Buying one of the cheapest four-bedroom houses in France sounds like a dream, but this abandoned rural property came with decades of hidden problems. Left empty for nearly 30 years, the house was technically habitable, but it lacked almost every modern convenience. Still, it had charm, history, and potential, so we took the risk and began a full renovation on a very small budget.
This video follows the reality of renovating an old French house, and why abandoned properties can quickly become urgent restoration projects rather than cosmetic makeovers.
Why This Rural French House Was Left Empty
Houses don’t get abandoned for no reason, and this one was no exception. Old electrics, failing plaster, and outdated regulations meant there was no queue of buyers waiting. Regulations change over time, but the longer a house is left empty, the more serious the issues become.
Loose wiring, falling plaster, and outdated infrastructure turned this house from “fixer-upper” into a race against time, because without intervention it risked structural failure.
One Room Holding the Whole House Together
Some renovation jobs can be delayed, but this room couldn’t wait any longer. Acting as a conduit for electricity, water, insulation, and even smoke, it affected multiple parts of the house. Fixing this single room meant future-proofing bedrooms, bathrooms, and the dining room below.
It wasn’t decoration — it was survival renovation, and every decision here impacted the rest of the house.
Damp, Drafts, Flies and Zero Insulation
Old rural houses often hide unpleasant surprises, and this room had all of them. Damp crept in through failing windows, cluster flies invaded through tiny gaps, and insulation was almost non-existent.
Because energy efficiency matters in French renovations, insulating the floor, ceiling, and internal walls became essential. We skipped external insulation here, but packed everything else with as much insulation as possible.
Dangerous Electrics and Crumbling Plumbing
Outdated wiring isn’t just inconvenient — it’s dangerous. Fragile, uninsulated cables snapped by hand, and old light switches scorched wallpaper when powered. Only one bedroom had sockets, so upgrading the electrics became unavoidable.
The plumbing brought its own problems, because cracked cast-iron radiators, lead pipes, and an unlined chimney near a bed raised serious safety concerns.
Woodworm Floors and Structural Surprises
Floorboards weakened by woodworm bent underfoot, and every step risked dropping through to the room below. Previous repairs hid rot with zinc, cement, and even sardine tins, but the damage ran deeper.
Ceilings came down next, revealing lath and plaster, dust, and beams that weren’t rotten — just poorly chosen decades ago. Sometimes you expect disaster, but occasionally you get a small win.
Antique Furniture, Hidden Finds and Heavy Lifting
Old French wardrobes look beautiful, but they are brutally heavy. Dismantling centuries-old furniture alone is risky, so careful planning mattered. Inside, we found old coins, documents, and photographs — small glimpses into the house’s past.
These discoveries remind us why restoring old houses is worth the effort, because every layer tells a story.
Planning the Rebuild the Hard Way
Instead of taking shortcuts, we stripped the room back to its bare bones. Electrics were mapped, circuits planned, and future furniture imagined so sockets and lighting would finally make sense.
It would have been faster to bodge and decorate, but this is our forever home. Doing it properly now means the house will stand long after us, and that’s the real reward of slow renovation in rural France.
👉 Watch the full video here: One of the Cheapest 4-Bedroom Houses in France One Disaster at a Time
🏚️ The Cheapest House in France: One Room Too Far
🔑 The Big (Questionable) Purchase
00:00 Bought One of the Cheapest 4-Bed Houses in France
00:26 No Queue, No Bidding War… Now We Know Why
🔨 When Renovation Reality Kicks In
01:35 Every Room Had “Character”… and Major Problems
04:35 Old Electrics Caused a Fire (Yes, Really)
05:51 This Window Has Let in Water and Flies for Years
🦴 Floors, Furniture & Fear
06:09 Floorboards Give Way With Every Step We Take
06:27 Heavy Wardrobe Dismantling (What Could Go Wrong?)
07:28 Hidden Treasures Inside an Ancient Wardrobe
🎨 Stripping Back the Past
10:58 Finally Steaming Off Decades of Old Wallpaper
12:10 Removing Blown Plaster Around the Leaking Window
💪 Bad Ideas Require Strength
13:01 Can We Move a Massive Antique Wardrobe Safely?
🐛 When Nature Joins the Renovation
16:30 Woodworm Have Eaten Almost the Entire Floor
17:47 Ceiling Comes Down… Please Still Be a House
⚡ Making It Work (Eventually)
19:35 €20 Grandfather Clock Hides Ugly Electrics
20:51 Planning New Electrics With a Very Long Spreadsheet
21:55 No Shortcuts Here — Doing This the Hard Way
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