Fi

Hi, I'd be interested to see what response you get to this, and it is interesting that you have not yet received any responses! Last year we paid an english lady 60euros per changeover and that in fact didn't inlcude any real cleaning, just coming to the house having a quick wipe round the kitchen & bathroom and not much else really; which we did feel was really steep but had no other option at the time and fortunately we didn't have many bookings (which seems a strange thing to say really.....).  We also paid 10euros per load of washing but that did include powder & softener (using their machine) and ironed afterwards, which we felt was a little expensive but not extortionate. However, this year, we have french neighbours who have done the changeovers for us, and we are yet to agree the final price, is it (i)   better to have a fixed fee for the changeover (on the premise of swings & roundabouts, some weeks  will be more work than others depending on how the cottage is left by the guests); or (ii)   better to pay on an hourly basis for cleaning that is actually done and then the question of the laundry; better on the basis of (i)   per bed basis (ii)   per load basis (iii)   all in for the whole cottage.... Its a bit of a minefield, and I do understand that it is obviously dependant to an extent on the neighbour, however, she has said (quite rightly) that I should propose something to her, and it will be a negotiation.....(I do this for a living and the hardest negiation i've had was with my neighbour over rates for caretaking & gardening!!) So, any advice guidance on rates & what other people do would be much appreciated! In anticipation...  

Hi, Whereabouts r u in the region please? thanks  

Hi, this is a really interesting post, however I am not responding directly but need a related query answering so I hope thats OK. We have a french grandmother who does our cleaning & her standard is wildly different to most people I believe, after our last guests she mentioned to me on the phone that our cottage had been left in a terrible state, my reply was well if that's the case then I will seek to take it out of their security deposit, however when I questioned further it became apparent that the crime was to leave a few crumbs on the worktops..... Sorry, to get to the point, my actual question is does anyone know what the going rate for local cleaning is (not agency cleaning or english people charging extortionate rates) many thanks Fi

Hi, we're just outside St. Jean D'Angely 17400

Hi, We have a small amount of tiling repair to do on an outbuilding and some guttering that needs putting place.  Does anyone know of a roofer in dept 17 that would be able to do these small jobs, apparently it should be about 1 days work. Many Thanks Fiona

Hi, sorry should have said - we are in Charente Maritime (17)....

Hi, We are planning on being in france for New Year and we'd like to cook some traditional french dishes for the time of year - does anyone know if the french have traditional New Years Eve / New Years Day dishes and if so, what are they! Thanks .....

Hi, I know that there is a company operating in the charente region, I have contacted them to see if they know of anyone more local to Mont St Michel & will let you know if I hear anything back. Fiona

hi the pieces of paper are called "invoices" but this is a very loose description!  and are they good & cheap - not entirely sure - am still investigating their rates in comparison with others. but on a completely different thread it does not seem to be the easiest task to find someone relatively local & reasonably priced to provide the changeover/gardening/caretaker type services! particularly when we are remotely located....

Thank you so much "Eslier", I'll definitely make sure that I visit those places next time I've over.

They do provide me with invoices, but the majority of the time we do pay them in cash... We have public liability insurance so would we be covered under this?  Or would it be void as we are paying for a service?

Hi, we purchased a combined video/tv from leclerc and it plays all our old videos with no problem whatsoever.

So, should I assume that I should be checking whether our caretaker/changeover couple have a SIRET number.  What happens if they don't have a SIRET number?  If when they are at our house, mowing the lawn or changing the beds etc, they have an accident - who would be responsible?  Am I safe in that I have employed them on the basis that they have the relevant documentation in france and if they don't it is their liability rather than mine? Thanks Fiona

Sorry to hear about your problem, hopefully you will be able to resolve.  Is everything such a nightmare?  We would like to put down a deck in our (enclosed) garden, it will be quite a large surface area - do we need to seek permission for this? Also, we would like to create a bathroom of sorts in an attached outbuilding (sorry if this is going off the thread slightly) would we also need permission for this? Thanks Fiona

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this question, but couldn't see another more appropriate place to post.  We have a place near St. Jean D'Angely and I still need some furniture, mostly small pieces but definitely a couple of chest of drawers and some bedside tables.  I am looking for "proper" french furniiture, nothing modern.  Can anyone recommend any brocantes or similar near to St. Jean where I might be able to find this type of item? Many Thanks Fiona

