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#1: House buying in the Chalet world Author: Róisín, Location: Ireland

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:17 am
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I never seem to understand the balance that existed between house buying and house building in the books.

Sometimes, it seems very easy to build - such as when Madge commissions Le Petit Chalet, or when Simone's parents build a b&b on the Sonnalpe. But other times, it seems that building isn't an option and that there is the most incredible difficulty in finding an empty house to buy and live in (such as when they were looking before they found Freudesheim, or even when Joey is looking for a holiday home in Tyrol before they found St Scholastika's).

Is there a time or place element here that isn't clear, such as it being hard to build in and after the War but not before? Or was it easier to build in Austria than in England or Switzerland? Why was it fairly easy to build onto the School but not to build a medium sized house for a family (ie all the labour and materials would be to hand, or they would not)?

#2: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:27 am
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I suspect that it may have been a case of what suited EBD for plot purposes Wink

#3: Author: Caty, Location: New Zealand

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:28 am
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I suspect EBD uses these as plot devices rather than it being a reality. But I would also think that building in a very poor area (Tirol) pre war would be easier than building in Switzerland post war anyway.

#4: Author: Katherine, Location: London, UK

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:04 pm
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Also, when Le Petit Chalet was built they already had the land so didn't have to find suitable land for sale.

#5: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 1:52 pm
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When Jo was looking for a holiday home she had come to the teirnsee with a half formed plan to find somewhere and go home to tell Jack that she had found a new holiday home for the family. For her purposes she needed somewhere ready built; it would have lacked the impact if she had gone home and said that she had found this really nice peice of land, and wouldn't it be a good idea to build a new holiday home on it?

there was also the fact that both of them were generally occupied at that time, especially Jack with a very demanding job, and would not have been able to spare the time to run over to Austria to keep an eye on construction. EBD also mentions from time to time that the hydroelectic company had brought up a lot of the property (and presumably land) around the lake. This would have put available buildings at a premium.

In England they don't want to build (or buy) because they consider that they are only there on a temporary basis, tohugh they do eventually buy Glendower House when they decide that the school needs to have a permanent base in England.

In Switzerland the main consideration seems to be space. Once they own land (both in austria and Switzerland) they seem to build on it fairly freely, but there is a limited amount of land. The Gornetz Platz is only three miles long, with a large school at one end (as well asFreudesheim, which seem to have large grounds), and an equally large San at the other. To be honest, I'm suprised there was room for a village as well.

#6: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:40 pm
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Is it really only three miles long? Shocked

I envisioned it much much larger. Laughing

#7: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 8:26 pm
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Well the walk from the school to the San was often described as being three miles. Maybe the Platz itself was a bit longer, but not much. When Miss Annersley is describing it to the girls in 'Changes', she tells them that the Platz is "...three miles or so long", and EBD seems to have been quite consistent about that. Of course, we never get told how wide it is.

In 'Barbara' the girls are told that there are at least thirty or fourty chalets dotted around, as well as two shops, one of which is a post office. I'm really not sure how everything was fitted in, but it makes sense that land on the Platz itself was at a premium.

#8: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:04 pm
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EBD's geography was pretty elastic though. Lake Thun is far too large for the girls to have walked back from Thun, which they did at one point. So why can't there be more space for houses than the 3 miles or so would normally allow? It's or worse than the Tardis-like cars they drove after all! Wink

#9: Author: Tor, Location: London

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 2:38 pm
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Quote:

EBD also mentions from time to time that the hydroelectic company had brought up a lot of the property (and presumably land) around the lake.

This makes me think there was a sinister plan to damn the valley and make it a source for hydroelectric power. That would have ruined joey's holiday plans! Twisted Evil

#10: Author: Miriam, Location: Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:38 pm
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Tor wrote:

Quote:

EBD also mentions from time to time that the hydroelectic company had brought up a lot of the property (and presumably land) around the lake.

This makes me think there was a sinister plan to damn the valley and make it a source for hydroelectric power. That would have ruined joey's holiday plans! Twisted Evil

THey did dam the valley and raise the level of the lake, drowning out a couple of the smaller villages. THey didn't know about Joey coming though, so they didn't drown out St Scholastika. Wink

#11: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 1:03 pm
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The Platz might have been three miles long, but how wide was it?

#12: Author: Tor, Location: London

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 3:28 pm
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Quote:

THey did dam the valley and raise the level of the lake, drowning out a couple of the smaller villages.

gosh... i missed that completely! Bit like the story of the lake under the village that joey told (or Frieda?)... And I thought the original Chalet was pretty near the lake edge too...

#13: Author: Kate, Location: Ireland

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 3:35 pm
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Jennie wrote:

The Platz might have been three miles long, but how wide was it?

Presumably it has to be less than three miles, as length is generally longer than width. Or is that just in my head?

#14: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:00 pm
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The point, I think, inside my own confused little head, is that EBD had a habit of writing only things that were important to her, so she might have ocnsidered the only info of importance was the distance between the School and the San, so the Platz might have been ten miles wide for all we know.

If anyone can follow that reasoning, that is.

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