From Renovation Ruin to Rural Retreat: A Life Reimagined in France

We spoke with Denise about her experiences of moving to the Haute Vienne, and spoke about everything from the challenges of property renovations to the triumphs of launching a successful Chambre D'Hote business.

---

When they first arrived in France twelve years ago, it was November 2011 and bitterly cold. Looking back, they often joke that it probably wasn’t the best time of year to start a new life. But sometimes a dream doesn’t wait for perfect timing.

The idea had actually begun some years earlier during a holiday in the south of France. Sitting together in Port Grimaud, enjoying the warm Mediterranean atmosphere and the easy rhythm of French life, the conversation turned to something more serious.

“What if we lived here?”

At first it was just a thought—one of those holiday ideas that feels wonderful in the moment. But the idea refused to disappear. Slowly it turned into a real plan.

It took nearly three years of searching before they found the property that felt right. They spent countless hours online, looking at houses across different regions of France. The area they eventually settled on hadn’t even been their original target, but when they found the property it simply made sense.

It had everything they were looking for. There was an airport within easy reach for visiting friends and family, the sea wasn’t too far away, and it was set in the beautiful French countryside they had fallen in love with. Most importantly, it offered space and possibilities — a collection of buildings that could become the foundation of something special.

They had found the place where their French dream could begin.

Of course, the dream quickly met reality!

The property had been empty for seven years when they arrived. There was no glass in the windows. There was no bathroom, no kitchen, and no sign that anyone had lived there for a very long time. In fact, they suspected that nobody had even set foot upstairs for nearly twenty years.

It was, quite simply, a shell.

Attached to the house were several barns, equally neglected but full of potential. The moment they saw them, ideas began to form. These buildings could be transformed. They could become something.

But first there was a huge amount of work to do.

For the first nine months they lived in a caravan on the property with their dogs while the renovation began. Days were spent clearing rubble, repairing walls, replacing roofs and slowly turning the building into something that resembled a home.

The plan from the start was to create a chambre d’hôtes, a welcoming B&B where travellers could stop for a night or two while exploring the region.

 But the dream didn’t stop there.

They also imagined a small rural lifestyle — land, animals, and a peaceful countryside setting.

And somewhere in that dream, alpacas appeared.

When they first moved to France, they arrived with just two dogs. Within six months a third had joined the family.

The alpacas came later.

The idea was that the animals would become part of the charm of the property. Guests staying at the B&B could enjoy the rural atmosphere and perhaps meet the alpacas during their stay.

It was a simple vision — countryside hospitality with a slightly unusual twist.

But before any of that could happen, there was the small matter of renovating a property that barely functioned as a building.

Anyone who has renovated an old property will know that the journey rarely goes exactly to plan. There were plenty of challenging moments along the way.

There were days spent balancing on beams twenty feet in the air while dismantling parts of the roof. Trees had to be cut down, sometimes with ropes attached to try and guide them in the right direction — although occasionally those ropes snapped, sending the tree exactly where it wasn’t supposed to go.

On another occasion a heavy beam attached to a tractor started rolling unexpectedly, sending everyone running for safety.

And then there were the more comical disasters.

At one point she stepped on a garden tool and was convinced she had seriously injured her foot, only to take off her boot and discover nothing had actually happened. Another day involved leaning down to sand something, forgetting that expanding foam had just been applied nearby.

Moments later the foam had attached itself to her hair and started expanding. It took two hours and an entire bottle of conditioner to remove it!

Looking back now, those moments are part of the story they laugh about. But at the time, renovation life was certainly not dull.

The real challenge came when the money started to run out.

Buying the property had already stretched their finances. They had expected some additional funds to arrive later, but those plans never materialised.

At one point they checked the bank account and realised they had just €200 left.

The renovation was nowhere near finished. The B&B wasn’t ready to open. And suddenly the financial safety net had disappeared. For three days they barely spoke to each other, both trying quietly to work out what they were going to do.

Then, almost by chance, a solution appeared.

A friend they had met locally ran a renovation business. One day they were visiting a builders’ merchant when someone asked whether Trevor (Denise's husband) could help with plumbing work. Without hesitation the answer came. “Yes, he can.”

Trevor had already spent fifty years working as a plumber in the UK. Now, almost unexpectedly, he found himself continuing that career in France.

The plumbing work brought in the income they needed to keep going. Slowly but surely the renovation continued and the dream of opening the B&B stayed alive.

Eventually the work reached the point where they could finally welcome guests.

The chambre d’hôtes opened with three bedrooms — two double rooms and a family room. Later they converted a barn next door to create a separate dining and lounge area along with another family bedroom.

As guests began to arrive, they quickly realised something interesting.

Their property was perfectly positioned for families travelling across Europe — people driving between Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and beyond who were looking for a comfortable place to stop for the night.

The family rooms became incredibly popular. Over time they added another large double bedroom in a second barn conversion, and the business steadily grew. Many guests returned year after year, and some even became long-term friends.

Eventually their ratings climbed to an impressive 9.8 on Booking.com.

Not bad for a place that had once had no windows!

While the B&B was developing, another unexpected journey was taking place.

Shortly after moving to France Denise joined a small local painting group that met in a nearby gallery. At first she worked mainly with acrylic paints, but soon rediscovered watercolours — something she had experimented with at school but never really appreciated at the time. Now she loved the way watercolours behaved — strong yet unpredictable.

Then the alpacas arrived.

After six months in France they bought their first three male alpacas. Suddenly there was wool to deal with, and curiosity led to researching what could be done with it.

She learned how to card the wool and spin it, exploring different machines and techniques along the way. But knitting and crochet didn’t quite appeal. Instead she discovered something completely different - Felting.

It began with small hanging wool fairies, delicate and full of character. Then a guest staying at the B&B — who happened to be a professional wet-felting artist — noticed her paintings and suggested she try creating pictures using wool instead of paint.

They spent an afternoon together experimenting in the workshop, learning wet felting techniques. By the end of the day she was completely hooked.

Soon she was combining wet felting and needle felting to create artwork using alpaca wool, blending colours and fibres in ways that produced completely unique pieces.

Looking back at the journey, there are a few things they would tell anyone thinking of making the same move.

First — do your research.

They had spent years researching before moving, and it made a huge difference. France gave them opportunities they would never have had in England. But choosing the right location also matters. At first, the idea of living somewhere completely remote sounded wonderful — a cheap house surrounded by nothing but countryside.

In reality, they discovered they preferred being part of a small hamlet with neighbours nearby rather than isolated on a hill in the middle of nowhere.

Because rural life can sometimes feel lonely, especially during difficult periods such as the COVID lockdowns. During that time creativity became a lifeline. Craft and artwork kept both mind and spirit busy.

And having a backup plan proved essential too. Trevor’s plumbing skills became the unexpected safety net that allowed everything else to grow.

 When they looks around at everything they have created — the house, the barns, the fields, the alpacas and the life they have built — it still sometimes feels a little unreal.

Every now and then you have to stop and remind yourself.

They really did it.

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8VBfrMn2s