Bill

thanks Russet..   In passing the installation was very low price in the UK, I was comparing eggs and eggs, but when comparing oeufs and eggs, there seems to be a wide gap,something akin to the grand canyon.   Don't mind and in fact I expect  a bit of a leap , but ....     quillan  carefully pointed the aforementioned  gap  out.. thanks.. So I am not the first,  I usually look on the forum for something on the subject, but tend to read rather than use the search button.. will try that in future (slapped wrists ) ..   I  have  been up and down the air to air subject , and plumped for oil , and then hit by this huge cost of installation wammy..  so for a lumpy boiler, how much over the odds should I pay for the joy of buying in france and installing by a french man. plus 50 percent double triple ? just replacing one with another..   rgds Bill  

[quote user="andyh4"] Bill I have no idea how good or bad your French is, but if you have talked to the Bricosheds about getting 7%, it maybe that they have wrongly assumed that you are asking about them doing the work - many now offer installation services for all sorts of work. [/quote] pretty rubbish french,  but I  have managed to trade internationally for most of my career being the typical englishman hoping everyone else follows what I am on about.. !!!      I  do have in reserve, and from time to time set my personal Rottweiler on them , as Mrs Bill speaks perfect french, but regret  doesn't like brico stores and avoid those french trips which include them.  Thankyou everyone for input..  

Thanks Charles, I must say I am finding I am being stiffed at every turn... not quite sure why, but  I  will get to the bottom of it.. I am not worried about a few percent or 100's  this way or that way , makes no odds in the great scheme of things, , but few hundred percents is begining to  make me a little cross and therefore will delay my  project.. Delay will be the price I pay.. I am trying to do the right thing, buy in France, pay french people, but they are all making it quite hard to do..Perhaps I just wait untill the economy drops into a black hole and then show my little beacon of light (work! )   Hey Ho.. rgds  but just  a little grumpy today Bill            

 be gentle with me !!!   Looking at boilers,   I can get a top fo the range boiler in the UK from  for example Bosh (worcester) , who don't sell in france, at about a third of the price of a french one being offered (  no brand yet ) but may well be atlantic or similar.   what's wrong with a british made boiler ?   can they be used, must be compliant with EU  rules. or can anyone think of a boiler offered for sale in the UK which I can buy here and bring to France and have fitted in France size is lumpy  say  28-32 KW   being stiffed by the installer,   seems I am going about this the wrong way.. which is somewhat  confusing.. Do I just keep on trying until I find the right nstaller ?    What is the going rate for a days work swapping over boilers ? plus of course the cost of the boiler..   rgds Bill      

Thank you , So supply and fit. 7 percent. From vat registered & Supply 19. Thanks again

Dear Charles   I  do mean , when I buy from an artisan, then I pay 7 percent vat on both work and materials..   your web site seems to confirm this is the case.. quote We are TVA (VAT) registered and most renovation work we carry out benefits from the lower rate of TVA, 7% in place of 19.6%, on both materials and labour.     However what else is not clear is the bricos , who so far have said its renovation and they charge 7 percent.. just for materials, but then maybe they dont know I am not vat registered.. (yet) . So what you are saying is they can not charge at 7 percent they have tyo charge at 19 percent.   I am using artisans, I might  (was intending to )  just buy some stuff myself thats all     rgds  Bill

    Vat,   As  I am joe public and renovation is being carried out on my house. some people want to charge vat  at  19 percent, others are willing to do the 7 percent vat rate.. why ? has it anything to do with  a service being attached to the product, eg supply a gate 19 percent, fit and supply 7 percent ? or am I barking up the wrong tree here ?   will I have any problems with the big bricos in getting 7 percent  ? So far asked and they say no problem. Yet to buy.. rgds  Bill

[quote user="pachapapa"][:D] Son installation est fortement conseillée si la fosse toutes eaux est implantée à plus de 10 m de l’habitation. But it is a good idea![:P] [/quote]    ours is about to be installed, and I can not get a straight answer to questions. (raised from reading this forum  , so its all your fault !) I  find it somewhat irritating, its like buying a new  car asking ,  What a button does ? ,  and being told, "I  need it , that's all".    So guys,  Is it a good idea to put the grease trap in ? or leave it out, our fosse will be 20 m  from the Kitchen.   In the UK , we are on the old old old system , all goes to a tank,  allegedly   a  filter ,   and 100 m later  water out to ditch (with reeds ) . No such thing as a grease trap nothing to clean, nothing to think about.. no grease trap and we empty what is a fairly small settling tank once every 6years or so if we feel enthusiastic.   thoughts ?? advice    [8-)]  Bill    

[quote user="BIG MAC"] Gun grade foam is also delivered 'denser' and will best 'connect' to friable terra cotta brick. If you mask the new frame with 2 inch masking tape likewise the nearest 'clean' edges of the wall ...clean up is a whole lot simpler.   [/quote]   foam solution for all    [:)]   thnks..

