Category Archives: Property

Buying a Property in Languedoc

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As the summer season comes to an end, the wine harvest begins and new visitors come to Languedoc to look for a new home. Many are seeking a holiday retreat, but many are now coming to Languedoc with the plan to make it a more permanent home.

We made the decision to come and live in France over 20 years ago; I criss-crossed France many times in the first four years before decisding that languedoc was the palce we would set down roots – our children all grew up here and we don’t regret our decision for a second.

When they were younger the kids wondered why we chose this place – now they have travelled and lived in other countries, worked in Paris London and new york – they all come home, and understand now our reasons.

In Villa Roquette we offer you the perfect base from which to discover the region of Languedoc, plus, I have over 20 years experience of buying, selling, renovating and building houses here. I have worked as an estate agent and know the “tricks of the trade” and the “trickery” sometimes performed on buyers.I am totally impartail and I am always happy to spend time with our guests, driging to meetings, translating, recommending the “good guys” Lawyers, arranging mortgages and banks, phones and the hundreds of little thing that take time.

If you are thinking of buying property in the South of France (I have good honest friends selling in Provence and Paris as well) come and stay at Villa Roquette, or Contact me

Adding a Heating System to our Swimming Pool

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Villa Roquette is located in the South of the South of France – recently, to avoid confusion with the other bit of the South of France, North of us, the coast from Marseilles to Menton, including St Tropez, Cannes and Nice, the tourism people here started calling this area Sud de France. Call it what you wish, but Languedoc gets more sunny days than any other part of France and is in the same temperature belt as North Africa.

With all this sun it seems silly not to use it for heating. I have been planning to do this for years, but always had something else to do more urgently – I still have a pile of work to do, but next week (if it is not raining) I will start on a heating system for our Swimming Pool.

Thanks to the Internet I have found plans which are simple, inexpensive and work – I found a calculator online which takes into account pool size,  latitude, sun, shade, and a host of other factors and reckon I need about 15 square meters of solar heating to give me a very comfortable pool temperature and this will extend the use of the pool from April through to October.

Making and fitting the system is straightforward and materials cost abut 100 euro, but I already have most of the items in stock, piping, plastics, tubing, mountings etc – so, hopefully the cost will be very small and the befits enourmous.

I will make notes and write up the progress.

Here is our pool as it is – next time I will outline the first stages of construction and installation of the heating system.

Heated swimming pool at Villa Roquette in Languedo the South of France

The Pool at Villa Roquette

Finding Your New Home in France

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Twenty years ago we rented an apartment (in the Beaujolais) and I spent three years exploring every corner of France to find our home. I found the best way to discover France was by rail and stay in local B&B to get the feel of a town or village (and masses of information from the owner) – for us Languedoc was the perfect region with sun, civilization contentment and opportunity, and we have lived here for seventeen years, moving only once, a few kilometers down the road, to a larger home so our parents could come and live with us and our family.

We now run a guest house and many people staying with us do exactly what you suggest, rent a studio or stay as our B&B guest for a few days or up to several months, to understand the region and what it has to offer – many of our guests have now bought homes here and others decided to look in other parts of France.

The only way to discover France (or anywhere I guess) is to live in a community and make it your “home” – as we say on our websites – “stay with us, from one day – to a lifetime” – My advice is to choose one region, go there and stay awhile – every village will have a unique personality so sit in the cafe – talk to the secretary in the Mairie, ask the boulanger about the town and avoid the estate agents – if you don’t fall in love with one place – try another region – if you find your ideal spot, stop looking and your new home will reveal itself

Good Luck

Tony and Carole at Villa Roquette