A serious day looking at houses: part 1

So the rain finally stopped long enough to take a nice walk this morning before my first appointment at 10 a.m with the caretaker of the first property I came to Excideuil to see. By the way, I learned that it's pronounced "Esh-eh-dwoy." Damn French!! I strolled along the commercial streets and took an inventory of shops. Here's what I counted: 2 bakeries, a butcher, a mini-market, wine shop, 4 pubs/cafes, 2 pharmacies, 2 yarn shops, laundromat,one hospital, one womans clothing, one mans clothing, 4 shoe stores, 5 hairdressers, 2 florists, an appliance store, hardware/paint, and a shop that sells cameras, computer equipment and fishing supplies. On the outskirts, a short drive away are a large garden supply and nursery, two supermarkets and a John Deere tractor dealership. That should be sufficient.

Some pix of the village:

Tina came to my hotel to pick me up. I was delighted to discover that she is British and speaks perfect English. What a relief!

She gave me a full tour of the house and then left me to my thoughts for two hours while I poked around and took lots of photos. 

Here are some of the garden:

Here are some of the house:

I decided that the house was in perfect move-in condition, but I would want to re-do all the floors on the first floor to unify them, then I want to modify the first floor half bathroom to add a shower stall and a stacked washer/dryer. The good thing is the electricity and plumbing is already in place for such a project. I would also want to upgrade the kitchen cabinets and get a full-size refrigerator. The second floor is perfect. Maybe I'd like to see a color other than white, but it's fine as is.  

The walled garden is charming, has plenty of space on the concrete patio for a table and chairs, and there are already a lot of nice plantings in place like 4 rose bushes, wisteria, irises, a fig tree, hydrangea, wigeila, bay tree, and one very large palm. There's also a large patch of spearmint (mojitos!!!) in one corner. It's such a peaceful and private spot with just enough to do to make it interesting. I think adding rectagonal box planters in terracotta on top of the knee walls surrounding the patio would be perfect for herbs, tomatoes and a few vegetables. It would also give the dining area a cozier feel.

So, Tina is wonderful! About 40 years old, three kids and a husband who's an electrician and plumber and knows all the local tradesmen. How convenient is that? We had a cup of tea together and I asked if she'd be interested in continuing to be caretaker and possibly add on responsibility for weekly cleanings if we do summer rentals. She was up for all of it. So, at least I know how I will manage everything from afar. That makes the decision easier on one front.