Carol's Adventure Begins
When you’re building your own home from scratch where do you start? Well we started with a field. We bought the 20th field we viewed in France. It didn’t have a pylon, wasn’t on a main road and we could afford it. Other plus points were its proximity to a transport link (A20), not too far from a town and it is south facing. Having come from Todmorden where it rained 28 out of 31 days in August the weather was a key factor in us venturing south.
The land values in France meant we could buy a field with outline planning permission and have space for growing vegetables, whereas back in Tod we just had a back alleyway. So in 2012 we did the deal and acquired a parcel of south facing terrain, with granite bedrock and four springs. On a corner of 2 minor roads it had very little privacy so the village knew who we were within no time at all, which actually was a positive as they knew we weren’t hiding anything from them.
With nothing but grass the first task was to put up a small shed so we had somewhere to store a spade. It turns out that shed was the first of many. We roped family in to help us plant a mixed hedgerow which would in time provide us with a bit more natural privacy.
Shed up and trees in we turned our attention to designing a house. Something we had no experience of. Then we found out 2 was to become 3 - we’d need to design a bigger house!
The land values in France meant we could buy a field with outline planning permission and have space for growing vegetables, whereas back in Tod we just had a back alleyway. So in 2012 we did the deal and acquired a parcel of south facing terrain, with granite bedrock and four springs. On a corner of 2 minor roads it had very little privacy so the village knew who we were within no time at all, which actually was a positive as they knew we weren’t hiding anything from them.
With nothing but grass the first task was to put up a small shed so we had somewhere to store a spade. It turns out that shed was the first of many. We roped family in to help us plant a mixed hedgerow which would in time provide us with a bit more natural privacy.
Shed up and trees in we turned our attention to designing a house. Something we had no experience of. Then we found out 2 was to become 3 - we’d need to design a bigger house!
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The Barn - the early years
Continuing from my last post - we were excited by the challenge, so soon as we got the keys we moved in. However, it was not what you might think - nothing was finished. There were gaps round all the doors and windows, the kitchen sink was propped on breeze blocks, there were no lights or sockets. Actually, there was no electricity to the Barn!
Being a little naive, we thought getting electricity connected wouldn't be a problem. How wrong we were!
So, for a some years we 'camped' at the Barn working during daylight - filling walls and sanding by hand, cutting and fitting skirting boards, sealing round the windows, and painting. Lots of painting! But basically, doing anything that didn't require power tools! We only had cold water so showering could be painful! Thank goodness for the cooker and bottled gas, at least we had some hot water and could cook. So, when it was too dark to work we relaxed and ate by candlelight. It could be quite romantic - when it wasn't cold!
Finally, after 18 months or so, visiting for 2 weeks 3 or 4 times a year, and still with no electricity despite several visits to EDF in Limoges, we found an English electrician who offered to organise the connection and install lights, sockets and switches. What a difference! Now we could bathe in hot water!
We were still excited by the challenge of turning the space into our holiday home and little by little we could see this happening. In the meantime, as I like to design & plan, I trawled through magazines picking out for how the property might look and stored these together with fabric & wallpaper swatches in a sketchbook. But, you can read more about this and see the finished rooms next time.
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Being a little naive, we thought getting electricity connected wouldn't be a problem. How wrong we were!
So, for a some years we 'camped' at the Barn working during daylight - filling walls and sanding by hand, cutting and fitting skirting boards, sealing round the windows, and painting. Lots of painting! But basically, doing anything that didn't require power tools! We only had cold water so showering could be painful! Thank goodness for the cooker and bottled gas, at least we had some hot water and could cook. So, when it was too dark to work we relaxed and ate by candlelight. It could be quite romantic - when it wasn't cold!
Finally, after 18 months or so, visiting for 2 weeks 3 or 4 times a year, and still with no electricity despite several visits to EDF in Limoges, we found an English electrician who offered to organise the connection and install lights, sockets and switches. What a difference! Now we could bathe in hot water!
We were still excited by the challenge of turning the space into our holiday home and little by little we could see this happening. In the meantime, as I like to design & plan, I trawled through magazines picking out for how the property might look and stored these together with fabric & wallpaper swatches in a sketchbook. But, you can read more about this and see the finished rooms next time.
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Hi, it's Emma again!
So to set the scene both in terms of our environment and the people ...
The view from my window this week. This is why we moved to the Haute Vienne. This is what its all about ... Vue de Vallee. Every morning this view is different and every morning reminds me why I'm standing here. Sometimes I'm staring across the valley hearing the echoes of past chinks, clanks and bangs of work in progress, tasting the dust and smelling the damp and the dirt that once dominated. Other times I look across the hills to pause and feel for a moment as I begin the early morning rise and routine to serve last nights guests their breakfast, before they pack up and go. You could say both of us on journeys to find France; both of us experiencing the twists and turns, the bumps in the road and the great moments of the open road and feeling of going places that every route involves.
