Interior Designer in Gers: renovation of traditional Gascon homes
Renovate your stone farmhouse or traditional Gascon home with an architect or interior designer.
Our interior designers, architects and landscape designers guide you through your renovation, rehabilitation and extension projects for old buildings in the Gers (Gascon farmhouses, character homes, agricultural estates). From Auch to L'Isle-Jourdain, from Lectoure to Condom, every renovation project is designed to reveal the character of the old building while meeting contemporary standards of comfort, light and energy performance.
Why renovate a Gascon home with an interior designer ?
Those who settle in an old house in the Gers want renovations that bring all the contemporary comforts while preserving the charm and authenticity of the Gascon architectural heritage.
An architect or an interior designer specialising in old houses in the Gers can guide them through the renovation of an old property, whether it is a traditional Gascon farmhouse (borde) with barn and dovecote, an old manor house, a stone village house, a longhouse or a farm complex.
If you are considering buying an old house in the Gers, an interior designer can accompany you on a pre-purchase advice visit. On this occasion, they will provide an independent, outside perspective to assess the real potential of the property, consider the layout possibilities and estimate the cost of renovation works.
They will guide you through an eco-responsible renovation that combines a new interior design with an energy-efficient renovation. They will recommend solutions and materials to optimise thermal insulation while preserving the traditional character of the Gascon building.
Gascon farmhouses often come with outbuildings of exceptional volume: barns, wine stores, drying sheds, workshops.
Our approach: Transforming these spaces into living areas, guest suites, gîtes or bed-and-breakfast rooms, or exploiting the height (mezzanines, glass walls, cathedral living spaces). Where necessary, we manage the change-of-use procedures with the planning authorities.
The characteristics of traditional Gers architecture
The Gascon farmhouse is like no other: generous volumes, thick walls of blonde stone or river pebbles, half-timbering, exposed roof frames, low-pitched roofs. The typical built heritage of the Gers demands a bespoke approach.
Renovating a Gascon home is not about applying standard recipes — it is about understanding how old buildings work in order to transform and modernise them intelligently.
These old houses were built with local materials: limestone, raw earth, pebbles, oak timber. These materials give Gascon homes their incomparable charm, but also require careful handling: an old wall must breathe, a century-old roof frame must be assessed, an earthen floor cannot be treated like a watertight concrete slab.
Limestone walls
The walls of Gascon farmhouses, often 50 to 80 cm thick, are built in blonde stone, river pebbles (from the valleys of the Gers, the Adour or the Save), sometimes in raw earth. Their high thermal mass keeps the interior cool during summer months, but they must absolutely be allowed to breathe. Forain brick (fired clay brick from the Toulouse area) is also found in structural elements.
Our approach: Avoid renders and insulation materials that trap moisture, in favour of materials that respect the functioning of old buildings (breathable insulation in particular). If you wish, we can guide you in a renovation using bio-sourced materials (lime render, wood fibre). Stone is left exposed where it has the most value, particularly on exterior walls.
Exposed roof frames
Massive principal rafters, purlins and common rafters in local oak: traditional roof frames are frequently the most spectacular feature of Gascon homes.
Our approach: Systematic assessment (wood-boring insects, deflection, joints), followed by enhancement with external insulation (sarking) or between the rafters to keep the frame visible and create cathedral-height spaces.
Sparse and modest openings
Built to shelter from the sun and the vent d'autan wind, Gascon homes let in little natural light, particularly on north-facing elevations.
Our approach: Bring in natural light without altering the facades — generous openings on the garden or courtyard side, opening up interior rooms to allow light to flow through, creating roof lights with skylights in the loft space.
Street-facing joinery is generally restored or replaced to match the original. PVC windows and doors should be avoided; double-glazed timber or aluminium joinery is preferable.
Floors in terracotta tiles, fired clay and natural stone
Square or rectangular terracotta tiles, fired clay floor tiles, limestone slabs laid on beaten earth: these floors are the charm of Gascon interiors, but they can be cold, uneven or damp.
Our approach: Lift, restore and relay the original materials where possible, or consider a lime-based insulating screed compatible with low-temperature underfloor heating. Modern comfort, century-old floor.
Low-pitched canal tile roofs
The low-pitched Gascon roof, covered with canal tiles, limits the usable loft space and does not lend itself easily to dormer windows.
Our approach: High-performance roof insulation (the primary source of heat loss), reuse of old tiles as the covering to preserve the patina, and focus on gaining floor space at ground level or in the outbuildings rather than raising the height in a way that would alter the building's silhouette.
Rehabilitating an old building in the Gers with an architect
An architect can guide you through a complete restructuring project for an old building in the Gers. They will propose a rehabilitation that draws on the characteristic features of Gascon architecture (stone, pebbles, half-timbering, génoise cornice, oak roof frame and canal tiles) to create a harmonious blend of old and new.
- The architect can assist with the restructuring of buildings or spaces not originally intended for residential use: conversion of outbuildings, barns, smallholdings, tobacco drying sheds or loft spaces.
- The architect offers a holistic approach to your rehabilitation project, from the design phase through to delivery. They produce a study dossier for your project (plans, diagrams, 3D views) so that you can visualise the result.
- The architect's experience and expertise validate and optimise the feasibility of your project in relation to regulatory and budget constraints: site positioning, floor area, height, form, volumes, orientation, light and sun exposure…
- They anticipate situations requiring permits and guide you through the administrative procedures: change of use, building permit, prior works declaration, local planning analysis, liaison with the ABF…
- Before works begin, the architect produces the DCE (Tender Dossier) in which they detail the architectural and technical plans and write a detailed description of all works to be carried out. They review the quotes submitted by contractors with you and advise on each proposal in line with your budget and the relevance of the offers.
