What is a French chateau style home?

French Chateau, or Chateauesque, is a style based on the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the 1400s to 1600s. Typically built in an asymmetrical plan, these homes feature complex rooflines and facades with many recessing and protruding planes.



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So what really distinguishes a “chateau” from a “big country house”? The real difference is in the owner(s). If the family is in the lineage of one of France's “noble” families, and if the house has been passed down from generation to generation, it's usually called a chateau.

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Remember that 'chateau' means castle. The first chateaux in the area were 'proper' fortresses which helped armies withstand waves of invaders, from 8th-century Umayyad forces, to 9th-century marauding Vikings. During the Hundred Years War the Loire Valley was a battleground between the French and the English.

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During the 19th and 20th centuries, ch?telain was used to describe the owner of a castle or manor house, in many cases a figure of authority in his parish, akin to the English squire.

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Why these properties are so seemingly cheap is obvious to the French: The castles are a money-suck. They demand constant repairs. The lower-priced ones are often located in isolated areas, far from the nearest train station or grocery store. They consume massive amounts of energy.

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Why these properties are so seemingly cheap is obvious to the French: The castles are a money-suck. They demand constant repairs. The lower-priced ones are often located in isolated areas, far from the nearest train station or grocery store. They consume massive amounts of energy.

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Why are so many French châteaux empty? Because it costs a fortune to maintain them. The heating and electricity and water bills alone are astronomical, never mind maintenance of old stone structures and upkeep of the land.

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