After starting a family, Olivier Neveu left city life and bought an old townhouse hidden in his historic village’s maze of lanes, 50 steps up from the street, with no car access.

Nestled in the old center of Vals-les-Bains, France, the house is tall and skinny, with four levels (including a cellar carved into the bedrock) stacked into the hillside. It was once two humble two-room homes, where villagers kept goats below and climbed outside stairs to bed.

Olivier spent five years renovating while living there with his young son, carrying every bag of plaster up by hand. Each year the house became warmer and better suited to a toddler. He replaced a steep ladder with stairs, added safety netting, and created cozy micro-spaces in every corner.

He insulated with natural, breathable materials: wood fiber, hemp-lime, hemp wool, expanded cork, and lime plaster. They keep the air healthy and the house remarkably efficient. In summer, when it hits 40°C (104°F) outside, he doesn’t need air conditioning. In winter, a couple of logs heat the whole house. He cooked our family lunch on a freezing day, with frost still on the rooftops, and we were completely comfortable inside.

Behind the house, the plot keeps climbing past a shaded summer kitchen, a riad-like patio, terraced gardens, and fig and strawberry trees, up toward the Calvaire chapel. It feels like an oasis in the countryside.

Olivier also traded a job with constant travel for work at a local hotel. The pay is lower, but the quality of life is far better.