Punch

Miki, we get involved in many planning applications above the 170sq m rule and it is often not worth the bother trying to let the Uk client do his own drawings that then have to be passed by a French registered architect. For one, most French registered architects won't touch plans done by others and French regsitered architects are much more knowledgeble in terms of local acceptance criteria, materials and architectural styles than any Uk based architects could ever be. I've seen some quite good plans drawn up too by my clients which have fallen by the wayside at the submission stage. Quite often the architects registered in France will have built up a good relationship with the DDE and local planning authorities and will almost have carte blanche on their submittal drawings. People deal with people and it is often not what you know but who you know that can make a difference. Declaration de travaux applications for smaller works are of course much simpler and can easily be tackled by most people with a little knowledge. I must say I'm sure there are others who would dispute the above but certainly here in Mayenne running a renovations business this is the case in my experience. Regulations have certainly tightened in the years since I first started I hope this helps; Paul

>I am planning to install decking >in the garden. I assume >that planning permission is required >so I shall be going >to the marie, but can >anyone tell me the French >for "decking"? Planning permission is not required for decking areas unless the area is over 0.6 metres high above ground level, or you are in or live close to an area of historical importance. If you intend to build any form of structure on the decking then there are height and floor area considerations which may require the simple form of palnning approval " the declaration de travaux". The gereneral term used for wooden decking are " les terrasses en bois" and "lames de terrasse en bois" are the actual boards. " Callebotis" are the square or rectangular decking pieces that you can often buy to form small areas of decking in amonsgt gravel etc; This site explains planning approval in more detail. If you are in any doubt whatsoever call ionto your local mairie who will be able to advise on your local conditions and any byelaws applicable. http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/ARBO/FXLOG203.html?&n=Logement&l=NX15&n=Construction&l=NXLOG500&n=Formalit%C3%A9s&l=NXLOG510&n=Permis%20de%20construire&l=NXLOG210 regards, Paul

>Not so much getting to France >but getting around in France. > > >Trying to get prices for flights >to and from Montpellier/Vannes, Lorient, >Rennes. Travel agent gave price >of 1600 for a family >of 5 from Montp'r to >Rennes one way!!!! > >Not having much luck with Air >France's website, anyone know of >any other sites where I >can get a price? Had similar problems trying to find a flight to Portugal recently and ended up goinf from paris where cheaper flights are available. try these sites though, Ive often found internal french flights via their sites; http://www.bourse-des-vols.com/ http://www.opodo.com/ http://www.promovols.com/promovols/volas400.cfm best regards, Paul

Yes a lovely story. In the 6 years that my children have been at school here we have seen some very nice teachers retire who are caring and totally dedicated. In fact my eldest girls CM2 teacher retires tomorrow when the school holidays start also. We, (well Mrs Punch actually) has been asked to make one of her celebrated Victoria sponges as a going away "goute" for the morning session. I suppose maybe we've been lucky to find such lovely schools and indeed the teachers too, compared to some others experiences here, although in defence I would say that we have make a concerted effort to integrate in many different ways and get involved more than most of the parents which I'm sure has made a big difference to their present schooling to date. Evaluations have all come back good today and neither of them need to "double up" next year which is of course the big fear! Regards, Paul

>I am trying to purchase a >minibus in the uk to >take to France. I >have looked at which ones >to take. Does it have to purchased in the Uk, and presumably as RHD ? Only there seems to be many more minibus variations available here in France as the French tend to buy them as family vehicles,and they tend to have more children/family to ferry about. I know when I bought a new Traffic van recently that there were lots of different seating options for work, family, minibus etc. One thing if you are buying in the Uk from a service maintenace point of view is to probably stay with a well known (French?)brand, although Ford are well covered here anyway. Best of luck, Paul

>Was anyone there for 50th who >can tell us what was >it like. I was. I remember i was travelling back to Caen to get the ferry back to the Uk and came across an amazing sight on approaching Ouistreham. The Royal yatch was travelling up the canal towards the port and the banks of the canal were lined 10 deep with thousands of people waving flags and cheering. There was total gridlock and no traffic could move for a least an hour.At the port itself the Queen came on deck wearing a bright yellow outfit and waved to everyone. There were some lovely displays of French dignitary uniforms and music playing. Then there were flypasts of military aircraft and by far the best highlight was when the sky filled with hundreds and hundreds of parachutists dropping from the skies above. Many of these parachutists were veterans from the 2nd WW who were jumping with the armies and navies of several countries. You just couldn't help but be moved by the sight of this. Something i'll certainly never forget. Regards, Paul