Hi, we really had no choice for our changeover day as we were offered Friday or Monday by the couple we had chosen for our caretaking/changeover service; and like most we would have, through preference chosen a Saturday.  However, we have since found that the Friday changeover works really well and we have had no complaints so far; most people don't mind taking the extra day at the start of their holiday; and there are in fact a number of advantages, which we do point out to our prospective clients. If you arrive on a Friday you have the benefit of having a full weekend in France, which for us means that you can visit the excellent local market on saturday morning; and at the other end of the holiday, you have the whole weekend to sort things out; laundry etc before returning to your everyday life.  We have also found that ferries are generally cheaper on Thursday night/Friday crossings and the roads tend to be a little quieter. But each to their own & i'm sure there are dis/advantages for all the options...  

Hi,  I'm looking for a builder/plumber to give me quote for the installation of some new bathroom fittings into an outhouse at our house near St.Jean D'Angely.  The job would probably involve putting up partition walls, laying some flooring and connecting a loo to the drainage. If anyone would be willing to come and give me a quote (will be over in two weeks time) or could recommend someone who might be able to do such a job, I'd really appreciate it. Many Thanks Fiona

a bit faster than yesterday, but not dramatically so....

We use a variety of methods depending on the values being transferred; we did a large exchange for our house purchase using HIFX; it was very efficient and the staff were very helpful; we also use monthly purchase option (at least I think that's what its called) through HIFX where we transfer a set amount of money each month from our UK account to our french account for which there is no charge from any of the three parties; and the exchange rate with HIFX was fixed in advance; so it is effectively forward purchasing. The second method we use is the HSBC money transfer service; we have a standard HSBC account (we are unwilling to move our mortgage to HSBC in order to meet their premier account conditions) and they offer a fax indemnity transfer service, where you sign an indemnity and can then fax money transfer instructions to the HSBC branch who will in turn transfer the money as per your instructions to your french account; the charge for this is about £10 and we have always had a good exchange rate through this route.  You do need to have a UK HSBC account though. For spending money etc whilst we are in france, we top up our nationwide flexaccount before we go and draw the euros directly from an ATM, nationwide don't charge for this service and usually offer a pretty good exchange rate too. Having written it all down, it looks pretty complicated, but it works for us - I suppose its each to their own and you need to work out what suits you best...... Fiona ps there is a branch of CCF/HSBC in La Rochelle  

Unfortunately we won't be able to afford to put the pool in next year so will just have to leave a pool size gap ready for the year after - a large paddling pool will be more our style next year which is a shame but there you are.... the deck will be covering up the multitude of surfaces including the really scraggy grass, gravel path & shingle driveway. would love to see a picture of your new deck if you have one Di? Fiona www.treize.co.uk

Thank you very much for the information, I am now in a position to know what I am asking for! and hopefully the deck will be down for next summer......

Does anyone know what "decking" is in french please?  The only translation I can find is ponte for deck.  I have seen decking squares in one or two of the local diy stores, but not the long lengths of decking that are available in the UK - has anyone seen these anywhere.  We have quite a large area that we would like to deck and the long lengths would be more practical; we are also looking for someone who would be able & willing to build the deck/terrace for us. We are located in 17 near to St. Jean D'Angely. Any help appreciated - thanks Fiona www.treize.co.uk

Hi We've taken a fair bit of furniture & other bits & pieces that we've collected from various family members but we still need some things - does anyone know of an Emmaus or good brocante type place in dept17 (we're near St. Jean D'Angely)? Thanks very much

Hi We've taken a fair bit of furniture & other bits & pieces that we've collected from various family members but we still need some things - does anyone know of an Emmaus or good brocante type place in dept17 (we're near St. Jean D'Angely)? Thanks very much

Salut,  another sad soul here - one of four who watched the semis last night - and there'll be 12 of us watching tomorrow - no dressing up though which is a shame!! I think my personal favourite last night was the guy in the silver lame suit thing (with the guns&roses type backing band) - can't remember which country, although the granny in the rocking chair with the drum was really something special..... the guy providing the commentary also had us in stitches at frequent intervals.... looking forward to seeing the rest tomorrow, I'm sure it will be even more fun after a couple of glasses of something alcoholic!