RickM

I'm minded to agree, however sadly my wife requires a pool. Holiday house; not rented and occupied circa 3 months per year. Hence I am not always around to maintain a pool. I'm wondering if it's the circa €1000pa I expect, or something ridiculous that I will resent, but pay anyway in the interests of marital harmony!

Could anybody give me an idea of the costs of a weekly visit by the average pool man to maintain a grp pool in the Var; I have absolutely no idea, and would like to know before renting the digger.... Thanks!

I'm shifting a load of stuff to our new house in The Var later this week, and returning mid-October in a VW Transporter SWB. The return trip will be largely empty (aside from a few cases of wine). If anybody needs anything shifting, let me know! Rick

Erm... no, I just meant to the East! Meh, it's been a long day.

Aerodromes in France are fantastic; largely government funded and free to use (a few exceptions, but the norm for local airfields is to have no landing/parking fees). Cost-wise, flying down costs a fraction of the cost of driving (well... given that the fixed costs of the aircraft are there regardless). 110 litres of super-unleaded gets 2 people and luggage from Barton (Manchester) to The Var, where I land 3km from the house. No peage, no ferry, no dartford crossing and no 16hrs driving. 5h20m (nil wind... much less when the mistral blows) plus a stop for Douanes, fuel and steak frites at Troyes. EasyJet it must be said is cheaper and realistically safer, but the door to door time is about the same either way. What you're can't do, however, is get the EasyJet pilot to route to the west over the Alps, just because the visibility is amazing and the winds are light...

Hi all, I'm curious to know if any of you fly light aircraft? I have been using my Europa to get from Manchester to Fayence; not a bad run when the weather plays ball (which is a rare event over the entire route!). ATB

Thanks all for the welcome; I hope I can contribute more to the group as I learn the vagaries of French construction. Indeed, the exchange rate is currently a somewhat bitter pill, but the house price is attractive, and the location is all we ever hoped for. Everything else I can change. That being said, we have no intention of ever selling the house; it is simply a case being happy that we bought the most appropriate house on the market at a price he are happy to pay. Nothing is else really matters now!

K-rend is applied over a base coat and render mesh; it's available in many colours; none of them white. Pluses: no painting required. Negatives: it cannot be patched. Application is a skilled affair for good results. Plastic beads are required at external corners It's rather expensive. Caveat: I work extensively with K-rend in the UK, and I have no knowledge of other render systems available in France... But I wouldn't have K-rend on my own house if it was free!

Hi all, I'm a fairly long-term lurker, but have never previously posted. It seems like the time has come to introduce myself, as we are scheduled to complete on the purchase of our new house in the Var in a couple of weeks. After decades of searching and saving, my wife and I have taken the plunge and bought what feels like our perfect house. It is currently totally usable, but in need of a few alterations as time allows. I own a building company in Stockport, and relish the task of working on it; even the dreaded fosse septique (seriously.... It's a fun weekend with a mini-digger following SPANC's instructions, and who wouldn't enjoy that? :-). At this time it is purely a holiday home; we hope to retire there for much of the year when able, but we're both sub-40 and that's at least 10 years away. This forum has been a rich source of info; thanks to those who have provided it. I have no questions now.... but I suspect that I will! All the best Rick