The house in which NoorderSoft is currently housed will come for sale ! If you, or somebody you know, is looking for a beautiful rural country house in one of the quietest and most relaxed parts of France, read th description below.

the house, the garden and the view on Ray castle a door to the terrace living room with fire place open stairs the house as seen from the river
terrace on the river side walnut tree in the gardens living room enough space to eat in the open kitchen the house seen from the village side
a panoramic view from the master bed room second bed room the beautiful top floor with the visible beam construction the house seen from Ray castle terrace with sun shade

FOR SALE: La Maison du Bac in Ray-sur-Saône (Haute Saône), France.

A beautifully restored old country house situated on the shores of the river Saône. The house used to be the ferry man's cottage, it was totally restored in the nineties and converted into a comfortable, very quiet country house. Additional work has been done until very recently (sealing of the access road in 2007, top floor in 2008, insolation in guests room and garage in 2009, new kitchen interior in 2010).

The house is about 240 square meters, divided into a large livin room with a fire place, visible ceiling beams and visible stone walls (pierres taillées); the living room has a direct access door onto the terrace on the river; the living rooms connects to an open kitchen with all modern conveniences (infra red , induction, ovens) and this kitchen also has a direct access door to the terrace; next to the kitchen is a so called "buanderie", a space for washing machines and dryers, which also has a toilet and a shower room for staff or guests. Behind the buanderie is an indoor garage. At the back of this garage a so called "summer kitchen" has been installed, to be used during barbecues or outdoor suppers on the terrace.

Along the open wooden stairs the first floor can be reached, where there are two large and one smaller bed rooms - one of which has a panoramic view over the Saône valley, the other looks over the river. All bedrooms have large clothes lockers. There is also a bathroom with a shower and double wash basins, and there's a separate toilet. Above the garage, a "grenier" (attic) serves as an extra guest room.

The open stairs take us up further onto the attic floor, which covers the total surface of the building and has a beautiful open "charpente" (beam construction) and four large Velux tumbling windows; this enormous open light space currently serves as office, but it's equally suitable for use as a winter living room, thanks to the large steel-and-glass alcove which lets in much daylight and which heats this space easilt even with minimal sun rays.

The whole house is thoroughly insulated (downstairs by the walls that are 75 cms and double, upstairs by means of a very thick isolation layer hidden under the roof) and it is heated with either the fire place (containing an air circulation system) or with electric radiators (which are rarely needed because of the good isolation and the smart use of enterin sun rays.

The electrical system is up to date (timers, separate groups for heating, cooking etc, cheap power durin the night). There are (currently) 4 phone lines and there is internet access (limited to 2Mb). Satellite dishes for both television and internet have been installed, these can be included in the sale if needed.

The house is surrounded by a lush, large garden of 3300 m2, enclosed by a thick hedge. The garden is like a park, with large trees (shadow!) and large open lawns that descend into the river all the way. The garden is situated amidst the meadows that fill the river valley; it touches a similar garden belonging to a neighbouring (holiday) house (also fo sale currently). The tzo gardens and the two houses both face in the other direction, not to be bothered by those in the other house.

Building is prohibited in the river valley now, so that no risk of new development or construction nearby exists; the house is built on raised ground, so that there's little risk of flooding. Waterproof seals are available for all openings, to overcome even the most extreme circumstances.

The qccess roqd to the village is 500 meters long (good for a nice walk to either of the two local rstaurants). Ray has a butcher that also sells bread and a post office. Super markets ans other shops are a few miles away. Special shops and services can be found in Vesoul (30 min) or Besançon (50 min) or Dijon (55 min). The local airport is Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg at 2 driving hours, train stations are available in Vesoul, Besançon or Dijon. Ray-sur-Saône can be reached in about 5 hours from Calais.

The price of the house is € 400.000. It is sold because of the need of a much higher Internet speed for NoorderSoft and its owners, the limit of 2 Mb will not be raised soon. For privqte Internet access, such a bqnd width is usually sufficient.

Serious interested parties can phone 00-33-384 78 17 90, work days from 09.15 till 16.45 o'clock.

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