Case Study · A Close Look
Ingrandes: A Cheap Brenne Cottage — But the Ground Floods
A tidy little cottage near Le Blanc for about sixteen grand, with a bathroom inside and an enclosed garden — nicer starting points than some. But it has no barn, a rock-bottom energy rating, a post-war build, and it sits in a commune the water knows well: six flood declarations. Cheap, but read the ground. Here's the full workup.
Ingrandes, Indre (36) · near Le Blanc, in the Brenne · ≈ 540 km / 5½ hrs from Calais · ≈ 670 km / 7.8 hrs from Bern
It looks a soft, cheap option — and in some ways it is. But the Brenne is wetland country, and the free Géorisques check turns up the thing the photos don't: a commune that floods. Worth the full workup as the flip side of a place like Perrusse, where the ground came back clean.
📸 See the photos: view the full Ingrandes listing on Properstar → (opens in a new tab)
The free routine that flags a flood-prone commune before you drive 540 km.
Run the checklist →🔑 Haggling a Long-Empty WreckAlready discounted, G-rated and no barn — plenty of levers on the price.
Read the guide →🔥 The One Warm RoomA G rating means heating and insulation from scratch — start with one warm room.
Read the guide →The listing, in full
The agent (Cmillet Immobilier) offers a residential house to renovate entirely, made up of two rooms (one with a water point) and a bathroom with WC. It's 48 m², built 1950, on an enclosed 749 m² garden with garden sheds. The price is marked as a discount, at about €18,900 (≈ £16,100).
- Price≈ €18,900 (≈ £16,100) — marked "discount" (reduced)
- FeesNot stated — confirm who pays the agency fees
- Rates (taxe foncière)Not stated — confirm with the agent
- LocationIngrandes (36300), Indre — near Le Blanc, in the Brenne
- Drive from Calais≈ 540 km / ~5½ hrs
- Drive from Bern≈ 670 km / 7.8 hrs
- House48 m², built 1950 — two rooms (one with a water point) + a bathroom with WC (inside)
- Land749 m² enclosed garden
- OutbuildingsGarden sheds only — no barn or garage
- Build / materials1950 post-war build — likely not traditional stone (block/mixed); no stone credit, confirm
- Water / electricity / drainagePartial (a "water point") — confirm all three
- Energy rating (DPE)G (546) — near the worst
- Detached?Reads detached — confirm
- AgentCmillet Immobilier (Cristelle Lagarrigue-Millet)
Saved on this device only — not published, not shared, and not visible to anyone else.
The good worth having
A softer starting point, cheaply
Unlike the barns-and-ruins, this one already has a bathroom with a WC inside and an enclosed 749 m² garden, it's already discounted, and it's near Le Blanc, a real town for shops and services. Radon is low, too — no ventilation work on that front.
The bad why it ranks low
The commune floods — six declarations
This is the headline. The Brenne is lake-and-marsh country, and Géorisques shows six flood / mud-flow disaster declarations on the commune. Whether this plot has ever been in the water is the single most important question here — check the flood mapping for the exact address, and ask the notaire and neighbours directly, before anything else.
No barn, and a post-war build
There's no barn or garage — just garden sheds — so no workshop, dry store or easy way to add space. And a 1950 build is likely block or mixed rather than the characterful stone the brief favours, with a G rating to insulate and heat from scratch. It's a small, plain house, not a project with upside.
The ground check
The routine that killed Thollet — Géorisques, run on the commune (INSEE 36087).
⚠️ These ground figures (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.
Low radon and mild clay — but it floods
The good part: radon low, and clay only moderate with a single subsidence declaration. The bad part dominates: six flood/mud-flow declarations, in a wetland commune. Flooding isn't something you renovate away — if the plot is in the risk zone, it's a permanent condition affecting damp, insurance and value. Nail the plot's flood status first.
DIY-er vs needs-a-builder the honest split
A small, bathroom-in house is a manageable DIY job — the ground is the question, not the trades.
If you're hands-on — what you can do yourself
At 48 m² with a bathroom already inside, it's mostly insulation and boarding, floors, a kitchen, decorating, windows and a wood burner (with a certified sweep). Most of it is materials and graft.
Where you'll need a pro (or a builder)
• The flood question — not a trade, but the one expert check that matters: confirm the plot's flood-zone status and any past water damage before you buy.
• The electrics & drainage — a Consuel-signed rewire and, if off-mains, a SPANC-approved septic.
A G rating this deep opens the biggest renovation grants if you use certified trades.
What you'll need to clear it the van
A T5-style van, and Le Blanc's tip nearby
A small house with sheds is a modest clear-out — a medium T5-style van does it, with a short run to the déchèterie at nearby Le Blanc. Remember it's residents only: you'll need a local address and often a badge, so budget a private skip for the first clear-out until you've completed.
The score
Low radon, the bathroom in and the town on the doorstep help; the plain post-war non-stone build, the missing barn and the six commune flood declarations pull it into the lower third of the rankings. The flood count reads worse than it may be — a plot-level check could ease it — but the non-stone build is the real drag. Cheap, but not the kind of cheap that pays off.
The verdict
A watch only if the plot proves dry. The bathroom-in, the enclosed garden and the discounted price make it an easy-looking buy, and radon is low — but with six flood declarations, no barn, a G rating and a plain 1950 build, it's a lot of compromise for the money. Everything hinges on one answer: is this exact plot in the flood zone? Get the exact address and the flood mapping before you give it another thought — for the same money, sound-ground pins rank far higher.
How we judge every place
Same free routine, every time — it's what turns "cheap cottage near a nice town" into a clear-eyed 4.2 before you ever get in the van.
See the search log →