Mike1958

When I was purchasing our house last year I became addicted to the commercial FX screens and was watching the rates hourly. This gave me an insight into where the rate was going and also more importantly ammunition to use with the FX companies to force the best rate from them. I had accounts set up with 3 FX companies and played them against each other. I brought when almost at 1.50 but had budgeted for 1.45 which was worth all of the effort. The site I used was really useful as other factors are worth watching (euro vs dollar) as this can also impact the euro/pound trend.The good thing is that the graphs were clear and gave the daily and historical rates. http://www.advfn.com/p.php?pid=forex Be strong with your FX trader and try and force them to offer more than they will put on the table 1st time, there is usually a band that they can trade within. Good luck, Mike

Many thanks for your comments. My house purchase was based on the advertised price including fees. My notary fees were then on top of this. During our search in the Pyrenees (65 and 31) all of the properties that we looked at stated that advertised prices were inclusive, as is another friends purchase in the same area. My colleague seems to have been dealing with English agents based near Carcassonne which may explain the difference. Regards, Mike    

A colleague is looking for a house in the SW and has been advised to set aside 13 - 15 percent on top for fees by her agent. When we purchased our house 12 months ago the fees came to 6.3% (basically the fixed notary fee). I am only assuming that the agent is trying to pass her charges onto the buyer. Is this common practice? Mike

I am looking for a plasterer who would be available for approximately two days work (max) to replace and repair some small areas of plaster (basically patching up) ready for decoration. Ideally I need someone that can do the work around the 28th, 29th and 30th of September. Our house is in Bagneres de Luchon (Luchon) approximately half an hour from St Gaudens in dept 31. Any offers or recommendations would be appreciated. We will have a complete room to plaster probably later in the year or early next year. Regards, Mike

Can anyone advise of a good company or contact who deals with wood burners & Inserts in the St Gaudens (dept 31) area. We have a small open fireplace with a chimney that leaks smoke into a 3rd floor bedroom. I gather than an insert is probably the best way to go but would take any advice offered.   Regards, Mike

I have approached a plaster to do some patching (1 possibly 2 days work) and am now awaiting the receipt of his Devis. Can anyone provide a guestimate as to what should be an acceptable hourly/daily rate. Regards, Mike

We purchased our house last year having had a survey of the key structure (wood and roof) and the electrics and plumbing whereby we were advised that the electrics though of the old standard were in good condition. Last week I needed an electrician to connect a new saniflo WC who immediately gave me the sucking on a sour plumb look when he saw the electrics that we have. Throughout the majority of the house we have light switches, combined light switch and sockets and sockets all of which have individual fuses within them. The purpose of the post is: 1. Is it correct that if an electrical did some work on the old system that he is liable if anything goes wrong (accident etc) anywhere else within the house.  2. You cannot provide a B & B service in a house that has not been upgraded to the new standard. Any thoughts or comments on this rather confusing situation would be helpful. Regards, Mike

We will be taking the scenic route back from our own house in the Pyrenees around the 3rd week of July and will be looking for accommodation close to Biarritz for one night on the 27th. If anyone has any recommendations we would be grateful. Many thanks, Mike  

As we currently only travel to our house on weekends and holidays I have been happy to keep our electricity bill on the base tariff. However looking ahead I would like to understand the differences and benefits of the other tariffs (Cruise and Tempo) for when we are out full time. Using a scenario where we are a pseudo Chambres d'hote with hopefully a 9 month season could someone please highlight the key benefits of the tariffs available. We have a 5 bedroom property with gas central heating but electric hot water. During the winter months we hope to be busy as we are in a ski resort. Many thanks in advance, Mike

[quote]Hi Mike. What about a Nissan? We have an X-Trail 4x4 bought in France. It's comfortable very sturdy and we use it off road. Great car. Mary[/quote] The X Trails are great (I already have one - though its a company car) and cope with the snow beautifully, however my problem is one of space. I was hoping for 7, 8, or 9 seats but where the seats can take an adult comfortably rather than squeezed in with the legs around the ears. Regards, Mike

Many thanks for the sensible and obviously at times painful feedback that you have provided. My first thoughts were to buy a LHD Land Rover 110 Defender but then thought about comfort. I will forget the Jap import route and opt for my original idea. Regards, Mike

Has anyone had any experience of either importing a Japanese import from the UK to France, or are aware of any French companies importing from Japan. It is a bit of an obscure question however it seems that 4 x 4 MPV's are a rarety apart from vehicles like the Toyota Emina/Estima's.  

