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Thanks for the reply's so far. I will look at the Facebrook group to see if they can throw some light on my problem. I appreciate those who took the time to reply. Thanks.

In September of last year I carried out all the necessary actions to comply with ANTS requirements to exchange my UK license to a French one. I have checked the site almost weekly since then and each time the status of my request was given as 'under investigation'. On Friday I checked again only to find that my application has been deleted from the site. I am now left with a UK driving license that expired at the end of January and having to start the procedure from scratch. The real issue is that as my application was prior to Brexit it was not subject to a new agreement being reached however if I start again I am left in limbo whilst the UK agrees (or not) to reciprocal license exchange.

Thanks for taking the trouble to answer my query. I think I now understand my situation and will look into the S1.

Thanks for the information, very much appreciated.

I have a couple of questions that fellow forum members may be able to avise on. The first is regarding a field of around one hectare (grassland) that a neighbour may be selling. I wonder if anyone can give me a guide to the approx value of said land ? (In Indre). The second is regarding the conversion of an old building into a cottage. I was wondering if there are any tax concessions regarding wood burning stoves. insulation, double glazing, etc. ? Thanks, Jim.

Thanks for the prompt reply. My Carte Vitale is on the back of my wife's business so I presume I will need to get a CEAM also ? As a UK tax payer will I not be covered anyway in the UK ?

I am a UK pensioner living in France with a business still in the UK. I have a Carte Vitale for French healthcare but would like to know whether I need to get a French issued EHIC carp to cover me for my visits to the UK My wife also lives in France and has a French registered business so I presume she will need a French issued EHIC card for UK visits ? Any advice will be very much appreciated. Thanks, Jim.

We've just received a refusal to build a new 20m2 shower block for our business. The Mairie approved the works permission however the DDT denied permission due to it's location. I had thought that works permission for a building less than 20m2 was a simple formality however when we contacted the relevant office today we were told that nobody is allowed to build anything new (outside of the village I presume) except for farmers. We were basically told there's not a hope in hell due to the 'plan d'urbanism', but we could build an extension to an existing building. Does anyone know if the rules have changed regarding the building of structures less than 20m2, as I'm quite confused now. The plan was exactly 20m2, not less - could this have been the issue? Thank you for any advice.

That actually should work quite nicely, positioning one Acro over another so the load is on the floor underneith. I just need to sort out a chain block capable of moving from side to side. I'll plan work on that basis. I'll take some photos and see what you guys think before I start moving stuff.

It's just not one of those jobs anyone can really afford to get wrong. I'm certainly no match for a 1t millstone in a confined space. Anyway, I think the project is pretty adventurous even if we do get experienced advice before we try to move them, rather than just go straight at the job and risk making a potentially dangerous/expensive mistake. Shame theres not a nice big ugly RSJ running right over the top of them.

Some of the farmers are licensed and allowed to spread the effluent on fields as far as I'm aware (it seems to be what most French people use). Discharging into rivers is just beyond words awful though, and highly illegal. Back in Cumbria, a local farmer completely wiped out a local beck by contaminating it with farm effluent, and was hit with a huge fine. Deserved every penny.

The tubes which run through the filter bed have small holes/slits to let the water drain out slowly and evenly. From experience I know these easily get blocked when the septic tank fails and overflows solids into the drains. When you got the tank pumped, you should have asked them to send up a special high pressure jet, which would have cleaned out all the small holes, they can suck out all the waste at the same time. This is why it's always worth paying a proper company to come pump it out rather than getting a licensed farmer to do it, as they have all the right cleaning kit and should know what needs doing to get it all working again. What you can try yourselves though is using a chimney sweeping attachment (which fit on drain rods) which will clean the pipes a lot better than standard unblocking tools, and creates suction whilst you rod. Anyway hope some of this helps - I'm no expert on septic tanks, but we've had our fair share of problems I've had to sort out!

Thanks for all you're advice, very helpful as usual on here! Although I'm sure I can get them moved myself, I'm going to get professional advice first to assess the risks as some of you have recommended. The FDMF seems a very good starting point, we never knew such an association existed. I think I'll buy some Acros as gluestick recommended to make the room safe to work/walk in for the meantime.

The thing that really puts a spanner in the works is that due to the terrible condition of the beams underneath, I've no idea what will happen if I shift the weight across the floor. Chain tackle on sliders could work, but how do I know the ceiling above can take that sort of weight?

Stones 1.5m x 20-25cm Floor 5 x 6m 2.5m to both ceiling and ground floor Manitou would be easy, but we'd need either a new and very large window, or a new roof! Chain blocks would be okay to lift them up, however, we need to then move them sideways a couple of meters to be lowered down through the floor somewhere. This is a real head scratcher! Thanks for all your advice so far.

Thanks for the detailed advice gluestick, however I don't know whether it's worth advertising without knowing if they'll come out without major and expensive effort. Demolishing part of a roof or wall to get the stones out would be robbing Peter to pay Paul! I'm thinking there might be a way to lower them into the room underneath. Possibly by lifting them from some of the beams above and somehow moving them sideways (whilst still suspended) across to a hole in the floor. Whether or not this is possible is another question entirely!!

Sadly they're making the room nearly unusable as the rooms not that big. Also, the beams underneath have been seriously bodged over the years to keep everything standing and many are severely rotted and need replacing - Its rendered both rooms (above and below) dangerous and I'm not keen on doing any work with the weight of the stones still on it!

Hi We're currently renovating a 16th Century millhouse, and need to remove the grinding stones to repair a rapidly deteriorating floor. Is there anyone on here who has been in the same situation? We'd like them removed but kept whole if possible, however this seems increasingly unlikely. Any thoughts on the problem appreciated!

Lorna and Coops, thank you for taking the trouble to reply. I will pass the information to my friends.

Tony, yes I do live in the Indre and have a business and pays my cotisations, etc and have a carte vitale however, I have not had the need to learn the ins and outs of the French system as it applies to people with different circumstances to mine. I thank you for taking the trouble to offer useful information.

Thanks for the reply however is it not possible for them to pay to join the state healthcare system and then take top up for the rest ???

We have a couple of friends moving over later this year who have a UK business but will be residing full time in France. They were wondering what the cost of joining the French healthcare system would be and I thought the forum may be a good starting point. They are a married couple of 61yrs and 54yrs and in good (as far as I know) health. Thanks.

Am I the only one having problems getting the hole in the wall machine to give me money ???? For 3 days now I am getting the 'not authorised' message whenever I try to use my Natwest switch card in the cash dispensers. I have contacted Natwest who say that there is no problem with my account, sufficient cash, no stop on account and no stop because of foreign usage (possible fraud) so i am at a complete loss as to what to do next. Today after around 10 refusals I managed to get a small amount out and after another 5 refusals I again managed to get a small amount out. This is using a variety of machines in central France. Has anybody else had a similar problem ????

We are renovating at the moment and although, internally we are retaining the natural stone wherever possible, I have one interior wall with such poor stonework that I would like to cover it with wash/paint to retain the stone outlines but smooth things out somewhat. Suggestions of a breathable paint would be appreciated. Also any suggestions on a suitable solution to paint on the other stone walls to stabilise them and stop dust coming off would be uesful. Thanks.

No website that I know of with the info but as a lake and fishery owner who has been through the various stages of setting up a business I had to learn as I went. These days I have many contacts and help others set up fisheries where I can especially things like water tests, netting and fish stocking. Its a real minefield for the unwary but so long as you work within the rules and have a little knowledge it can be quite straight forward. Good luck.