“A pile of firewood. When Marilyne Guidetti first saw the framework of her future home, she had to be imaginative. The beams had then been stored in a barn in Matzenheim (Bas-Rhin) for around twenty years. Since this traditional Alsatian house was bought in 2001 by a couple living in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, near Strasbourg.
“People had just built next door in Leutenheim and it was going to be destroyed. So we bought it and we paid for the demolition,” recalls Denise Fender. “Originally, we wanted to rebuild it for one of our two daughters but that couldn’t be done,” adds her husband Roland, also very moved that the project he dreamed of was finally seeing the light of day. “You can’t imagine…”
Like the first time, the Association for the Safeguarding of the Alsatian House (Asma) played a key role in bringing the parties together. “We needed a new project after renovating our house in a nearby village and we were looking for something authentic. We had visited other properties but it didn’t fit”, continues the new owner, 38 years old. “There, we said to ourselves that we could arrange it as we would like. »
It remained to get started. It was not the acquisition of the structure that was a brake, against “6,000 euros without the frame”. But it was also necessary to find the land, finally unearthed in Valff, and above all the craftsmen capable of carrying out the delicate operation. As two decades earlier for the demolition, it is therefore the company Brenner Tradition, specialized in half-timbered houses which was selected.
Traditional but not only
“They worked magic”, appreciates Marilyne Guidetti looking at her property now reassembled since the beginning of August. “They took less than three days after having already replaced certain damaged beams in the workshop. The structure is placed on a slab “poured by (her) husband with a friend”, surmounted by a new framework and Alsatian tiles called “Biberschwanz”. Nearly 6,000 “chinées” by the couple.
“Some are older than the house”, whose date of 1728 is precisely written on a pillar, smiles the new owner. With his companion, they got into the idea of respecting this historic building as much as possible. They will thus furnish it with “antique furniture and Alsatian decoration”. All while also using more recent techniques. Like lining the wall not with cob but with bricks covered with lime-hemp.
“Perhaps it will bother some people, but we will also insulate from the inside because we want a house with good energy performance. We respect the old but we want to live with our time, ”places Marilyne Guidetti, who is also trying with her partner to bring in more light. Perhaps via a skylight…
“It does not surprise me, the traditional Alsatian house is very dark”, reacts Bernard Duhen. The now ex-president of Asma is absolutely not angry with the couple for not rebuilding the structure identically. On the contrary. “Earth is not the best formula for insulation. The lime-hemp coating will provide winter and summer comfort… It’s really a great project, especially when it’s young people who are getting started. The taste for old buildings is returning to these generations. »
The inauguration “at most in 2028”
That’s good because, according to him, other structures could be looking for takers in recent years. “Of course we prefer when the house stays in the same place, but dismantling it and rebuilding it elsewhere is the lesser evil. It has also happened elsewhere recently. »
In Valff, it will take a few more years for what will become a gîte to be completed. “We are now going to do a lot on our own so it will take time. We are counting on 2026, go to the maximum 2028 for the 300 years of the house that we would like to celebrate, ”smiles Marilyne Guidetti. Denise and Roland Fender will certainly be invited. “We have already gone to see her three times with our daughters”, counts the pensioners. “It’s really nice to see that…”