In our members-only podcast aftershow, Patrick, Kiley, and Jeff talk to Ian about the amazing things he saw and did on his recent tour of England, Wales, and Paris.

Godalming & Guildford, Surrey, England

English pubs dating to the 1600s
Saw a fair amount of new townhouse style construction. New units like the one I stayed in started at £650K with new single-family homes starting at £1.8M. Very high demand for places to live in this area thanks to mass transit options for getting to London. I would put the overall cost of living in Surrey as similar to Westchester and Long Island.

Drive to Wales

We rented a car and drove the 4 hours from Surrey to Mid Wales where my former business partner and mentor Allan lives. Right hand drive but automatic SUV. Driving on the left side of the road was a trip. I only screwed up once on an empty street. Stopped for lunch in Bristol, England. Beautiful old English town with lots of pre-war architecture including the suspension bridge in my photos.

Beulah & Aberystwyth, Wales

Allan lives in Beulah. I shared pictures of his shop and the schoolhouse that he converted into his home. Drove to the coastal town of Aberystwyth. Stopped at the Devil’s Bridge in Ceredigion, the triple stacked bridge in the photos. The lower bridge dates to 1075-1200, the mid bridge to 1753 and the top bridge to 1901. Visited the Aberystwyth Castle site. Built in 1289 overlooking the coast. Drank at Welsh pubs and played the Welsh pub game Quoits. Saw this development in Beulah but I did not get any good photos of it. New homes starting at £300k.

London

Packer game. Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason. Thames River Cruise. Camden Market. Tourist sites. More pubs. Very sprawling metro area covering 600 square miles. (NY & LA are both about 500)

Paris

The observation deck of the Arc de Triomphe was a highlight of the trip. 280 steps to get to the top. Went to the Louvre and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. Seine river cruise. Loved everything about Paris, especially the well-preserved architecture. Seeing London and Paris in the same trip showed the stark architectural contrast between the two cities largely thanks to London being bombed out during the war and Paris being mostly untouched. In contrast to London, Paris is 40 square miles and quick and easy to get around.

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The Fine Homebuilding Podcast embodies Fine Homebuilding magazine’s commitment to the preservation of craftsmanship and the advancement of home performance in residential construction. The show is an informal but vigorous conversation about the techniques and principles that allow listeners to master their design and building challenges.

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