We are looking for a handy, can-do couple who are interested in immersing themselves in French village life while helping us bring our lovely old house back to its former glory.
The 3 story house is surrounded by 3 garden spaces, including a large walled garden with fruit trees and a pond. The top floor of the house comprises a fully renovated 2 bedroom apartment, The first floor needs some painting work done, while the rest of the house is habitable, but a ‘work in progress’. The house has central heating and all modern facilities.
As we are based in the UK, we are currently unable to travel to the house, (which is our holiday home) due to covid restrictions and work commitments. We’re looking for handy house sitters who can keep on top of the garden duties, undertake DIY jobs such as painting & decorating etc. and be present at the house ( if restrictions allow) while we employ builders to continue with larger jobs. In return for your help, we'll cover the cost of utility bills during your stay.
If you're the type of people who would rather be active than sitting around, this could be the place for you!
The house is situated on the edge of a village with good amenities, within a 20 minute drive of St Hilaire Du Harcouet and Fougeres, both large towns with all amenities. There is one close neighbour and a short walk into the village, where there is a bakery, general store, bank, hairdressers, bar, butchers, library, church, sports hall, pharmacy, vet, garage and a regular small market. The supermarket in the next village offers a 'click & collect' service which is useful during covid restrictions. The house is surrounded by beautiful farmland, has gorgeous views with amazing sunsets and is ideal for keen walkers as it is situated on the route of 2 hiking trails. Once travel is allowed, within an hour’s drive you can visit Brittany beaches, St Malo, Mont St Michel, Rennes and many medieval towns and chateaux.
Knowledge of French would, of course, be an advantage, but we’ve muddled by so far as learners and this would be a great opportunity to learn or improve your French!
There are no pets to look after. Your own transport would be essential in order to get around, as this is a rural setting with exrememly limited public transport. No smoking allowed in the house please.
The start date and house sitting term are flexible, but ideally we would like someone to start as soon as possible, and would hope you could stay for at least 3 months initially, and perhaps longer if all goes well.
We have had 5 other house-sitting couples to date, who stayed for between 2 and 9 months each, all of whom tell us that they had very positive experiences while living at the house. Our last pair of sitters arrived when lockdown started, and managed very well, and had a very enjoyable time. References from our previous house sitters are available on request, should you wish to see them.
We hope to hear from you soon!