Cerise

Don't use them myself - like stuffing mushrooms, I reckon life is too short to wash (and worse iron!)valances.  However if you are keen try the White Company http://www.thewhitecompany.com/  

Check with the chambre de metiers jon.  You should also be aware that you need different insurance if you offer 'stages' - not exactly sure what myself as I looked into it once and decided that the paperwork if you wanted to do it properly was too much bother.  It depends as well on what statut your B & B has - if you have a siret number then you may need to add the stages to your functions.  Obviously people do offer all kinds of thngs without all this bother - but if anyone is going to bend the law a bit best to know what it is.[:)]  Strictly speaking for B & B you can offer only B & B and evening meals.  English guests won't care much but the French will want to know about qualifications, insurance etc., and again strictly speaking you can't offer lunches etc.  Perhaps the person who is doing the tuition will have some idea how best to organise it.

Food - if you are not offering meals yourself, then an idea of location of restaurants would be nice.  Are cooked breakfasts included - if not how much do they cost (and if you are not charging extra then you may well regret it[:)])? Location - prefer an idea i.e. distance from airport, nearest big town, railway etc.  number of bnearest N road. Deposits - I'd stick to euros if I were you as it is easier to keep to one currency and no arguements about the exchange rate. If you want to take deposits make it a percentage.  20€ won't stop someone standing you up if they've booked 3 rooms for a week. It all looks very nice, when do you open? Good Luck      

Alistair Sawday inspects and you pay to be in it - and those I know who are in it don't know of anyone refused.  It really depends on your market as I said before.  We are in a village - in a village house.  We are not a chateau or a grand place where people stay for weeks at a time.  Most of of our non-european guests are Australian (don't know why) and a few Americans.  We are not targeting families staying for one or two weeks, but all year round trade of those touring, those on their way to Spain, Italy etc. plus lots of French people who are visiting families, here for weddings, funerals, meetings and clubs etc.  Some people only want to be full during the summer season, others want all year round trade.  Some are doing this for a living, others for a bit of extra pin money.  It is no good asking others to recommend advertising unless they have the same kind of place and aspirations as you.  If I had a beachside B & B I'd advertise in completely different places than the ones I do now.  I'd also charge different prices.  We get quite a few bookings from a small ad in a specialist classic car magazine - but those people only come here because they know they are coming to spend a few days with another loony interested in engine bays (sorry darling[:)]) - a bit pointless a person whose hobby is painting watercolours advertising there. Type into google what you think your hoped for customers will type.  See what sites come up, most of the books have websites too.  Do your sums and work out how many bookings you need to cover the ad and make a profit.  Try it and if it doesn't work change it next year.

Unlikely I think.  The DDE are becoming ever stricter about 'zones inondable'.  Part of our village is in such a zone.  A house belonging to a French family was badly damaged in a fire and although the insurance paid up they were not allowed to repair the house - even though they had been living in it!  Permission could not be given for the reconstruction and they were forced to move elsewhere.

Not in any books (actually am in one Petit Futé but didn't pay for it).  Advertising is through the net and tourist office.  Books have generally been expensive advertising but very few clients seem to use them.   Each person must decide the market they are aiming for and advertise accordingly.   French customers used to like things on paper, but internet advertising has changed dramatically in the last 5 years.  Year one - no internet enquiries from the French  all telephone or even a couple of letters.   Now even quite elderly French people enquire through the net, though they will often call to confirm. You pay your money, you make your choices - depends on what you are aiming for.

Ours have all been fine - including our old boy who was 11 when he had his first rabies shot (he lived to be 15).  Our vet recommends waiting 5-6 weeks from the jab to the blood test if possible as he has had a few failures after 4 weeks but none after the longer delay.

