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| Property Styles in Burgundy, France |
| Discover the different styles of houses in Burgundy. They reflect Burgundy’s varied scenery, its economy, its rich culture and history and the location of the property. |
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"The foreign buyer usually knows Burgundy from its wine or the modern hotels they stay in, but luckily there is something for all tastes, even if you are not a wine lover!"
What you find within this section
Barns to renovate
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At the bottom of the property ladder are barns to be renovated. Especially in small farming hamlets you find the smaller variety, very much appreciated for their stone walls and oak beams. These smaller barns were used to store hay for the white Charollais cows in the area.
The larger high barns, suitable for conversion into a two storey house, were used to stock the produce of the land and as a storage area for the farming machinery . It is rare for these to have a lot of land, as they are not far from the farmer’s own place of residence. Large farming chateaux do have isolated barns spread around their grounds, but these are rare finds.
Barns with a lot of land are very much in demand because of the privacy the land around them gives. The local population ask themselves, why do these crazy English spend so much time and money on renovating these old barns, when it is easier and cheaper to construct a breezeblock house! Burgundy4u has barns on offer for as little as 38 000 euros. At the higher end of the market you can find, for example, a renovated barn with four bedrooms at more than 500 000 euros |
Different types of popular Farmhouses
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Farm houses are the most popular property variety sold to the foreign market. The standard one consists of a small livable area, and a barn attached. The small area is the “maison” used by many to live in as a holiday home, usually a large room, with two smaller bedrooms at the back. The attached barn is much larger, formerly used for livestock and storage. Many purchasers who originally buy such a property as a holiday home, later convert this space into a large living area when they decide to come and live here permanently. There are many varieties on this theme depending on the region.
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In the south of Burgundy you find the Ferme Maconnaise, typically two storeys high, with an overhanging roof with tall pillars. The roof tiles are the round “roman” or “ tuile-canal” as in much of the rest of south of France.
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In the south east corner of Burgundy, or Bresse Bourguignon, you find the Ferme Bressane, easily recognizable by their half-timbering and walls made of brick or wattle-and-daub. This is the Saône valley area, with no easy access to building stones. The roofs were originally thatched, but today they have the standard red roof tiles. ( added an example from other website)
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The wooded and hilly Morvan regional park area, also has its typical variety of farm houses : Fermette Morvandelle. The buildings here are smaller than elsewhere, as the farms are not large in this forestry dominated area. The grey granite stones found in this area, and the black slate roof tiles give these farms their character. Many have a lean-to extension, which would have been used in the past for small livestock, or to store wood for heating, and which is now commonly renovated to house the bathroom and toilet.
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To the north of the Côte D’Or department , bordering the Champagne area, the Chatillon farm houses obtain their character from the abundant limestone quarries delivering large light building stones. You will find this same characteristic whether driving through the countryside or the villages and towns in this area , as the town houses are also built with this material.
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In the wine growing area the farm houses are actually in the villages. As all land is used for the precious vines, the farms are concentrated here. Of course these wine growers farms are built over a cellar where the casks are kept for the wine to mature, with a barn next to the house for the wine press. The richer wine farmers would have cellars extending under not just the house, but also the courtyard and even under the road to stock their bottles and barrels. In the plentiful plains of Burgundy, the farms are larger. The houses have two storeys and can even be grand mansions. The barns form a courtyard laid out around the main house.
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On many of these grand farms the owners liked to show off their riches by copying Parisian architecture, leading to the development of the “Maison Bourgeoise”, or manor-style properties in the middle of the country side. The Pigeonier is a typical feature in these grand farms, a square tower with pigeon holes to breed the birds. In the 16th and 17 century, the Dukes of Burgundy gave the nobility the right to keep pigeons. This was not for communication but as a meat supplement to their diet.
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Town and Village Houses
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In towns and villages we find the Maison de Maitre, or the Nobleman’s house, as a special feature. A square building, where the ground floor might have housed the office and reception rooms of a doctor or Notary, and upstairs the living quarters, with even on the third floor extra rooms, or servants’ quarters.
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In cities you may be lucky enough to find a « Hôtel particulier ». In Burgundy you find them in the department capitals (Dijon, Auxerre, Nevers and Macon) and the richer medieval towns such as Flavigny. From the outside the façade is bland, but enter through a large gateway, and you find yourself in a rich and private courtyard surrounded by the outbuildings and living quarters. In Beaune they have the beautiful colored glazed tiles. More often than not, these houses have been transformed into apartments sharing the courtyard as a parking space.
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Modern property
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Of more modern nature the foreign buyer also buys wooden bungalows specially built as second homes. Practical in use, and cheap to heat in the cold crispy winters of Burgundy.
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The French prefer to build a new “pavillon”, a detached house, often made of breezeblock, with minimum character, and maximum efficiency. They are also found on residential estates in the suburbs of the towns where thee owners work. Usually standard plans can deliver them at around 110 000€ for a simple house, or closer to 200 000€ for a larger one, with better quality building materials to add character.
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Chateaux and Grandeur
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Of course, in this area you also find grand chateaux in different styles, the original ones evolving from the grand farms, with the more “modern” chateaux built as second homes in the Morvan in the 18th and 19th century.
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Castles of the same historical period, where often used as playgrounds for the industrialists in the then rich mining and industrial areas. These grand houses would often be used as hunting lodges to entertain friends.
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"Burgundy offers a variety of property for all tastes and situations, it is just a question of finding the right match for your budget."
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