We bought a run-down French village for £118k and transformed it from shabby to chic
Fed up with the gloomy British weather, Sean Baldock and Lorraine (Lolly) Curran decided they had had enough.
“It was 2015 when we decided we wanted to leave the UK,” Lolly explains.
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But instead of heading to the Spanish coast for a villa with a sea view, or a beautiful farmhouse in the countryside in Italy, the couple decided that an abandoned French village would be the perfect home.
Lolly adds: “We had a family discussion and decided that France would be the best place to move to because of the ease of travel and the different routes to get here.
“The prices of houses in France were also very tempting – you could get so much more for your money. And that’s not to mention the peace and quiet.”
But there was one problem with the village called The Galiserie…it was completely neglected.
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La Galiserie is located in Serigny, France, about an hour’s drive north of Poitiers. It is a small village consisting of a former large manor house and surrounding buildings, some of which were built by a nobleman who supported some 25 farming families in the outbuildings and stone cottages in the nearby fields.
Unfortunately, the old cottages began to fall into disrepair as people moved away. The manor house could have suffered the same fate, until Sean and Lolly threw the manor a lifeline.
But there was no electricity, no running water, no doors or windows.
Lolly said: “It was in complete disrepair, neglected for over 50 years and everything of value had been stolen over the years.
“It was abandoned, unloved – a collection of buildings for wildlife.”
In addition to the group of buildings, Lolly and Sean had about five acres of land, which was used for farming, while “the yard was full of rubble and snail colonies, all covered with weeds up to your head”.
“You could almost see the building because it was so overgrown and unloved,” Lolly said. “But it had that wow factor.”
Despite the condition of La Galiserie, they “immediately fell in love with it”.
“We looked at it and went with our heart, but you have to do it with your head [too],” they said.
“You come home, you crunch the numbers, you look at what you want to do, and yeah, your head has to take over at some point. But for us here, the heart and the head worked and we got everything and more than we could have ever imagined.”
Sean and Lolly sold their Sussex home and bought La Galiserie for £118,000.
But the move to France was not easy, especially for Lolly who left her children – Phoebe and Charlie – behind in the UK.
During the day a recent episode of Help We Bought A Village! on Channel 4said Lolly with tears in her eyes, “It’s really hard – it’s the hardest thing ever.
“We’ve wanted to do this for so long, but that’s the hardest part [leaving my kids behind].
“I really thought they would come with me, but they have their own lives, they are young and they have their own careers, which I totally understand. It is so hard.”
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I knew straight away that La Galiserie was the right one. I saw the potential.”
Lolly Pop
Sean added: “They are literally just a phone call away. And before we know it, they are with us.”
Lolly’s children were 21 and 23 when she and Sean moved to France.
When it came to what Sean and Lolly had planned for La Galiserie, they “immediately saw the potential”.
“It didn’t take long for me to see what could be done,” Lolly admitted.
“We had seen about a dozen properties that were all described in detail as ‘finished’ and ‘move-in ready’, but it really wasn’t.
“We were very disappointed with the poor redevelopment, the lack of imagination and quality [of some of the properties] so we decided to drive to La Galiserie and I knew straight away [it was the one]. I saw the potential.”
The couple had £500,000 to renovate, but absolutely no building experience. While this might have been terrifying to most, they were determined to breathe new life into La Galiserie and transform it into a holiday park.
Currently, they have completed two B&B roomsand the first gîte will welcome guests this autumn.
They also plan to offer athletes warm-weather training, drawing on Sean’s experience as a former Olympian, and yoga retreats led by Lolly, who has practiced Ashtanga Yoga for over 25 years.
Although the couple are far from completing the transformation of La Galiserie, they have already had a lot of fun with the process.
Lolly said: “It was a joy to watch the progress. We were told we had found a gem and it absolutely sparkles!”
When it comes to life in France, they say they enjoy a “slower pace”.
France is cleaner, less stressful, more relaxed and peaceful
Lolly Pop
Four Cheap Home Renovation Tricks
YOU don’t have to spend a ton of money to give a room a new look. Here are five other home renovation tricks you can try.
Kitchen cabinets
One way to give your kitchen a complete transformation for less is to change the look of your kitchen cabinets. There are many different vinyl sidings to choose from, and it’s a quick and easy way to update your home.
Handles
Another thing you can try without spending a lot of money is to replace the handles. You can buy relatively cheap handles at hardware stores or even thrift stores. Adding new handles to your kitchen cabinets or doors in your home can be very effective.
Leftovers
Most of us have old, half-used cans of paint sitting around in the garage, but they’re often forgotten about. However, there could be enough in the can to paint an accent wall in another room, and you don’t have to spend a dime.
Free stuff
It’s worth checking your local Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle to see what other people are getting rid of. As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And if someone is planning to redecorate a room, they might want to get rid of a sofa or coffee table that could be used to give a lounge a new look.
“We like good wine, good food and there doesn’t seem to be much crime,” added Lolly.
“There is also no light pollution and no direct neighbors! We prefer the sense of community importance and the community meetings, lunches and the annual dinner.”
Lolly and Sean were welcomed into their commune with open arms.
“Our commune has been wonderful and encouraging from the beginning of our journey,” Lolly explains.
“Neighbors even stopped to thank us for ‘lighting the tower,’ and our farmers wished us ‘Bon Courage.’”
Of course, it’s not all roses and moonshine at La Galiserie. There are just a few things the couple misses from their old lives…
“We miss a good curry and our family, but they love it so they come over more often,” Lolly revealed.
You can book a stay at La Galiserie via the websiteor follow Sean and Lolly’s progress on TikTok, FacebookAnd Instagram.
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