All is well - a week later the wall is repaired and we have a pristine driveway even if it has taken over a week instead of the promised two days!
Our current worries centre around the recent weather in Tarn et Garonne. The river past our little holiday home is the Vere and it flows into the Aveyron. River reports on the internet show that the Aveyron is at its highest level since 2004 which inevitably means the water is lapping around the walls of our house and at a higher level than we have experienced before. We have installed floodgates across our doorways which are brilliant for "normal" floods but a really high flood will go over the top of these and worse still the water won't be able to escape when the water level goes down. We are awaiting a reply to an email to the owner of the neighbouring property with great trepidation. How much more simple life would be if we lived nearby!
Monday 26 January 2009
Monday 19 January 2009
Running repairs
As the year gets under way we are continuing to declutter our house and decide what jobs need to be done to maximise our chances of selling at a good price. Number 82 is an old Victorian Villa which we bought very cheaply 25 years ago and rescued from a crumbling state of disrepair. If it were almost anywhere but in Stoke on Trent it would be worth a lot more than what we can hope to be able to sell it for this year.
You can never think you've done everything to an old house - take a breath and something will crumble or leak or fall off - it's called character! At this stage we are trying to look at the place through a strangers eyes and see where we can make sure the "character" doesn't just look like a load of hard work for potential purchasers.
We do most things ourselves and I hate having to get work done, I always expect total incompetence or to be ripped off, but there are a few things which we will need to get done by someone else this year and they need to be done before the house goes on the market.
Today work has started on repairing the retaining wall to the front garden - well its been powerwashed and degrouted now the builders have disappeared - I hope it doesn't fall down completely now!
I thought this was supposed to be the problem with French workmen - we have had a few things fixed in France already with little problem, except for the work done by the English builder who was working on the place when we bought it. He cut many corners leaving many little "character traits" behind. He also kept a loir he found in the roof as a pet over the winter and released it next to the house just before we moved in. By the end of that breeding season we had caught 8 and eventually resorted to poison to keep them out of the house!
Anyway still no sign of these builders so they have obviously given up for today- at least they've had no money yet! I think I'll sort out another cupboard.
You can never think you've done everything to an old house - take a breath and something will crumble or leak or fall off - it's called character! At this stage we are trying to look at the place through a strangers eyes and see where we can make sure the "character" doesn't just look like a load of hard work for potential purchasers.
We do most things ourselves and I hate having to get work done, I always expect total incompetence or to be ripped off, but there are a few things which we will need to get done by someone else this year and they need to be done before the house goes on the market.
Today work has started on repairing the retaining wall to the front garden - well its been powerwashed and degrouted now the builders have disappeared - I hope it doesn't fall down completely now!
I thought this was supposed to be the problem with French workmen - we have had a few things fixed in France already with little problem, except for the work done by the English builder who was working on the place when we bought it. He cut many corners leaving many little "character traits" behind. He also kept a loir he found in the roof as a pet over the winter and released it next to the house just before we moved in. By the end of that breeding season we had caught 8 and eventually resorted to poison to keep them out of the house!
Anyway still no sign of these builders so they have obviously given up for today- at least they've had no money yet! I think I'll sort out another cupboard.
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