Renovating a stunning 19-century family home in Southern Alsace, France

  • Favourited 609 times
  • Last activity: 28 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    (preferably couples)

    We are a French/German couple with four young children (2, 6, 10, and 12 years) communicating in four different languages on a daily basis. We are based in French Alsace close to the Swiss and German borders (close to Basel, Strasbourg, Freiburg, Zurich). We are living in the city of Mulhouse very close to the center but in a big green private park which makes you feel like living in the countryside but nonetheless 7 minutes by foot from the central TGV station.

    We own a 19th-century mansion that still needs some renovation works. We are ideally looking for someone who has some experience with renovating. Ideally, we are looking for a couple.

    We are sure you will love the area, the people and our house. We offer you a bright and spacious bedroom on a separate floor with your own personal bathroom and a lot of privacy. We will provide all meals (homemade French, German and Italian cooking).

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You can communicate with us in four different languages, learn about Greek and Roman history from Sabine or learn how to write a scenario for a novel from Stéphane, experience authentic French life-style, learn how 19th-century industrials used to live and how to renovate a historic house.

  • Help

    Help

    We would like you to help us with renovating our house or gardening for about 5 hours a day - weekends are free, of course.

  • Languages spoken

    German: Fluent
    English: Fluent
    French: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    An independent spacious bright bedroom with a queen-sized bed and independent bathroom.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    We live in beautiful Alsace in Mulhouse. In the 19th century Mulhouse was one of France’s most prosperous industrial towns, nicknamed the “One Hundred Chimneys City” or “French Manchester” (le Manchester français). We live in a house from that époque. You can still wander through historic Mulhouse in the medieval lower town, the Rebberg district and around the Place de la Bourse in the Nouveau Quartier.

    Today, Mulhouse is a thriving city strategically situated at the crossroads of two axes: Rhin-Rhône and Paris-Zurich. The proximity with Basle in Switzerland (27 km) and Freiburg-im-Breisgau in Germany (60 km) has been used as a major impetus to consolidate the cross-border co-operation of which the Basel/Mulhouse EuroAirport is the best example.

    In Mulhouse you find today the world’s biggest car collection open to the public, hosted in the Cité de l'Automobile, Musée national de l'automobile, Collection Schlumpf. Other notable museums are Cité du Train the largest railway museum in Europe (for trains), the Musée de l'impression sur étoffes – a museum of printed textiles that bears witness to the textile heritage, the Ecomusée d'Alsace – lively open-air museum of over 70 traditional houses and seasonal programming.

    Also the Parc zoologique et botanique of Mulhouse is a botanical garden and zoo specialized in preserving endangered animal species and celebrating its 150 anniversary in 2018. The Temple Saint-Etienne – the only protestant church on a main square in France, is the tallest protestant building in France.

    Culinary specialties in Mulhouse are sauerkraut – emblematic meal of pickled cabbage, sausages, smoked bacon and potatoes, best eaten in a winstub, fleischschnakas – a salted log cake (pastry and meat) shaped like a snail (“schnaka” in the local language), bredala – without these biscuits Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas in Alsace, Alsace wines – the famous Alsace Wine Route is 25km from Mulhouse and leads through medieval villages where wines are tasted directly at the growers, schnapps – Alsatian brandy made with local wine, flowers, herbs and fruits such as the plum-like damson
    beer – lots of local craft beers mades by micro-breweries.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    25 hours/week

Host ref number: 413138387631

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