Re: Wood use in winter months

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>
musicmonkey
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Re: Wood use in winter months

Post by musicmonkey »

Our caretaker has asked us to specify exactly how much wood we wish to allow our guests to use Christmas week in our cold stone house in Normandy.

We do have electric convector heaters as well although there is an excess to pay if they use more than 450 units per week.

Any ideas anyone? We would have liked to say as much as they need but since our relationship with our caretaker is going through some strain at the moment, we don't want her to think that we will allow limitless use of anything! In other words, we would like to give a reasonable idea that won't leave our guests shivering in the festive season.

Oh yes, the other thing is that I have asked her to provide a welcome pack to include, bread, butter, water, tea, coffee, fruit juice, milk, jam, eggs, chocolate and wine and she has asked me to specify how much I wish to spend on each item!!! I don't intend to do that but can someone who lives in France give me an idea as to the approximate cost of these items in total.
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Hi music monkey

I used to do all that re a welcome pack but knocked it on the head...I now supply cleaning materials, loo rolls & couple of kitchen rolls, Christmas put in a stocking filler for the kids, decorate the house and leave some festive candles etc...perhaps a bottle of poo & box of chocs.

Re wood....a corde is no more than 140 Euros dried and chopped oak....(I pay 120 Euros), if you want to try and keep the electric costs down leave plenty wood.

I used to charge 50 Euros for a stere of logs (3 steres = 1 corde) but now I just top up the wood store and encourage them to use the insert woodburner as it is cheaper.(wood is still the cheapest heating in France - we're having a barn part converted into the house so I'm now on my 7th enterprise to quote for heating, I have become quite up to speed now!!)

The prices I quote include the end of stay clean - in winter the heating & logs. You'll find they will use less, as when I used to charge them it was the mentality if I've paid for them I'm going to use them, even on a day like today with wall to wall sunshine!

But I really did find the welcome packs a waste of time - I seem to have more appreciation for pratical cleaning things....also if you have a fosse much better for you as the French products are friendly....british bleach you're a dead fosse!!
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

musicmonkey...a dangerous pasttime my husband tells me...but I was thinking whilst loading the dishwasher...give your person a budget - for Christmas bookings I would have thought you should easy peasey get a decent bottle of wine & a good size box of chocolates - from LeClerc/Champion/Intermarche for 20 Euros...then the other stuff you mention easily 15 - 20 Euros...perhaps give her 50Euro as as a float and for her to give you reciepts and keep her topped up as it were?

Is she French or English...if she is French they have a different way of looking at things and I could help you there - if she is English and being difficult....good luck!

Rough tot up of your shopping basket is 13 - 15 Euros.
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Alan Knighting
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Post by Alan Knighting »

For winter lettings I have two approaches.

The first is for people who are visiting for one or two weeks. The pool is not normally warm enough for them to use, although it remains available. I don’t shut it down, I run a reduced maintenance routine. To replace the benefit of the pool I include wood for the stoves and electric background heating. But the price remains at “low season� rate. On a cost/benefit basis they get a far better deal although the “ought for nought� brigade don’t seem to appreciate that.

The second is for people who are staying longer. They are usually house-hunters who want to know what it is like to live here through the winter months. For them I have a much lower basic rental figure that includes all the facilities of the properties but does not include laundry, electricity, gas or wood.

In both cases the real “welcome pack� is a property that is absolutely immaculate and is fully equipped in every respect. Food and wine “welcome packs� I charge at cost, throughout the year.

It seems to work as I get a steady flow of “out of season� visitors of both sorts.

Alan
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BungleBob
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Lowering the tone...

Post by BungleBob »

Tansy - sorry but I just had to ask what you meant...
...perhaps leave a bottle of poo & box of chocs.
Is this some kind of weird French thing...? :wink:
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paolo
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Post by paolo »

muscimonkey,

I have stopped providing this type of welcome basket:
bread, butter, water, tea, coffee, fruit juice, milk, jam, eggs, chocolate and wine
I just provide the wine, and some fruit when in season. In my directions I suggest that arriving guests might like to stop off at a supermarket on the way and stock up.

