Anyone For A Brand New Eco Home?

Last week I shared some photographs of an incredible modern house, and came to the decision that as part of our Moving To France Masterplan I need to start researching the possibilities not only of purchasing and renovating a tumbledown Provençal maison, but also of building a brand new modern home. I love the idea of creating a 21st-century eco home and building it from the ground up to our precise specification.

I'm also guided in this decision by the fact that there are just not that many Provençal mansions out there in need of renovation. Ten years ago? You probably couldn't move in the Luberon without falling over one. But now? They've all been snapped up, renovated, and sold on for eye-watering sums. I've been watching the property market in the area for nearly a year now, and have only seen one suitable renovation candidate come up for sale - and it went almost immediately, probably for the (huge) asking price.

However, there is quite a lot of land for sale. And buying land and building a house is significantly cheaper than buying an existing building.

Especially if you were to buy a timber-frame eco house from Scandia-Hus.

Check out The Tithe Barn:

This beauty has 219 square metres of floor space, with five bedrooms. I'm not so fond of the outside finish, but you can pretty much choose any exterior you fancy. And the price? £110,000 for the shell plus installation.

Pardonnez-moi, I hear you say? Is there a zero missed off the end? Um, no. That's really how much it costs. On top of that, you of course then have the cost of installing flooring, kitchen, bathrooms, plumbing, electrics etc. And also the land, which according to my research so far is around the £150,000 mark. So effectively you are paying £260,000 for a brand new building in need of cosmetic renovation - as opposed to paying £500,000 (yep, that's the going rate in the Luberon) for a tumbledown farmhouse in need of total renovation.

Here's The Picasso - £124,000 for 226 square metres and 3 bedrooms:

Or how about The Woodlands - £200,000 for 441 square metres and 5 bedrooms:

Or maybe The Hamshaw - £200,000 for 422 square metres and 6 bedrooms:

And yes, they deliver to France. Sold!

Well, not quite :-) There's still a lot to consider, of course. But isn't it inspiring to know that it's possible to build your own fabulous casa on your own land for substantially less than the cost of an older (and smaller...) building? Who needs the so-called 'character' that only older houses can apparently lay claim to when you have six bedrooms, cathedral ceilings, 30 degree sunshine and a swimming pool for half the price?

Modern New-Builds - Gorgeous Or Ghastly?

Spring has arrived! I have crocus in flower, daffodils nearly in flower, and two dogs racing round the garden like mad March hares. It was so sunny this morning that I actually took the unprecedented step of heading out in my new spring coat - before realising that it may be lovely and sunny, but it's still perishing cold - and subsequently retreating inside to change back into my winter coat. Boo. Never mind, we have sun for the first time in months so all is well with the world.

So naturally when the sun comes out I immediately start thinking of summer holidays, and of course our French Master Plan - so with that in mind I'd like to share some images of a stunning modern home from The Telegraph Magazine:

Gorgeous, no? By the way, the dude on the balcony is actually fully dressed, despite evidence to the contrary. I find myself being increasingly drawn to the concept of buying some land in France and then constructing our dream contemporary house from the ground up, rather than buying an old farmhouse and renovating it. Of course the build would have to be sympathetic to the local environment - local wood, local stone, a sloping roof at an angle that compliments the slope of the rolling hills and mountains surrounding the Luberon valley, paint colours to match the surrounding olive trees and vineyards - but I think it could work...

Check out this pool:

I love the feeling of light and space in the interior:

I've been keeping an eye on the property market in the Luberon for nearly a year now - but I've been focusing on houses for sale, rather than land for sale. I think I need to broaden my focus to include terrains - and also to do some research into French planning permission (ie how challenging it would be to get permission to construct a glorious modern maison in the middle of an olive grove). Of course, Andre and I don't intend to make our minds up right now - but at least we want to have considered all the available options house-wise, you know?

What's your take on the whole modern v traditional house debate? Which kind of home do you prefer to live in? Do you think that modern houses enhance their natural surroundings, or detract from them?