Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
5 Apr 2024
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
20
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
I am Liza (34 years old) and Alex (39) is my boyfriend. We have a little boy of four, a little girl of one year, one dog, two cats, and a lot of wild birds.
We moved here three years ago and are looking for energetic and handy people to help us in the renovation and the gardening, some cooking or cleaning, but mainly to share skills and good times.
We are restoring (second work essentially) a little French castle that was originally rebuilt around 1970. The castle was built by the inventor of Kapla -the wooden game for kids-.
We fell in love with this gorgeous building and wanted to be close to nature, enjoy the peace and tranquility of the countryside and live a new life.
We enjoy having you for a longer period of time.
This spring's projects will include :
- A lot of construction help (remaking a big room: making walls, installing a door, painting, making shelves, tiling and laying a wooden floor, putting stairs in, etc.)
- Help with cooking and playing with our kids Samuel and Lucie.
- Gardening (planting seeds, weeding, planting flowers, mowing)
- Painting doors and windows
For this summer, we are looking for a kind of au pair sitation: a single person staying for a long time, helping with childcare, gardening, cleaning, sometimes housesitting.
We are also looking for carpenters for some special projects (doors mainly: round doors, hidden doors, soundproof doors...).
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
I (Liza) am Dutch but born in France so fluent in both languages. Alex in French. We both speak English. We are used to travelling abroad (and love it). A few years ago, we went on a one-year road trip in north America in a van, photographing wildlife and landscapes (i have a degree in photography). Our Instagram account is @tracesofwilderness. Photography, wildlife and travel are topics we love to talk about and share, and we hope to capture a bit of wildlife here.
Sharing moments together is a very important part of the experience, we love spending time for meals, games, hikes, yoga, music.
As we are at the very beginning of our landscaping and gardening, we feel that there is as much we can learn from you as there is to learn from us. But we can tell you about the environment here (plants, mushrooms, trees, animals...) as this region is where I grew up. We are currently planting a lot of fruit trees and planning our garden for next year, so you could get some information there or help us if you have the knowledge.
For the construction, we have quite a lot of experience and would be happy to show you. Alex is also an artisan and antique dealer.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Looking for a person, a couple or friends to help us with the restoration of our home, housework and gardening.
We can discuss together what you would like to do as there are so many things.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Accommodation
You will have your own room for the duration of your stay, with a toilet and a sink, with sometimes a private bathroom but not always (it depends how many people we host at the time).
We serve three meals a day,
- Breakfast (choice between cereal, yogurt, fruits, nuts, bread, cheese, marmalade, etc.) around 7 or later if you prefer. Usually everybody has breakfast at their own time.
- A hot and copious lunch provided around 12:30.
- For dinner a soup with bread and cheese or a simple hot dish around 7 pm.
In between meals there is always fresh fruit, homemade cake or cookies.
We personally don't drink alcohol, except for an occasional beer, but we don't mind if you do.
I cook everyday with fresh and local produce, and we value time spent sharing meals.
We are also happy if you join us in our activities (hiking, swimming, games, yoga).
Also, if you are without transport, we are happy to drive you to the nearest village which is 5Km from the house where you will find all the shops you need.
We have some land, with a beautiful view of the river and a private swimming spot.
What else ...
This place is located in the Vallée du Tarn, that has retained its charm and character because there is no major tourist facility.
It is a paradise for hiking, swimming, fishing and cycling.
There are also beautiful medieval villages to visit.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a very good internet connexion (fiber with Wifi Access Points everywhere)
Space for parking camper vans
We have a lot of space around the house so any size of campervan is good. You sometimes have your own bathroom in the house, or we share ours with you.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (9)
He helped us with many things, mainly construction tasks because it was rainy outside. He was of a great help, not only because he is very experienced, but… read more
I stayed with Liza, Alex and Sam for a month in May 2022. It was 100% one of the best months of my life! This incredibly sweet family will make you feel right at home from the day you arrive. The conversations I had with… read more
She initially joined us to improve her French, but her French was already almost perfect! She is great to talk with and spend time with, very easy and chill.
She mainly helped Liza with the cooking, cleaning and laundry washing, which was a lot at that time of the year. But she also did some… read more
Discreet but not timid, she found her place easily in our family and helped us a lot with a lot of building projects (a wood terrace, a new kitchen, bird houses, painting etc.). She also did some gardening (planting bulbs, cleaning… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
He helped us with many things, mainly construction tasks because it was rainy outside. He was of a great help, not only because he is very experienced, but… read more
I stayed with Liza, Alex and Sam for a month in May 2022. It was 100% one of the best months of my life! This incredibly sweet family will make you feel right at home from the day you arrive. The conversations I had with… read more
She initially joined us to improve her French, but her French was already almost perfect! She is great to talk with and spend time with, very easy and chill.
She mainly helped Liza with the cooking, cleaning and laundry washing, which was a lot at that time of the year. But she also did some… read more
Discreet but not timid, she found her place easily in our family and helped us a lot with a lot of building projects (a wood terrace, a new kitchen, bird houses, painting etc.). She also did some gardening (planting bulbs, cleaning… read more
The food Liza made… read more
They are enthusiastic, hard working, always interested and curious about the work we had for them : making permaculture beds and filling them, restoring furniture and tidying a big room, testing out and beginning to restore some heaters, etc.
But most of all,… read more
He hasn't got many hand skills but he is very motivated and learns quickly. Devotion and perfectionnism are often more… read more
They are also great cooks. We thank you very much for your very good bread recipe that will follow us for years and… read more
We felt very welcome from the very first moment, and the connection became only better through the 3 weeks we spent there.
The work was very interesting and diverse - we got to plant trees and bushes, build a double… read more
Liza and Alex are very welcoming and generous people. Even if we just stayed for a week, it was hard to leave them as we felt part of their wonderful family.
From helping in the garden or in building the shelves for the kitchen we had a very good time, exchanging with them about their… read more
Shiyao is a wonderful girl, enthousiastic, open-minded, funny and really interesting to talk with. She is always interested in learning new things and has a lot of energy.
During her stay, she helped sand down cabinets and painting… read more
During my stay with them, I could choose various tasks based on my interest, they always want to teach me new skills, and… read more