I don't buy the above because people have their preferences on these items. I rented a house recently that had white bread (don't like it), salted butter (prefer unsalted), battery eggs (won't touch them), tea (I'd have bought Earl Grey), cheap OJ (yuk), semi-skimmed milk (prefer full-fat), strawberry jam (give me marmalade) - no benefit to the renter and most of it went to waste. In any case we had already bought everything we needed at the local farm shop.

What I would have liked them to provide instead is more than one dishwasher tablet, a washing up brush, and laundry detergent. These are the items I supply. Also, unlimited washing up liquid and toilet paper.

As I stashed about ten litres of washing up liquid under the sink, my cleaner gasped 'You're not just going to leave them there are you? You know what renters are like!' Well what are they going to do? Drink it? :D
Paolo
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Bungle Bob darling darling sweetie sweetie...you don't know poo! Oh dear!! :lol:

Couldn't agree more with Paolo...waste of time & money, welcome packs - lovely when someone leaves the Camembert you put in in good faith!!

Glad you have ethics re the eggs...I'm famous for my chicken's accommodation & free range eggs (they don't quite have cutains up in the coop, not far off!), - even the dogs nick the eggs if I'm not looking!!
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Sue Dyer
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Post by Sue Dyer »

I totally agree with the cleaning stuff - I'd rather leave that than a welcome pack. There's 2 village shops within 5 minutes walk which are open until ten at night.
The one rental property I stayed in (France, see other posts re cleaning and "how not to do it"!) had about 2 squares of loo roll left on, absolutely no cleaning stuff although as I said I had a list of rules and regulations re how to clean the place. We even had to buy dishclothes etc.. I don't really want to spend a holiday doing that kind of thing....
PeeJay
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Post by PeeJay »

We like to provide basic * welcome pack*. 2 litres bottle water, a few tea bags, milk and some instant coffee, 2 toilet rolls and 2 bin liners. On site mini market for all other necessities.

We did supply a basic stock of cleaning products which the agent immediately removed to the lock up.

Have provided odd bottle of vino for specials (25th wedding anniversary).

Pete
musicmonkey
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Post by musicmonkey »

Just to clarify, we provide all household cleaning materials and limited amount of toilet rolls, liquid hand soap, kitchen roll, washing up liquid, sufficient dishwasher tablets for stay and one or two washing powder tablets.

We don't normally provide a welcome pack as this would be harder for us not being on site. However, our caretaker is trying to persuade us of ways which we can improve our service and suggested this as a way to increase custom. We don't want to do this as a matter of course but thought that as it was Christmas, it would be appreciated. We are not charging for it (season of goodwill and all that).

In any case it is too late now - we've promised it, so must deliver!
Christine Kenyon
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Post by Christine Kenyon »

Wow, musicmonkey. Bet you didn't think your woodpile would get this many responses! :roll:

Anyway, this is a response from the northern frontiers of England! Our price is all inclusive - bed linen, coal and electricity. So in winter the customer gets a good deal. But we are also grateful for any winter visitors! Some use a lot of fuel; others use very little. But overall we don't lose out and it saves a lot of aggro and trouble trying to work out what coal and electricity folk have used when they leave.

We leave toilet rolls, washing up liquid, detergent, cleaning materials, dish cloths, etc in the cottage on the basis that there is then no excuse for leaving the cottage clean and tidy. This approach works in 99/100 visits! Our welcome pack is fairly basic - Kendal mintcake (as we're in the Lake District) for first time visitors. Wine, mintcake and any favourite we're aware of for repeat visitors.

So, come and stay with us if you have a fetish for mintcake!! :twisted: And as much coal as you can use!

Cheers

Christine
www.stybarrowcottage.co.uk
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

I was going to start a new thread here, but since it's already nearly been covered I thought I'd just bump this thread to the top of the list and re-ask the question.

We have a serious inquiry for two months (February and March) of 2006, and I quoted them a rental price that doesn't include EDF charges, but said we'd start them off with a cord of wood. They asked how long that would last. I have no idea what to tell them!

