Three months later and many, many euros more up front than originally planned, on Monday, March 14 we closed on the house!
I can safely say the only time in my adult life I’ve been so nervous about an official procedure would be getting married. My stomach was in tighter knots than during a traffic stop. But we left the notaire’s office with an act of sale — the deed may take up to a year! — and a pile of keys, including some quite old and magical-looking ones.
We wasted no time and met with the builder and his team on Tuesday to give them some more details on the barn renovation project. We’ll need plans drawn up to be able to request a building permit, which is required because we are transforming the purpose of the space. (The change is from barn to living space, but wasn’t it always living space if cows live there? We should try that logic with the mayor…)
We made a list a mile long of projects and I made sure to overshoot what my limited DIY skills are up for. We’ll be back in the summer to move in fully, with some lawn mowing visits in between. But at long last, the house is ours!
AWay in France 