Deimos

When you purchased the house normally there would have been a lead and asbestos report identifying if and where there was lead paint ? Ian

I agree - in France use French plaster, in UK use English plaster. French have managed fine for years with their plaster as have the Brits so of course use local plaster Your plasterer should be able to get plaster from the builders merchant - like plasters everywhere do and I cannot see the problem. Sounds like he is just making daft excuses for starting late. Ian

The other aspect as Will mentions is if anybody knows where it says (in the French regulations) that French citizens in the same ("inactif") situation are allowed to subscribe to the CMU. I assume they are and that there are regulations that say so as everybody says that the reason everybody was forced into the CMU previously was because of the way the regulations were phrased. People say it was badly written and thus included all those "inactifs" it was not intended to catch. Cynic that I am, I suspect that the French will quite happily ignore the EU regulations that do not suit them. It will thus probably take action by the EU to enforce their regulations - I doubt that individuals would have much success when facing French bureaucracy. What I do find interesting is the difference in attitude of officials people are experiencing. Some time since I've had to deal with UK officials but seems there were a lot more helpful than the French are being. Almost reflects the difference in the law systems (i.e. Napoleonic is France). They really are taking "the citizen serves the state" rather than "the state serves the citizen" attitude (probably a general observation and nothing specific to the health issues). Ian

[quote user="chocccie"] I've planted up a load of willow and poplar for future coppicing. [/quote] I thought about poplar but the guy who came to advise said great for making pallets but not very good for burning is a fire. Not so much a resin issue (like pine) but just not much heat. Not personal experience so I'm just repeating what this guy (professional) said. Ian

Depends on the species of Oak.  Some are faster growing than others. I planted a load year before last but they are still small and establishing their roots (or the 1st year anyway). They are meant to be a fast growing species but are not in an idea location (field is a bit damp). Ian

I can appreciate the artisan wanting a deposit. I can also appreciate so many of the "don't pay up front" warnings. Interestingly, those artisans I have paid a deposit to are those I really wished I had not bothered with. For example, plumber wanted a deposit which I paid (after all he had to order parts, etc.). When his bill came in I was not quick paying it as it was 3 times the amount we agreed to on the signed devis. So I had to wait for him to come round to discuss. I made it clear that I would accept an increase if he could give me a reason (e.g. unforeseeable problems beyond his control) - but there were none. So I suggested he think again about his bill and there was scope for movement but the "ball was in his court". Funny how the reliable artisans don't seem to worry about deposits, they just turn-up, do the work, submit a bill (as agreed) and get paid - easy really. If an artisan winds you up, does poor work, starts late, expects you to believe all sorts of crap excuses, etc. it does not surprise me people don't rush to pay. I have no problem paying a deposit but think it should be easier to get the deposit back and cancel the devis should the work not be started when agreed (it works both ways) Ian

I have no idea how many French people are on the CMU-B but I would imagine quite a few. It would surprise me if it was being completely closed down but I would not be surprised if it was being closed to all "inactifs" (i.e. including French inactifs). If it is, then I guess the issues of chronic and existing conditions will become more important issues to be addressed as they will now affect the French themselves. Ian

If it was installed in 2003 it will still by under guarantee so I would get the installer back in to sort out the problems. As an aside, they guy who swept my chimney last week was saying that as last winter was warm, chimneys were generally worse now because when the weather is warm the air does not rise up the chimney so fast and thus more crud settles/condenses/sticks to the pipe. No idea if this is true but he was a professional guy. Ian

Am I missing something here but the Citizen Signpost reply seems to say (not suggest but actually say) that what the French are doing excluding non-French "ianctif" EU citizens from the CMU is actually illegal. 5-year rule seems not the issue, just a different clause in the directive the French claim to be using to expel peope from CMU cover. Maybe they could give some more details about exactly which clauses make the action of discriminating against non-French EU citizens illegal ? Ian

How do you smooth the end joints. I've never managed to avoid a line ? I'd be keen to know as I have some ceilings to do where large boards will not span. so have no choice but to have end joints. Ian

I did a room using 3 and a bit m long boards (single handed. every board needed to be cut to length and the ceiling was not level so the all had to be individually measured, cut, tweaked, re-done until they fitted properly. I did it single handed to you should be able to manage less than 3m boards OK (by yourself). Running the boards horizontally would avoid a horizontal line, but would give you a vertical line !! I would say if you are going to do the job, do it properly. Done badly stands out very clearly as having been done badly (previous owner did a room badly and it really looks DIYish. Ian

How successful the VoIP service would be must depend on how reliable you ADSL connection is. In the last couple of months I have had two incidents where I have been without ADSL for a month (one month on each occasion). Getting Wanadoo/Orange/France Telecom to actually do something was a great challenge and I was really glad I still had my traditional telephone. Actually the incidents cost me a fortune in calls to FT/Wanadoo because you have to call their premium rate number to do anything. Although it was a problem with the FT line, because it was ADSL and the landline works calling 1013 (or similar) i.e. calling FT was no good at all as they just refused to do anything. On one occasion I eventually argued for a refund of 60€ for calls to their premium rate fault reporting service. Ian

