Grand Designs ?

[Quillan]

Did anyone see it last night?

Any comments about to make about the house and/or people?

[David584]

Good morning Chris

Yes I did see it last night. £250,000 to purchase the property then £500,000 to have the work done!!!

I thought that the carpenters name was rather appropriate - . I would not have hired him with a name like that.

Then the bespoke Miele kitchen, bespoke bedrooms, furniture etc.
Is it me or did those people have more money than sense?

 

[Quillan]

I rather agree with you.

 

I couldn’t understand why there was a need for 8 bedrooms when they only had 2 adults and 2 kids.

 

I rather thought that it was a typical ‘we will show the French how it’s really done’ type attitude which never goes down well.

 

The foundation issue was rather amazing, why didn’t they get an ‘expert’ to have a look especially when pay £25k for a wreck.

 

We all wondered if the second hand wood they found might not have been the stuff they took away in the first place and then sold back to them.

 

The bit when she went to find the builder at 12:00 was good, obviously speaks French but doesn’t understand the culture. I bet the reason the guy was so p1ssed was because she knocked on his door at lunchtime. Of course he didn’t answer; he was sitting with his family eating.

 

The end product was nice and I bet they will have friends to stay (for free no doubt) so they can tell them how much they spent, slag off the French artisans and generally pose.

 

Mind you the one person who was really laughing was the guy that sold the property in the first place, all the way to the bank I would think. If Mr Barstard didn’t sell them back the old beams then perhaps they have been installed in the new house the old owners have just had build with the money they made.

 

I didn’t like some of the comments from the presenter either which were rather condescending of the French artisans at times. Again a complete mis-understanding of French builders and French culture. I think we all know how frustrating it is here but it’s the way it’s done in France and whilst you wouldn’t expect a English builder to change his methods you shouldn’t expect a French one to do either.

 

As for the kitchen, a friend who is staying with us at present and building his own 3 bed house recons that’s as much as materials have cost him to build a complete shell.

 

Did you like the Italian one last week?

[lecabine]

Well, all I can say was that they were very lucky to find a place for £250k that big and with such a view. I was in Les Gets this year for three weeks looking for a place, the closest we got was a cow shed for £300k. I actually know where that building was, the view is superb!

It did also amuse me that you'd put a £32k kitchen into a holiday home? As you say, more money than sense!

 

Greg

 

[opas]

Didn`t see this program, what time was it on and which channel? Would love to see the kitchen ....is it self cleaning?

Oh silly me, people don`t cook when they are on holiday do they!

[Piprob]

Didn't see it either because I wanted to watch something else. But these postings remind me of others we have seen of a similar kind; I suppose the situation or characters have to be taken from a fairy story or a nightmare to make the programme watchable. Though if Quillie rigged-up a video cam in his back garden, I for one would prefer to tune in to watch him dealing with his various garden infestations any day - maybe something with a David Attenborough talk-over!

[St_Jacques]

I found the whole programme largely annoying for all the reasons said before but also because of the perfect french of the woman and the presenter - indeed on last weeks programme Kevin McCloud was speaking fluent Italien!!! - I hate these people!!

Dale.

The only comment my mother made was about the size (or not!!) of the owners breasts (sorry!)  

[lecabine]

Good point indeed Dale, fluent in two languages and the use of large english words as well....I'm not jealous... honest!

Strange, but the wife also commented about the ladies physical attributes...now if I'd had mentioned it!

 

Greg

 

[GRT17]

[quote]Did anyone see it last night? Any comments about to make about the house and/or people?[/quote]

Yes, we watched and enjoyed.

A view to die for, what a position.

Like the rest of you I envied the language skills. (sigh!)

Thought the artisans were just great and so typical.

I thought they were planning to LET all the extra bedrooms and ensuites on the ground floor.

Certainly they were not short of a bob or two! I would be afraid to even dare to place a coffee cup or anything else on those pristine surfaces!!!

On reflexion I'll just stick with our simple village house and be happy.

Gill

[Sfgraveston]

What a bitter and twisted lot some of you are. It is typical of so much that is wrong with Britain - the politics of envy. Why is it that some people like to get their knives into others who may have worked a little harder or had a little more luck in  life?

