Midi-Pyrenees Traditional Longeres
Some Longere-style houses can be found in predominantly rural areas of Midi-Pyrenees. Longeres is really a classic French property type. Longeres are lengthwise houses, the name itself meaning “rectangular shape” in French.
The Midi Pyrenees longere is traditionally oriented with the back of the house facing the dominant wind direction according to the place it was built in.
Similarily to other traditional properties in France, regional materials were often used to build a Longere and since there are plenty of stones in Midi-Pyrenees, Longeres are easy to build.
Many longères offer accommodation on only one story. Often the attic is converted into a first floor accommodation to increase the total living area available.
Originally, the stairs used to access that attic were located outside the main part of the Longere house, to save space in the house itself.
Longere houses are also common in Brittany, Normandy, Aquitaine and other areas of western France.
The “maison longère” is in most cases a rural house or dwelling, in the Midi Pyrenees French region it often represents the accommodation of the vine-growers or forest labourers.
Moreover, these Midi Pyrenees longeres or lengthwise houses are often in fact single-storied properties with living-room and bedroom being connected together, also built of timber frame, in which day labourers were housed.
As for the farmers' families, the house was also the workplace and thus needed to provide useful rooms, for each purpose.