We Bought a (Tiny!) Farmhouse!
On the last day of 2020, we bought a house.
A very old, very small farmhouse... in France.
I’ll turn 40 this year, and up until this point the biggest purchase I’d ever made was my plain little car that I bought in my 20s. Adam and I have been renting our tiny cottage here in Venice for ten years, and never truly allowed ourselves to even consider the vague possibility of homeownership until recently.
This acquisition didn’t happen easily, and took months.
Global lockdowns and the financial + emotional strain of the pandemic (both in general and within the bubble of our family and small business) impacted every step of the process. The undertaking would’ve been complicated enough to begin with, regardless of the mayhem of 2020. But, with a firm belief in our vision, along with the help of what feels like a thousand warm-hearted people, it’s finally official.
We first began speaking to a realtor about the property (which features an <800 sqft residence and additional outbuildings,) in May. In August, while the five of us were in the aforementioned car driving to/from Idaho, we decided to take a bold leap and make our offer on the farmhouse. (It turns out that this happened to be the same week I got pregnant, because that’s just how the universe works.)
Those days and the months that followed were a flurry of phone calls, Google spreadsheets and group text chains, as we planned on joint ownership with two other parties.
From the onset, we envisioned sharing the farmhouse with family and friends in one form or another. Not only are we accustomed to a co-living format when residing abroad, but sharing household assets is an important part of our lifestyle here at the Cottage in Venice. I’ve become a firm believer that we don’t all necessarily need one of everything to ourselves. We’ve shared utilities and spaces with our next door neighbors for ten years, and this has enhanced our sense of community while decreasing our expenses and consumption.
The farmhouse isn’t a timeshare property. Instead, it’s a residence that we can all enjoy together or separately at any time. The co-owners of the farmhouse are my life-long closest friends with whom I’ve lived, worked and traveled extensively in the past. One has purchased property as part of a partnership before, which has helped us chart the more formal aspects of this acquisition, and map out our internal legal agreements between us as part of our joint ownership.
Together, we will renovate and restore the farmhouse. We will also develop the barn into a shared living space. We made this purchase with the intention of the buildings and land being part of our families across generations.
One of our primary goals throughout this project is to be as sustainable in our repairs and design as possible, reusing whatever materials we can, and opting for vintage and second-hand over newly manufactured goods. So far we’re off to a promising start with this endeavor, as we inherited several pieces of furniture and accessories from the previous stewards of the property.
We’re not sure when we’ll get there, but the work starts now. I look forward to sharing our design and lifestyle journey with you, and hope that you fall in love with this tiny French farmhouse just as we have.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Here are answers to some of the top questions we’ve already been asked repeatedly, and/or expect to receive frequently:
Will we leave our Venice cottage?
Yes. Sob! (More on this topic very soon.)
Who will move into our Venice cottage when we’re gone?
The owner has a plan, and is not currently seeking applicants.
Will we change our company name?
No, not any time soon. We’ll remain The Tiny Canal Cottage, even after we’ve said goodbye to our beloved home of 10 years.
How big is the farmhouse?
The residence is a 2 bedroom with an interior that measures under 800 square feet. There are additional outbuildings and a utility shed.
What size is the plot of land?
Several acres.
Where is the farmhouse located?
In the Midi-Pyrénées region of France. We are not disclosing the specific town for privacy reasons.
Why France?
I’ve been visiting France since middle school -- first as part of my education, then as part of my business. I’ve lived/worked there for long stretches of time in the past, and have hoped to find a place there for over a decade.
When do we plan to start renovating and living in the French farmhouse?
The structural repairs on the farmhouse will begin immediately, even as we remain in the States until it’s safe and permissible to travel to Europe. We hope to visit in 2021, but time and circumstance will tell. We plan to make stylistic renovations while living there, so we can do much of it on our own and share the experience with this community.
What about StanLee & Sophee?
Stubs and Soph are our family. (And long-time readers know that StanLee is the love of my life.) There’s no decision that Adam and I make without the pups at the top of our minds. We have a visa agency that can get the dogs the documents and permits needed for overseas travel and living, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, as our longer-term stays in France are likely a couple of years away. (Note: I will never place our dogs in the cargo hold of a plane.) When we travel for shorter stays abroad, the pups will be well loved and cared for by our family, just as they have been in the past.
How old is the farmhouse?
To our knowledge, it was built in the 1860s.
Will the farmhouse be a vacation rental? Is it a timeshare?
The farmhouse is intended to be a long-term residence for our family and the other owners when the timing is suitable. It is not a timeshare, nor is it a rental property.
Will we permanently leave the USA?
Not at this point. We will still spend a portion of each year in the States with our families.
What about school for the little ones?
We are familiar with schools in this region, and are considering them for the future. We are also interested in homeschooling options.
Why did we buy this property with partners?
There are numerous reasons why we preferred the idea of shared ownership for this property. As none of us can initially be there full-time, the split nature of the investment means that the home and land will be better used between multiple parties. And the combined responsibilities help spread out the financial burden of purchasing, repairing and renovating. Beyond the financial implications, sharing belongings between one another within the house reduces the need for each party to have their own separate space with its own furnishings, appliances, etc., which helps us reduce our collective footprint. And, lastly, it’s simply more enjoyable this way, as our families are used to traveling and working together. A takeaway from our COVID-19 experience is the clear understanding that we want to be in close proximity to the ones we love for sizable stretches of time.
Who are the co-owners of the farmhouse?
We have two partners in this property. They are life-long friends with whom I’ve lived, worked and traveled in the past. One has purchased property with co-owners before, which has helped us chart the formal aspects of partnering for this acquisition.
What about the carbon footprint of air travel?
This is one of the primary reasons we’re leaving our Venice cottage. Flying between our rental in California, the farmhouse in France, and our extended families in the States would be more non-essential air travel than we feel is responsible. (Less than 20% of the world’s population has ever been on a plane, yet the negative environmental impacts of air travel affect the entire planet.) In recent years (prior to the pandemic), we saved up most of our air miles to fly to/from our families. Now that we have the farmhouse, we will relocate our US residence to be closer to our loved ones, and reallocate our air miles to the trans-Atlantic flights.
Do we know people in the Midi-Pyrénées who helped in the purchase process?
Yes. Our friends in the region generously provided their time and energy, and acted as our surrogates on several occasions.
Where do we plan to have the baby?
The baby will be born in the States, though we plan to be out of the Cottage before then. (That’s another big blog post for later this month!)
