Help gardening and renovating our house in the beautiful region of Pays de la Loire, France

Details

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  Description

  My husband and I moved to the outskirts of the village of Montaudin in 2019. The property is situated in the beautiful region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by open farmland. The historic and beautiful town of Fougeres is 18 km away. The coast and many other stunning villages are within easy driving distance.
  
  The property sits on one hectare of land, made up of a house a cottage, various outbuildings a garden, and a vegetable plot. The house is a very old manoir that we have been renovating since our arrival. The beautiful two-bedroomed cottage has now been completely renovated and would be the accommodation for anyone wishing to join us.
  
  We are a vegan/vegetarian household looking for help to complete the renovations to the house and to work on our vegetable plot. In the house, we are looking for help with the painting and decorating and also some carpentry projects such as laying floors. The garden is a constant work in projects and jobs include design, and structural work such as building walls and putting in drainage together with weeding mowing, and hedge cutting.
  
  We have 3 very friendly dogs and 6 cats.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  This is a very historic area of France and I would love to show you some of the particularly stunning sights. However, if it is the peace and tranquility you are looking for then the cottage with its private garden and beautiful views would be perfect. For anyone wishing to improve their English, I am very happy to help!

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We are now at the stage of finishing off projects in the main house. We are looking for help with painting, (including preparation of surfaces). We also have some carpentry projects such as the re-laying of oak flooring, sanding, and staining. The are also some creative jobs such as making window sills and panelling in some rooms.
  
  In the garden, we would like help with general maintenance such as mowing (we have a ride-on mower), strimming, weeding, and drive clearing. We are also undertaking the building of a sunken garden and fire pit. We would like help with clearing the area, wall-building, and planting.
  
  We would also like help with the vegetable plot, not only planting, weeding and harvesting but we would also like to re-lay some of the beds so some structural works as well.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I am trying to learn French, I can "get by" but would love to be fluent, so any opportunity to converse in French would be greatly appreciated. English is my first language and would like to help others develop their spoken English.
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  Accommodation

  The cottage is a beautiful 2-bed, 2-bath, recently renovated property. It is fully insulated. Internally it is immaculate. Downstairs is open plan and has a fully fitted kitchen/diner. there is also a large sitting room with a log-burning fire.
  Meals can be shared with us or had on your own. There is an excellent internet connection.

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  What else ...

  Free time can be spent relaxing or exploring the local area. The historic town of Fougeres is 18km away. The stunning castle is a particular attraction, the dungeons having been recently renovated and open to the public. It also has beautiful shops restaurants and bars. The Saturday market is great! However, for anyone looking to get back to nature, there are plenty of walks and cycle routes. A car would be ideal for exploring the local and more distant areas.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We have 5G fibre optic internet.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  There is plenty of space to park a motorhome/camper van. You can also connect to our electricity.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week