Bill

Thankyou everyone... .   I am still dithering /second thoughts/trying to understand ,   as the french way is quite different to what I am being told here in the UK   :(   In the meantime     what is     bureau of Etude   rgds Bill

claire's post may be relevent http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/2426644/ShowPost.aspx

whats the word for a "french drain" ?  ie a trench with a perforated drainage pipe back filled with stone..    I am having a problem with explaining something else.. Bill  

[quote user="Sunday Driver"] "I believe rainwater should go to a  soakaway or indeed into the ditches with no big issues".. It does.  Most of the rain which falls on France ends up soaking away into the ground or into ditches......   [/quote]   You can call me stupid as well if you like , for when u put it like that  ,  I clearly am  !!!          I was being told quite forceably ,  rainwater must go to the fosse septique .. and I'm thinking this is nuts, but when in Rome/France do as   ..     rgds Bill ..  

thanks Q ,     I may also of  found my answer  here..   http://www.spanc.fr/page.php?action=page&lk=controle&lg=fr&tp=h   seems to suggest, rain water is kept  seperate.. quote Main items of a die ANC compliant DUT 64-1 Collecting: It applies only to domestic wastewater. Stormwater must be discharged separately unquote Principaux postes d’une filière ANC, conforme à la norme DUT 64-1  La collecte  : Elle ne concerne que les eaux usées domestiques. Les eaux pluviales doivent être évacuées séparément.    I would still like the confirmation, that I   have the right end of the stick..   thnks   Bill ..  

Plse may I pick all of your combined brains again...   does rainwater go into a Fosse.. ?   here in the UK as you know it doesn't.. but I am being told in France it must do so, and I think that's a confusion between rainwater from the roof  and grey water.. But as usual I may be wrong.. I believe rainwater should go to a  soakaway or indeed into the ditches with no big issues.. If I am right can anyone point me towards the legislation or guide line or similar.. thankyou.   Bill

thanks a lot.. :) if someone is billing for labour, (officially not black ) does that carry vat  ?   rgds Bill  

give or take three pence there were two rates   5 percent for renovations   20 percent for new build,   are there still two rates ? If so, anyone had problems in persuading suppliers to charge the lower rate ? If so how to handle ?   rgds Bill

we are not going to do state of the art anything really, . Started to back track a little with the specification as no real point. This is not a prime first  home, but we do need to make it comfortable     happy days and thanks again.

thankyou everyone for input.. doing it the french way :)   bill

what  a fine beastie you have to sell , but I am sorry it isn't quite what I need at 10kw .   I now see why you don't wish to give it away..   good luck   Bill

we are doing the fosse, so no fears.   Just seems odd that unable to use part of the stystem that may be "A OK " & no discussion  at all. However when in Rome.....   rgds  B ill    

Thankyou everyone ...   I am crystal clear  now..    rgds Bill

AnOther said..   I think you are jumping Bill, Mr's B said nothing about her state pension only her private ones.       whoops.. [:$]

[quote user="pachapapa"][quote user="Bill"]  PC or DPT, HI ,   sorry what do they mean . ?   this place used to be  owned by the commune and  rented out.   Bill [/quote] PC permis de construire. DPT declaration préalable de travaux. Note the changes in force on 1st march 2012, in box at top (referred to recently in another thread) http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/F17578.xhtml H1 a standard form for entering details of a property for submission to land taxation authority. http://www.impots.gouv.fr/portal/deploiement/p1/fichedescriptiveformulaire_3168/fichedescriptiveformulaire_3168.pdf [/quote]   and your earlier mail said.. The fosse would only come under a PC if it was a new build, if for an existing property adding a fosse then a DPT would suffice.   The fosse is a replacement of one that is already there, but the one there is not to standard ( allegedly,  seems to work fine by me ! ) apprntly there is no discussion possible. ie to make the current one work   (???)  Spanc have said, so that's it... Period       Even if there has been no PC or DPT, from the list stated above there have been changes requiring the submission of an HI to the local taxation authority. No changes since the commune owned it .   U see if it can be counted as just updating  what is already there, which really is what we are doing  , then  I don't need to enter the  arena of all the foms, that you then list & swiftly glanced thru.. ..      At the same time Bill would be able to get a copy of the existing H1 and the calculation sheet used by the taxation authority in establishing the current taxation regime. hum haa... hate asking the tax man if he has had enough !!!  or does the mayor have that figure ?  but again   this is exactly the  the same as has been  since 1985 ,  at which point it was a school .   further thoughts  ??   some times  I have to be beaten to death  with a blunt instrument. [blink]   Bill    

