While you enjoy the many tourist sites, get a taste of life in an eco-friendly dwelling.
Designed to accommodate 4 people, this cottage is the first in Ille-Et-Vilaine
to have obtained the Ecogîte qualification by Gîtes de France.
Revitalise in this peaceful, quiet and cosy nest.
L'écologîte on regional TV...
Our eco-friendly approach
We mainly used natural materials for the building and furniture.
Our goals are the visitors' health, low environment impact and respect for the traditional building. Refurbishing the old apple press in 2009 brought together eco-friendly and traditional knowledge.
The walls and floors:
The trodden earth screed was apron laid on cobble stone using cement-free lime concrete. The ground floor is lined with terracotta and upstairs with wooden flooring.
The north front is made of 50 cm thick monomur bricks.
The inner walls are made of Fermacell (the panels are exclusively made of gypsum and cellulose fibres produced by paper recycling) on wooden cleats. They are coated with eco-friendly paints and stains.
Insulation:
Hemp wool panels insulate the roof (2 x 10cm thick crossed layers)
For the ground floor ceiling, we used loose cellulose wadding and 10 cm thick wood wool.
The granite walls are insulated by a lime coating, sand and straw, and some of them are covered with natural pigment coloured lime distemper (ocher, sienna...).
Wood:
The double glazed windows and the stairs are made of oak. Wood is the only natural and renewable material and oak is the only local lumber suitable for outdoor joinery.
Recycling and decrease being our priorities, 80% of the furniture are second hand.
Energy:
Electricity is provided by Enercoop.
We used shielded electric wires in order to avoid electromagnetic field nuisance. For the same reason Internet is available via wire, without Wifi. The installation has been checked by a geobiologist.
The water is heated by a solar water heater system, linked to 5 SQM of cells, to reduce electricity consumption.
The wood stove provides heating.
“ The cheapest and cleanest energy is the one we don't use! ”
Water:
To reduce water consumption and facilitate its processing, we installed compost toilets.
The water is cleaned by plants through a 14 SQM phyto purification system.
The water used for the cottage is already filtered and saved due to a low flow shower head.
Green cleaning products are provided in order to protect the phyto purification plants.
A rain water collector is available.
Waste disposal:
A compost bin is in the garden for compost-able wastes.
Bins allow the sorting of other wastes.
A few pictures of the work's progress: Here.
“ The cheapest and cleanest energy is the one we don't use! ”