17th century stone house with natural swimming pool in the Southern Ardèche

Link to a video of the house : here

While waiting to dive (really) into the natural pool, here is a little appetizer:

24 to 29°C in summer, the pool is fed by water from the spring, and filtered by vegetation. Plants (and especially the bacteria on their roots) consume all the organic matter, like in a river, but the water is much warmer because it is in a closed circuit.

The water is soft and transparent... and won't sting your eyes!

A dive into the heart of the southern Ardèche, on the edge of the Cévennes... but without the crowds: La combe, in Asperjoc, has only 4 houses, and enjoys total tranquility, in the middle of nature, in the heart of the regional park of the Monts d'Ardèche, while being 5 km from the shops and restaurants of Antraigues (charming village of Jean Ferrat: Ah! how beautiful the mountain is...), and 8 km from the town of Vals les bains and all its amenities.

The hamlet of La Combe is said to be an old 15th century maladrerie, all in stone with a view that you never tire of.

The house is composed of 2 old "merged" houses. The most recent of the 2 was built in 1678... the year of Vivaldi's birth. Il was a contemporary of La Fontaine and Louis XIV. It is rented in full: you will be at home, with the pool and the garden just for you.

The house is located in the heart of a preserved region : the regional park of the Monts d'Ardèche, in the Cévennes, with a very rich plant and animal biodiversity (salamanders, dragonflies, badgers, swifts, roe deer, wild boars, buzzards, tawny owl, short-toed eagle, etc...). We are therefore committed to disturbing this balance with nature as little as possible, by favouring a sustainable approach: 

• 4 photovoltaic solar panels, for self-consumption, provide part of the electricity.
• 3 thermal solar panels, coupled with a large capacity solar water heater, provide almost all the hot water, including for the dishwasher
• The natural swimming pool (4 x 10 m - 1.60 m deep throughout) is fed by water from the spring, and the filtration, by plants, does not use any chemicals. It is naturally heated by the sun because it is south-facing, and it is generally possible to swim there as early as April. In summer, it is between 24 and 29°C.  

Safety: The pool is fully fenced and equipped with secure gates, which a young child cannot open. In addition, if a teenager leaves the gate open, it closes with a spring.

• The swimming pool is equipped with a solar shower, with hot water heated by the sun without any CO2 release
• This same source also supplies the washing machine, the toilets, the watering for the garden
• The sanitation of the house is done by a mini purification plant (without mosquitoes) which allows a totally ecological treatment of effluents, much more efficient than traditional septic tanks. (The town of Asperjoc has installed the same type of plant for collective sanitation). The sanitized water is reused to water one of the terraces.
• Most lamps are equipped with LED or low-energy bulbs and/or with automatic detector. 

• The large quantity of wood on site makes it possible to feed the barbecue in summer or the fireplace and stove in winter without intermediaries or transport.

• The thickness of the walls guarantees the freshness of the house in summer without the need for air conditioning, even with all doors open. It's better than air conditioning!

• A composter reduces the volume of waste and recycles organic matter.

The house is equipped with an oil boiler but it is possible to (almost) no longer use it because we have installed 2 wood stoves. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, you can use them. Wood provided at will. The solar water heater that we have installed already means that it is no longer turned on in the summer.

The house dates from the seventeenth century.

It backs onto a hill, and so there are stairs everywhere that make it very complicated to adapt it to people with reduced mobility, and therefore it is unfortunately not suitable for people in wheelchairs.

However, my 91-year-old mother comes regularly. I help her access the house, and on the ground floor, there is 1 large bedroom, 2 bathrooms, and the living room on the same level. 3 steps provide access to the dining room, kitchen and terrace.