I thought these people did indeed have a lot of money and made a superb job of the renovation. The alternative I suppose was to keep their money in the bank and allow a perfectly good building to continue to rot. I say well done to them. The kitchen was wonderful though not totally to my taste. We have a kitchen at home full of Miele appliances and I can vouch that the extra (not substantial amounts) is well worth the cost. I suppose if they'd installed a cheap and nasty kitchen then taht wouldn't have been good enough for the carping ones.

Instead of being envious of their language skills make an effort to equal them - such skills do not come about by chance but by hard work and practice. Some people seem to think that merely living in France will ensure that you pick up the language by some osmotic process - it doesn't happen like that.

Stuart

[Quillan]

I thought the kitchen was well over the top, it didn't even have knobs to open the doors, £30+k and not a knob in sight, perhaps its not for use just to enjoy the design. Female designer and a pull out plate warmer, what about a pull out ironing board, even B&Q ones have that.

"Though if Quillie rigged-up a video cam in his back garden, I for one would prefer to tune in to watch him dealing with his various garden infestations any day - maybe something with a David Attenborough talk-over!"

Well I pick up my rifle tomorrow, no more mister nice guy, and the males get it first. Due to TV laws filming will start after the 9 O'Clock watershed so I am afraid all you will see (and hear) is a white light from my torch and a few swear words as I shoot myself in the foot (again).

Tootle Pip

[Babnik]

My wife has just found the number of an Architect in Chalais(16) with the name Mr Batard...surely not the same person...anyway we're not calling him!!

Steve

[Blackadder<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>Blackadder<BR>Keighley and Creuse]

I enjoy the program immensely. More money than sense? If they had a penny, they'd have had more money than sense.

Purely on a house renovation front...they had the troubles they deserved really, expecting to be able to manage the project from the UK and then go out and expect everything to be tickety boo is very naive. She should have had a local architect to project manage and he answered solely to her. Every last detail should have been written down in an agreement including whether sockets need to be in the woodwork or in the plaster. That way, any mistakes would have been at the Architects expense. Or am I now being naive.

How she could get so upset that the kitchen (being delivered early i might add) had nowhere to go cos of existing building works defeats my thinking. I think she viewed the place as her home when in fact it was a building site. If she had had builders in at her home i could see the problem of woodshavings/tools etc all over the place but this was at that time a site. She expected far too much from the artisans.

Unlike most of the other shows and in particular the one 20 miles from us in the Creuse, I believe she wanted the show to show off her wealth,taste etc. A more tasteful thing to have done would have been to say it was 'an expensive kitchen' not have to keep harping on about the actual cost. (Hey for that much she could have lovely takeaways from the local chinese restaurant every day for life)

Envy? Not at all, i am more than happy with my little lot. But then again i don't admire her or wealthy people doing similar things as there is no risk. The families who sell up and go and make a go of it, either with loads of research and thought or not get my admiration.

Best of luck to anyone at whatever stage of life they are in, in whatever endeavour they are up to. Be happy

[Quillan]

[quote]What a bitter and twisted lot some of you are. It is typical of so much that is wrong with Britain - the politics of envy. Why is it that some people like to get their knives into others who may have ...[/quote]

Absolutly right except it’s not envy but more along the lines of the peoples attitudes to the French people in the program. I have met several people through my business who have come from the UK thinking they will ‘sort the French out’ and teach them how to do things properly when they (the French) having been doing thinks a particular way for years because it’s the best way to do it given the immediate circumstances and conditions.

 

The French on a whole are not materialist (there are a few exceptions) so a lot of what was done would not impress them. The current owners have probably limited themselves to the type of people they could sell the property to and who would want to rent it, mainly English I would think.

 

As to the actual property it’s self, I showed a recording to a couple of French friends today who happen to be long established builders. Flatten it and start again they both said. In fact one guy said the money they spend on renovating it would have built them a very good extremely well insulated house that looked the same as what they wanted.

 

Very true about working hard and being lucky but then not many of us that have both these elements want to harp on about material possessions in life. Personally I want to spend all my money on other things like travel, reading, seeing and experiencing things. Don’t for one minute make assumptions about people on the forum as I doubt you know anything about each individual other than what you might possibly pick up here and there. Some might be poor, others might be billionaires for all I know.

 

Perhaps some of us have left the UK because we are fed up with people going on about their houses, how much they earn, what new car they have this year and just about anything to do with money and material things. France IS very different and that’s what people have to remember.

