A winegrower's townhouse with terrace, swimming pool and enclosed garden between Béziers and Montpellier in the Hérault hinterland - ref 905264
A winegrower's townhouse with terrace, swimming pool and enclosed garden between Béziers and Montpellier in the Hérault hinterland.
The residence is situated in the heart of the Hérault valley, between vineyards and scrublands, in a picturesque civil parish in Occitania. From a village to a market town of over 6,000 inhabitants, it has grown steadily since its origins. The locality is steeped in history and cultural heritage and offers at the same time a wide range of local services, shops and schools. The region enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate and is part of the Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas, halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Aveyron department. There are some outstanding landscapes nearby, including the Salagou lake and the Pic Saint-Loup Mountain.
Situated between Clermont-l'Hérault and Gignac, the property is close to the A75 and A750 motorways, both connecting to the main arteries. Montpellier and Béziers are 30 minutes away, both with TGV high-speed train stations and airports.
The property includes a small wooded plot with a rear garden of approx. 250 m², enclosed by walls providing shelter from the outside world.
The sober, south-facing facade, dating from the early 20th century, is enlivened by small bricks set into the entablature at the top, crowning the openings or framing the entrance and the adjacent garage door. As was customary at the time, a fluted frieze and ceramic tiles brighten up the underside of the two-row cornice of shortened tiles. The walls are rendered in a light colour and topped by a fibre cement roofing sheet clad with monk-and-nun tiles.
An elaborate wrought iron balcony links the two French windows on the upper floor.
Typical of the French "Troisième République" style, this two-storey building houses the daytime living and night-time areas on the upper level with a floor area of around 190 m². The ground floor contains a 126 m² garage, which is directly accessed from the street that runs alongside the property.
At the back of the house, a flight of steps leads up from a gate to the garden, connecting the terrace to a raised, half-covered swimming pool on the upper level. A number of annexes, either attached to or separate from the house, complete the dwelling, including former stables and a shelter.
The residence
The ground floor
On entering from the street, the tone is set: everything suggests that the carefully preserved former winegrower's house has retained its original elements. The terrazzo floor is complemented by walls with light-coloured wainscoting, and the ceiling features decorative cornices and mouldings. A flight of three steps leads to the staircase of local stone that provides access to the upper storey, where the living spaces are situated.
Meanwhile, the old wine vats have found a new purpose. Almost the entire ground floor of the building serves as a storage area, providing space for several vehicles or a wealth of equipment. A door under the staircase reveals a passageway used as storage area. Another door on the right opens onto the vast garage that covers the entire floor area, next to a shed housing the technical room for the pool. The garage is 7 m wide and covers an area of around 126 m², to which must be added the 61 m² of an adjoining shed housing the pool equipment.
This annexe to the building also includes a 36 m² room, which can be accessed from the garden. On the north-western border of the complex, there are the former stables of around 12 m², which abut a shelter.
The upstairs
The internal staircase is topped by a modernist glass roof with variegated panes. A glass lobby off the landing provides both light and insulation to the hallway, which leads to all the daytime rooms. The flooring is of cement tiles in a wide range of patterns and colours, exuding a turn-of-the-last-century ...
