Our project

We decided to give up our jobs and move to France to open some  Gites and live the life.
Having travelled around France looking for a place where we would like to live, we eventually came across the Vosges. Little known to the French, let alone the rest of the world, we found it entrancing. Its natural beauty and continental climate giving each season a unique feel. With skiing in the winter and outdoor pursuits in the summer it is a perfect area to be.

Having decided on the region we started the house hunting in earnest. We were looking for a typical farm for renovation ('dans son  jus' as the Vogiens say) ideally with outbuildings and a few acres. Having seen many farms, when we drove into the courtyard of the farm in Champdray we knew it was the one for us. Further investigation confirmed our love for the building and its barns. With 3 acres there was space for all of our needs to be as  self-sufficient as possible and do all the renovation in an ecological way. We are still investigating exactly when the farm was built, but certainly before the mid 19th century.

Having bought the farm in 2010 we concentrated on converting one of the barns into a house for us to live in. At the end of 2011 the builders started work changing the farm into 3 luxury gites with communal and health areas.

The walls are solid stone, 50cm thick and we have tried to keep as much of the original character as possible with exposed timber and bowing walls. We have used wood fiber and recycled newpapers for insulation, Larch timber for cladding and geothermic for heating .
Our projet included a place where people with reduce mobility will find a safe haven as Marie has a friend who had a stroke at a very early age which left her paralysed down one side. After this she found it difficult to go on holiday with her family so we were keen to make our gites accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Originally there was an 'etang' (lake) in our field opposite and we are currently ploughing through French bureaucracy to re-instate it.