 

As for working hard to speak a language well some people do work very hard and get no where, not through the want of not trying but that it just won’t sink in. I guess that’s why people were saying how sickening it was that the presenter appeared to speak several languages fluently, they are jealous but in a nice way.

 

[Piprob]

Ahhh. Always feel better for a good thrashing, Stuart.

But seriously, you're quite right, of course. It's just LF can get bit 'starchy' if we allow ourselves to take it all too seriously. The SE Forum in particular has always been a bit on the querky side. Its probably something in the wine.

[David584]

One thing that made my jaw drop was the interlocking plaster blocks to make up the walls.
I thought that they were phenomenal. I have never seen anything like before except in a child's house building set.

Did I hear correctly that they are only available in France?

 

[opas]

Now Piprob,don`t mean to be picky here but hopefully theres nothing untoward in my wine(cept the odd fly that takes a sip!) Bio only for us....

[Rita]

David,

Both my Hubbie and myself were also intrigued with the Building Blocks. Especially as we will be moving to France before the year is out, and we want to do up a couple of the outbuildings that already have CDU.

Would be good to know if these are available! where from and how much?

 

Cheers

Rita

[Richard-R]

I do not see why spending 30k on kitchen is such a big deal, given to overall value of the finished house. Seems about to right percentage to me. When you are looking at 1/2 mill plus house you do not want some cheapo brico kitchen . I leave rustic living to the sheep and cows.

[Russethouse]

I missed the very beginning of the program so I'm not sure what the couple did and whether it was a full time move or not.

The couple were obviously very well off - some people are - thats just a fact, I felt that also were part of a social/business sphere were entertaining is part of what 'oils the wheels' on a fairly grand scale.

There was a conflict of culture in so far as I think the lady expected the workers to 'get on with it' to make up for lost time etc as a lot of British workers would (no doubt charging top rate) while the artisans felt no great need to do anything extra and were happy for the build to just to potter along at their pace. (though whose fault is was that pipes were in the wrong place for fitting the kitchen was not explained)

The kitchen was great, of its type...........

Overall I thought other programs have been better, but the presenter is a pleasure to watch !

[lecabine]

Surely Stuart we have a right of reply, is this not the purpose of the forums, I cannot see why we should be envious of their language skills, some things come naturally to people, I for one we give up my skills in the TV industry to be able to speak a fluent second language.

Clearly they were trying to do something very different from the norm in Les Gets and I admire them for there bloody mindness attitude to get it done right, however, having stayed in many chalets in Les Gets those with the view do go for the glass fronted look, wouldn't you?

I recently bought some french shutters in a flea market in Sisteron for my home in England, when i asked my builder to fit them to the windows he looked at me as if i was completely mad... so I guess that no matter where you are from, traditional Savoyed France or tiny village in the Garden of England, everyone has pretty tight views on what should be and what should not be...

I'm looking forward to Channel 4 tonight about the lawyers and the chateau!

Greg

 

 

 

 

[Jomo]

I really enjoy this programme, but the again I think I`m just really sad and will watch anything to do with France. Also got the magazine!

These plaster blocks were interesting, not sure if you can get them in France but found some info on

www.livios.be

The Grand Designs website usually tells you who supplies the products although I`m not sure if they are doing it for this series.

I love Les Gets and that area, and had originally thought of going over there to live, but property is pretty expensive now.

Anyway time to watch No Going Back about life in French Chateau, followed by a programme about a holiday in the French Pyrenees, so I`ll be off to pur the wine now .Try to forget about the rain and floods outside in wet and windy Scotland!

Joan

[David584]

The link for "Les Gets" is http://www.channel4.com/4homes/ontv/grand-designs/grand-designs-abroad/les-gets.html

On page 7 it gives a list of the service and suppliers - unfortunately not a mention of those plaster blocks,

As for the lawyers who have bought the chateau in the Haute Vienne, I did watch that and it will be interesting to see how it progresses.

 

[Quillan]

Re Blocks.

These have been around for ages in France. Go to your local builders merchant (not DIY shop) and they will supply you. Don't forget to ask for the special glue to join them with which sets in 5 mins so you have to work quick.

[Linnorton]

I've always loved Grand Designs, it's an inspirational programme and I thought the people with the castle in Italy were wonderful, as was their home. 

I found the couple with the Alpine chalet intensely irritating and cheered every time her perfect composure cracked but I'm sure they'll have a lovely time showing off to their friends.