Case Study · Still in the Running
Monthureux-sur-Saône: A Two-House Complex on 2,854 m²
A lot of property in the Bern-close Val de Saône: two houses to rehabilitate (a big 321 m² main house and a 58 m² second), a garage and 2,854 m² of land, with the fees on the seller, under our cap, and only 3 hours from Bern. The shape is excellent. The one real catch is in the name — it's sur-Saône, a river town with a heavy flood record, so the plot check matters more here than anywhere. Here's the workup.
Monthureux-sur-Saône, Vosges (88) · the Val de Saône · ≈ 560 km / 5.8 hrs from Calais · ≈ 230 km / 3.4 hrs from Bern
It's in the same Bern-close cluster as Grignoncourt and Bousseraucourt, and it's the biggest of the three: a two-dwelling complex with a garage and nearly three-quarters of an acre. The trade-off is the ground — where Grignoncourt scores a full sound bonus, this river-town plot needs the flood check taken seriously.
📸 See the photos: view the full Monthureux listing on Properstar → (opens in a new tab)
A river town with seven flood records — how to read that and confirm the plot sits clear.
Read the guide →✅ The Armchair ChecklistThe free routine this was judged against — run it before you travel.
Run the checklist →🔌 Going Off-GridTwo dwellings, a garage and 2,854 m² — a big base for solar and a workshop.
Read the guide →The listing, in full
The agent (3G Immo) presents a character real-estate complex to completely rehabilitate — two houses on a large plot. The first is a generous 321 m² with large volumes, for a main residence; the second is 58 m², ideal as independent accommodation, a gîte or a workspace. Together: 7 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 WC, a garage, on 2,854 m². There's no central heating (your choice on the retrofit). Built 1948. Agency fees paid by the seller. Price £30,880 (~€36,000).
- Price£30,880 (≈ €36,000) — under our €40k cap · fees paid by the seller
- Rates (taxe foncière)Not stated — confirm with the agent / mairie
- LocationMonthureux-sur-Saône (88410), Vosges — the Val de Saône, a small town with services
- Drive from Calais≈ 560 km / ~5.8 hrs
- Drive from Bern≈ 230 km / 3.4 hrs — among the closest on the board
- BuildingsTwo houses (321 m² + 58 m²) + a garage — a home plus a gîte/workspace
- Rooms7 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 WC across the two dwellings
- Land2,854 m² — well over the 1,000 m² mark
- Build / materials1948 — reads as stone/character; confirm at viewing
- ServicesWas lived-in (2 WC) — water/electric likely present but no central heating; confirm and expect a full retrofit
- Energy rating (DPE)No data
- Agent3G Immo (Caroline Parmentier)
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The good worth having
Two dwellings, a garage and real land
A 321 m² main house plus a 58 m² second — a home and a built-in gîte/workshop — with a garage and 2,854 m² in one block. That's serious space and income/expansion potential, more than almost anything else on the board.
Under cap, seller-paid, close to home
At £30,880 with the fees on the seller it's comfortably under our cap, and it sits in the Bern-close cluster — 3¼ hours from Switzerland — with a town's services on the doorstep. Cheap for the space, and an easy reach.
Radon low, and a blank heating slate
Radon comes back low, and there's no central heating to rip out — a clean slate for a wood-and-solar setup exactly as this project wants.
The bad the ground is the catch
⚠️ A river town — seven flood records
It's sur-Saône for a reason: the commune carries seven flood/mud-flow declarations. Under our rule a commune record doesn't dock the score — but on a plot in a valley town by the river, this is the one check you cannot skip. Before anything else, confirm on ERRIAL and the PPRI flood mapping that this exact plot sits above the flood zone. If it's in the zone, walk — flood-zone building is a world of insurance and rebuild pain.
Two houses to rehabilitate — a big project
"Completely to rehabilitate" across 380 m² of building is a large, long job: every trade, twice over, plus a full energy retrofit (no central heating, likely no insulation). Budget honestly — the space is a gift only if you've the time and money to bring it back.
Moderate clay, and confirm the services
Clay is moderate with one subsidence record — not sound-band, so eye the walls — and while it was lived-in, confirm exactly what water and drainage are connected and their state.
DIY-er vs needs-a-builder the honest split
The usual rule, with the flood answer and a structural look coming before any of it.
If you're hands-on — what you can do yourself
The strip-out; insulation and internal finishes; floors, joinery and glazing; second-fix plumbing; kitchens and bathrooms; converting the second house; and the wood heat. Do the main house first as your base, then the second at your pace — a lot of achievable labour across the two, at materials cost.
Where you'll need a pro (or a builder)
• The flood/ground check — settle it before you offer.
• Electrics — a new installation must pass Consuel via a registered electrician.
• Drainage — mains or a system to SPANC approval.
• Roofs / structure — two roofs and the fabric want a couvreur/maçon; the energy retrofit wants RGE trades for the grants.
Clearing it out — the van, and the tip
A van, and a skip for two houses
Two dwellings' worth of strip-out is real weight: a T5-style van for the runs, and a hired skip for the demolition phase.
The déchèterie is residents-only
Vosges/Haute-Saône waste runs through the local intercommunalité, with the nearest déchèterie in or near Monthureux itself. 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 88310).
⚠️ 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.
Radon low, clay moderate — but seven floods
Radon is low (class 1) and clay moderate with just one subsidence record — workable. The headline is the seven flood/mud-flow declarations: commune-wide, so no automatic score hit under our rule, but for a plot in a river town it's the number that decides whether this is a buy at all.
⚠️ Settle the flood question first
Pin the exact address on the map, read the PPRI flood mapping and ERRIAL, and confirm the buildings sit above the flood zone. This is the one where the desk check can't be the final word — but it can absolutely rule it out before you drive.
The score
Green and high — carried by two dwellings, a garage, 2,854 m², seller-paid fees, under-cap price and the top location score (Bern-close). The ground is only okay (moderate clay, one subsidence), and the score deliberately doesn't dock the seven commune floods — but on this plot that's the thing you verify before all else. It sits in the upper reaches of the rankings, with an asterisk on the flood.
The verdict
Still watching — a lot of house, if the plot is dry. Two dwellings, a garage and 2,854 m², seller-paid and under cap, 3 hours from Bern — that's genuinely strong, and the space is rare at the price. But the score comes with a condition the number can't capture: it's a river town with seven flood records, so the very first step is the flood mapping for this exact plot. If it sits clear, this is one of the better eastern finds and a serious project; if it's in the zone, walk without a second thought. Get that answer, then the exact address, eyes on the two structures, and an offer built on the scale of the works.
See how it stacks up
Two houses and big land, 3 hours from Bern — the league table shows where it lands against the sounder-ground finds nearby.
See the full rankings →