Conversion of a Longère
- Normandy -
The "longère" model of farmhouse is typical of the vernacular of Western Normandy and Eastern Brittany. As the name implies it is a long narrow building usually constructed of thick stone walls and roofed in slate. This "railway carriage" plan is subdivided by thick stone cross walls which rise the full height of the building and support the purlins which constitute the roof structure.
The main challenge in converting such a building into a house is to devise a floor plan in such a way that the circulation does not depend on either long corridors or the need to cross one room to get to another.
The spatial arrangement is devised in such a way that by just locking one door, the Western end of the building can be separated from the rest of the house to form a self-contained unit with 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a mezzanine (sleeping gallery), and a 2-storey living room with a large expanse of glazing facing the setting sun. Even when the 2 sections of the house are occupied, a high level of privacy is maintained, both inside and outside.
This project originated as a speculative venture on my part. Having found and bought this dilapidated longère I designed the scheme, obtained Building Permission, and priced it. I planned to sell the scheme "off plan" on the basis of financing its construction from instalment payments from the buyer. Lack of interest in the marketing activity and increasing commitments with other work meant that the project was never carried forward.
GROUND FLOOR PLAN
FIRST FLOOR PLAN