Mike Rowles and Peter Laird, both from the UK, have high hopes for the new B&B they opened in April 2022 in the centre of Carcassonne in Languedoc, says Nicola Venning
Having successfully managed a small guest house in Carcassonne for seven years, and both having worked in the UK hospitality industry, Mike Rowles and Peter Laird, both 61, are not afraid of hard work. Peter is an experienced party and events organiser, while Mike was in catering, “so running a B&B is fairly easy”, he says.
Their new B&B, which they bought in 2021, is a large 18th-century building, which needed a lot of refurbishment. Originally two properties, the larger section is a gracious three-storey family home with high ceilings, airy rooms and pretty views over the garden and patio. There were originally five bedrooms on the top floor, along with only one toilet.
The smaller house next door had been used as a clinic by the former owner, who was a paediatrician, and had a connecting door to the main house. Neither building had been updated or redecorated since the 1970s. “It was like stepping back in time, but there were no problems with the roof or damp. The bones of the house were good,” says Peter.
THOROUGHLY MODERN
The entire property had been on the market for three years and the couple paid a little over €262,000 for it. In order to turn the tired home into a luxury 21st-century B&B, the bathrooms and kitchen had to be modernised. The house also needed to be replumbed and the electrics updated.
Mike and Peter have undertaken several renovation projects in both the UK and in Carcassonne (where they also let out a refurbished apartment). Before making an offer, they had a reputable electrician and plumber visit and give them estimates for the work. “The jobs were too big for our regular plumber and electrician, so we found new people on Carcassonne Facebook groups and via friends,” says Peter.
“A lot of successful renovation work is to do with how you manage the project and how you manage people,” says Mike. The two men were very clear on their wishes, which included having any pipework from the top floor come down on their side of the house and “be hidden from the guests as much as possible, so that any noise in the main house was kept to a minimum”.
BATHING BEAUTY
They put in power showers, replaced bidets with toilets and retiled; a fifth bathroom was added and bedrooms reconfigured to accommodate new ensu
