Montmartre is moving!

A common problem with buildings in Montmartre is due to a curious phenomenon relating to carrieres (this means quarries).

The beautiful fin de siecle architecture scattered over the Butte and especially around Lamarck Caulincourt are on the hill where they originally got the stone for building Paris. The hill of Montmartre is just a thin veneer of rock over an underground quarry, a Swiss cheese of caverns and tunnels, and fortunes are spent pumping the caverns full of a mixture of concrete and clay. Initially the miners quarrymen left columns of stone to hold the whole thing up, but water has seeped in over the years, eroding away the columns, and surface subsidence has occurred.

Beware when you spot large fissures (cracks) in the buildings, it could mean the foundations are unsteady and the building is, well, moving......that can make for a big bill down the line when it comes time to steady the foundations. We'll be able to pick up issues like this during the time you are looking at the property with a view to buying and for more precise details, we'll see from the minutes of the co-ownership group if there are discussions about future works to come.

Comments

[simon]

This is a problem too in our mining towns where the water they pump in to support the shafts cause houses to shift and move, especially if they are on sandstone fountations.

[simon]

This is a problem too in our mining towns where the water they pump in to support the shafts cause houses to shift and move, especially if they are on sandstone fountations.

[nick]

It has to be said that living on the hill is great fun, Montmartre is almost the last place left in Paris where you can experience real french people and atmosphere. There is also the advantage that unlike other areas of Paris, down by the river for example, we are not liable to flooding!Plus we have great views and a breeze in summer when the rest of Paris is choking with fumes.

As the number of Notaires now predicting a fall in house prices in Paris has reached a majority with NONE predicting an increase, perhaps it is easier to scare people away from Montmartre than inform your readership of what might otherwise be deemed bad news.

[susie Hollands bonapart consulting]

Part of our job is to inform clients of the cons as well as the pros when assessing property to buy. Sometimes we are the bearer of bad news but the aim is to provide enough information to make an informed choice, make a solid investment and think ahead for re-sale value if appropriate. Despite warnings (moving building, difficult renovation job, difficult co-owners group, expensive work to be done to bring apartment up to code, etc) many clients go ahead but at least they have the transparency (working with us) they would be hard pushed to find when viewing direct with a realtor.

Re real estate prices, we still find that good property with enough oomph to become a successful rental property are absolutely holding their value and we expect this to continue. Of course the crappy products are going to take longer to sell but we're not interested in them and neither should our readers and clients be! They are legion in Paris, part of our skill is finding the gems. Let me tell you, they still sell like hot cakes.

We have clients that decide to buy in Montmartre based on their own preference but we would not recommend the area for rental returns as it is a specific market and both vacationers and those who stay for longer periods often wish to be closer to the heart of Paris.

I adore the Laùmarck Caulincourt side of Butte Montmarte, especially around rue Custine and further down the hill towards Jule Joffrin and Guy Moquet. Many friends live in the area and it's always a great pleasure to visit and prendre une verre at Chez Ginette or Francis La Butte.