a@jay

hi davlin I was interested in your experience with gdf as   we are in the process of buying an old farm property in lower Normandy which is on the edge of a small town, it has a nice stable, another farmhouse style cottage [needs a lot of work]and some other barns and outbuildings, it also has a good sized attached barn which should provide us with three en suite bedrooms on  the top and a big sitting room at ground level. I have read that its possible to get grants for some of the work when renovating ,did you have any dealings in this regard or anyone else for that matter. I have also read that some b+b owners find gdf not worth the bother, but everyones situation will be slightly  different  i,m sure ,if anyone has any opinons or thoughts re this whole subject we would like to hear them. good luck  

Hi Everyone We have been reading the site for some time now and this is the first time we have posted a message. We have been deliberating about trying to move to France for two years now and we are getting closer to the time when we have to make a decision to sell our house and then rent a house so that we can move quickly if we find the right family property (part of which we need to convert to tearoom/cafe), also our son is 7 years old and will adapt to the French Educational system easier( he is learning French at present and ours is only basic).We also have a 2 year old little girl. I am a chef by profession and my wife and I would run the tearoom together ,offering cakes , sandwiches and light lunches??? We envisage a lot of bureaucracy eg. permission to run a business from home, choosing which taxation scheme to subscribe too, all which seem daunting to say the least !! Looking on the bright side, we will be able to buy the property outright, so no mortgage or millstone!  As this would be our only source of income, any thoughts or constructive ideas would be much appreciated to help us achieve our goal and join all you lucky people over there !