Thankyou so far  Andy and Big mac ..   I was dead against.. must change my mind..   They tend to tape and joint rather than plaster.  so how to finish as we intended to paint.. ? don't you end up with lines ?   Bill  

we are in the market for one/two ,  e mail a picture of it if you like   rgds Bill

I have never lived in a stone house, but that's what we have bought.. The walls are 0.5 m thick. stone with about two inches of plaster, 90 percent in good condition.  area, at a guess   400 sq m of external walls and  ceilings of 344 sq m.     the rooms are at the moment  pretty cold, some broken windows but then its winter, and there has been no heating for five years.   there is damp in one or two rooms , but then the drains are blocked  or the window isn't right.. .   the builders are all saying, we should line the walls, insulate them and some form of  dry lining is my best guess/description  of their intentions.   I  have a house in the Uk which is lime and skinny thin walls. Timber frame.  Our thinking is , you let the lime breath , the fires or the sun sucks out any moisture and the world is a happy place, . . the  builders seem VERY VERY VERY  keen on this insulation , however I am thinking it will make the house rot, yes they understand the need for an airgap between insulation and the wall,  but then  the house will be so well insulated we will almost suffocate !   ..   Bearing in mind the fact we  will use this place occasionally..  maybe in the cool months as well as summer .. , What would you do ? . what are your thoughts and experiences assuming u have a thick stone walled house  |?    just wanting to hear what others have to say..   Bill    

quite right it is a holiday home..  well was worth the thought at least !!!  :)   Bill

 PC or DPT, HI ,   sorry what do they mean . ?   this place used to be  owned by the commune and  rented out.   Bill

I am jumping to a conclusion ,  u said ""  hope to draw mine in approx six year comprising three small money purchase funds""   Maybe worthwhile looking at the option to top  up your state pension..   you are (certainly  were ) allowed  to pay a small amount and top up any missing years in your NI contributions.   rgds Bill

This is interesting..   the tax break , May I assume it is againt French income tax , or if I have no income tax are they likely to send me a cheque ??   dreaming, or is there a way ?   rgds Bill

scrap.   The local "travellers"  from Dale farm ,  seem to think a drain cover of 10 kilo is worth stealing.. maybe you could disguise it as a drain cover ? :) Bill

To be fair I have asked this question before, came to a  conclusion we didn't need a planning permission , the major confirms, and  I  was quite rattled when  the builder came up with the comment, and I just jumped into the forum .   My previous post was here.. http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1/2637090/ShowPost.aspx#2637090   EVERYONE  including the mayor have been outstandingly wonderfull , not at all French  like !!!!  :)   The work we area doing is possibly an air to air inverter, wood burners in existing chimneys, replace window or two as is but PVC 80 percent of the windows  are already PVC , replace door ,  replacement wooden floor , dry line/insulate  (?) , fosse,  replacement  internal doors,  new kitchen remnents of one exists  ,  2 baths  one replaces a bath and one replaces an old upstairs kitchen ,  rewire. decorate and the builder keeps telling me it will take more than three weeks !!! no longer in France and all by remote control, which may prove difficult   rgds Bill              

Am I right in saying you dont need this unless you have work that requires a planning permission ,   we are not extending, we are not adding windows, we are not changing doors, we are not adding floor space   someone we are employing is saying, we need to ask the major/majorie  for a  Déclaration de travaux   We already did and he said we do not need to have any planning permissions.. I think the buiolder is very wrong.. ???   rgds Bill