✦ only 3 windows across at rear but five front
✦ parcel #359 275m2; 28–32 Rue Victor Hugo
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