Couple Convert Cave into Cute Home

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1/23 The spare bedroom
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2/23 When Lamoureux first entered the cave home, it was piled floor-to-ceiling with trash.
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3/23 While they saved for three years to pay for the renovations, they got to work cleaning it out.
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4/23 The ceilings had to be buttressed by 36-foot cables, which were then covered in concrete.
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5/23 Lamoureux and van Riel got family and friends to help out with the extensive renovations.
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6/23 It took the couple a little over a year to complete all the work on their new home.
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7/23 Even during the early stages of the project, you could see it beginning to take shape.
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8/23 After months of back-breaking work, van Riel was happy to reach the halfway mark.
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9/23 The couple had to dig their own trench alongside the property to install sewage and electricity lines.
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10/23 The bedrooms retain the shape of their cave origins.
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11/23 Windows were cut into the hallways of the troglodyte home to let in the light.
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12/23 The dwelling was originally cut from a rock face, as is the case with many abandoned cave homes in the area.
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13/23 Some of the smaller rooms require a bit of crouching to get around them.
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14/23 The guest room has all the basic amenities.
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15/23 When the renovations were complete, they could finally begin outfitting it with furniture.
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18/23 They also restored the fireplace to keep things warm during the region's tough winters.
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19/23 Most of the rooms retain the curved ceilings and original stone walls of the cave.
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21/23 The couple incorporated some high-end design elements to increase their chances of subletting it on Airbnb.
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22/23 The bath in the master bedroom is within easy reach of the bed.
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23/23 Just a great cave home.
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When Alexis Lamoureux was 23 he returned to Amboise, an idyllic town once home to Leonardo da Vinci that sits on the banks of France’s Loire River.

He heard about a troglodyte (cave) home that had once belonged to his great aunt and went to check it out. The abandoned space, left in ruin for the past 25 years, was a crude network of unstable rooms carved out of a large rock face. Littered with trash and having no electricity, running water or sewage system, it was a dream come true.

Lamoureux headed straight to the government agency that handles abandoned dwellings and was excited to discover it was up for auction the very next week. He offered the princely sum of 1 euro, which the agency accepted. Here's what he did with it.

Source: www.vocativ.com

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