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We are a Christian family renovating a château in the south of France. Our family consists of me, my husband, our three children, four cats and Belle the dog. We work hard to restore this beautiful place but we also take time to enjoy the beauty that this part of France has to offer.
Both my husband and I travelled extensively over the years. We would be happy to recommend places and if possible tell you more about countries you might be interested to visit if we have been there before. Equally we would love to hear about your travels and recommendations.
The château is 800m from a beautiful swimming lake surrounded by mountains. We have historical roman sites within 8kms from our home and the border to Spain is less than an hour's drive away. Lots of caves, waterfalls, mountain walks, beautiful gorges, etc. in the area. Our market town is 10-15 mins by foot with two supermarkets, bakeries, cafe's, etc. and the bigger towns are a 15 min drive away. There is also a train station about 15-20 mins walk away.
The renovation is still a work in progress and we have some local artisans assisting us but would love someone to help with gardening, painting, wallpapering, tidying building supplies and sweeping up after a day's work. We are open to discuss other jobs like pouring concrete, etc.
We offer a private room with an en-suite bathroom, as well as Wifi. We are happy to share meals and have daily conversation, but just as happy if you prefer to do your own thing.
Sundays are generally our days when we go hiking or sightseeing ourselves with our children so no work will be expected from you on a Sunday. You will be welcome to join us on our outing (we have a 7-seater vehicle).
Any questions please feel free to ask.
Art Projects
Language practice
Teaching
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Help around the house
General Maintenance
We could take you around the local sites and teach you about the history of the château (it was home to Baron de Sauvan who was a bodyguard to King Louis XVI). We can offer English, Afrikaans and some French language practise (French is not our first language but we are conversational)
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
We generally want some help with DIY (wallpapering and plastering for example) gardening, painting, feeding of animals (domestic pets only), some creative ideas.
Languages spoken
Afrikaans: Fluent
English: Fluent
German: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
Dutch: Intermediate
This host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
En-suite bedroom.
Workers can visit the town which has a lively market every Monday or visit the local roman sites. There is a swimming lake 800m from the château, there are various caves to explore in the area, travel to Spain for the day, go rock-climbing, canoeing, etc. We love to go hiking around the mountains every weekend or in a nearby gorge where it is possible to swim in the cold mountain water.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
This host can provide space for campervans.
One dog which has to be used to cats.
Two
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week