It was love at first sight when Rebecca Jenkins first came to France to visit her parents in 2016.
“I grew up in Zimbabwe and moved to New Zealand when I was 10,” explained Rebecca.
“I met my husband Jack in 2012 and four years later I took a trip to the Charente – with our toddler and while expecting our second child – to visit my parents who had settled there.
“I felt an incredible sense of belonging, so the next year we all came back and lived for five months in a tiny gîte, working from home and exploring the region.”
Jack and Rebecca have slowly brought their Charente maison de maître back to lifeGrowing in France
Jack did not need much persuading.
“We knew this was where we wanted to bring up our family,” he said. “The way of life feels so relaxed, neighbours chat to each other and kids are always welcome, plus the weather is so much better! We were utterly besotted with the place, so it was a matter of working out how to move here.”
New home deadline
Having sold their home in New Zealand in 2019, Rebecca and Jack bought one-way tickets and gave themselves an optimistic 18 days to find a new home.
“We explored the region looking for à vendre signs and viewing houses without finding what we were looking for,” said Rebecca.
“Then one day, taking a break from the property front and walking by the river, we saw this completely overgrown maison de maître and I immediately fell for it. Unbelievably, we were able to view it the same afternoon, and realised that not only was it over our budget, it was definitely not habitable!”
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Before the renovationGrowing in France
The couple were not aware of this style of property before moving to France. The term maison de maître refers to an elegant bourgeois house from the 18th or 19th century, typically with a symmetrical façade and centrally placed front door accessed by steps.
In the countryside they were usually the homes of landowners, while in towns they often belonged to doctors, solicitors or minor aristocrats.
After the renovationGrowing in France
“The first time I saw one I fell in love,” said Rebecca. “I thought it was the most beautiful style of home I had ever seen.
“This one was from the 1880s and had been abandoned for at least 50 years but when we went upstairs and looked out onto the countryside, I couldn’t believe this could be ours. Going into every room and opening the shutters was like opening a present.”
Two previous owners had planned to renovate the property, but nothing had come of it.
“The last owner was broke,” said Jack. “Before him, another person had bought it with plans to renovate, but he left.
"We’ve heard from people in the village that he went crazy, and as we started work we found that this guy had hidden knives everywhere and added extra locks on the doors. However, we found an adorable love letter when cleaning out the attic, so it wasn't all bad!”
The 200m² main house needed the most work, so the family moved into the adjoining 150m² longère, which had already been roughly renovated.
The property also came with a 180m² barn, a half-acre of gardens, plus ¼ acre of land along the river.
“Technically there was running water and electricity on site,” said Jack. “The owner sorted that before we arrived. We just turned up with our suitcases because our other belongings were coming five months later.
“Rebecca's parents had left France in the meantime, leaving behind furniture, a washing machine, fridge and mattresses, so at least we had that!”
One particularly difficult memory from that period was when the macerating toilet exploded.
“I was on a work call,” said Jack, “and I heard screaming. I ran out to see Rebecca covered!
“That was our only toilet. We discovered that all the waste water ran through one small pipe, which had a hole in it, previously plugged with a piece of wood. We called the previous owner, who explained as if it were perfectly logical: ça marche!”
Although the couple had negotiated a good price of €120,000 for the house, it was still over their budget. As a result, they drew up an agreement with the notaire to pay the previous owner an additional €1,000 a month for 20 months. It meant, however, that they initially had no money leftover for renovations.
They have since spent around €20,000 on work to the house. Bills have been covered by Rebecca’s wedding photography business and Jack’s IT consulting, with any spare funds used for building.
Jack does a lot of the work himself, learning and filming the process as he goes.
Their story has proved quite a hit on YouTube. They set up their channel, Growing in France, in late 2023, initially to connect with other like-minded people.
“I confess, I’m a wannabe filmmaker,” said Jack, “so it’s also a creative outlet for me. To begin with we were making a video every week, but there weren’t enough hours for editing, renovating, work and family, so now it’s about once a month and we have nearly 8,000 subscribers.”
Judging by the comments, fans particularly appreciate the couple’s optimism and honesty. Watching their videos, you cannot help but hope they eventually realise their dream and bring this unique, quirky property back to its former glory.
Similar properties
If this has inspired you, you can purchase your own maison de maître in Charente. At the time of writing, the following similar properties were for sale:
A 180m² detached house for full renovation in Abzac for €89,900
A 17-room riverside home in Saint-Hilaire for €115,350
A maison de maître with longère in Challignac for €160,500
A manor, complete with pool, in Aigre for €349,125
A beautiful period home ready to go in Bazac for €380,000
