Harley Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 If anyone is interested I thought we would chart our ups and downs as we go through the process of having a house built by one of the many companies who advertise in the property brochures. (probably monthly if anything happens on the work front)We didn't want to move away from the town we are currently living near because the children have settled so well at school and we love the area and the people. But could we find a house within our budget that wouldn't then need an enormous amount spending on it? Not a chance I'm afraid! Bought some land instead.We looked at three building companies and settled on the last one we visited. Not sure if I can mention them by name on here but if anyone would like to know they can always PM me. They were as friendly as the previous two but overall they seemed more professional and better organised (we shall see). We had a look at the standard house plans until we found one that covered all that we required and they gave us the standard price for this property. Before they would give us any additional costs they wanted to have someone look at the land and ascertain where the services were in relation to the property and how much would need to be dug out for the foundations. A week later they came back to us having drawn up the initial plans and gave us a price. We then made some changes to the original plan (no fuss here, very helpful) and were given a revised price. Once we had agreed the plans - they dealt with all the planning application paperwork (thank goodness) only problem here was a document missing from the application which was quickly sent off and consent came through two weeks later.Having received our planning permission we had another meeting to discuss the internal details. We changed the plans again (no fuss). Also added another Velux window ( they will deal with additional planning consent). Meanwhile, work due to start (groundworks) within the next fifteen days.We will keep you posted, warts and all........................................... [:)]NB Our French is improving and we can understand a great deal of what is going on but, even so, we have employed the services of a translator (very reasonable) and well worth it for the peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradford Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 Hi Harley,I for one, would be really interested. We are moving over ourselves in June this year. My father in law has a house in Monflanquin-Lot et Garonne, that we shall use. (In truth he bought it with a view that we would probably live there ourselves). Once our children (and my wife!) have settled we will be looking for a house for ourselves. This is more than likely to be a new build. Our reason for this is that although my father in law's house is lovely and more than big enough for us, we have realised that we would like the house arranged in a different way.We look forward to your posts, but would be more than happy for you to send an update directly to us if you do not get the feedback. [email protected]RegardsCaroline and Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 Hi Caroline and Paul,I had hoped when writing this that it would be of use to anyone considering a New Build. The chaps who run this Forum (and very useful it is too) are going to set this up as a BLOG (some new fangled techie idea) to make it easier for me to add to the ongoing story and make it easier to follow for those who are reading it. We were lucky that we found a basic plan that really suited us for the most part but we have made some changes to the design which has given us the home we want, the way we want, and for a very good price. Only time will tell if we end up with the home that we have in mind. We wish you and your family all the very best with your move and if you want any other help or information please feel free to drop us a line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monika Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Great, I look forward to read your "continuing saga" of a "New Build". Something is missing on this Forum and that is an interesting story, hopefully not too interesting for your sake!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le bouffon Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Please no, spare us the endless droning that will inflit on forum members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I think a blog is an excellent idea. The great thing about blogs, outcast, is that you need only read them if you are interested in the story and the outcome. So if it's not your cup of tea you can completely ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 If you don't want to read it, BLOG off! Simple really. It's here for those who are interested and feel it would benefit them in some way, not those looking for something else to moan about![:P] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le bouffon Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 That is quite right,only as a forum member I do read posts and another wan`a`be Peter Mayhall does nothing for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 How sad. Forgive me but I thought the purpose of this Forum was for people to share the benefit of their experience with others who may find it of great benefit. Am I mistaken? Why do you log onto this site, if not to seek to offer others the benefit of your experience, and perhaps prevent them from making the same mistakes you may have made? If I log onto a subject and feel it is of no interest to me or I am unable to offer any help then I go on to the next. I certainly don't feel as though I have to censor the Forum for everyone else's benefit. Let them decide for themselves. They are all intelligent human beings with some very valuable information to impart. If they want to read my post they will, if they don't, they won't. And by the way, the only thing I wan-a-be on here is helpful to others. Happy New Year.[:#]PS. Haven't read A Year In Provence. Is it any good? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 I would say that it wasn't any good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monika Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 I loved Peter Mayle's "Year in the Provence". I count it amongst the better books about life and tribulations in France because I think it is pretty honest and not patting oneself on the back "oh we are so clever and good"!I also liked "Two Steps backwards" from Susie ...... (?) Again very honest. Where are you building your New House? (I can't see your profile on my computer!