Sam Maunder (Image: Sam Maunder / SWNS)
Sam Maunder, 34, moved into the 500-year-old cottage aged four, after her parents bought it for £12,000. The property was abandoned in 1998 when the family moved back to the UK.
Their ambitious vision was to restore the home, along with two cottages and a barn on the sprawling Dordogne estate in France.
Yet, the dream crumbled in 1998 when Sam’s parents, Maggie, now 69, and John, 71, split, prompting her and her mother to retreat to Britain, leaving the properties untouched.
In 2018, driven by nostalgia, Sam ventured back to resurrect the cherished family home. She had to break into the main home and discovered it was still full of their possessions, but had been taken over by animals and dust and needed an entirely new roof.
The state of the farmhouse when Sam returned (Image: @frenchfarmhousereno / SWNS)
Overgrown plants meant the properties were totally hidden from the road nearby, but the outbuildings had been emptied – and some were just a shell.
In 2019, she began the painstaking renovation to bring them back to their former glory – a project she admits will cost “thousands” and take another three years.
She is splitting her time between the UK and France, allowing her to do some of the work herself and keeping costs down.
Sam, who runs a laser clinic business in Cardiff, Wales, reminisced: “I was really young when we first bought it.”
“My parents are well-travelled and adventurous, so it was them who decided it was for them and they stuck with that plan.
“I have so many memories there as a child, and it’s the only place where my mind is at ease.
“I’ve been obsessed with it for years. It’s really relaxing, and the whole lifestyle is just what I want.
“It does need a lot of work, but I know that and I am willing to do that. I can’t wait to call it my own.”
Exterior of the farmhouse (Image: @frenchfarmhousereno / SWNS)
Sam’s parents were drawn to the South of France after their neighbours, who they got on like a house on fire with, relocated there; during a visit, they fell head over heels for the place and decided to take the plunge.
When they snapped up the property back in 1993, Sam described it as “a shell.”
The place was barely habitable with its concrete floors, outdated style, and had stood empty for half a century.
The property was left deserted in 1998, and Sam spent a six-week stint there in 2019 before tying the knot.
She explained that to be officially wed in France, one must reside there for more than 40 days.
By that time, the already dilapidated house had deteriorated almost completely.
Exterior of the farmhouse (Image: @frenchfarmhousereno / SWNS)
Inside the main building, ceilings had caved in, the timber was decaying, and the entire roof required replacement.
The walls are in dire need of repointing, a skill Sam is eager to master herself.
Sam has undertaken two thorough clean-ups, sorted through and disposed of boxes from the second cottage, and her father has reconstructed a wall in the barn.
She’s currently commuting between the UK and France every couple of months to spend a fortnight on renovations and is yet to secure a visa for her eventual permanent move.
One of the rooms before the renovation (Image: @frenchfarmhousereno / SWNS)
The same room after (Image: @frenchfarmhousereno / SWNS)
Sam expressed his growing self-assurance with age, saying: “As I’ve grown older, I have felt more confident. I would be nervous about moving to a new country.
“I am also slightly nervous because of the language barrier, but I have started taking one-to-one lessons, which I enjoy, and that is going well.
“Once I move, which I hope will be around two to three years, I won’t miss the UK and I’m just so excited.
“The overall plan is that the first cottage will be for living in or holidaying in, and the second cottage will become a three-bed rental.”
“The barn would be a recreation area that would be turned into a storage unit, bar, and seating area. Outside will be landscaped, possibly with a pool.
Sam is planning on moving into the property (Image: Sam Maunder / SWNS)
“The ground needs cleaning, but the roof is the most urgent job.
“I have a vision for the existing cottage, which is great, but because the other properties are so barebones, it is tricky to tell which direction it needs to take.
“It’s a little tricky to see the vision, but I can start with the fun stuff once the roof is done. My dad can help on the projects as he worked in the trade, which is really helpful. If we were living there full-time, it would be a bit quicker.
“I just can’t wait to host family parties and BBQs at my home in France. This is a really exciting project and I can’t wait till it’s finished.”