Though probably not the best route, I was used to the A26, A1, A3 route into Paris before jumping off the periferique at Pont D'Italie for the A10 south. However the last few times I have been thwarted by the road being closed just after Charles de Gaul. For whatever reason (poor diversion signs) I seem to end up on a different route each time. Can anyone advise of a pain free alternative when travelling from Calais that will quickly link to the A10 - A20 (Limoges then onto Toulouse) that manages to avoid the road works? Many thanks, Mike

I am currently in the process of killing off (weed & feed) most of my existing lawn (little if any grass) with the intention of reseeding in September/October. Can anyone recommend a good robust seed that will be suitable for hot summers as well as cold winters with snow laying for weeks. Tough challenge Regards, Mike

I have decided to bite the bullet and cover existing bathroom tiles and plaster with a waterproof backing board similar to hardibacker before re-tiling. Can anyone please advise of the best place to buy (for price) as I gather our local Msr Bricolage is extortionate. And secondly does anyone know the standard size of each panel. Many thanks, Mike

Many thanks for your replies, I will register as maison secondaire and add a note that the house is undergoing internal refurbishment (only minor decoration to date) and wait and see what the damage is. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

Le Tour is scheduled to climb the Col de Portillon from Spain into France on the afternoon of Sunday the 17th of July. On the decent the web site states that they pass through St Mamet then Luchon before heading up to the Col de Peyresourd. Does anyone know whether the Tour route is through the main street of Luchon or around the town? Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

We have just received (via Bangkok would you believe) a form from the local Centre des Impots which I gather must be a standard form to help assess what type of taxe d'habitation should be applied to our house. There are a number of options: Principle residence (non)Residence secondaire uniquement (think so)Location a l'anne (it is not for hire all year round)plus a number of other options that they would like us to tick against. The next two options confuse me as if either of these are ticked i must provide a copy of my attestation to the Commissariat de Police, they are: Le logement etait il vide de meubles au 1st Jan 2005 (I gather this is was the property unfurnished on the 1st)Avez-vous effectue des travaux dans ce logement (have we worked on the house - I think)I have two questions to ask. 1. As we still live in the UK and only use the house when working on it (at the moment) are we obliged to tick more than one box i.e. Second home, no furniture on the 1st of January and working on the house (mainly decoration at this time)? 2. Why if the last two boxes are ticked do we need to provide a copy of the attestation to the commissariat? My understanding (though possibly flawed) is that if we are not living in the house and not renting or letting it out then we would not need to pay the taxe d'habitation. Any help would be gratefully accepted.   Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com

An interesting thread. I am currently in the early stages of upgrading 3 bathrooms on three floors (none of which have current ventilation). I have no where for ducting to go apart from the top floor which could go directly into the roof, condensation from new showers is a concern however the solution mentioned in the thread above does not seem suitable for our situation. The top floor bathroom is built into a sloping roof with little space in the void between the plaster and the roof tiles (certainly no large enough for someone to get into and install equipment), and the exterior walls are plaster over slate/stone which is likely to be extremely difficult to vent through. My options seem limited, however any thoughts or comments would be gratefully recieved.   Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

You may wish to have a look at www.gshpropertyconsultancy.com , Gudrun Smart is the agent that we dealt with and to be honest we found her extremely helpful. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com 

As ever with this forum the responses are varied and generally gratefully accepted. In line with the comments Deimos has made I agree that (for me in particular) the purpose of the forum is to share experiences and hopefully provide those (like myself) who are just entering into or thinking of taking the plunge with a new life in France with general guidance and advice to assist them along whatever path they are trying to take. With the exception of a few who seem to enjoy the heights that thier soap box provides them, I have found most respondees comments informative and helpful. Many thanks once again. Mike www.peak-times.com    

We have recently taken a local plumber on board to renovate and bring up to date our bathrooms. This will entail installing new showers, new WC's (where we used to have Bidet's) redecorating etc but not altering windows. My assumption is that for this type of work we do no need any form of permission or the need to post a Declaration de Travaux. Any advice would be welcome, Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

Many thanks Will, As far as you know would it be an issue to re-site the hedge, erect a fence or build a new wall (subject to planning of course) on the boundary itself? Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com  

I have a house with a plot of land to one side. Both my house and the plot of land were at one time all part of the same plot which was subsequently split for sale. Though I am comfortable with the boundary, and have all the correct documentation I have spotted two markers at each side of the plot approximately 1 metre into the adjoining land running parallel to the existing hedge. The markers are approx 3 inches square in a white stone with a circular metal plate on top. I am waiting to download the pictures but thought it wise to ask whether anyone had seen similar markers and whether they represent the actual boundary. In addition to the markers there is a plastic stake with a yellow circle on top. My thoughts are that they are either datum points that confirm the boundary from when the land was split (just over a year ago), or that they may mark the path of an underground drain or pipe. Though for the latter I have checked across the boundary following the line and there are no similar markers in the adjoining property. Any ideas or thoughts would be welcome. Regards, Mike www.peak-times.com    

We are currently having a couple of bathrooms refurbished and as part of the work we will need to re-tile. In one bathroom there are already tiles and the other is bare plaster. After discussions with our plumber I am unsure as to the correct steps to take with regard to the following: 1. In the tiled bathroom I intended to tile over tiles as they would be to difficult to remove cleanly. However the plumber said that I should attach some from of backing board (placo vert) before re-tiling. This seems a waste of effort to me as the existing tiles should provide the necessary waterproof backing. Ideas or suggestions appreciated. 2. For the second bathroom that has bare plaster walls do I still need to apply a waterproof backing board before tiling as again I am sure that new houses do not use this type of material as long as waterproof adhesive and grout are used. (My house is 100 years old but parts of it have been extended or renovated in the past. The walls in question are either solid or block (not stud partition) Again you comments are welcome. Many thanks, Mike www.peak-times.com