The not so Glamorous Côte d’Azur Life of Home Upkeep

Contributor blog post by Jemma:

I couldn’t write this post until things had been resolved – or mostly resolved, as the case would be. Even then, I didn’t know if I should bother. It’s France. Everyone expects home maintenance problems. And how can anything be a problem, really, if we’re talking about summer in the shimmering Côte d’Azur?

But when you have a home in this fairytale land, it’s not like checking into a swanky resort, mine’s a raspberry mojito, s’il vous plaît, just pop it over there beside the lounger at the pool – yep, that’s the one, with my latest paperback splayed open on a freshly laundered hotel towel.

…Continue reading here for Jemma’s original post “Tough Love: Home Upkeep in the Côte d’Azur”.

French House Construction Terminology

Le plan d’urbanisme (PLU) = Local regulations related to constructability of the land and size of home that can be built.

L’architecte = Architect

Le maitre d’œuvre = Project manager

Le chantier = Construction site/project

Le permis de construire = Construction permit

La climatisation = HVAC – heating, humification, ventilation, air conditioning

Le chauffage = Heating

La domotique = Home automation

La sécurité = Security system

Les éclairages = Lighting systems

Les fenêtres = Windows

L’arrosage automatique = Sprinkler system (garden)

La fondation = Foundation

Les murs = Walls

Le toit = Roof

Via:: French Lessons