Furniture - Move it or buy a new lot?

[Albert the infopikey]

We'll be moving to France in a year or two, once our house build is completed. At present we are renting unfurnished in the UK, and it is likely that we'll move at least once in the UK before finally heading for la Belle and semi-retirement.

Having looked at removal costs I'm wondering if we may as well flog off or give away most of our furniture and white goods, apart from a few items of sentimental value. Some stuff, like wardrobes, will be redundant, anyway, and most of the rest is at least 5 years old. Doing this before our next move would save us a fair bit, probably enough to buy new replacements.

We can move some stuff each time we visit the in-laws -- I've already shifted a fair number of books across -- and the remainder would fit in a Transit.

We've had estimates of £4-5,000 for moving all our stuff across to France, and we'd probably need £500 - £1,000 to handle the UK move(s).

Any comments, especially from recent emigrés, will be welcome.

[Gardian]

Albert .........

To be honest, I think that you've answered your own question.

My only suggestion would be to be as sure as you ever can be that you can buy your taste in furniture over here.  French style isn't everybody's 'cup of tea' (e.g. the very heavyweight, dark stuff isn't ours!) and if you're looking for something a bit lighter and more contemporary (as we were), you can get it, but it can be very pricey. Alternatively IKEA, but they mightn't be on your doorstep, some of it is good / some ropey and could your blood pressure stand it?

Remember too, that even if you minimise what you plan to take, there'll still be some items that you can't bear to part with and you may not be able to move those in your own vehicle. Thus you may still incur a major proportion of that £5k with a remover.     

 

[Tresco]

If I had the time again I'd do it differently.

I gave away van loads of furniture, many hundreds of books (stupid, stupid me) garden furniture, wheelbarrows, tools etc.

What got into my head I don't know.  I remember thinking I wanted everything nice and new, and also thought I'd be able to by nice old furniture at reasonable prices too. Wrong[:)]  There a certain items of furniture I still lack after nearly 3 years here, because I can't find anything I like, or  what I like most is always the most ridiculously expensive option.[:)]

How stupid, to move from a 500m2 garden, to one approaching 40002m, and give three wheel barrows and 4 garden benches away, for example?[:$]

This was all because we moved ourselves, and we were trying to save space and weight in the van, but once I totted up all the ferry fares, the box van hire, the fuel, the fact that we paid a friend to drive the van and stay over here for a few days to help, and the expense of rplacing all the items we had given away,  it seemed a crazy way to do it.

Even at the last minute, there were things I gave to the neighbours, and even left some good stuff for the new house owners, because we couldn't fit it in.

So be careful, Mr Pikey.[Www]

[Albert the infopikey]

Thanks, Ian,

That's the sort of thing I need. I'll have to get Mrs Infopikey doing some research on furniture outlets (we'll be in Morbihan, somewhere on the Ploermel-Pontivy axis). She's French but I've managed to educate her taste over the last 36 years.[Www]

We've done a stocktake and there is no single item we want to keep that won't fit in the back of the car so it won't involve a pantechnicon move.

[KathyC]

Albert

You're looking at the same solution we are. We looked round at our furniture etc. and thought "this lot's not worth £5000". We changed our Saxo for a large estate and bring it down full each time we visit. By next year we reckon we should have all our books etc and special stuff moved down. I think it depends on the value of the stuff you're leaving/selling and the type of thing you'd want to buy. Personally, the thought of buying new furniture for a new house is really appealling. It always seems to me that when you move (even within the UK) nothing seems to quite *go" in a different house.

[KathyC]

Tresco

Give away books? You must be mad! A wheelbarrow's a wheelbarrow, books are for life!

Kathy

 

[powerdesal]

Absolutely echo Kathy C comment on books, we have books, presently in

France that have travelled from Africa to UK to Middle East, back to

UK, back to Middle East before going to France.

