DerelictFrance
  • The Guide

    1 · Find the place

    Where to buyEvery belt, ranked by the groundThe armchair checklistKill the duds before you travelThe clay trapThe #1 reason cheap houses are cheap

    2 · Buy it

    The real costsNotaire, agency & the yearly taxesMaking the offerCompromis, notaire, completionThe right to live thereResidency & the 90-day rule

    3 · Live off-grid

    Water & wasteWell, rainwater, composting looPowerGround-mount solar & a wood burnerThe one warm roomWatertight, legal, move in & graft
    Start here

    The complete guide

    The whole journey in order — find it, check it, buy it, live in it.

    Read the guide →
  • Where to Buy

    Sound ground

    Creuse & Haute-VienneFrance's cheapest — granite & forestMorvanForest, cheap stone & lakesDoubs & JuraLimestone, near Switzerland

    Warmer, English-friendly

    CharenteSun & a big English communityDordogneThe warm dream — pay moreHaute-SaôneUndiscovered, on the eastern route

    Cheapest — check the ground

    NièvreBurgundy's cheapest — the clay beltThe clay checkNever buy here without it
    Compare

    Where to buy, ranked

    Every belt side by side — ground, price, and the drive from Calais.

    See the table →
  • The Search

    The running log

    Every place we've viewedAnd exactly why each one failedEvery house, rankedThe shortlist, scored best to worst

    Case studies

    CoubjoursA contender — still watchingTholletWalked away — the ground was wrong

    The ground

    Why clay is a nightmareThe check that saves the wasted trip
    Live

    Still hunting

    The real, ongoing search — updated as we view and rule places out.

    See the log →
  • 🗺 Map
The GuideWhere to buyThe armchair checklistThe clay trapWhere to BuyCreuse & Haute-VienneMorvanDoubs & JuraCharenteDordogneHaute-SaôneNièvreThe SearchEvery house, rankedCoubjours — a contenderThollet — walked awayWhy clay is a nightmare🗺 Map

The Map

Every place we've vetted

Every pin is a derelict we've opened and vetted — mostly under £40k, most detached with land, a few village houses where the price or services earned a look. Green sits on sound granite or limestone; red still needs a Géorisques clay check. A gold ring means it comes with a barn or garage.

✅ The Armchair Checklist

The free routine every pin here was judged against, before it earned a place on the map.

Run the checklist →
📋 The Search So Far

The same places as a running log, with the full reason we walked away or stayed watching.

See the log →
🗺️ Where to Buy

Every belt these pins sit in, ranked by ground, price and the drive from Calais.

Compare belts →
📖 The Complete Guide

New here? Start with the full find-it, check-it, buy-it journey.

Read the guide →
Derelict France · the honest guide to buying a derelict in France & living off-grid