[quote user="CeeJay"]Well, I have fixed that door ok and quite pleased, it actually opens and closes like it says on the tin!! However I have now started to fix the second door and have banged out the old frame ready for the new one, but found that the wall, attached thereto is built of very thin red brick type things with the holes facing the opening. I have to make a fixing for the frame but not sure how I should fill in the holes in order for me to screw the frame to, any suggestions please. The old frame was not fixed to the door wall part as it continued up to the ceiling and presumably fixed further up. [/quote] nudge nudge same issue, comments appreciated..  these bricks look very flimsy, and fragile,  and may be flimsier still when they are cut again to take some electrical wiring as well as new door frames , but assume the french have lived with them and use  them, so its just technique..   Bill

Thankyou Pickles..        

nudge [:D]

Hello Everyone..   I understand  the TVA  will change in October (?) to 21 plus percent..   conveniently just after the elections !   will the special rate  of 7 percent  for refurbishment change as well ?   rgds Bill

We just went thru this..   our case is simple wife and husband  No kids..   but a living mother..   We have a french will , leaving  our french house  to each other..   what happens when we both head for the pearly gates ? The English will takes over and is recognised .. The French will was drawn up by the french notaire, who as he laughed ,  tore up our simplified hand written one.. which I thought would do the trick at no cost..! . The invoice follows !!!!  I have so much to learn !!!   Bill   ps  I should add, at this point I will be  beyond caring about who gets what !    

I still don't know what POF is..   [8-)]   as an aside, in case it helps,  we replaced some timbers in England a couple of years ago . Timber framed house. two paticular pieces surpised me, as very unexpected .. one was the upright corner , more or less complelty hollow . U wouldnt know. The other  was a a 5 meter length sole plate ,  of which  3.5m disintergrated into dust as we got into the building work. All looked dry and in order, just old. .. but had at some point been damp enough to let both wood and death watch have a feast . One way of telling what's on the inside  is a super minute  1or 2 mm wide, very  long & very strong/tough  drill .  Oak is resistant,  woodwormed oak is not. Discreet drill holes will tell you if the heart wood , the important bit, has been attacked or not. Attack  doesn't mean replace, for example our corner post may well of stood up for another 50 years , but whilst we were there and whilst 75 percent eaten, its best for us to deal with the subject. There is apprntly also an issue with temperature, if its warm enough , ie the house is being used, then the death watch doesn't like it very much and seeks pastures new. Of course the very famous wood worm control company couldn't be seen for beetle dust as soon as we tried to make a claim under their insurance & or 30 year guarantee. So from now on  DIY spraying/treatment will be  as good as any  company can offer in my book.   Rgds Bill      

many different views..   http://carbonlimited.org/2007/03/05/the-myth-of-stone-walls-as-insulation/ http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=241 heat loss calculator .    http://www.resurgence.org/education/heac.html Bill

Yes    everyone in France says  insulation, insulation and insulation . However in the end, it is a matter of choice. Our builder is a little grumpy as we  finally said no ! We are not there often enough. insulation French style doesn't come for nothing either ! Do you want to look at the features in your house , or do you want a plain box ? I guess it depends on your required living temperature and the depth of your pockets as heating oil is quite expensive in France. You may also do  a calculation of comparing the capital cost with the anticipated saving .   We live at a fairly low temprature in the UK, old house with lots and lots and lots of air leaks, so solid walls with  no gaps will be a first for us ! .. I think you need to consider the type of heating.. The french have some very clever options , all be it fairly expensive in terms of capital cost. Fantastic wood burners which are very decorative, (I saw one last week for euro 8000, 1.5 m wide and painted/decorated  enamal , stunning !)  but our house is not our main house, so I declined the opportunity . air to air heating,  air to water, solar, wood to..  etc etc etc. Boilers which seem to be a  size to run the Queen Mary, I rather suspecdt they are built to last , superb quality and designs . The floor heating option , sounds clever in as much as the heat rises from the floor past you ( warming you in the process) and then up to the empty space above you.  Instead of  from radiators  to the empty space /spiders on the ceiling,  and upwards! If you are worried about the heating cost .. consider double glazing the window units u have, that will help enourmously. U can just replace the glass  panes not the whole structure. Maybe insulate the loft ? I seem to recall about 30 percent of heat loss is thru the loft.  If your walls are damp, that's something else, & is  not a heating issue, and in our case it's reducing the levels of the outside earth by 6 inches and putting in a french drain at 30 inches . We have removed the floor and will replace with insulated concrete floor with wood on top. someone mentioned spabs, and it will be worth while downloading their booklet for a couple of quid.  I must of changed my mind ten times over this issue. [8-)] Good luck, rgds Bill  

