Detailed description

Built in the late 1500s, this Béarnais manor house has been beautifully renovated to combine original architectural features, such as a fabulous stone fireplace, exposed beams and decorative wooden doors with a stylish, up-to-date décor. Currently a spacious family home of 270m², the property also has a farm cottage to renovate, a huge barn with a hayloft, a walk-in wine cellar, a traditional porcherie with chicken coops and a unique dovecote constructed in 1717!

A small lane arrives at the rear of the property, where there is plenty of room for several cars to park. From the parking area, a path leads round through an ancient stone arch (with the dovecote on top of it) and arrives at a gravel courtyard. The manor house and outbuildings are set around the courtyard, with the manor house to the south, the barn to the west and the cottage to the north. There are also gates into the south-facing grounds and into the "porcherie" behind the cottage.

From the courtyard, the front door of the manor house opens into an entrance hall with a traditional wooden staircase to the upper floors. Behind the entrance hall is a cosy salon with a picture window overlooking the south-facing grounds. To the left of the salon is a sitting room with a large floor-to-ceiling picture window, which opens onto a south-facing dining terrace.

To the right of the salon is a huge open-plan kitchen/dining/sitting room, which has doors out to the dining terrace on one side and to the enclosed courtyard on the other side. The room is dominated by an authentic stone fireplace and the contemporary-style kitchen area has been refurbished and re-equipped this year. Also on the ground floor is a large utility room, a guest WC and a boiler room under the staircase.

The wooden staircase in the entrance hall leads up to the first floor of the manor house and two huge loft areas on the second floor. The first floor comprises a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, a second bedroom with an en suite shower room, a shared shower room, a third bedroom with a dressing room area (which could be converted into a private en suite shower room), plus access to the shared shower room - and a fourth bedroom, which also has access to the shared shower room.

The second floor loft areas have water and electricity supplies in place, ready for creating at least two more bedrooms with en suite shower rooms, or you might prefer to use the space for a gym, home cinema, a self-contained suite for grandparents or teenagers...

Should the new owners be interested in creating one or two gîtes in the future, both the farm cottage and the barn would be suitable for conversion (subject to permission), or could be ideal for using as offices or consulting rooms if you work from home.

NB: the current owners have repainted the façades on the manor house and outbuildings. They are also fitting double-glazed windows on 80% of the manor house's windows and will ensure that the septic tank conforms to current regulations.

Set in magnificent south-facing gardens and grounds of 10,017m² and bordered by mature trees and shrubs, there is ample room to install a swimming pool near the house, along with a summer kitchen, a children's play area, a boules piste... (Of the 10,017m² of land, 3000m² is classed as "constructible".) You could also enclose the land for horses, donkeys, goats... and the superb views of the Pyrénées and the setting sun as you dine al fresco will delight you all year round!

Situated on the outskirts of Orthez in the Béarn, the property is close to surfing and family beaches on the Atlantic coast (50 minutes), ski resorts in the Pyrénées (80 minutes) and several rivers for exciting watersports. The town's numerous shops, schools, restaurants, bars and small hospital are all a short drive away, as is an excellent leisure lake with a beach (La Base de Loisirs d’Orthez-Biron), where you can swim, sunbathe and picnic as if you were by the sea!

THE MANOR HOUSE

Ground floor (approx. 150m²):
- a south-facing dining terrace with a covered barbecue area and panoramic views of the grounds and Pyrénées
- a gravel courtyard
- an entrance hall with a traditional wooden staircase
- an adjoining south-facing salon, which could be used as a library/study/office area (approx. 35m²)
- a south-facing sitting room with a large floor-to-ceiling picture window overlooking the grounds and which opens onto the south-facing dining terrace (approx. 45m²)
- a huge open-plan kitchen/dining room (approx. 50m²) with an open fireplace and access to both the courtyard and the south-facing dining terrace
- a utility room
- a guest WC