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Well I just could not believe that it was about France after the first page or two and would not recommend it to anyone moving to France. Some very basic stuff is way off the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted January 15, 2006 Share Posted January 15, 2006 Monika,Take the honest part away, most of it was faction and used no doubt, fromlistening or hearing of stories about others lives. If you read between the linesand by his own admission that he spoke no French as such whilst in that region, Mayle somehow managedto converse and understand plenty amongst the local French and severalstories in the book, just simply could not have happened to him. The buyingof the house and the redevelopment was another, largely exaggeratedstory.But as a nice cosy read, well the chronological order made it easy toread but having lived not too far away from Menerbes and knowing it well, itsimply was too fabricated to be an honest account of his short timethere. The donkey race, baking in the boulangerie, Mmmmm !! Little jealous here though, in the fact that he thought of it before meand made some serious money through the series of books ! Although assaid before (on here I think), it was not a new formula of how to writeabout ones life in France. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Forum Admin Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Hi Harley,Did you get my last email? It is set up now for you to start blogging. Email me if you have any questions.James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monika Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 James: how do I access the blogs, will I be made aware of them?Mikki and Teamed up: What do you think then about Carol Drinwater's three Books about the Olive farm, do you find them contrieved? I just think Peter Mayle's account could be true, it's amazing some of the strange characters we have encountered and what "adventures" we have had etc. since we have bought our house in France and we have only lived there for a few days at the time, I think I could at least write one chapter (don't worry I will not!!) Is there not a saying "the truth is stranger than fiction"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I haven't read said books. I rather regret reading a year in provence and am loathe to pay good money to buy books about moving to France etc and life in France. I suppose if someone said they had copies and offered to lend me them then I would give them a go. Don't sound very enthusiastic do I, and I can't say I am.And there are strange characters everywhere and we seem to know a lot of them, maybe we are ourselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miki Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Monika,As someone who will read almost anything about France, I have to saythat I do believe Mayle's story is basically fabricated for the large partbut fairly honest I would guess in others, especially when he talkedabout his neighbour. We had one like that as well and we kept ourselvesaway from him, very unpredictable chap !Yes, certainly truth can most certainly be stranger than fiction but Iput my own life experience here and I just get the feeling that Ifelt a lot of déjà vu. I have heard similar stories until theyhave stretched in to the haze and I tend to trust my gut feeling and,added to the fact that people in Menerbes were not even aware of himbeing there plus the house he renovated was not as so and the otherthings I mentioned earlier and ...............Carol Drinkwater's books I did not like. It was not so much a read, as awander around her own love life whilst in France and ended up for meanyway, a rather boring pair of books. I never actually read the third,so cannot comment, the first twodecided that I would not readanother !TU, most of the books we read are based on swaps !! There are several people we know, who just continue to borrow each others books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Forum Admin Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 [quote user="Monika"]James: how do I access the blogs, will I be made aware of them?[/quote]Yes, there will be a link to it when it is set up and goes live on the homepage of Living France and also the forum.James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monika Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I agree with you Mikki that Carol Drinkwater's book are very much her revelling in her love life and sometimes reading it I felt like a "Voyeur". Writing a book I could never expose myself like that, but perhaps that is the actress in her. The third book has a really horrible hunting scene in it and it spoiled the whole book for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamedup Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I am actually rather sad and a little upset now. As Monika said 'perhaps that is the actress in her' I have looked her up. What a shock it was that it is Helen Herriot we are talking about here. She just seemed completely right for that role and JA Wight thought so too, and I think I would have changed the story line and had a divorce when the Bellingham woman turned up. So I give in, if ever I had seen the book with her on the cover, I may well have picked it up and had a look and might even have bought it, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Forum Admin Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 Hi,Harely's blog is now live and can be accessed from the main conference page of the forum under 'Finding/Owning French property forum'.Direct link: http://www.livingfrance.com/blogs/harleyblog.aspAll the recently added blogs are available from the Living France home page http://www.livingfrance.com (first in the drop down menu on 'Virtual France') or here:http://www.livingfrance.com/lvfra/content/filoFrance/default.asp?id=345James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 TU, Carol Drinkwater may be a good actress, but she is not great shakes as an author and frankly her publishers were economic with the marketing of the books, pegging them to 'life in France' when really they are about HERBTW given that she ended up with Christopher Timothy for some years, how good was her acting? [;)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaud Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 I am with Monika in that I enjoyed 'A Year in Provance' and I am with Mikki in that the book is not and was never intended to be a documentary account of his move to France. He wrote charmingly about his experiences and added apocryphal stories that added flavor to the book. The story about the farmer who use his cockerel to get rid of a Parisian holiday home owner and having managed that, promptly cooked cockerel au vin with the antisocial bird, must be one that the rural French have been telling each other ever since the first Parisian (and Brit) bought the first holiday home.His wife, far from being a meek person in the background (as shown in the John Thaw TV adaptation). She ran one of the advertising industry's largest TV production outfits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted January 26, 2006 Share Posted January 26, 2006 His wife, far from being a meek person in the background (as shown in the John Thaw TV adaptation). She ran one of the advertising industry's largest TV production outfits.If I remember correctly didn't Peter Mayle manage to write the whole book and never once mention her name ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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