Lachouette
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Posts posted by Lachouette
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We were persuaded by our local tourist office a few weeks ago, to take a booking from a couple who'd be paying using CVs, on the basis that the TO would cash them for us.
Cheques have been duly photocpoied and deposited at the Tourist Office and I live in hope that I'll see the cash for them before long. It may be worth your while asking at your TO, if you have any sort of relationship with them.
Jan
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We said goodbye to our last French guests yesterday and now have no-one until 1 September when we start again on a run of English guests. This was the same last year, and if last year is anything to go by, we'll be busy but manageable until the end of October. The nice thing about guests at this time of year is that they stay for a few days! Having said that, we didn't have too many 1 nighters during July and August.
Jan
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[quote]We have almost killed ourselves (husband fell off ladder on roof and I ripped tendon in foot and had to tile 3 bathrooms on crutches) to get our property up and running for painting holidays and Chamb...[/quote]
"We went into our local tourist office who wanted 40 euros to display our cards! Oh good!"
As well as everything else other people have suggested, my inclination would be to bite the bullet and cultivate the Tourist Office. In this area at least (Eymoutiers - 87), the tourist office are very good at sending people who jsut arrive in town with no accommodation booked to those on their books, and at this time of the year we get a lot of business, not just 1 nighters, this way. Our experience with the French on holiday is that they are very 'last minute' at organising and often end up in our local TO.
Bonne chance.
Jan
PS sorry about the messy quote - just can't get the hang of this!
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Sorry about delay in replying - am currently disappearing under a load of washing after French Pentecôte visitors!
We were so taken aback by the huge quote that it was quickly recycled as a shopping list. However, it rings a bill that te De Dietrich boiler to run it, and take on the solar energy too, was costed at around 11000 euros. The water tank had no immersion heater, but fired up the oil boiler if extra heat was required for the water.
And no.............we don't have a 20 room chateau! Just plans for about 200m2 of floor space.
Jan
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When you do find a plumber who'll give you a quote, sit down to read it as it may well be enourmous! We're near Eymoutiers (so won't give you our plumber's details as we're so far away) but a quote for solar panels that provided hot water and a bit of central heating, plus the appropriate boiler to run on oil when it needed to, plus 12 odd radiators and a heated floor came to something like 43000 euros. Needless to say, we've changed our minds about boosting the central heating with solar power.
We do however have a De Dietrich solar hot water system heating water for our B & B rooms, and although it's early days yet, we're impressed with the system.
Jan
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We've almost had ours finished - just needs the trenches covering now it's been checked by the DDE. We're in the southeast corner of 87, not far from Eymoutiers. Ours is a 4000 litre tank for 4 bedrooms, with pre-filter and 75m of drainage running across the garden, costing 4600 euros. we didn't have to wait long to get it done, but getting him here in the first place to do the devis was an uphill task! Email me if you'd like the contractor's name.
Get along to your local mairie and pick up the HV dossier for 'assainissement'. It tells you what to do (ie how to do the soil tests) and we found our 'local' technician really helpful, even helping us complete the form and drawing the plan for the system, ready to be copied onto the form.
Jan
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Hi Coco
I think I've heard 'click clack' but have no idea how it would be spelt!
Jan
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This link will take you to some postings from a week or so ago that will also give you a very good idea.
http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=275&MessageID=164827
Jan
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We were told (at last year's Tourist Office AGM) that the average B & B room let for the Haute Vienne was 90 nights per room. Given how averages are calculated, you can work the rest out for yourself!
Jan
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[quote]Well if people are complaining that VF AND FC aren't creating enquiries perhaps it's just a quiet year, or a late starter, although personally (touch wood) I have already had 14 nights more bookings t...[/quote]
"and more than twice as many bookings for the summer as I had at the same time last year"
We too already have more than twice the number of bookings for July and August than we 'inherited' when we took over last May, but these have been mostly the French, ringing us, I assume by finding us in the G de F guide.
As you say Coco, they could be emailing direct from our website, but there have been precious few of those!
Don't seem to have cracked how to post the bit I wanted to quote
.Jan
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When we took over our B & B last year, the previous owners had already paid the year's subscription to French Connections, and I'm pleased to say that it generated loads of enquiries which became bookings.
This year, now that we've paid the subscription ourselves - only one booking and no other enquiries. I'm about to contact FC and see what they have to say for themselves, but would be interested to hear if others have had the same experience.
Jan
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Saw a programme on TV a couple of weeks ago that said that if you use a credit card abroad, the one to use, irrespective of whether you get cash back or not, was the Nationwide's as it didn't load it to convert euros, or whatever, back into £s.
