If you were buying again ....

[Hoddy]

Di’s post about water shortages in the gardening thread set me thinking. We are very lucky in that we have a stream running through our patch which we can use for the garden, car washing,  mixing plaster and so on. At the time we bought the house we didn’t pay too much attention to it beyond wishing it looked a prettier. It’s significance since then has grown enormously.  If we were buying again I’d definitely have a natural water source on my list of wants.

I wonder if other people have found that something turned out to be more significant than they originally thought, for either good or bad.

Hoddy

[Cerise]

Yes Hoddy definitely would have bought a house a few hundred yards up the road as then I would be in a diffent department.  You see the problem is that our Prefecture town is 75 km away and due to the total inability of anyone there to do business in any way other than face to face, I have a 150 km round trip any time I want any bit of paper.  If I lived up the road It would only be 30 km away to their Prefecture town and further more it is a nicer place to shop

Still, never mind, I'm here now and love it - but wish I'd known about all that tooing and froing earlier.

Maggi

 

[Lori]

Yes, definitely...  having lived here four years now (Vaucluse) and living with strict water usage laws every Spring/Summer, I would have considered other areas of France.  I love life here, but every summer we are inundated with fires in the region and everything dies and turns to dust.  Not a pretty picture.  Then, often when it does actually rain, we have inundations due to the earth being so dry. 

Also, the toing and froing as it has been said is another thing I didn't really consider.  Have to drive 35 minutes to find any real shopping.  Luckily the Sous Prefecture can help with most official things and that is only 15 minutes, but the shopping thing can really push the buttons.  I guess, in one way, it is good as I always think twice before I actually bite the bullet and use all that petrol to buy a thing or two.

[Laotze]

Yes , we didnt realise the true sugnificance of our well until the first year we had veggies to water!

I think if we were to buy again with the benefit of hindsight, I would be a real ditherer. I have found that for every perceived "plus" to our house there is also a negative factor eg we are in the village but our house is tucked away which is lovely and private - but then I dont see the comings and goings that others do and I am always being greeted by "We never see you - we thought you had gone back to England!" This has become a standing joke in the village as I now say this to anyone I havent seen for a while which has them rolling in the aisles! Oh what it is to have the gift of comedy!!!

Also we dont have much garden - but then one hears people moaning about having too much. Our house is too small at times but then I think I wouldnt really like a huge house - or would I? Be nice to be by a river - but then it could be damp! Or lovely views on top of a hill but horrid when its windy! Maybe its just as well that we arent looking for another house!! I dont think I could bear the stress of decision making!

[Mpprh]

Hi

in this area :

Shade

Trees

Protection from North winds

Irrigation water

Terraces N, S, E & W

Garden with local plants : not lawn

House facing South with covered terraces

Pool away from trees, and protected from wind

Pool skimmers downwind of prevailing wind

Basement, or wine cellar

Summer kitchen

Good insulation

Double glazing

Central Heating

ADSL

Town gas

Mains drainage

Automatic sprinkler system

And you can never have too much garage / junk space !

Peter

 

[Teamedup]

I would build again on this plot of land. I'd change the house, for although we did have this built, but if I knew then what I know now, maybe a few tweeks to make it just make it as I really thought that this one would be.

Now if we won the loto it would be something quite different.

[dave and aileen]

Hello,

We have been here nearly 3 years, and felt very pleased with ourselves because the house ticked all our boxes,

1 walking distance to shops,

2 Doctor in village

3 Not too big a garden

4 Enough room for the family when they visit - 5 children

5 A drive etc

We only ever saw small local trains on the railway line nearby in the 3 or 4 times we visited, and the agent said ` Oh , no problem` with that wave of the arms that should have signalled danger.

Then the first night we were here, a 52 truck freight train went through, then 6 more overnight........ well after 3 years we dont hardly notice, except as a time check.

So perhaps we should have asked a few more questions, but we actually love it. The locals think we are insane to love the trains.

Aileen and Dave