2355 Olive Farm, Luxury Farmhouse

 This very spacious and well-laid out farmhouse is south-west facing and enjoys breath-taking views over the town of Alhama de Granada, towards the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama.  The area is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.   

Farmhouse

When the house was renovated it was laid out for comfortable, spacious, modern living. Ideal for a family or for a B & B operation.

On the ground floor there is a double height entrance hall; a lovely large lounge with open fireplace and double doors to the garden area; a huge kitchen with central island, table and lots of cupboard space; a dining room; a bedroom with en-suite bathroom (currently used as a snug); a very large room currently used as an office but which is big enough for a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom (the plumbing is already in place) and a store room, part of which is used for the pellet burner and pellet store. Outside there is a covered porch.

On the upper floor there is: a master bedroom suite with extensive wardrobes, en-suite bathroom and corner terrace with fabulous views; three further bedrooms, all with views and en-suite bathrooms; a spacious landing area, ideal for use as an office; a storeroom (or single bedroom) and a linen cupboard.

There are wooden beams throughout and ample windows, creating a light and airy feel. The house is extremely well insulated with double glazing throughout.  Thick walls guarantee that the house is warm in winter and cool in the summer. 

Services

The lower floor has under-floor central heating for the most part, with radiators in just two rooms.  The upper floor has radiators throughout.  Heating is provided via an olive pit or pellet burner. 

There is also an open fireplace in the sitting room and a wood-burner in the snug.

There is an excellent internet connection via wifi throughout the whole house.  Two routers ensure wifi coverage throughout the house and garden.  Starlink internet is installed, so working from home couldn’t be easier.  There is also a 1.2 metre satellite dish behind the house.

A 6 kilowatt electric supply is provided by a solar panel system and stored in a high-capacity battery bank.  The electrical system, batteries, 2000 litre fuel tank, industrial compressor, and a 16kva diesel generator are situated in a separate shed.  The generator provides emergency backup for electricity.

Water is obtained from a rainwater collection system or tanker deliveries during very dry periods, and is stored in a 30,000 litre water tank.  Before entering the house, it is fully filtered and subject to UV disinfection, and passes through a water softening system.  The local authority is obliged by law to provide water on demand. The price is €160 for 13.000 litres of water, cheaper than if mains water was installed. The property has a licence in place to drill a bore hole and extract 365.000 litres of water per annum for domestic use. The well has been drilled but not yet lined with a plastic pipe.

The Farm

The farmland comprises: 19 hectares of old (100+ years) and new (20+ years) olive trees (5,500 Picual, Picudo, and Hojiblanca varieties).  The high quality Picual and Picudo are in demand from olive oil blenders as they are hard to grow and few farms locally have them; and 2.6 hectares of almond trees of mixed varieties. The farm is in receipt of an annual EU subsidy. Fifty metres from the house is a 100 m2 tractor shed with its own electric generator, water collection system, and a water deposit of 15,000 litres. 

The farm is sold with all the necessary working farm machinery, together with a Land Rover Defender 4 x 4 vehicle used for towing trailers and equipment.

Should the new owner not wish to farm the land him/herself it would be possible to contract out the olives and almonds on a revenue sharing basis.

Income Generation

The farm enjoys four sources of income: olives, almonds, an EU subsidy and the sale of prunings for firewood. These total currently €80.000 - €100.000 p.a. depending on the harvest. However, the owners have investigated bottling their own olive oil. With a modest investment in a bottling plant the income could be doubled, or perhaps even more.

Access

The principal access is via a delightful road winding through almond and olive groves, off of which is a short track which winds down to the farmhouse. The last part of this track is stony and whilst not essential (the owners have a small car as well as a Land Rover) a vehicle with high clearance is advisable.