We've been using Goldfish and Nationwide credit cards here in France, but have stopped using Goldfish as the exchange rate with Nationwide is so much better for euro purchases.
Jan
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We've just bought a few rolls of Tyvek, made by Dupont (look at their website), which our French roofer has agreed to lay under the tiling battens. This keeps out wind and rain but allows moisture through from the house and came from a roofing company in Limoges.
Jan
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Our regional tourist committee (Limousin) publishes a newletter, which we receive either because we're registered with G de F, or the Chambre de Commerce, and this gives trends in tourism for our area. We received several during the summer season but have had nothihng for a few months. I guess it'll all restart once the season starts and they send their questionnaires out again.
Jan
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We live in France permanently and still hold accounts with the Nationwide BS. It's no problem for them to send statements etc to us but they did tell us we wouldn't be able to open any further and/or different accounts with them. We put this to the test by trying to apply for a Nationwide credit card, and we fell at the first hurdle because we had an address outside the UK.
Jan
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We have chambre d'hôtes in the Limousin and during the 'high' season are sent questionnaires about our room occupancy by the regional tourist office. In return, we get the stats back in the form of a newsletter every couple of months.
We attended a local tourist office AGM last May and heard that the average room occupancy in either these parts (Pays de Monts et Barrages) and/or the Haute Vienne (sorry, can't remember which) is only an average of 90 nights a year.
Jan
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We have a Navman icn630 GPS system, which like the Tom Tom sticks to the car windscreen, and can be moved from car to car. It came from the UK, with all European maps on a CD or two, ready to load onto the device, but what we found was that we had to buy an memory card, just like those you get for a digital camera, to load the extra maps onto. If my memory serves me right, the UK maps fit onto 1 x 256thingy bits of memory, and we have France loaded onto another 256 memory card. We just swap the cards over at the ferry ports. OUrs too will speak to you in several languages, none of the bad!
Jan
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Look out for speed cameras coming along the D2000 from the airport - they hide in the little wooden huts!
Jan
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[quote]Thanks for all your help. I will obviously have to commission a French registered architect to submit my Permis. No doubt my plans will also have to be redrawn, having spent some considerable time at ...[/quote]
We were in a similar position to you in that we had already got drawn up plans and needed a French Architect because of the 170 sq m rule. Our architect (87) took the plans as they stood, stuck a couple of French labels on them, although left most of the English, took the photos of before and superimposed after, and completed the 'demande' for us - so you might not have to wait for your plans to be redrawn. Our permis came through in less than a month. Our local mairie thought they might be trying to clear their desks for the Christmas break!
Jan
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[quote]I've got a packet of the 6 month stuff sitting in my house at the moment, but for the life of me can't remember its name!! (and i'm now in the UK) It's sold in Super U and LeClerc and is right next to...[/quote]
Flushed a box of the 6 monthly stuff down the loo this morning! It's called Tarax and came from our local Casino (supermarket not gambling!).
Jan
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Yes - 9 until 11.45. See you there!
Jan
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[quote]Certainly taxe professionelle can apply to properties that are used for business if they are not also the property (or dependencies of the property) in which the owners live. In other words, if you li...[/quote]
We've now been in touch with the department (Insp IFU?)that sent the form, via an interpreter, and it seems that as we are a B & B registered with Gites de France, we just need to write a letter (and of course return the form, signed but uncompleted) asking for a 'dégrèvement totale' because the B & B is in our main residence, and we're G de F approved. We live in 87.
I have to say that I hope no-one then tries to split hairs, as our guest rooms are in a converted barn, about 11m from our house, although guests take breakfast and dinner chez nous.
Jan
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We've just received a 'declaration provisionelle' to fill out and return before the 1 January.
As this is our first year open as a B & B, and in fact our first year in France, any tips on its completion would be very gratefully received.
Thanks.
Jan
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We're nowhere near you (Limousin - 87) but currently have a mini digger on hire from BLS, who I think are a national company. This is costing us 200 euros a day, plus a huge delivery charge as we live 30kish from the hire depot. We've had to leave a 'caution' cheque of 2000 euros too.
Our local builders merchant hires out at much the same day rate but does a better deal for a longer period. We're not using him however as we need a dumper truck too.
Hope this gives you some idea at least, until someone replies from nearer home.
Jan
Tipping
in B&B/Chambres d'Hôtes Owners
Posted
I have to say that I felt demeaned when a French woman pressed a 1€ coin into my hand at the end of her stay last year! Apart from that one occassion, I don't feel demeaned and am pleased that people have enjoyed their stay enough to feel they want to give a little something extra.
Jan