First floor (approx. 120m²):
- a master bedroom (approx. 35m²) with an en suite bathroom
- a second bedroom (approx. 20m²) with an en suite shower room
- a shared shower room
- a third bedroom (approx. 30m²) with a dressing room area (which could be converted into a private en suite shower room), plus access to the shared shower room
- a fourth bedroom (approx. 15m²) with access to the shared shower room

Second floor:
- two huge loft areas (sloping ceilings), which could be used to create at least two more bedrooms with en suite shower rooms - water and electricity supplies already in place


THE COTTAGE (140m²)

Ground floor:
- three large rooms (one with a separate entrance)

First floor:
- one huge open-plan room (sloping ceilings)


THE OUTBUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

- south-facing land of 10,017m², perfect for horses/donkeys/goats and for installing a swimming pool, a summer kitchen, a children's play area, a boules piste...
- of the 10,017m², 3000m² is classed as "constructible"
- an enclosed gravel courtyard
- a barn (150m²) with a hayloft
- a traditional stone porcherie with chicken coops above
- a dovecote
- a wine cellar


THE POTENTIAL!

This lovely family home is conveniently located within easy commuting distance of Mourenx (25 minutes), Pau (30 minutes) and Bayonne (50 minutes); the International School of Béarn and Total are 35 minutes away. For anyone who works from home, part of the cottage could be transformed into an office or consulting room.

With a growing demand for upmarket Bed and Breakfast accommodation from tourists visiting this beautiful area, one or more of the bedrooms in the manor house could be used for accommodating Bed and Breakfast guests. In addition, with the Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle just 2.5km away, you would be guaranteed year-round business from pilgrims hoping to find stunning places to stay en route to Spain.

Should you wish to expand the accommodation (permission required), the loft space in the manor house is perfect for creating at least two more bedrooms with en suite shower rooms. You might also like to transform the cottage and/or barn into self-catering gîte accommodation, which could also be used for B&B guests out of season. The installation of a swimming pool in the grounds would definitely be an added attraction for guests!


SERVICES & TECHNICAL

Telephone + cable internet connection available
Mainly double-glazed
Electricity
Mains gas
Heating: gas central heating (new boiler) + fireplace
Mains water
Septic tank
Well


THE LOCAL AREA

This beautiful residence is located on the outskirts of Orthez in the beautiful Béarn region in south-west France. It is not far from Pau, Lourdes, the Atlantic coast and the picturesque Basque Country. The cities of Toulouse, Bordeaux, San-Sebastián and Bilbao are all within easy reach.

Popular with tourists all year round for hiking, mountain-biking, white-water rafting and fishing, the region has numerous ski resorts just 90 minutes away, which offer a range of winter sports: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing... For those who prefer beach-based activities, the Atlantic coast is about 50 minutes away, where you can swim and surf at Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

If your interests are gastronomic, visit the daily markets throughout the Béarn and Basque Country to sample the locally produced Jurançon wines, tasty Bayonne ham and fabulous brebis, which is a cheese made using milk from sheep. The famous “Ossau-Iraty” brebis can be bought direct from farms in the Vallée d’Ossau to the south of the property, or you’ll find it at any of the farmers’ markets in the local towns and villages.

Airports: Biarritz, Pau, Tarbes-Lourdes
Train: Orthez, Puyoô
Ferry: Bilbao, Santander

Ski: Issarbe, La-Pierre-St-Martin, Iraty, Val-d’Azun, Gourette, Candanchú (Spain)...
Beaches: Biarritz, St-Jean-de-Luz, Hendaye, Hossegor...

Attractions: Base de Loisirs d’Orthez-Biron, Aqua Béarn, Parc’Ours, Grottes de Bétharram, Gorges de Kakuetta, Passerelle d’Holzarte, Le Petit Train d'Artouste, Le Train de La Rhune, Chemin-de-St-Jacques-de-Compostelle (2.5km)...
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Information about risks to which this property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website : https://www.georisques.gouv.fr