France
Favourited 152 times
UPDATED 22nd May 2019 with projects currently underway
We are now looking for help with:
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Preparation, planting and maintenance of Vegetable Garden and Greenhouse
*️️️️️️ General Garden Maintenance - strimming, hedge trimming, weeding
*️️️️️️ Cutting up wood from recently cut down trees
*️️️️️️ Renovation of furniture
Other Work Planned for this Year
*️️️ Creation of a Winter 'snug' from the original old kitchen
*️️️ Clearing loft space to allow for roof insulation and boarding
PLEASE NOTE: Previous experience of using petrol equipment such as a chainsaw, professional strimmer, hedge cutter ESSENTIAL if you are wanting to be involved in tree and hedge
Hello
We would like help to renovate a beautiful old Maison de Maitre and gardens in Saint Marcet, a small rural village in South West France, 1 hour south of Toulouse.
15 years ago we fell in love with this beautiful house despite the work it needed. For us the amazing space and rural location was perfect for our young family. Its been our greatest pleasure bringing up our 2 daughters with the freedom and relaxed lifestyle we have found here.
However whilst doing this we haven't managed to get as much work completed as we would have liked. But now they are 'all grown up' ..... well kind of ...... the time is available to get on with the renovations and finally realise the dream to run this as a bed and breakfast eventually.
We are English and in our late 50s and have 2 daughters aged 24 yrs and 19 yrs.
Brian works full time in Toulouse travelling back and forth 4 days during the week (works from home on a Friday) and has the weekends free. He loves all sport and in particular Rugby.
I, Caroline, am based at home and run a small business selling greetings cards and work part time for a local milliner. What I enjoy most is renovating the house and garden but I need help. Cooking, anything crafty and animals are also my passions.
Harriet, 24yrs, lives and is at University in Montpellier, and Alana, 19yrs, lives and at University in Toulouse. Both pop home occasionally.
We have some lovely pets; Mowgli our 8yr old dog, Lilly a young dog that arrived in December. She surprised us by havin 6 puppies not long after we got her from a rescue centre. We have kept one of the puppies and he is called Teddy now 4 months old !
We also have Matilda and Harry our cats as well as miniture goats and chickens. Occasionally horses and donkeys come to help by eating the grass in our fields .... there is really too much land but it gives us great privacy !
We love being outside in the gorgeous weather we are lucky to have in the Summer months, so if you like the idea of coming to Saint Marcet, sharing a glass of wine alongside a good home-cooked meal in exchange for some help, then we would love to meet you.
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Other
Help in the house
Animal care
Improve their language skills, we are predominately an English speaking family. Brian is fluent in French so would be happy to help with French.
Learn to use DIY and renovation tools and outdoor machinery. Learn variety of DIY skills such as plasterwork, renovation of brickwork, pointing etc
Renovation of furniture and a variety painting techniques
Learn concepts of permacultural living, recycling, upcycling (and real cycling if you fancy riding a bicycle up and down the hills ! ), knowledge of plants, propergation and other general gardening skills.
We are looking for workawayers to help with both indoor and outdoor projects and have listed those currently being undertaken above.
PLEASE NOTE: Some of the help required is physically demanding so you need to be fit, and have experience working in outside environments.
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ You will need to have your own suitable outdoor clothing, work shoes, gloves etc *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
It is very important you can help independently and without supervision at times. You should be someone who likes the countryside, rural locations and the outdoors.
During Winter months the weather can be extremely cold and variable.
In the Summer it can be VERY hot and because of this we are happy to be flexible with working times ie. to work early morning and late afternoon/early evening.
Knowledge of working with electric and petrol tools is necessary for some outdoor work.
Help with caring for the animals, dog walking and some general household jobs would be useful .
If you fancy cooking occasionally that would be nice too.
Future projects will include creation of a Winter snug where the kitchen once was. This is a project we would like to tackle before the Winter of 2019. Clearing out our huge attic space to allow for insulation. A job best done in the cooler weather !
English and French
We currently offer a large bedroom with a double bed and a sofabed and a bedroom with a large single bed and sofa
There is use of two shared bathrooms.
There is also plenty of room outside should anyone want to camp or come with their own motorhome.
We live in a rural farming community area and the village is small with a bar, a church, a local baker, tennis courts, a small fishing lake and a very large village hall that occasionally has an event or two happening.
We have bicycles available to explore the area although they are not new and it is pretty hilly around here. There are some lovely places to go on walks.
When possible we are happy to take you to and from our nearest towns Saint Gaudens or Boulogne sur Gesse which are approximately 10kms away. On average I go to St Gaudens a couple of times a week and this is the nearest main line train station. There is a cheap bus service to Toulouse running from Boulogne. You are also welcome to join us on trips to other towns when possible.
Local towns have all the shops and amenities you may need, lovely lakes, walks and markets to explore and offer rail and bus links to bigger cities such as Toulouse, Tarbes and Pau.
The Pyrenees are less than an hour away by car with a host of activities, including mountain trails for walking and cycling. There are also many places for canoeing and rafting around the villages between us and the Pyrenees.
Spain is also about an hours' drive away if you fancy practising another language !
Nearest Airports are Toulouse, with budget airlines Easyjet and Ryanair flying in and, Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees (sometimes just known as Lourdes) with Ryanair flying in. There are many other airlines that connect with Toulouse.
There are train links from both Toulouse and Tarbes to Saint Gaudens and a bus link from Toulouse to Boulogne sur Gesse.
We can collect you from Saint Gaudens or Boulogne sur Gesse.
Car shares are often available through blablacar
Coach/buses to and from Toulouse through megabus, flixbus and ouibus. All offering cheap deals from city to city.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Two
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
