Case Study · Over Budget — a Haggle Job
Bousseraucourt: Farmhouse + a Big Outbuilding
A next-door neighbour of Grignoncourt in the Val de Saône, and a strong shape: an old farmhouse with a bathroom and heating already in, a 135 m² outbuilding, and 1,174 m² of land, on sound ground near amenities — and, like Grignoncourt, only 3 hours from Bern. The one catch is the price: at about €45,000 it's over our cap, so this is a haggle target. Here's the workup.
Bousseraucourt, Haute-Saône (70) · the Val de Saône · ≈ 560 km / 5.8 hrs from Calais · ≈ 230 km / 3.3 hrs from Bern
It sits beside Grignoncourt on the same sound Val de Saône ground, and shares its two big virtues — a proper outbuilding and land over 1,000 m² — plus a farmhouse that's further along (a bathroom and heating already in). Where it differs is the price: it's over our cap, so it belongs with Frôlois and Vaudeurs as a haggle job — the shape earns the write-up, the number earns the caution.
📸 See the photos: view the full Bousseraucourt listing on Properstar → (opens in a new tab)
Over-cap and DPE G — how to work out a walk-away number and offer hard.
Read the guide →✅ The Armchair ChecklistThe free routine this was judged against — run it before you travel.
Run the checklist →🔌 Going Off-GridA 135 m² outbuilding and 1,174 m² — a strong base for solar and a workshop.
Read the guide →The listing, in full
The agent (Les Agents) offers an old farmhouse to be completely renovated, about 69 m², in Bousseraucourt. Ground floor: an entrance, a kitchen, a bright living room and a bathroom with WC; upstairs, one spacious bedroom. It also has an outbuilding of about 135 m² — garage, workshop, storage, or space to develop. Outside, a 1,174 m² plot and a terrace. "Quiet, close to amenities, schools and shops; great potential; excellent value." Heating is by radiators. DPE G. FAI price €45,000 (£38,594), agency fees paid by the seller.
- Price£38,594 (FAI €45,000) — over our €40k cap; the case rests on a knock-down · fees on the seller
- Rates (taxe foncière)Not stated — confirm with the agent / mairie
- LocationBousseraucourt (70500), Haute-Saône — the Val de Saône, beside Grignoncourt
- Drive from Calais≈ 560 km / ~5.8 hrs
- Drive from Bern≈ 230 km / 3.3 hrs — among the closest on the board
- House69 m² farmhouse — kitchen, bright living room, bathroom + WC; 1 spacious bedroom up; terrace
- Outbuilding~135 m² — garage / workshop / convertible
- Land1,174 m² — over the 1,000 m² mark
- Build / materialsOld farmhouse — reads as stone ✓ (confirm at viewing)
- ServicesA bathroom and radiators are in (water + electric present) — but a full renovation; confirm the state and the drainage
- Heating / electricityRadiators (grid electric) — a mark-down for us; we'd go solar + wood
- Energy rating (DPE)G (550) — a full energy retrofit
- AmenitiesClose to shops, schools and services
- AgentLes Agents (Laetitia Régent), Charmes
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The good worth having
A farmhouse, a big outbuilding, and land
The brief's shape: a 69 m² farmhouse that's further along than most (a bathroom and heating already in), a 135 m² outbuilding to work from and grow into, and 1,174 m² of land in one block. Room for a workshop, storage and expansion — not a token courtyard.
Sound ground, close to home
The free check (below) comes back with a full sound-ground bonus: clay not flagged, no subsidence, radon low. And it's beside Grignoncourt in the reachable east — 3¼ hours from Bern, among the shortest drives on the board, with shops and schools close by.
Fees on the seller, and it's negotiable
The fees are on the seller, and an over-cap, DPE-G farmhouse that needs a full renovation is exactly the kind of listing where a firm low offer has room — especially if it's been sitting.
The bad why the price has to move
Over the cap — a knock-down or nothing
At about €45,000 it's over our €40k line, and it's a DPE G full renovation. To bring it to budget you'd want a meaningful cut. Ask how long it's been listed and price the works honestly before you offer — the shape is only worth it at the right number.
⚠️ Five flood records — check the plot
The commune sits in the Saône valley and carries five flood/mud-flow declarations. Under our rule that's a commune record, not an automatic mark-down — but it's enough that you should confirm this exact plot sits well above any watercourse and drains, especially given the flat valley setting.
Small footprint, full retrofit
At 69 m² with one bedroom it's compact — the outbuilding is the growth. And the G rating means the full energy fabric (insulation, windows, heating) is to do, even with services present. Budget for it, and lean on the grants for the energy parts.
DIY-er vs needs-a-builder the honest split
With services present and a roof to confirm, most of what's left is fit-out and retrofit — the certified bits are the pro's.
If you're hands-on — what you can do yourself
The strip-out; insulation and internal finishes; floors, joinery and glazing; second-fix plumbing off the existing system; the kitchen and bathroom; converting the outbuilding; and a wood burner. With a bathroom and heating already in, you're renovating rather than first-fixing — which keeps it close to materials cost.
Where you'll need a pro (or a builder)
• Electrics — any rewire must pass Consuel via a registered electrician.
• Drainage — confirm/upgrade to SPANC approval, by an approved installer.
• Roof / structure — confirm the roof and anything moved with a couvreur/maçon.
• The energy retrofit — insulation and heating to certified (RGE) trades for the grants.
Clearing it out — the van, and the tip
A van and a few trips
A ~69 m² house plus a 135 m² outbuilding to clear is real weight, but staged: a T5-style van and repeated runs, with a skip for the heavy phase.
The déchèterie is residents-only
Haute-Saône waste runs through the local intercommunalité, with the nearest déchèterie toward Jussey or Vauvillers. As at a British tip, you need a justificatif de domicile and often a badge — a UK- or Swiss-plated van with no French address won't get in. Until you've a local address, budget a private skip.
The ground check
The routine that ruled out Thollet from the desk — Géorisques, run on the commune (INSEE 70091).
⚠️ These ground figures (clay, flood, subsidence, radon) are official records for the commune — real, but commune-wide, not proof for this exact plot. Check it yourself: official Géorisques risk report (ERRIAL) → — enter the property address.
Sound: no subsidence, radon low
Clay isn't flagged here, the commune has no drought-subsidence declarations, and radon is class 1 (low) — a full sound-ground bonus. The build fabric, not the ground, is the work.
⚠️ The one to check: flood
The commune carries five flood/mud-flow declarations (the Saône valley). That doesn't dock the score under our rule (it's commune-wide), but on a flat valley plot it's the thing to verify in person: pin the exact address on the map, read the flood mapping, and make sure the house sits well clear.
The score
Scores green even at asking — the farmhouse, the big outbuilding, over-1,000 m² of land, sound ground and the short drive from Bern carry it, and only the over-cap price holds it back (a flat 3 out of 20). Knock the number down and it's firmly among the leaders on the rankings.
The verdict
Still watching — a strong shape at the wrong number. A farmhouse with services in, a 135 m² outbuilding and 1,174 m² on sound ground, 3 hours from Bern, with shops and schools close — that's a lot of the brief, and an easy reach. The blocks are the ~€45k over-cap price and the five commune flood records. So: ask how long it's been for sale, confirm the plot sits clear of the flood zone, price the DPE-G retrofit, and offer well under. Get the number right and this is one of the better eastern finds; leave it if it won't move.
See how it stacks up
A strong shape held back only by price — the league table shows exactly where it lands, at asking.
See the full rankings →