VALAIRE, Centre-Val de Loire, Address available on request

In an over 7-hectare estate, a house, an annexe and a barn near Blois and the Loire. Description Just off a municipal road, a driveway lined with oak trees leads through meadows. It goes 250 m further on to the house, which appears at the bend in the road. Built at the end of the 19th century, this former farmhouse once belonged to a neighbouring château. The two main buildings, linked by a barn, extend over a length of more than 50 m. The main entrances are to the north-east, where there is a gravelled parking area. At the north-western end, the main house is flanked by a tower measuring approximately 4 m in diameter. A weather vane is on top of the rounded roof, slightly above the ridge of the house. A reminder of the Egyptian passion of the former occupants, the triangular dormers with their semi-circular windows evoke the eye of Osiris. The western corner links the tower to an extension of the farmhouse. In the centre there is a French window surmounted by a seated dormer with a bull's eye. The three roof slopes of the extension are attached to the top of the farmhouse wall. The whole property is covered in local tiles, which need to be renovated for the second house. In line with the extension, a stone wall frames a terrace, the boundary of which is marked by two small rectangular pools of water. This is followed by a small outbuilding with large windows, which could be converted into a conservatory or used as storage for the summer furniture. To the rear of the property, an English-style garden has been laid out opposite the main house. An Italian-style garden faces the other house. Several ponds have been dug around.