Who knows what's around each corner?!
Who knows what's around each corner?!
Me & My FamilyLets start with the fifth member of our family, Sandy. Her story with us begins one quiet Sunday afternoon not long after arriving in France when she turned up at our front door lost. She walked straight in wagging her tail and appeared to have decided this was the place to stay! I reckon she'd heard of a mad British family that had moved into the area who had a situation vacant in terms of a family pet and she thought she'd be onto a good thing. Well combined with my two daughters and husband she's doted upon and thoroughly spoilt so I think her bet paid off and I must admit to having a soft spot myself. My only criteria for a dog this time was a no moulting model ... she satisfies!
More about my family in a couple of weeks.
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CarolTwo themes run through my life – people and the earth. Combining these with being a ‘doer’ has got me into all sorts of adventures, including teaching geography and outdoor field studies, promoting ecological and social sustainability in Manchester to working on an organic rice farm and bird reserve in Spain
In 2012 an opportunity arose and we were able to put a long held ambition of building a home into practice. With my husband, James, we took the plunge to start a new life, a life where we could be the change we wanted to see in the world. So, rather than always wondering ‘what if’ we embarked on our journey. |
Having gained planning permission for our self-designed straw bale house we moved to France permanently in 2015, to build our home and new lives with our young son Monty.
With our house nearing completion our path has now meandered to us managing a beautiful local chambres d’hôtes nestled in the Haute Vienne countryside. The world comes to us and we are privileged to host guests from a wide variety of countries. I find running a guest house is the perfect way of combining meeting new people with my passion for growing organic veggies and cooking up tasty food. If you can’t find me I’ll be in the kitchen or garden…or sorting through a mountain of lego to help Monty finish his lego helicopter.
Working with Emma and local artists we have just launched our new adventure "Hearts of France" offering art and cooking courses. The Haute Vienne is an ideal location for a bit of reflection, observation and painting what you see an feel. Why not join us!
With our house nearing completion our path has now meandered to us managing a beautiful local chambres d’hôtes nestled in the Haute Vienne countryside. The world comes to us and we are privileged to host guests from a wide variety of countries. I find running a guest house is the perfect way of combining meeting new people with my passion for growing organic veggies and cooking up tasty food. If you can’t find me I’ll be in the kitchen or garden…or sorting through a mountain of lego to help Monty finish his lego helicopter.
Working with Emma and local artists we have just launched our new adventure "Hearts of France" offering art and cooking courses. The Haute Vienne is an ideal location for a bit of reflection, observation and painting what you see an feel. Why not join us!
Caroline,Hello again!
I’m Caroline, I own and run our little gite Gites4Two in central France near Limoges. When you read my story you may wonder how we got here! Sometimes, so do I! Our French adventure started in 2006, when after several years of searching for a holiday home close to the coast, we moved inland and found the beautiful rolling hills and forests of the Haute Vienne. Here we found the partly converted Barn close to Bessines-sur-Gartempe (a village etape) which is close to the motorway for easy access but quiet and relaxing. We were excited by the challenge and opportunity of turning blank spaces into our holiday home. and as you can see from the slide show , we needed to do a lot of work to finish rooms. However, what you can't see is that our only services were cold water and mains sewerage. So, what did we do when we got the keys? What was out first priority? And, was it worth it? Well check out my next post to see how we approached this work. In the meantime, there are some photos of the Barn as it was. |
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EMMAHello again! I’m Emma, I own and run our Chambres d’hotes, Bed and Breakfast, Vue De Vallee in central France near Limoges. One and a half years ago my husband and two daughters, now 15 and 10 years set off from middle England and sailed across the seas to start our French adventure. Actually one very early chilly April morning we drove to the end of the M20 and boarded a smelly, busy passenger ferry with a packed car bursting at the seams, heading for a grey and industrial Calais. We were armed with only a naive positivism, a few belongings, a dilapidated house awaiting us, a strong belief that we can do it and most importantly a sense of humour! Our Finding France blog is about the three of us, Carol, Caroline and myself and our experiences: my take on the dichotomy of not just managing everyday life, its delights and demands but actually establishing that from scratch! whilst also trying to be part of our idyllic vision. You know the one…that sun soaked vista of meadows, hedgerows, rivers and hills dotted with traditional looking French villages lined with pavement cafes and people living the gentle pace of life. This blog is meant as a raw, real taste of living and working here in the heart of France sharing with you the highs and lows, the good bits and the stuff no one mentions. Have me and my family found that vista yet? Yes, we see it some of the time. Do we feel part of it? We’re getting there. Is it worth it? I don’t know yet?! |
"The peace and quiet of the countryside is why we bought here in April 2006. Over the years we have worked on our Barn, making into a home and a gite. This will be my story"