Well raindog - his posts certainly get people talking!  Don't think of jon as the enemy but just trying to point out the French paradox.  The guy who sets up his own business as a gardener has to charge about 200€ a day to make living.  However, people - like my husband - who speak French, do a skilled job and have full time employment with CDI - will have to work for a whole WEEK to pay to pay for a day and a half of gardening.  So the man who HAS to charge that much money is unlikely to get much business (unless he is Cote d'Azur or similar) as none of the employed people living nearby can afford to employ him and the rich foreign retirees are unlikely to be sufficiently numerous to keep his business going.    Catch 22 innit? Our choice to live here so not posting out of self pity - just a hard fact.  Reason why a lot of people can't get their business off the ground or don't earn much money.  Don't think many people want to pay the gardener 3 times what they earn themselves.

You are a strange bloke jon.  You ask about the price of gardeners and then from that deduce that many of us do not care for our guests. As we speak my husband, who has a full time job here in France for a French employer, is doing our garden.  I like our guests and our B & B does slightly more than OK, but if we could bring in enough money to pay gardeners 200€ a day I don't think we'd be here!    I'm not too proud to clean toilets, stack shelves, work in a bar or do any other mundane job but I'm never going to pretend that those jobs are life fulfilling however delightful my customers are. Maybe you want all of us who work full time in France to confess that it is the land of milk and honey and not really hard to make a living at all.  I assume you are bored (oh sorry, not allowed to make assumptions are we) and so enjoy baiting people here.  Your prerogative - but slightly pointless don't you think.     Those who work or run businesses here know how hard it is - those who have plenty of money wouldn't find it hard anywhere. Now I'm off to do some life changing bed making before the guests get back.

Jon .... I really hope you find something special to say about cleaning toilets, washing up and ironing.  Perhaps a 'different' bloke like you won't have to do the mundane things that most of us do to earn a crust.  You may be ineffably wise or extraterrestrial but I expect you'll find that your guests block sinks, spill wine and act like human beings most of the time. If you were wiser than I thought you wouldn't even be entertaining the hopitality business!

I'm with Crevette.  I chose our doctor here because the locals told me he was 'rubbish' on the basis that he prescribes as little as possible.  I would never expect to be prescribed any medication for a cold - though I might buy myself a packet of Dolirhume if I was feeling particularly bad.  Doctor isn't rubbish, in fact he is excellent and great believer in preventative medicine and lots of healthy food and exercise.  I think the French system is faster than the English one, but fast doesn't always mean better.  I've had excellent treatment in both countries - andmaybe I was just lucky but was always able to get same day appointment in UK, as I am here.  

If you have French beds, buy in France as the sizes are different and,if they don't fit properly, they ruck up which is uncomfortable.

If you have inspections waterproof protectors are de rigeur.  I opt for chucking away pillows as soon as they look less than daisy fresh.  Blankets from LeClerc in the sale - fleece ones seem to keep well.

How long is a bit of string?  How many months is the B & B open, is it a main income, how many rooms does it have, where is it situated?  Our local tax office told me that the average declared income for a B & B was 5000€ per annum, but then many are only open for 8 weeks a year and have only one or two rooms and many B & Bs are not registered as businesses with all the overheads that entails.  So nothing to do with the price of gardening! Still don't see what the problem is.  If you don't like the price employ someone else. 

Duvets (got double ones (9tog + 4 tog) so we can have light/med/heavy)  - don't do top sheet as you have to wash the duvet cover anyway.  Extra blanket in the wardrobe plus a top sheet in summer, so people can chose.  One English (rectangular) and one French (square) pillow each place.  All white so no need to spend time matching stuff, with pretty coloured boutis and cushions to match the room.    Always tell people if the bedding is not OK just to ask (have reserve of sheets/blankets).  Buy cheapish pillows and chuck away frequently.  No feather pillows as too many people are allergic. This has worked for us (now in year 5) and no complaints, and isn't as complicated as it sounds.  You need some of those bags which you can vacuum air out of to store spare quilts.

What relevance has any of this to the original post.  People quote you for work, they can ask whatever they like whether they are English, French or Japanese.  You decide to employ them or not - your choice.  Better off getting references than deciding purely on price.  If someone gets all your work done in one day for 200€ then he is a better bargain than the guy at 100€ a day who takes 3 days.  Obvious really.

