Villa Renovation in Ahetze

Villa Renovation Project

10 mins from the beach With Panoramic Mountain Views

There is a lane in the village of Ahetze which is extremely popular. It offers incredibly panoramic views of the Pyrénées and is tranquil yet a walk into the boho-chic village of Guéthary.

It took me a couple of years to pounce on a property that came up for sale there (at the request of one of my clients). I can’t emphasise enough how quickly you have to react to new properties on the market here, especially if they are in your chosen location. Demand far outweighs supply on the Basque coast. There are of course pros and cons to this, but the key takeaway is ‘be ready’!

So we negotiated a fairly smooth sale over four months. During this time, and since the property needed total renovation, we worked with an architect to get plans done and submitted. As always this is a fairly long process as each village council has its rules and they are strict about maintaining the Basque architecture.

I guided my clients throughout this process and negotiated with the council on their behalf so that we eventually had a strong set of plans to work from and a schedule. The project started before Covid and we had to complete it after so it was an unusual time for us all.

The Renovation: Priorities

- To open up the house to the sumptuous mountain views.

- Install a south-facing pool with pool house and covered seating area.

- Create two master suites and two children’s bedrooms.

First phase – demolishing the internal walls

As with many Basque properties, the rooms tend to be on the small side, especially on the ground floor. We started by pulling down the walls to open up a large sitting/dining area which gave access to the kitchen.

A beautiful feature of this property were the solid oak, carved staircase and beams. We sand-blasted these to reveal a much lighter, softer look. We did the same to some ancient doors, including the huge oak front door, which is quite the statement!

Second phase – opening the south-facing wall and installing drainage

This was a large structural change and the whole sitting room wall was replaced with sliding glass windows to open up the mountain views.

A brand new septic tank was installed and drainage for the four bathrooms and kitchen/utility. Bathroom and kitchen fittings were next.

We also opened up the stairwell as it was rather dark. We added a roof velux and replaced one wall with glass panels which added a modern contrast to the sanded beams and staircase.

Final phase – installing the pool and pool house

The 10x3m pool was set back a little from the house and a covered terrace area was added to watch the sun set below the mountains beyond; it is a truly beautiful location.

See Swimming Pool Renovation in Bidart