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flamesnm

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  1. Seeing as the house will almost certainly need to be re-rendered, I'm wondering if anyone has any opinion on external insulation ? Internal insulation will remove the character of the house, meaning we can't ( for example ) have an exposed stone wall. It will also reduce the room sizes. External insulation will renew the outside of the house appearance, and allow us to keep the internal spaces. There is always the possiblity that renewing the external appearance will kill the external character of the house, but it does need re-rendering anway, so we would have to cross that bridge. Internal insulation will allow us to run pipework and cables in a cavity behind the walls.
  2. @Wilko - I thought the same thing, but in the cold spell I was talking to a few folks down there who were perishing. [Www] After reading a bit more about them, I'm swaying towards a full air source water/air heat pump system. Backed up with an immersion switch for the HW tank. Some excellent information on this ( long ) thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=1464827&page=7 It would also allow me to take a look at PV options in a few years when they beome more viable, which would reduce the heating costs further. Taking a close look at the Mitsubishi and also the Nibe units ( http://www.nibe.co.uk/Home-Owner/NIBE-Heat-Pumps/air-source-heat-pumps/ ) which seem to have a good rep. No dice on a supplier so far in 64.
  3. Thanks again everyone for taking the time to reply. I would be tempted with the GSHP if it was capable of HW and heating, but as it is I think I'm going to rule it out. I like the idea of a wood pellet/log boiler to a heat store with solar as a top up. I'll need to read up on the heat store options. I think also a split air source heat pump which will provide additional heat and cooling to the lounge and main bedroom will also provide some flexibility. I'll need to check the new internal units though to see whether I can live with them. I'll also need to ensure there are multiple pellet suppliers down in 64. The bottled gas prices and usage were very interesting, and much lower than I expected. A dual fuel range cooker would fit the bill, and I can revisit PV tubes at some point in the future if they become viable. So, I have a basic plan. It may go out the window in the first discussion with the prospective builders ( all lined up for the week of 19th March ) but it's a starting point.
  4. Brilliant advice. Thanks all for the input. I particularly like andyh4's pragmatic approach to growing your own fuel. The message on insulation is loud and clear as well. There's no green requirements for us either. No kids, so I've already done my bit for the planet [:P] What I forgot to mention is cooking. With no mains gas, is the only viable option a gas tank ? I'm assuming it's cheaper to eat out every night than cook on electric ? Any thoughts on solid fuel ranges ?
  5. All Really interesting reading through the forum on the multitude of options for heating systems, hot water and power that everyone has adopted. Just when I think I've settled on a solution, a counter argument sends me off looking for more information on the new contender. So, give a clean slate what would you consider the best options ? The property is in the SW near Pau and is need of some external renovation, but mostly internal which will be almost back to bare walls, which gives us scope. It's not a blank cheque, but I'd prefer to spend the money now when I have it, and reduce my ongoing costs for when I don't. I'd also prefer simplicity so would prefer the heating and HW to be on the same system. The house sits in two hectares of sloping land. It isn't on the gas mains. Growing our own fuel could be an option ( willow ? ) for a wood fired boiler. Ground source heat pump also springs to mind for a wet heating system. I've seen a couple of posts on the success of air source heat pumps as well ( which would also provide a cooling solution, especially with the split units ) but I don't like the aesthetics of the units. I also like the idea of generating some power from all that sun I'm hoping to see once we move across, but that will be more as a top up function, rather than relying on it as a sole source. Any thoughts or guidance is very much appreciated. Also, any recommendations on installers for various systems ( for it won't be me putting it in ) would be welcomed. Regards
  6. This looks almost as much fun as the bobcat option: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCU7kj6gJjU
  7. Thanks for the replies everyone. My wife will love the goat plan. I'll ask around when I'm over next, but they'd need to be hungry goats. I'm in no rush so that could be the best way forward. If the same farmer has some kit that he wouldn't mind putting to use to attack the majority of les ronces, then I've got a twin pronged attack. I'd considered fire, but we're enclosed by forest on 3 sides and I couldn't guarentee the fire wouldn't spread. It wouldn't endear us to the locals. There would appear to be nothing under the brambles that needs saving, although I'm not ruling out finding the odd crashed fighter from WWII. I really, really wanted a go with that forestry flail [:(]
  8. I have a couple of acres of high brambles to clear. It's not a one man job, and I've decided to hire some hardware to protect my manicure. After some research, I've settled on hiring a bobcat with a forestry flail ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2ycNYhOjko ) as the best tool for the job, followed up by some dousing with heavy duty weedkiller. The problem is no-one has the appropriate attachement. Kilotou looked like the best bet in that they have the bobcats, but not the flail. (http://www.kiloutou.fr/travail-des-terrains/deblayer-remblayer/chargeuse-compacte-diesel-29-t-300-litres-chenilles-caoutchouc ) I'm going to ask around locally when I'm next over after Easter, but I wondered if anyone had suggestions for some some alternative man tools that might do the job ? The bramble patch is near Salies de Bearn. Thanks in advance  
  9. Based on the premise I'll be going ahead with the treatment, I'd be grateful for any advice, gotchas, tricks for new players etc on the most effective treatments available. I have a quite from ESBH, who were a recommendation from the immobilier. The recommendation was taken with the appropriate amount of scepticism, but is as good a place to start as any other.
  10. Holy smokes !! I just remembered I posted on here. Thanks for the information all. The location is near Salies de Bearn, and termites are pretty much an locational hazard there by all accounts. The house is going to be a back to shell renovation, so if we need to lose the wood, then we need to lose all the wood. The treatment does exterminate the existing termintes and acts a repellent. There's also the option of baiting, I suppose.
  11. All I'm just in the process of purchasing a house in the south west. It has a bad termite infestation, but I went into it with eyes open and am expecting to have to have alot of the wood replaced. I've got a quote for the termite treatment, but it's suddenly occoured to me that if we treat the existing wood before we decide what needs to be replaced, we'll be treating wood we may be removing, and then the new wood will also need treating. So, the sanity check is that I should analyse what needs to be replaced before having the treatment done. Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance.
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