If you can/do use wood to heat your property in the winter:
  • 1. How much does a stere or a cord of wood cost? (1 stere = 1 cubic meter, and 3 steres = 1 cord, correct?)
    2. How long does that quantity last you?
    3. How much of your property does that heat?
Tansy has posted that a cord of oak costs her E120; I wonder what the variation is between different areas?

Of course I realize that everyone's property is a different size and various woodburners (and woods) are more/less efficient, but it'd be great to get an idea of how much other people use before I go estimating it for this potential client.

Cheers!
Brooke
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Now then Brooke...you have hit my favourite subject...I've always been in awe of you and your technical knowledge...this is where I am the queen of wood!!:lol:

Seriously....we have huge house here (that we live in) our lounge is 63 sq meters...our everyday/dining room & hall with a flight of stairs upstairs about the same size 63 sq m with a kitchen off (all open plan if you ignore the 5 foot thick walls...no doors to close it off). Because our village is above the marais we are on an outcrop of rock...so impossible to sink gas tank blah blah so we are electric and wood heating.

I am one that has to have a mean of 21 degrees...now electric is expensive as we all know....if I am running the woodburner a cord of logs can last me 2 months depending how cold it is...I have learnt to get maximum heat out of minimum wood...it's an art.

But I have had folk use the same woodburner and in a week have used a stere and a half (BTW now confused is it 3 steres = 1 cord or is it 4?....either we have been ripped off in the past and our woodman is feeling guilty but he insisted last time we went to see him in the woods where he chops it all that it is 4 steres).

I'm an avid reader of Home Magazines - there are some great French Magazines about house renovations etc....there was a a very good article in one of them that did a costing of fuels...wood is the cheapest form of heating in France and apparently wood/eletric heating is the most used form throughout France.

The problem you have is the person using it! So this is where the whole therory falls apart...we have decided to close up the holiday houses in the winter because the folk on holiday cannot use the woodburners or cannot be bothered to use them....pure electric heating is just too expensive to run...if I had unlimited money I'd install proper underfloor heating in the holiday houses/ oil fired central heating or the new type electric heating we have had installed here which is brilliant - but it still is at the mercy of the person using it!

I think to give them a cord of logs - charge them electric use and if they need more wood they pay for it is more than fair....to see a cord all stacked is quite impressive so they should be content!

Hope this has helped a little....the magazine article also quoted 120Euros....but it is down to your negotiating skills! Ask locally who sells wood...I found one woodman through our local butcher - another one from finding our abandonded dog...long story won't go there!! But have got great wood because of Monty!!
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vrooje
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Post by vrooje »

Tansy, merci! That was just what I've been looking for.

I have heard both that a cord of wood is 3 steres and that it is 4, so I'm not really sure on that one. Either way, that's a lot of wood! Thankfully we have a fairly large and empty basement, so we'll keep most of the wood there.

I had no idea there was an art to keeping a fire hot with a minimum of wood. I figured a certain amount of a certain type of wood equals a certain amount of heat, no matter what! Honestly, I'd love to hear any tips you might have. It sounds like a very useful and cost-effective bit of knowledge!

Our house is only 170 square meters, including the lower bedroom which doesn't get much heat from the stove and wouldn't be used by these renters anyway, so hopefully these clients can't use that much!

Although actually I don't know why I'm worried about it, since after the first cord, it's their money! :) And we're happy to provide the first cord if it means we don't have to negotiate with them about the EDF bill!

Speaking of EDF bills, I have a completely separate question about that, but I'll post it in another thread...

Tansy, thank you again!
Brooke
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tansy
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Post by tansy »

Brooke - it's a mix of your vents :oops: and the wood - I keep one woodburner in as it were 24/7 so I always have a warm spot....the Aga will take over in June when it arrives.

Incidentally for any Aga enthusiasts out there - Aga at last have come up with a burner that can cope with the fuel in France - apparently the fuel used in France is thicker than back in the UK so the burners always clogged up...so an oil fired Aga will be available very shortly in France - presently Electric or gas is your choice.
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