[quote user="Puzzled"] The Directive states at Article 16 Union citizens who have resided legally for a continuous period of five years in the host Member State shall have the right of permanent residence there. This right shall not be subject to the conditions provided for in Chapter III.   [/quote] The thing that needs clarification on this is how the right of Permanent Residence gives you the right to join the CMU. I'm sure I saw somewhere that once a Permanent Resident you have the same rights in all respects as a French citizen - but a) this needs to be found in an EU document that people can present to CPAM when claiming this right and b) some documentation (French) stating that French citizens in the same circumstances (i.e. inactif) have the right to join the CMU. I think that official EU documents with reference numbers (and in French) would be needed to be acceptable to any French body.  Letters (in English) from somebody explaining what they think probably wont count for much. Also, what are the British Embassy doing through all this. I sort of expected they would stay "on-top" of something like this. After all, it is the rights of British citizens in France at issue. However, they seem to just accept what the French tell them, nothing to back it up and when it turns out the French have "changed their minds" (predictable ?) they just go along with the next story. They cost enough so I would expect them to actually be doing something and be aware of things before they dribble out only to the various forums. If they cannot do simple stuff like that then what are they good for ?  I would have expected them to be able to sort out this 5 year rule and its implications for inactifs and the CMU in a few minutes (literally).  Maybe time for them to "pull their fingers out a bit". Ian

When I gave up it was not too bad. I was on 20 a day. What made it easy was that I realised it was a habit. I had cigarettes at totally predictable times. Time for two in the car on the way to work, then going out for "breaks" as predictable times (or events like finishing something or just before and after a meeting), etc. Plus as you mention - lots on negatives like cost, smell, health, etc. Once I recognised the habit aspect and decided I really wanted to stop it was not too bad. I was doing something I actually wanted to. I suspect that people trying to give up because of pressure from others (including TV ads, doctor, friends, etc.) would have a much harder time. If you are doing it for yourself I think it helps a lot. Good luck. Ian

I have no knowledge of Lapeyre products or installation. However, I suspect the "are they OK" question may actually be impossible to answer with respect to the quality of the work. I expect that like other nationwide companies offering installation (e.g. Leroy Merlin) they do not employ the artisans but effectively act as an agency or sub-contract the artisans. Thus the workmanship you get e.g. to the south west of your Lapeyre might be completely different to those north east as a completely different artisan might be undertaking the work. If this is the case you might find it difficult to check out the artisan who will be doing the work as asking to visit other people who have had windows installed might get you seeing work by a different artisan. Have you tried getting quotes from local artisans - even if you tell them the windows you want (they could probably buy them as well and install them themselves). You would be good price comparisons, they might suggest different suppliers - but you could check-out those windows and probably get to see some the artisan had installed. Plus Lapeyre would not be taking a cut of the costs. Plus it would start to establish a relationship with a local artisan so when you need e.g. some roof tiles replacing you would already know somebody local and he might then just turn-up. From my experience of artisans around me there are some excellent ones (who do excellent reasonably priced work) and some really terrible ones (questionable work, never turn-up, finish years late and (try to) massively overcharge). Ask neighbours, etc. and get recommendations. If you ask them about Lapeyre they may have experience of a different guy doing their work then you would get. Ian

[quote user="Russethouse"] One thing that may steady the market is a change in tax relief on investments which may mean that those who have invested in buy to let property may rush to cash in ........my sister explained it to me, she is the expert....something to do with taper relief I think. [/quote] I don't know about that having an effect on house prices but I can see a lot of people who can sell assets with taper relief selling them before the new scheme comes in. That is if it comes in. I'm no economist nor business man but the proposed changes to CGT seem to be very broad brush and hitting a lot of people not intended. as a method of getting Private Equity to pay some tax, it is hitting a lot of people who are genuinely investing in a sensible manner in UK business. Seems a really daft way they are proposing to do things and I would expect that it will have quite a negative impact on business. That said, people selling to avoid losing taper relief will have to find something else to put their money into. Ian

[quote user="Russethouse"]Surely the greatest factor in whether prices will 'steady, rise or fall is supply and demand ? This summer a relative was looking for a house with the potential for 4 beds or 4 beds and the selection was minimal ........too many people chasing too few houses will always result in the prices remaining stable or rising surely.[/quote] I wonder if it is more complex than that and if psychological factors play an important part. I agree about the supply and demand determining prices but I would guess a lot of houses sold are not new builds. Thus the supply will depend on people putting their houses on the market. The demand will depends on 1st time buyers and people who are putting their houses on the market. Thus if I decide to move I will be putting a house on the market and also looking for a house - causing no net change in supply and demand. Choosing to move (i.e. sell your and buy another) might depend on a load of factors, sometimes not related to the economy or availability of credit (e.g. kids left home and parents decide to move to smaller home). When people are moving "up the ladder". Ian