[Tresco]

KathyC perhaps you missed it when I said "stupid, stupid me" [;-)]

[Judith]

We moved about 90% or our stuff (and yes - books ARE for life and took up probably 30-40% of the space) including the old family furniture (much loved and probably irreplaceable) from Central London to the Aude last October - cost for specified day delivery something like +£6000. The 10% left will move when I do (when I finally retire) and cost much less. But compared with the cost of the house purchase, and given the many times some people cross the (expensive) channel to move themselves, the removals cost (usually only once to pay) is a very small amount. We could not have moved the furniture ourselves - age and (our) size and lack of strength being a limitation.

If you have no strong feelings for your goods and chattels (and I know some people don't) and like to live a clutter-free life, then I can see that selling up may be an option - but like a previous poster - do not get hung up on cost at the expense of clearing out - you may live to regret it - and there are things which you cannot easily get in France which we take for granted here - for example - I've just bought a slow cooker to take over - countless visits to different shops in France have failed to find that (for me) essential piece of kitchen equipment at any price! If you cannot live without it and cannot be sure that you will be able to replace it - take it - and hang the cost!

[Albert the infopikey]

Tresco wrote

<<If I had the time again I'd do it differently.

I gave away van loads of furniture, many hundreds of books (stupid, stupid me) garden furniture, wheelbarrows, tools etc.
 
...

Even at the last minute, there were things I gave to the neighbours, and even left some good stuff for the new house owners, because we couldn't fit it in. >>

I do understand. We went through this 5 years ago when we downsized 'because the kids are off our hands'. (You what? We've had at least one resient forthe last 4 years. Part of the reason for escaping to France!)

When we sold that house last year we moved (only 2 miles) over a weekend with a van and 2 sons. Took a fair few trips, but feasible at that distance. Even with our reduced inventory a one-journey move would take a lorry. Without the furniture & white goods I'd reckon on a transit at most, mainly for clothes, computer and such, allowing for shuttling bits to various in-laws over the next couple of years

and KathyC wrote

<< Personally, the thought of buying new furniture for a new house is really appealling. It always seems to me that when you move (even within the UK) nothing seems to quite *go" in a different house. >>

Kathy, I agree. That's part of the attraction. We are looking at building to an individual design, so putting furniture bought from a previous house in there doesn't appeal.

[Albert the infopikey]

Judith wrote

<<If you cannot live without it and cannot be sure that you will be able to replace it - take it - and hang the cost! >>

That's why I'm taking the wife.[:D]

We've only got about 4 pieces that we are attached to and all of those could go in the car at a pinch. For my house-moving philosophy look at my name and think 'caravan'.

We go to Britanny several times a year anyway, and that will probably increase during the build, so moving small stuff will largely go on the back of that.

[Kitty]

I'm with Tresco on this one i.e. it is worth the expense to bring your stuff.  It is SO expensive to replace things in France.  They do not have the same sort of furniture and it is very 'heavy', in weight and in style.  I have been shocked at the price of household things.

You end up learning nasty lessons, which you could do without.  For example, I had to buy several beds and the price was ghastly before I even bought the mattresses to go on them.  I got them home, made them up, only to find that the wooden supports under the mattresses were not included and had to paid for seperately.  How could they sell a bed that is not usable?

Given my time all over again, I would have paid the price of a removal van.

[Catalpa]

Our home is in 12 containers (8 cu metres each) waiting patiently for us (well, waiting for our maçon really but I can't go there because my intravenous blood pressure medication isn't to hand [:@]) sorry.... where was I... yes, our comfy home has yet to be brought out to its new life in France. By the time it gets here it will have cost us about £8000 in storage and removal costs. Insane? Quite probably but it is good quality, some of it is antique French oak (we now realise, having become depot vente experts) it's comfy and it represents large chunks of our 25 years of marriage - and that of TOH's parents because the French stuff was in his mother's family when she was a child in the 20s. 