- During the works, the architect monitors compliance and the execution of all works. They are present at key stages of the project and verify the quality of the work through to handover.
Designing a country garden with a landscape designer
A landscape designer from the collective can guide you in the design and creation of your outdoor spaces (country garden, terrace, pool surrounds, kitchen garden) to enhance your Gers property.
- On the hillsides of the Gers, historically shaped by a network of hedgerows and field boundaries, the landscape designer works with a rolling landscape, clay-limestone soil and a climate midway between oceanic and Mediterranean influences, marked by hot, dry summers and a bowl effect that prolongs extreme temperatures.
- The landscape designer listens to your needs to create a bespoke project reflecting the functions you want your outdoor spaces to serve: entertaining, relaxation, contemplation, vegetable growing… They design a bespoke outdoor layout (raised beds, pool, fountain, garden furniture) that harmonises with your country home. They recommend the species, materials, containers, furniture and lighting for your outdoor space.
- They pay particular attention to providing shade and keeping the space cool in summer, planting generous specimen trees (such as cedar, lime, plane, stone pine or holm oak) and favouring drought-tolerant species suited to the Gers climate (cypress, Judas tree, oleander, privet, wayfaring tree…).
- Depending on your needs, the landscape designer can offer earthworks services (to prepare the space for planting) or landscape masonry by creating or reworking terraces, low walls, steps or fencing to give your Gers home a coherent indoor-outdoor relationship.
- They can guide you towards an eco-landscaping approach, a technique inspired by permaculture that involves creating and maintaining a garden in a natural way that respects biodiversity, giving priority to local resources — such as replanting native hedgerows — and reusing what already exists.
- If this is a second home that is not occupied year-round, the landscape designer will propose a layout using species and materials that require less frequent maintenance or that can be partly automated (irrigation, mowing, cleaning).
Frequently asked questions
Where do you operate in the Gers?
We operate throughout the Gers department (32) and its various areas: the Condomois and Armagnac to the north-west (Bas-Armagnac, Ténarèze, Haut-Armagnac), the Lomagne around Lectoure and Fleurance, the Fezensac, the Astarac to the south and the Savès to the east, through to the Côtes de Gascogne.
Our architects and landscape designers assist with projects in the main towns of the department (Auch, Condom, L'Isle-Jourdain, Fleurance, Lectoure, Mirande, Eauze, Nogaro, Vic-Fezensac, Gimont, Samatan and Marciac) as well as villages such as Fourcès, Larressingle, Montréal-du-Gers, La Romieu, Sarrant and Lavardens, and also Bassoues, Montesquiou, Tillac, Jegun, Saint-Clar, Lupiac and Mauvezin (non-exhaustive list).
Whether your property is in the heart of a bastide, on a Gascon hillside or in an isolated estate between vineyards and bocage, we travel to assess your renovation, interior design or landscaping project.
When is a building permit required ?
An interior renovation without any facade alterations generally requires no planning permission.
However, creating openings, adding an extension or a rehabilitation that involves a change of use (converting a barn into a dwelling, for example) requires a prior declaration or a building permit.
Some communes in the Gers have protected areas governed by the Architectes des Bâtiments de France, which implies additional formalities and a stronger emphasis on preserving the old building fabric. We handle all such procedures on your behalf as part of a full project mission.
How long does it take to renovate a Gascon home?
For a complete renovation, you should allow 2 to 4 months for design studies and administrative procedures, followed by 6 to 12 months of works depending on the floor area and condition of the building. This timeline is extended in ABF-protected areas since the Architectes des Bâtiments de France's opinion typically takes one to two months to process.
The duration of the works then depends on the scope: a full rehabilitation may require more than a year, while a light refresh or partial renovation (living room, kitchen, bathroom) can be completed in a few months.
Working with an architect who coordinates all trades and contractors helps optimise the works schedule and minimise delays at handover.
What budget should I plan for renovating a Gascon home ?
The renovation budget will depend on the size of your property, the scope of works, the type of service, the finish level and the choice of materials. As a rough guide, there are three levels of intervention :
- Light refresh / surface renovation: approximately €500 to €1,000/m². Surface works without touching the structure: painting, floor and wall finishes, replacing windows and doors, minor electrical or plumbing repairs.
- Significant interior renovation: approximately €1,000 to €2,000/m². Room redesign, kitchen and bathroom fitting, bringing services up to standard (electricity, plumbing, heating), insulation improvements. This is the most common level for home renovation in the Gers.
- Major renovation / full rehabilitation: from €2,000/m². Structural works: roof frame and canal tile roof repairs, damp treatment and stone or pebble walls, foundation work, full thermal insulation, new openings, partition removal or redistribution of rooms.
At the first visit, the architect or interior designer can provide an indicative budget estimate. Precise costing will follow the design study phase, as part of the Tender Dossier (DCE).
Fees for an interior designer, architect or landscape designer depend on the area involved in the renovation and the total works budget.
My home is in an ABF protected zone: will this complicate my project ?
Many villages in the Gers have a remarkable architectural heritage and are therefore subject to the opinion of the Architectes des Bâtiments de France (ABF). Although these procedures may seem complex at first glance, they are common in the region.
We are experienced in designing and delivering projects within this regulatory framework, drawing on a network of equally experienced design offices and craftsmen. Our expertise allows us to approach these procedures with confidence and to integrate any constraints from the very first stages of the project.