[quote user="Quillan"] It's why I used the words should and could. [;-)]   As you say you won't know till you try it. My friend (yes I do have one or two [:P] ) has the orange setup with phone, telly etc. He says he likes to keep an old 'manual' corded phone in the house just in case there is a power failure. Go figure that one out, I don't have the heart to tell him, he knows everything abut anything. [:D] [/quote]   not knowing your friends set up... but if his is like mine , he is right.. I make sure I have a socket for the  old vin ordinaire phone, which doesn't go thru any electrical equipment such as a pc or switch or similar.   BT vision is also delivered via the internet line.. so I have one on that as well.  (two lined house ! ). So when we have power outages, this  allow us to receive and make calls, As my home is an office,  that's quite  handy..   BT and I assume other country  phone companies deliver their own electrical supply..  thus when all the gadgets go down with the electrics, the old fashioned phone still works.. :)   Bill

always good for a daft question   whats a control wire ? Not sure I have ever seen one in the UK ..     Bill

Thanks,  I know spab,   they  offer some good guidance.   Most people on the forum and in fact most of the french people and  involved in my project are all saying " cover insulate and board up." .    All  have air movement and ventilation on their mind.  None the less, I am sure Spab would have forty fits .. but I am not dealing with a listed building here, I want a place that gives me no issues in 20 years time.  I am still working on the rights and wrong,  ..It's all very hard to ID the real faults with a house that hasn't had much care or attention for 20 years or more ..I believe I will soon have the measure of the issues following my visit next week. (ground levels blocked drains and the like which are easy to resolve ) rgds Bill    

n

[quote user="cooperlola"] Got your note, Catalpa, thanks.  I'll reply shortly. Catalpa and Richard are quite right of course. I don't want anybody to think for one moment that I believe it's not possible to employ whomever you wish (in fact as I say, it's just my 2p worth, I'm hardly an expert) I simply urge some caution.  I do know people who have caught serious colds by getting work done to UK specs but where decorating is concerned that's hardly an issue, is it?  I'm sure that big companies like HUF have sorted out all the possible wrinkles and know their way around the European systems - I'd just want to be sure I knew what I was getting into with people coming over to do odd bits of work.  I had a great painter/decorator/handyman in Britain who offered to come over and do a few bits and pieces for me but once he'd looked into the social security aspect and we added on the cost of his travel it just was less viable a proposition than we had thought, and rather too complicated for him.  I've been perfectly happy with the people I've employed on this side of the channel (of both nationalities as it happens, but all properly registered and paying their dues) and ultimately I doubt that I'd have paid much less for my UK bloke, once we'd sorted the paperwork and paid for him to get here. [/quote]   I'm happy enough to employ locally, and while I don't like the premium , when in Rome... but...  hate it when people put obstacles in my way,  and I look for a solution..  I'm just getting the , we are to busy to quote  argument, so looking for alternatives.. and I just have good blokes used in the recent past in the UK all gagging for work.   However are they willing to go to France.. not so sure. Thanks one and all, sorry to stir the pot !   Bill , playing the cautious card actually..    

OK I get it.. the word was used in a sentence, so its been used as a type of slang.. its ok ..

thanks everyone..   I take your point ,  may not be worth the  ache..  but.. if anyone cant sleep tonight.. see below.. I am not going to read it all, suggest you don't unless you want to exploit a gap in the market and set up a biz niz in worker bees from Poland or the UK . Just isnt worth the candle for a decorator & a months work . Maybe two years in the bizniz or an HND or similar is all thats needed anyway .. but didnt study the detail   rgds Bill In case someone comes calling, It's available in French as well  :)  http://ec.europa.eu/atoz_en.htm http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:255:0022:0142:en:PDF http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/top_layer/living_working/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/qualifications/regprof/index.cfm?fuseaction=regProf.listCountry&quid=3&mode=desc&pageNum=1#regprofsListByCountry http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:255:0022:0142:en:PDF

I just read this topic.   I'm intending to employ french for some building work , but facing an issue  for example  on decorators today , I'm thinking..   This is the EU  freedom to work anywhere.. just  pay your taxes.  So why not employ somone to come in from the UK and decorate.. will take them 4 weeks, I know the people, know their work, its not like the electrical side of things where U must have someone who has to know what they are doing in France  or you end up with a ring main and uk plugs, or plumbing that no one else can understand  ! Not doing it on the black, all UK taxes paid etc.. I don't quite understand why it may  not be allowed.. (seemingly ) .  Will they just throw red tape at the bloke so he runs away  thus making it all impossible ?   Red tape is one things, the law is another.. I dont get why it's against the law or is it one and the same thing  ..   I wouldn't heasitate  going to france to sell some baked beans to someone.. that's working.. that's legal, why is painting any different ? a very confused  Bill