As Judith says, if you've no strong feelings for your goods and chattels, sell it before you move but don't underestimate how much it will cost to buy good quality, stylish replacements here. If, on the other hand, your furniture etc suits you, is comfy, and you will need to replace it with similar stuff in France, save yourself the trouble and bring it with you. I know many people buy new every 5 - 10 years but it isn't my style - which is to buy the right thing once and keep it. 

You can always have the best-stocked stall at your local vide grenier with the surplus a few months after you get it here. [6]

[Evianers]

We have moved all over the world, from nothern hemisphere to southern, across the southern, back to Europe and about to move to France [finally] next year. When we were younger possessions did not matter so much and buying new articles in our new country of adoption was even quite fun.

But at our time of life [early 60s] we personally feel that bearing in mind how traumatic moving internationally can be, one should take much loved and comfortable furniture in order to help one feel at home in new surroundings - or am I just being over-sentimental.

Ultimately, it probably depends on one's character = hoarder or chucker-out, and one's age.

[Deimos]

Some things in France can be surprisingly more expensive than in the UK.  Trivial example was that last year I wanted a combination Microwave/grill/oven and I ended up waiting for ages for a friend to buy it for me in the UK and bring it out to France as it was so much cheaper in the UK.  I have always found decent furniture is pretty expensive in France.

 

Also, have you “shopped around” for removal quotes.  When I moved I got 3 quotes, two at the £5000 mark and one literally half the price.  the two £5000 were one nationwide and one local company, yet the £2500 was a large well known nationwide company.  It was a direct shipment (including packing) – the drove to my UK house (Central UK), packed, loaded, drove to France, unpacked and drove back.  I’m sure costs will depend on where you are moving from and to but I found quite a range of prices so, if you have no already done so, shop around more.

 

Ian

[powerdesal]

Although not relevant to people shipping from UK, We shipped a 20ft

container absolutely stuffed to the gunnels. The packers came, packed

everything in stuff like corrugated card + bubblewrap (72 packages in

total) loaded the container on a flat bed truck outside, shipped it

from Dubai to Rotterdam, trans shipped it to Le Havre, unstuffed the

container, cleared customs for us and delivered all to our door. Total

price a bit less than 3000 pounds. They did break a cheap mirror though

!!

Regards

[Athene]

I could have written this Sheila, it is exactly how I feel about my 'bits and pieces'! You can take the English woman out of England but you cannot take the English out of the woman and I really like my English style things!

[zeb]

We moved ourselves bit by bit - some essentials, hubby, cat and motorbike first, then carloads of books, personal stuff. Then, when I moved out we hired, through this site a guy from Hesdin with his high top tranny, to move the rest of thousands of books, some paintings, beds (which came apart), linen and kitchen stuff. Cost around a grand. Everything else we sold with our house or gave away as none would have looked good in old French cottage (and the garden furniture wouldn't fit in the van - boo hoo).

Another problem was that old French cottage at that time only had one habitable room and, although we have a large barn, I didn't fancy all the stuff living in there for years. Many of the books, which we couldn't bring ourselves to part with at the time, are still boxed and in the barn, probably eaten by the mice - and, we havent missed them at all as we have bought hundreds more books since living here.

We started again. Some items (white goods plus sofas) we bought new over a period of time scouting around to find the right things. Other things we have bought second hand. Stuff had been left here - super old oak farmhouse table, chairs and huge oak buffet which we have used and loved over the last four years. I've just bought an old chesterfield from a brocante, sold by folks going back to the UK, for a room which has just been renovated.

Depends whether your stuff is part of your life or whether you can leave it behind and get excited about searching out things here. The other consideration is, how quickly will you need replacements for the things you leave behind? Searching out the right things takes time. But, we're nomads, so that never presented much of a problem for us.

I wouldn't have done it any other way, but if I moved again, I'd take everything I've begged, borrowed and bought over the last four years with me, as we'll probably move within France and, I've sort of grown attached! And that would cost a fortune now!!

