Le premier jour

On the first visit to the house after officially owning it, I looked out over the view and decided that this would make whatever challenges the house would bring up worthwhile. This view would be a constant, no matter the state of the house and all the work that lay ahead, and it would be this feeling I would come back to when the scale of the task ahead felt overwhelming. I love the sense of peace I feel when I look over the vineyards and up at the hills, and the quietness the rural countryside offers.

The previous owner had kindly offered to leave a lot of the furniture in the house as he no longer needed it. His email confirmed he would leave the following:

FAR BEDROOM: Double bed. French Armoire. Glass top bedside tables.

SMALL TWIN ROOM: Both beds. White bedside tables.

LARGER TWIN ROOM: Both beds and chest of drawers.

KITCHEN: Everything including fridge, cooking equipment and cutlery.

SITTING ROOM: All crockery. Dining table and chairs. Bookcase. Small desk with drawers. Print pictures (posters).

MASTER BEDROOM: 2 small raffia seat chairs.

OUTSIDE: All pool furniture, table and chairs and loungers with cushions and covers. Wooden table and chairs.

GENERAL: All curtains and carpets/rugs.

This was extremely useful and although it wasn’t to my taste, it meant I would be able to enjoy the house with my family and friends while I started planning the renovation. It did also mean a big clean up operation needed to happen on the first day which I hadn't been prepared for. Along with the main items listed above, there were many cupboards left full of cleaning products, old headboards and bed sheets, and even a canoe in the garage. As all of the big items listed above had been left for free I chose to see this as a good deal.

The agent immobilier had organised all of the utilities to be switched over in time for completion so it was then a matter of figuring out how to work the heating, hot water and electrics. It took a while before I realised the house was heated using oil, and only because the oil ran out! Finding the oil tank in the garden was a mission, especially because I didn't know what it was I was actually looking for or where it would be located.

This was the beginning of my adventure into learning how things work in older properties, and I was sure I would be spending many further hours trying to figure it out.