Farm renovation with Permaculture and environmental pricipals

Location: BETETE, France

Having decided a change is needed, without family ties and Brexit axing funding for my conservational work within the UK my search for a project become reality with the purchase of a French farm renovation.

As an experienced conservationist and environmental engineer I link these skills with my past in construction is to create an almost self sustaining lifestyle that limits its impact and helps to respect nature, renovate old buildings finding new or reinstate uses for them, a place where skills can be transferred and nurtured.

Being now artisan registered, a landscaping business has been created and forms a crucial funding platform.

Now not quite the start, it is the ongoing renovation of a small farm situated centrally in a very tranquil hamlet in a beautiful part La Creuse France, not too isolated, a place to get fresh bread and meet the village folk is a lovely 10 minute walk, a nearby small quiet town provides banks, shops and cafes gets more busy in summer with the arrival of Dutch and British holiday home owners

All these renovation works are envisioned and delivered with an organic low environment impact principal.

From the foundations up, a new sanitation system needs to be constructed with a Reedbed, general construction work using materials that are more traditional, natural and sourced whenever possible locally.

Workshop for woodworking and craft need to be created, firstly within the construction phase helping in the rebuild and then becoming a source for inspired creation, but importantly, must generate ongoing funding income

A basic Gite will convert at least one house both to help accommodate and again provide income.

This farm consists of a number of buildings, two houses and two barns in a courtyard setting, with a small amount of land attached and then parcels that are scattered locally.

With Organic Permaculture in mind, one former orchard now resembles woodland, sympathetically cleared with arboriculture work, then landscaped to create a "very special place" of tranquility, with landscaping/horticultural works already started will then deliver areas for maximising food production, for the projects personal consumption and whenever possible organic produce to meet the supply and demand the local market.

Other owned land includes woodland, that will require urgent maintenance and ongoing management, this then provides both fuel for heating and the raw materials for those woodworking projects.

More property purchases are likely, necessary they will always compliment in any food production, with respectful animal husbandry will again promote a space to reflect, chill in perfect tranquility.

Big future projects include…
Sanitation replacement is a must to bring it upto code!
Replacing the current functioning roof but will become a living green roof.
Plumbing both internally and outside in supplying all buildings.
Likewise, electric is on site and there is an urgent demand to link all buildings.
Carpentry for replacement of inefficient windows and rotten doors.
Insulation of roof spaces, as winter can be somewhat cool!

It is a project that requires both the skilled and novice alike, it will always be an opportunity to learn, so don’t feel you that you lack the knowledge, there an essential job to be done by everyoneFar