Edit: we got our sofas from the La Redoute catalogue with a third off for first order. I'd never bought furniture from a catalogue before but after seeing the quality of my neighbour's new furniture thought I'd take a chance and, I'm delighted!

[Alan Zoff]

I always laugh when I hear TV presenters waxing lyrically about the "bargains" on offer at Depots de Vente in France. They imply they are almost giving away great furniture.

Our experience of these places is that they are either full of junk (literally broken or rotten stuff fit only for the bonfire) or are very expensive compared with English sale rooms.  As for buying new, good modern French furniture is classy but far too pricey for me, whereas the affordable stuff is mainly nasty paper-coated chipboard.

So I am picking up decent quality second-hand items bit by bit in England (there is a great auctioneer for this in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire), taking them apart where possible to make them easier to transport, and cramming as much as I can into the car and trailer on each visit. I reckon I am paying a quarter of the equivalent French prices so the hassle is well worth it.

I can see now why our French vendor refused to sell the contents with the house for the extra sum I offered, even though the occupant was moving into a retirement home. They probably considered the furniture to be worth more than the house! 

On the other hand, if someone knows a Depot de Vente in northern Auvergne where real bargains can be found, I would be glad to hear from them.

[Rob Roy]

We got rid of the majority of our furniture and excess goods before leaving the UK. The majority of furniture would not have looked right in the type of old french house we were planning on buying, so we had decided to replace. The only bits I brought were our own antique brass bed and victorian bedroom suite.

We rented a 7.5 ton truck which our sons helped load up 1 weekend, my husband and one son brought it down to the Limousin via Norfolk Line ferry,the cheapest (then at least) for lorries and unloaded it into a barn kindly lend by someone. A week later my husband and I arrived with two dogs, caravan and very loaded large estate car. Our goods and chattels were in said barn for 8 months, while we rented a property, then it was all moved into the barn of our present home (cheap 2 day van rental) while we made the house habitable (got rid of 20 years of cobwebs!). Five years on and there are still tea chests and boxes in the barn waiting to be unpacked - including loads of books! It has made me realise how much we (people generally) tend to gather around us, and how little of it we really need to live in comfort! 

I have enjoyed searching for pieces to furnish the house here, and unlike Alan I have found some super bargains in the local depot ventes, but I agree that new furniture over here costs a bomb. One thing I can't understand is why divan beds have bases and matresses always sold separately [8-)] - one usually wants both items for a comfortable night's sleep!

The one thing I wish I had brought from the UK was a decent double oven gas cooker - there is another thread on the forum about french cookers, so I'll say no more on that subject[:@]

[Alan Zoff]

Where are the depots you have used, Mary? The nearest to us are at Magny Cours and St Pierre le Moutier. Not impressed with either.

[Rob Roy]

Mostly the Troc in Brive, but also Cahors (supposed to be on a day's fishing trip!) and Limoges.

[Alan Zoff]

Thanks Mary.

When I look round our English home, I see that a lot of our stuff was acquired while on trips which started out as nothing to do with buying furniture. (We have never been great at planning things.)  I remember deliberating outside a shop in Minehead as to whether we left the newly-acquired table behind or one of the kids.  We managed to squeeze both in somehow - and, 15 years later, both remain in good order.

[ali-cat]

[quote user="Alan Zoff"]

Thanks Mary.

When I look round our English home, I see that a lot of our stuff was acquired while on trips which started out as nothing to do with buying furniture. (We have never been great at planning things.)  I remember deliberating outside a shop in Minehead as to whether we left the newly-acquired table behind or one of the kids.  We managed to squeeze both in somehow - and, 15 years later, both remain in good order.

[/quote]

We went out once to buy a nest of tables - & bought a car!!  [:-))]  Never did get the tables!! 

[Evianers]

Well we can perhaps do better than that. Went out to buy me a much needed pair of sandals - almost barefoot at the time - and came back with a water colour of a steam engine shunting around a yard in Spain. Guess who was more pleased?