I believe it can be legal - there is an English architect witrh band of German workers doing a big renovation near us and husband's company has also worked there.  French boss says these guys are legal despite the fact it 'c'est pas normale'.  I'm sure if they weren't one of the French companies working there would have done something about it! Why not ask the man for copies of his insurance (you'd do that for a French company) and check with chambre de metiers?  Can he tell you of any other works he has done - if not how do you know he is any good?

Probably not - nearer 20€ seems to be more like the going rate.  The course at Ch de Metiers should give you an idea of your cotisations then you need to add on insurance (which can be pretty hefty) overheads for equipment etc and decide if you have anything left!  Tax is the least of your worries - many people don't earn enough to pay any.

Good morning.  Congratulations to the others who got elected.  I was 8th on our list of 15 - and whole list got in so we don't have to do it again next week!  Just as well as unlike Tony I stayed for the boozy bit and can't do that too many times in a row. Have to say the fashion of reading out all the papers was a bit of a surprise and in bigger communes (we have 560 voters, 432 voted) I think they are probably still counting now.  I also think it very odd that you can add the names of people who aren't standing to the list.  Very silly and a waste of time, but obviously a spot for reviving old feuds!  Next stop the election of mayor on Friday - should be interesting as the outgoing mayor was not near the top of his own list.

How about a night out with the stars (the real ones) at the Pic du Midi http://www.picdumidi.com/web/28-home-pic-du-midi-pyrenees-france-observatory-astronomy-holidays-tourism-mountain-panorama-restaurant.php?lang=en   Something diffeent!

Lovely aren't they.  Yes they have classic car clubs here and there are some great cars - although interestingly all the members of our club are desperate to have old British or Italian cars.  In September there is a particularly nice procession of pre-war cars that goes through Bruniquel called 'Les Poilus'.  All the owners dress in period costume. Your Volvo can't be as uncomfortable as our Triumph Spitfire was - nastiest thing I ever rode in.  Fortunately when we moved here OH swapped it for LHD TR which is actually pretty comfy as it's 35 years old.

Just my 2 cents worth.  Try contacting the local tourist office and see what your area is missing - then see if you can provide.  Here we are oversubscribed with large gites with pools, but badly lack small places for couples with decent standard of furnishing and kitchens.  Someone I know bought a small one bed-roomed cottage and made it really nice and they get about 25 weeks a year in it.  Don't know what is lacking in your area but the local tourist board may be able to help from the demands that they have.

For our CdS we had to jump through hoops, have letter from bank saying we had adequate savings to stay here as we intended to work after a period of renovation.  As an added bonus they took ages and were very unpleasant to my husband who is English but not white - initially refusing him CdS under all kinds of mad pretexts.  HOWEVER - at the same time as we arrived, another English family turned up here.  They did absolutely nothing, simply started working on the black.  Registered with nobody, did nowt, use E111 (as it was) and carried on as normal.  The interesting thing is they are still here several years later, no one has ever challenged them, no-one seems to care.  We often look at them and reckon we're the crazy ones.  They have a pretty decent life style, new car, seem OK.  If anyone French despises them they certainly don't show it.  No one seems to know where any money they have comes from - more to the point no-one seems to care. The point I'm making, I suppose is exactly what would anyone do if you came and lived here with INadequate income.  Absolutely nothing I deeply suspect so long as you lived on whatever you had and didn't try to claim benefits.  I've heard all the usual tales about people getting shopped etc but frankly don't believe them.  My friend works in the Trésor Publique and tells me many people haven't paid the local taxes or impots for years - yet little is done against them, even though everyone knows where they are.  I sometimes fear that forumites (me included) worry far too much.  I don't think anyone will ever do more than a cursory check so if people have sold a house in UK an,d have a little capital they could simply pay in the minimum sum to their bank account for a few months and voila proof of income.

IKEA website has pictures of all the relevant bits.  Why don't you refer him to that with the part numbers.  That way he can see pictures.

Either that or it is brown dingy stuff 'apparently' slapped on by old Pierre from next door sometime in the dark ages.[:D]