[quote user="darnsarf"]"I'm not anti-kids but I'm afraid I get a bit annoyed when people with families and kids fail to see how much single childless people contribute to people with families raising kids. We (single & childless) chose not to have kids yet still contribute in a big way to those who chose to have them. Ian" Maybe because, on average, those kids will contribute to the economy which will be supporting the services needed to those who are retired/elderly. As the costs of caring for an increasingly aged population grow, and sophisticated healthcare costs rise dramatically, we'll need to incentivise/invest in children. Similarly, there is a huge proportion of elderly people who are looked after by their 'children'. Those without children, can call on the State or hope their own welath will enable them to pay for care. [/quote] I broadly agree. However, at the moment there are plenty of people in the world (also given the limitations of world resources) and we really don't need loads more. Paying for pensions, ageing population, etc. is a geographic effect. In the UK the issue of earners paying for aged is actually being handled through immigration. Seems to me that the UK is doing well in this regard. Immigrants are hard working, etc. and bring a load of advantages. As I said, no problem with others choosing to have kids - just rubs salt in so to speak when people start complaining because single childless people have a larger house than they do and then people complain about the fact that single people get a reduction in rates (when it is in fact paying over the odds anyway). I chose not to have kids. Others chose to. It is not for those who chose to have kids to tell me I must subsidise their kids, live in a smaller house than I can afford, etc. In the same way it is not for me to say they should not have kids and I also should/do recognise the importance kids to the economy. I will not be told to live in a smaller house and way disproportionately more for council services because I chose not to have children. Ian

I'd definitely go with longer plasterboard sheets (and I did when I installed some). If you use smaller sheets you will have problems making a neat joint where board end meets board end. As the ends of the boards are not chamfered (at leant not the ones I found), the end to end joint will show as a line. It cannot be taped and so will be a higher risk of cracking, etc. Plus you have more joints to fill and sand.  I ended up using boards just over 3m (cannot remembe rthe exact length) and they were not problem to find - just the local builders merchant. Much easier, quicker and neater to use longer sheets of plasterboard. Ian

[quote user="geno"] If you're a single person in a 5 bed house you'll still get a reduction in council tax? How thought out is that? It's a slap in the face of those of us trying to raise kids. [/quote] Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Council Tax (or whatever they call it these days) is intended as a means to pay for local services and not as a method of controlling use of housing. A single person uses significantly lower council resources yet still only gets a 25% reduction (so is effectively paying proportionately more than couple or family). Then look at other forms of tax. A single person pays MORE tax than a family (by the time you allow for married/child this that and the other allowances/credits/etc.). But then of course a single person probably does not have children needing schooling, health care, etc. yet his/her taxes still contribute to all this. I'm not anti-kids but I'm afraid I get a bit annoyed when people with families and kids fail to see how much single childless people contribute to people with families raising kids. We (single & childless) chose not to have kids yet still contribute in a big way to those who chose to have them. Ian

The one that gets me is "10" - as in "Caisse moins de 10 articles" (probably spelt wrong). In English 10 means 10 e.g. 5x2=10. Seems in France in the context of purchasing articles it can mean "as many as you like". Ian

One thing I have noticed is that compared to "my day" first time buyers are wanting to buy younger and expect more. I purchased my first house was some time after I had finished studying and once I had been in secure employment for some time and been able to save towards a deposit. My first house was basically the minimum you could call a house. Two bedrooms, really small terraced house purchased jointly with my then girlfiend. These days (from what one sees and people say, kids want more and earlier. They seem to expect houses closer to where they live with their parents. I saw some interesting TV programs where a property expert was showing first time buyers how they actually could afford properties. In all cases she failed because the e.g. student did not want to live in a small two bedroomed house but wanted a large 3+ bedroomed house with large garden. I do wonder to what extent the 1st time buyer issues are aggravated by their expectations. All that then feeds into how property is just "too expensive" and thus people start talking about crashes. Ian

Also, where would one get the stuff from ?  What sections to look under in Yellow Pages or wherever ? Ian

[quote user="Nickel"] Although saying that, I have now reached post 20   and with a family history of glaucoma I had better be careful!! [/quote] And don't let them 'ere in France palm you off with a check every 3 years (at least not whilst you are covered by the State Health System).  Its just Sarkozy wanting to do things on the cheap. Did somebody mention sailing.  I enjoy sailing as well - maybe we should have our own forum section ? Ian

[quote user="Nickel"]Deimos, Whoops - but I did think the topic was - A Wasted Life - a thread started by Cooperlola "I noticed I passed the 4000 post mark .Surely I could have been doing something better with my time" I was merely quoting a source that says there may ( yes may ) be a link between too much computer use and glaucoma - thought it was worth a mention, perhaps not. [/quote] Definately was worth a mention.  I was being light hearted (but never could get to grips with these smiley things).  And the topic was about posts (not my sailing today). Ian