Hey it's February already. What are you doing for 2006?

Agencies and other headaches, keys and cleaners, running costs and contracts...in short, all the things we spend so much of our time doing behind the scenes.<br>
Christine Kenyon
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Hey it's February already. What are you doing for 2006?

Post by Christine Kenyon »

:D Tried to put in a different title but it was too long. My first complaint, Paolo :shock: .

Anyway, a serious question. We are all approaching the start of the 2006 season. What are you doing to get your holiday cottage/apartment/villa ready for the season ahead?

I'm partly asking because we have just bought a B&B with a holiday cottage and have spent the last 4 months putting in new bathrooms, personally applying acres/hectares of paint, scouring the internet for bed linen, carpets, cutlery, etc, developing a website, and - yes! - taking some bookings.

Meanwhile we have an established holiday cottage which has been re-painted, kitchen floor tiled and various other bits and bobs. I'm aware that the bathroom needs replacing; we need a new front door; the carpets need replacing.

What else should I be worrying about :P .
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enid
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Post by enid »

Replacing the mastic round the sinks etc - this always gives a real lift to bathrooms and kitchens.
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Hello Enid. Did that in November round the shower, so not worrying about that one! Hope you have a good 2006. :D
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

Oh, remodelling the kitchen, new boiler, new radiators (present ones not big enough for the rooms) ceramic tiles on the kitchen floor, oak random boarding for lounge floor, quarry tiles in the hallway and the fireplace is in bits seeing if we can get a small stove in there. Phew... oh, almost forgot, new roof too and really expensive as the offshoot has asbestos so specialist removal and disposal. :(

Apart from that painting and decorating through and trying to make the garden a bit more low maintenance if we don't run out of money and enthusiam before then. And we have a booking early March - eek!!!

My bro in law is doing a lot of work so I know I'm in good hands. He's making me some nice rough units from some railway sleepers. The Cotswold furniture company sell similar stuff with coffee tables at a staggering £500!! I know now that property development full time isn't for us with having to fit around various grumpy tradesmen.! Still, unlike having your main abode renovated we can walk away from the chaos.
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Wow, Sue that's impressive - and I thought that your cottage looked gorgeous anyway! Is your bro in law for hire?

Seriously - have you by any chance got any availability from 12 March onwards?

Christine
Guest3
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Post by Guest3 »

Well...next week we're putting in a new 'fan dabbie dosie' extractor fan..removing all the tiles in the kitchen and replacing with new (because we can't find the existing tiles to match when the new extractor fan is installed :evil: )

New double glazed bathroom windows and patio door (the one that leads from the lounge to the pool area)...which will all be done in 3 weeks.

New digi box as the old one is ready for 'digi box heaven'.

Re-paint the high wall by the pool area (hubby's department).
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

Oh, I forgot, I'll need to vacuum the walls too!! I think fellow owners with stone walls have discussed this, much to others puzzlement!

Thanks Christine! :lol: We've got most of March still empty, that's usually pot luck whether it goes or not. April is fantastic and we're okay on the others. Strangely, July is still up for grabs but I know (hope!) will go many times over. The cottage was fine and we were getting repeat bookings but having the place for four years now we wanted to put our own "stamp" on it. I hope the changes will propel us from being a great rental into a fantastic one!! Protecting our pension investment too :)
gh
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Post by gh »

You all look to be getting on with various projects, interesting Sue hoovering walls, missed that thread will look for it.
We needed a repair on the kitchen roof, single storey compared to double for the house itself, a local Artisan is doing this in April and decided this would be the time to bite the bullet and put on a new roof and bring in out to give the terrase some shade at the same time. When there are finished no doubt we will need to get out the paint brushes again..... :roll:



Regards
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

We had a Godin log burner put in over the winter and we've expensive things to do with the pool for security- alarm system never really took off so we're investigating a solar powered pool roller with a seat thing on top of the roller bit-trouble is one quote was over 9000 euros,so we're looking into alternatives- any ideas? We'll need to replace the outside table too as some guests managed to damage the other(it was only bought last May and wasn't cheap!!). :roll:
LaLuz
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Post by LaLuz »

We're not doing anything major. Decorating throughout and having a really deep clean.

We're also repainting the window grills as the salty air rusts them quite quickly.

Outside we're sprucing up the garden with new gravel and yet more lawn seed as the lawn area takes a battering from the pool, children and the fig tree.

Last year was our first of renting and I think these jobs will become standard annual maintenance for us.

Well I say us, we have a fantastic Caretaker who organises all this for us, so when I next go, it will all be spick and span and I just take the compliments!

I just wish he had a friend over here.......
gh
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Post by gh »

Hi Fraise,

We looked at lots of sites and eventually opted for this one.CLICK HERE Price depends on your pool dimensions. Far nicer to look at than a fence and on a par price wise we think.

Regards
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

Hi,have you used them then? I have sent the company an e-mail,thankyou :-) Do they install??
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

Fraise,

I seem to remember that you do not live on-site. If that is correct I am not surprised that you have found an alarm system to be less than satisfactory.

I have no wish to open an argument about the virtues of each of the four authorised systems but I have my doubts about rigid covers. Yes, they are totally effective when closed but when open, and they will be open all day, they give no security whatever.

I live on-site and alarms are the answer for me.

When I was considering the available options I looked at fencing. I find the usual around-the-pool nylon mesh fencing quite hideous and dismissed it as an option. However, I called in a local pool security “expert� who prepared a plan for fencing set a little further back from the pool and designed in complete sympathy with the pool, its terraces and the garden as a whole. The quotation was for 8,500€ including four security gates, all built to AFNOR standards and coming with NF certificates of compliance. That compares quite well with your quotation of over 9,000€ for a fully automated rigid pool cover.

Just a thought.

Alan
Loopy Lou
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Post by Loopy Lou »

John,

How do you find it works in practice? Do you keep having to cover the pool when it's not in use? What are your rules for your guests?

Sorry for all the questions.

Lou
Louise
www.lacharronniere.com delightful gites in the Vienne countryside.
Fraise
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Post by Fraise »

Thanks for that Alan.I think quite a few of these so called pool "experts" are jumping on the bandwagon.I'm all for people making a profit but some of them seem to think we'll all pay whatever figure they make up!! We are going back to considering fencing but there are problems with the site,so not easy peasy but then,hey,what is?? :lol:
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