10 Eglise

property details · for a Hub House co-operative coliving project

Area ✧ the next village up at 10mins bike has a passable cornershop, but bakery (if it survives) is 25mins bike (albeit only 5mins on road and rest on the old railway), along with another cornershop and good resto; at 30mins/10mins drive is a supermarket, or 15mins to hypermarket
✦ bus is not very feasible, arrivals don't even time well with the train arriving after the bus departs, leaves one with 3h+ either at the hypermarket or in town
✦ bedarieux 20mins drive, 1h bike
✦ 45mins salagou, herault gorges 1h
✦ beziers 50mins, beach 1h

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the immediate surroundings are actually pretty boring though not so bad for hikes and biking easily reaching 1000m, or with a 3–4h return can reach the upper gorges and return on the greenway/lanes
✦ hikes from door on eitehr side of valley, with variants, and can go down into the next hamlet where there's beer brewer and tiny cafe/epicerie

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the village has some tennis courts on a large open area (would be nicer with some collaborative gardening)
✦ two via ferrata 20mins drive, and a bungee point off a nearby railway bridge
✦ hikes and biking from doorstep are varied from short strolls to longer reaching the highest point around at 1000m (650m ascent; 2h on foot) and across to gorges returning partly via greenway
✦ the greenway is 13km/45mins bike away by road, whence offers up to a day of easy gravel biking
✦ road cycling offers a sporty 10km/600m of climbing in a circuit and lots of small backroads; otherwise gentle; tons of forest tracks for gravel biking
✦ an easyish 40min stroll can be had to the next hamlet which has a café (the local is only a bar)
✦ the area is a mix of rugged valleys with fair variety and interesting features; fantastic variety in around 30mins drive
✦ not so appealing in winter due to loss of greenery, and also in the peak of summer due to high temps and fire risk, at such times outings of 30–60mins bring more into reach
✦ decent swimming spots 15mins bike; ~25mins drive to gorges/mountains/river (good kayaking and swimming); 40mins lac de salagou which has very good variety

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there's nothing notable about the small local town except a weekly organic food market, and a converted factory that's an (occasional) events venue, but mainly has the train to the proper (and nice) town of Beziers; it is however attempting to reinvigorate itself
✦ the only other small town is Lodeve at 35mins; else Beziers, Clermont and Pezenas which are good for weekly outings at a just about acceptable distance
✦ there are villages with occasionally interesting resturants and pleasant settings such as 20mins an impressive riverside chateau restaurant

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the train to the mainline takes 30mins (1€) thus with the 20min pickup this connection is at least 1h, for the then 2h15 Barcelona service, or 4h Paris, last 6:30pm; the station would be 30min on a (750w) electric bike (200m climb returning) making a 1h15 trip possible
✦ twice daily bus (687, weekdays out at 8/13h back at 12/17h) to and from the town 30mins (20mins drive)
✦ timing for train connections is not good (requires a 15min stroll to the station), 30min wait with the 13:30 outbound arriving Beziers 15h20 (2h), or during school periods there's an earlier 7:00 outbound arriving 9:15; for inbound there are no connections thus require pickups, last train departing Beziers 18:20
✦ however there's also a coach from Montpellier giving some more options:

[St.Roch] tram 3	coach 663/685	bus 687	(total)
9:47 ➜ 10:08	10:15 ➜ 11:35	12:10 ➜ 12:40	(3h)
15:12 ➜ 15:34	15:45 ➜ 17:00	17:15 ➜ 17:45	(2h15)
bus 687	coach 663/685	tram 3 [St.Roch]	(total)
7:00 ➜ 7:35	7:45 ➜ 9:20	9:26 ➜ 9:47	(2h45)

property detail ↗︎

Property ✧ down from 97k; would prob accept 70k
✦ partly usable but tatty, some double glazing
✦ roof redone 12 years ago(!) some flooring needs repair

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would make a very interesting space but is sufficiently isolated to not really be worthwile unless relying mainly on a car, with good things within a short driving distance, given the nominal refit cost it could still be worth it as a quiet satellite location
  ✧ east/front facade, rear/west
  ✧ ground: maybe 40m2++ caves open onto lane; no internal access
  ✧ 1st has only 2 east facing windows, an entrance up steps, and backs into hill;
✦ - 25m2 old conservatory at end; exterior steps up around side of veranda from ground to rear of 2nd floor
  ✧ 2nd 4 south windows, 2 rear doors, and 2 small windows; has around 20m2 of rear patio; a tiny outbuilding at top end with narrow steps climbing past
✦ - 20m2 rear patio enclosed by upper patio retaining wall and house
✦ - 15–20m2 upper patio, roughly same level as 3rd floor, with 15m2 of lower garage (not fully enclosed)
✦ - steps climb the road's retaining wall where there's a gate
  ✧ 3rd 4 south windows, 3 rear widnows; below road level but do get some sun
  ✧ the upper road has a low garage that would be kept for bikes
✦ from this there's steps down along the retaining wall doubling back onto:
✦ over 60m2 of rear partly enclosed patio spaces (excluidng steps):
  ✧ 20m2 raised patio opening into 15m2 lower garage a few steps up from 1st floor
  ✧ 20m2 lower patio backed to west by retaining wall (upper patio) and rear of house

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improvements:
  ✧ keep the front steps but remove the enclosed entrance so there's more light with a glass door, covering the steps down to the first cave entrance to become a focus workspace, the other cave would either remain a cave or gain an internal spiral staircase
  ✧ remove the front steps, and change to balcony
  ✧ or add an entrance from side steps into veranda
✦ = rebuild veranda with roof terrace, access would be from rear steps/patio (no south windows); height be be significant but outlook still would be exclusively west
  ✧ rebuild the veranda with 2 levels, however neighbours may object
✦ patio sections that could be covered as an 30m2 of orangerie possible by covering this space with a south-west exposure albeit set low between the retaining wall and house
  ✧ build a 25–30m2 extension out the back of 2nd floor with a flat roof, also extending the upper patio and could have a 3rd floor door, e.g. from dorm/pods; whilst loosing the rear windows/doors, it would gain a south window (and north exit to rear steps)
  ✧ add an orangerie at the south end of the new extension (woudl reduce size, but could be taller
  ✧ remove the 2nd floor outbuilding, replan the steps down from the road to use less length and zig zag more through the upper patio instead, creating an orangerie at the north end

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parcels 427 +428