andyps

The repointing gun is something I will look into as that sounds like the sort of thing I was interested in - do you know where you can buy them? I have read about tanking for cellars and need to get some professional advice on it really, but my concern is that the water which currently goes into my cellar has to go somewhere else - and if it goes upwards it then gets to the ends of joist and floorboards which might cause even more problems than a small amount of water on the floor. We found out that a couple of times in the last 20 years the cellar has flooded when the small river at the end of our garden has got very high - if I tank the cellar tanking on these occasions I would have an indoor swimming pool for a while I guess! 

Thanks for the reply Cassis - your thread looks interesting - I will read it fully when off line (not got Broadband here!). Our damp is coming from the surrounding land - we have a spring water source coming out of the hills just across the road from us, someof which does seem to find its way into our cellar. I will do something about getting the water out, but in reality probably can't do much about stopping it coming in. Cheers Andy

I have been investigating the cellar in our house (approximately 150 years old in parts) and in the cellar, between the slate rocks which make up the walls there is a clay like structure which I guess holds things together. My question is, would it have been clay originally, or is it cement which has gone off over the years - there is quite a lot of water in there! If it was cement, any great ideas about how I clean out the clay and replace it? I guess a large syringe type implement would be ideal for putting mortar between the rocks, but don't know if such a thing exists. All suggestions appreciated!!

As we have a house right at the point where the three departments meet I have included them all in the title! I am looking for a wood supplier as I need to replace the ends of a lot of joists when we are over this summer, and then replace the floor boards. Just wondering if anyone can make a recommendation for a supplier in the area - basically Carhaix and Gourin are the nearest towns. Cheers Andy

Hi, Here is a first post (with many more to come no doubt!). We recently bought a house in Finistere which needs lots of work. One of the jobs which we hope to get done this year is to create rooms in the attic space of one section of the building. The roof is in very good condition (probably about 10 years old), with wood covering the joists which is then covered by slate tiles. There is no insulation or anything in the roof and I am wondering what best to line it with - I have seen the polysyrene backed plasterboard sheets which should work ok, but wondered about other alternatives which may be used. Also wondering if it is best to fill the gaps between the wood and whatever I line it with, or to allow an air space under the wood for breathabililty. Any suggestions gratefully received! Andy

How does this relate to driving a hire car in France. To the best of my knowledge when I have hired a car I have never had any documents other than the insurance sticker in the windscreen.