General Building and Renovation Advice

Restoring Ancient Breton Buildings - Dream or Nightmare

How Difficult Can It Be?

You watch all the DIY programmes on the TV and envy the lucky individuals who get to achieve their dream. Unfortunately there are many abandoned dreams in Brittany and the rest of France where families have ploughed all their savings and taken on large loans in a bid to restore an idyllic retreat. In reality even with preparation and research it is easy to underestimate the true cost of restoring an ancient French building. In this article I have tried to give an insight into the challenges an ancient Breton building renovation presents, not to dissuade, but raise awareness. I hope you will find it helpful and informative.

 The French are amused at the English who purchase what to them seems like just an ancient part of their history which is best left to wildlife and the passage of time. Most young French people prefer the modern, simply built, but warm and efficient houses which are multiplying on the edge of towns and villages throughout Brittany.

In Brittany the most common ancient building are those built with granite, they are most people’s archetypal Breton longère or manoir. It is probably a good idea at this stage to briefly explain the difference between these two as anyone buying an ancient house in Brittany is likely to buy a variation of one or the other.

A longère was the most popular design for rural peasant living, providing living quarters for family, livestock and crop storage under one roof. The longère consists of a number of granite built rectangular units joined together in line with windows, originally to the front only. The longère were nearly always built with the front elevation facing south, the rear having no openings to protect from the weather and conserve heat. Most original longère’s would have had only storage areas above ground floor with raking ladder access. In Brittany, most of the longère’s would have had thatch roofs originally, but these have long since been replaced by clay tile or more commonly slate.

A manoir was the principle house of a large land owner or person of local importance and are equally found in rural, village and town locations. Once again these are normally of granite construction but have substantial living accommodation over two floors with an extensive attic ripe for conversion. It is not unusual for rural manoirs to have signs of defensive construction such as arrow slits and barred windows as life in the country areas during the 16^th and 17^th century was not without its dangers. A common feature of manoirs is the staircase tower at the centre of the rear which often contains a granite staircase. (Can be hell on the feet  or soles of slippers)

The most attractive aspect of ancient Breton houses is the likely addition of various outbuilding or ‘les dépendances’ as the French refer to them. They often present prospective buyers with gite or ancillary building potential. In rural areas particularly the ancient properties usually come with extensive grounds which are a major attraction to those seeking tranquillity, privacy and more often than not self sufficiency.

In order to fully appreciate the renovation costs you must understand the original construction methods used in granite houses throughout Brittany. The houses themselves rarely have footings as we know it in the UK. More often than not the walls are constructed onto a compounded stone surface, or if you are really lucky directly onto the natural granite. The walls were originally built using local mud and straw as the bonding agent between each layer of stones in exactly the same way as early stone houses in the UK. 

During renovation most builders will try not disturb the original wall unless it is necessary to repair damage or change the layout. A hard concept to accept is the fact that these walls were designed to move and breath with the building. It is common to rake out about 30 mm of mud and re-point the stone exterior using a lime mortar to aid stability and prevent mice and insects burrowing into the joints. This method of renovation allows the wall to breathe and prevent water retention in the granite. My French neighbour gave me lessons on how to colour the mortar using an addition of the local dried mud which gave the house mortar in our area a particular colour tone.

Occasionally it will be necessary to add new walls for extensions or new builds in keeping with the existing. This involves a mixture of construction techniques utilising modern footings, internal insulting blocks and Granite stone outer. Unless you are a skilled mason the latter is best left to a local builder well versed in this type of construction.

The original floors of these ancient houses were laid directly onto a sand or broken granite base with no insulation or damp course. Most of the original floors have been replaced with a concrete layer over a damp proof membrane, but occasionally you will come across an original untouched example. Bare in mind that excavation of old floors can seriously affect the stability of structural walls.

During the sixties and seventies the French grasped the concept of DIY in a big way and ancient buildings were a favourite target for the weekend builder. As a result you can expect to see miles of timber cladding covering walls and ceilings often treated with lovely pine lacquer. It was common to divide up the large open spaces inside these buildings with flimsy timber partitions covered in pine cladding.

The desire to modernise your ancient house also included floor coverings and unfortunately it was very popular to surface the floors with large garish tiles, totally out of keeping with the structure. The roof of an Ancient house in Brittany can hide a lot of major problems and lead to unexpected additional renovation costs. The most common roof covering will consist of slate tiles fixed onto battens with no under felt or lining. More recent renovations can include timber boarding and felt or just felt under slate tiles. As with the UK there are examples of Clay tiles having been put onto roof timbers which were not designed to hold the additional weight. With all properties buyers should make sure that they obtain a full timber report before purchase, including a certificate of timber treatment.

It is fair to say that when considering a purchase of an ancient property in Brittany you must not expect to find a perfectly constructed building that conforms to the sort of building standards used in the UK. You have got to be prepared to accept they have been constructed for a particular use and conversion to a modern day usage can be extensive and very expensive. Seek expert advice at an early stage and don’t expect your DIY skills to cope with all the challenges presented.

 

 

 

 

           

 

Comments

[Mona Mosley Changaris]

Dear Tony,

Thank you for all of the helpful, informative articles. My husband and I are considering moving to Brittany, Ireland or some area of England. He is a non-operating neurosurgeon presently providing care to accident patients. I have primarily worked as a landlady of owned commercial property, though additionally have launched several companies, now focusing on a vegan, allergen free chocolate company. Husband also has a company producing vegan, allergen free transdermal delivery skin care creams with both medical and beauty applications.

We want to find a new home in a place we like and that wants our skills. We both speak a little French and some British. Gardening is out of the question. I can wither plastic plants. (Though I recently succeeded in growing broccoli, albeit with green worms on top.) We will make new friends to ensure that our home with a cute little backyard is attractive.

[paul]

We are renovating a barn in France and would like your advise please. We have an open plan kitchen living room area and are planning to build a bathroom above the kitchen. You will be able to see the bathroom wall above the kitchen, so we are placing vertical glass blocks to break up the wall, but are stuck on what to have from the ceiling height to the roof space. We dont just want a flat wall from floor to ceiling any ideas? thanks Paul

[Tony]

Sorry for delay in response but been to New Zealand for 3 mths, just returned to France. Interesting building design by the sound of it. With regards the glass block installation make sure you have a good frame to ensure any floor movement does not crack the block joints, unfortunately these old building do tend to move with the temperature changes. It is difficult to picture your exact interior but of the top of my head you could use a hardwood louvre in the shape of, what I presume is a triangular space. This would look good and vent the ceiling space above the bathroom. Apologies if you have already completed the project, best wishes, Tony