boris

i agree with what anton says about size,but surely the idea of building a one off on a single plot is that you can make the house as big as you like,i do not think it is all that more expensive to build a 200m2 as a 160m2 yes there are cost implications but they are not that great and i speak from experience as one who has built his own house in the past,part of the pleasure was making sure the kitchen was big with a dining area(that was my particular want at the time) making sure the master bedroom was en-suite having a big lounge etc etc the list goes  it's then all down to taste.i think stone houses do have far more character but unfortunately you have to spend a fortune in their renovation and upkeep,

this question is directed at those of you who are looking to buy but have not yet bought though everyone's opinion is welcome. i believe it would be possible to buy a new build bungalow/house in a rural or semi rural location for under 150.000 euro with a good standard of finish and on a nice manageable plot with three /four bedrooms.  now with your average habitable property of a similar size costing about the same and then probably needing decorating ,new kitchen and bathroom etc would not new build be the way to go,i have discussed this with a french immo friend with a view to him marketing some new builds for me but he says that english want stone property with caracter and whilst i agree that what he says was true when it was possible to buy for 50.000euro and probably renovate for the same this is now not the case. i recently helped put a roof on a barn that cost over 26.000 euro to complete and that was before any window openings were made or the inside was touched and i believe these costs are now prohibitive ,it would be possible to do a new build and include caracter features like real oak beams and some internal stone work etc and not go much over a 150.000 budget though as common sense would dictate the final cost would inevitably be reflected in the specification.so my question,with a budget of say 120.000 -180.000 euro would you go quality new build where you can have some input on finish and walk straight in or old house with the inevitable costly renovations

try sarah whiting i have'nt got her tel no handy but her e-mail is [email protected] she might be to far for you to travel but you can e-mail or fax documents to her for translation or telephone her if you want her to make some calls on your behalf,she is the official translator for the chambre de metier in gueret and translates on all the stage courses for the english.i am in the uk at the moment and she has been doing a lot for me in this way,works well. good luck

i re-registered my bike a yamaha diversion 600 1999 model no probs sent a letter to yamaha france with a cheque for 100 euro and had to go to drire to have the bike inspected another 86 euro told to buy new headlight even though the one i had was exactly the same as the one i bought (no european mark)another 77 euro went to tax office with original purchase reciept free then to the prefecture another 200 euro for the carte gris,is'nt france wonderfull

the black mould is more likely to be from condensation inside the house due to lack of ventilation

someone tried that here in creuse and caused all sorts of problems for his employees,it turned out that the ni contributions and tax deducted from wages was all illegal as all the employees were living in france and should have been registered in france no one was able to get carte vitales and the e111's they all had for medical emergencies were all invalid,the only good thing was that when it came to light all tax and ni deductions were returned to people concerned nice windfall

can anyone tell me any websites that i can advertise my large french registered  van for sale for free,i know about totalfrance but are there any others

i think that in france carpet fitting is done by the local decorator ,i am sure someone will correct me if i am wrong

hi rob, my daughter was eight when we came here and and was speaking french with her friends in school within three months ,now almost eighteen months later she is fluent and doing well in school though we have had to get her private lessons to help her understand her verbs

does anyone out there know of any hotel/restaurants for sale either up and running or possibly one that has closed down and possibly needs updating before re-opening,preferably in touristic area.thanks in anticipation

i do,nt know of one that you mix like artex but i have used a good quality one bought by a french client from bricolage,i think it cost around 20 euro,s a tub and i found it very easy to use,it troweled on and unlike artex it covered imperfections in the wall perfectly

how do you define a privately owned van ? is a van owned by an artisan classed as private or commercial?

when i was doing the stage at the chambre de metier the advice from all french professionals when asked was get a hefty deposit up front , and when i opened a business account at my bank i was told by the manager that an overdraft was not needed as i would be expected to get a deposit prior to starting work and an account at the local builders would give me 30 days credit.i have also sub contracted out work to a french artisan (27.000 for a roof recently)with no advance payment asked for.  i suppose the french in our area are very trusting,they assume all english are honourable like them,wait till they come accross a dodgy english client living in england that keeps them waiting a couple of months for their payment because "they want to check the work before they pay"depite whatever condition of payment is put on the devi.some of us come here on a shoestring do not want any debt and can not afford to worry about the next payment arriving on time ava . tva . ursaaf . maff . ram . etc all take their prevelements on time and there had better be enough money in the account when asked for or all sorts of problems arise.

icome back and forth to france in my lorry with norfolkline and they charge £15 per mtr freight and the tolls to creuse are just over 60 euro.s twice the price they charge for the car

i have got a yamaha diversion and i got a translator to register mine for a fee but i believe the process was straight forward.got a letter off yamaha saying the bike conformed to french requirements cost 100 euro's. took reciept to tax office to show i had paid vat when i bought it new though you can get the relevant form from tax office without a reciept (i just did that for my car)went to drire cost 86 euro and was made to change headlight they then sent all the paperwork to prefercture where i went to collect carte gris another 120 euro's no controle technique required job done.just done the car now have to do the van and then if anyone has any info on relevant rules regarding a 61/2 ton lorry would like to hear from you as i have one to change also

i suppose with having to give a ten year guarantee you can't blame anyone for not wanting to patch a dodgy roof much better for piece of mind for the artisan to do a new

i am registered for general renovations and after paying all my cotisations and insurances and paying for the upkeep of my vehicles and equipment etc find that if i charge 35 euro's (i do not normally work for an hourly rate) an hour i still do not have a lot left for myself . i have recently completed a large job decorating a french persons house for 7.000 euro and he showed me the quote he got from a french artisan for 10,900 euro for the same job.

can anyone recommend a kennels in creuse,we live in bourganeuf and need to find a kennels to take our labrador in december when we have to return to wales for my daughters wedding pet passport does'nt come into effect until january

if the house is still on the market with different agents and you know where it is try approaching the owner independently you will save agents fees and might get it at a good price

i have been recieving a lot of mail with attachments lately,some say "kill the writer of this" others say "here i am" i allways delete but does anyone know where they originate?are they advertising or a deliberate attempt to infect my machine with a virus.

i am insured with cornhill direct its a fully comp commercial vehicle policy that covers me anywhere in europe the same as if in uk and for £71 pa extra i had full euoropean breakdown cover as well.your main residence must be in the uk an your vehicle must be registered and taxed in uk,and you do'nt have to inform them when you are travelling abroad the cover lasts the full 12 months duration of your policy.

after renovating your dream property and probably spending a substantial amount of money you decide to do the most important bit yourself ie the decoration some do an excellent job some not so good, is it because you've run out of money ? or do you enjoy spending your hollidays working?or is it that your builder wont quote you for it,just curious,i am time served and registered but only 20% of the work i get is decorating .the decorator makes good on every other trades mistakes (we all make mistakes)and can make a good renovation/conversion look like a great one.

i recently signed up with the centre de gestion it's costing me 2000euro a year for all their services but they told me i can apply for a tax exemption as a new business which is for 7 years on a sliding scale after 4 years so i think they may be worth the money 

[quote]Walking out the door at 0730 and the cold hitting you like a sledge hammer 'aint pleasant, I personally put on good clothing, imagine I'm lying on a Carribean beach with Kelly le Brock and JFDI! Chri...[/quote] what do you mean are the french allowing the welsh into france? i resemble that remark

our chambre de metiers is now running a stage for english with a translator and it is proving to be very successfull