Farmhouses in Le Marche
Farmhouses for sale in Le Marche are the first thing prospective UK buyers think of when they are looking to purchase a property for themselves. Farmhouses with land must make up the majority of property sales to non Italian buyers, closely followed by small village houses. Farmhouses and large country houses with land are spread widely throughout the region and there are estimated to be many thousand derelict and abandoned houses still needing restoration and rebuilding. The farmhouses vary enormously in size, many are quite small at 100sqm with two bedrooms and only a small garden, up to very large 500sqm properties with more than 8 bedrooms and with many hectares of land, and these are normally termed as Casa Colonica or country houses.
Many of the farmhouses were the homes of peasant families in the 18th,19th and 20th centuries and over the years have been abandoned. The ground floor would house the animals, normally a few sheep and cows and the family would live on the first floor, with an external staircase. The ground floor of a typical Le Marche farmhouse had an earth floor and several rectangular windows which were located quite high up the walls and were there just to light into the room for the animals. There would be a stone trough along the full length of one end wall and a large doorway on one side of the building to allow easy access for the animals and farm machinery. The house would be made of brick, but normally a mixture of brick and local stone. Some houses built in the early 20th century would have had exterior walls with rendered finish as well as the interior ones.
When restoring these properties, in most cases the earth floor has to be removed to a depth of one metre and a hardcore base and then a concrete floor with waterproof membrane has to be laid. This is to avoid water penetrating any new floor that is put down. Also because the ground floor area had been used by the farm animals over many years there is a build up of salts in the earth and this has to be completely removed to avoid later problems. Once the new concrete base has been laid it is normal practice then to lay cotto or travertine tiles to form a typical Italian finish. Roofs are another area that are normally completely overhauled whist restoring an old neglected farmhouse. Walls in these buildings are normally thick,sometimes up to a metre in places, so it is rare that they need any major work apart from some repointing in stucco.
The varied geography of Le Marche means that farmhouses can be found very close to the coast, perhaps just minutes from the sea, in the flat coastal plain, but also in wild and remote parts of the Sibillini mountains. Most of the farmhouses will resemble the typical rectangular Le marche style of property, the layout of the windows and doors will be much the same as the house in the photo shown above. Location is very important and my own preference when I look for a property is for it to normally be within twenty kilometres of the coast. It is then possible to travel to the coast in around fifteen minutes by car, but still be able to travel west into the mountains within thirty or forty minutes. Many farmhouses are sold with many hectares of land, but buyers should seriously think about the cost and the time involved in the upkeep of large amounts of land. Normally unless you are going to make the property your full time home in Italy or rent it out as a business and pay for upkeep, I would advise to only buy a property that comes with a maximum of two hectares or less.
Having restored my own farmhouse and townhouse in Le Marche, I am very aware how daunting the prospect of restoring an old derelict farmhouse can be, but the time and effort will be well worth it! Normally months will have been spent searching for the right property and alot of time then spent negotiating with the owner over the price. Then most clients do not speak Italian and can find the legal side of purchasing a property very different from that in the UK and often with very little guidance and advice from the local real estate agent. Once the property has been purchased it is then important to obtain two or three quotes from local builders. This can normally be arranged by the real estate agent, but if possible also get an independent quote as this can sometimes be much cheaper or the finished work of a higher standard. All major work on the property will have to have an approved project by the local Comune and a project manager who is normally a Geometra (Surveyor), but where possible try to use a structural engineer or Architect to supervise the work as they are more highly qualified and are skilled in project management.
The adventure in locating, purchasing and restoring a beautiful farmhouse in Le Marche is a really wonderful experience. Once finished the house and land will give many years of pleasure and I never tire of changing seasons and the truely stunning beauty of the Le Marche landscape. Livinginlemarche will be only too happy to assist with your search, purchase and restoration of youe ideal farmhouse and will always strive to offer the highest standard of service to our clients. If any of our properties interest you, then please do get in touch and we will be only to happy to assist you in any way we can. Please contact dermott@livinginlemarche.com for further advice and asssistance.