I assume you are talking about top up medical cover in France? This type of insurance called a Mutuelle varies considerably in it's premiums depending on the level of cover you decide to take. It depends on many factors and the level of cover you choose. Most good mutuelles are regional ie; Mutuelle du Mans, although all the maor insurance agents have policies. from my own experience, I would hazard a rough guess between say 60 - 120 euros a month depending on what cover you require, although you really need to make an appointment to discuss it with an agent. best regards, Paul

>We have a house in France >but don't reside there full >time. I'm planning to >go over with the children >for a couple of months >in the summer and I'm >bothered about what to do >if I need the doctor >or dentist for them, or >indeed myself. In a non-emergency you just ring up and make an appointment, or go direct to the surgery of your choice. If you need a doctor out of hours they normally have an answerphone service with another number to contact. Otherwise, in an emergency just call 18 or 112, the latter being the international emergency number. If your French is not up to scratch ask a neighbour or friend to assist or come with you. Most doctors have a reasonable grasp of English due to their medical training. In my experience, when my children had non life threatening accidents or injuries we found it quicker to drive them to the hospital or doctors surgery direct for treatment. This does depend on how remote you are and the nature of the problem of course. >what do I do about >paying. I have an >E111 but as I'm going >for a quite a while >I'm planning on taking out >extra cover. In France, unless you have a carte vitale you pay the doctor or hospital or consultant direct for a consulation (around 20 euros). He will give you a brown form called a feuille de soins which you keep and claim back with your E111 in the UK. In an emergency ie; car crash or serious accident you will be given free cover and you may have to show your E111. You will only get back around 65% of your fees unless you have additional private medical insurance which you say you have. With your additional medical Insurance you will probably find you have an international number to ring which may have an English speaking operator who may liase with your French counterpart.I would read up on the policy to see what you are actually covered for before leaving for France. It is also a good idea to carry a note of your pre -existing medical conditions and any medication you are taking just in case it is needed. Years ago before lived in France I came here for a three month period with two young children so I can understand your apprehensions. (sp?). Best of luck and have a good trip! Paul

LAST EDITED ON 15-May-04 AT 07:16 AM (BST) LAST EDITED ON 15-May-04 AT 07:15AM (BST) Thanks for that. The letters page looks interesting. You might like to look through this government site with lots about your rights etc. If you need to go to tribunal with your claim, I think there is a page somewhere on the site which explains the proceedure. I noticed also there is a English language feature too. http://www.justice.gouv.fr/index.htm Good luck with your claim. Paul

>Can anybody help me, I am >in 24 and I need >to find a sit on >lawnmower for my meadow >which should be a Garden, >we have just moved here >so only know a few >place does anybody recommend anywhere >north of perigueux or in >Perigueux that sell good lawnmowers >but resonable priced. Hi Sam Our old American made Ride on (Snapper) has just died on us and so we have just bought another American made machine (Mculloch by Electrolux) on special promo from our local Hyper U for 1500 euros. We looked around a bit and for this price was unbeatable in terms of quality and parts availablity (not to mention the instruction manual in English!). If you have a very large area then I wouldn't recommend anything less than 16HP and above. If you can afford it, diesel Kubota machines or John Deeres can be had for around 6000 euros 2nd hand. In general prices tend to be cheaper in France for gardening items and machinery. Best regards, Paul

>Our neighbours are renovating an old >house and have been having >difficulty getting EDF to arrange >a temporary electricity supply - >EDF are being difficult and >apparently want outrageous sums of >money. It shouldn't de difficult .We organise many tempoary supplies from the EDF.The EDF charges here in Mayenne are around 180 euros which includes the connecting up and the disconnecting afterwards. However you have to supply a special coffret (box) with a special trip and a length of cable which adds to your costs. We either supply the box to the customer and buy back afterwards, or charge a monthly rental. The supply is given for a max of 1 year. Ask for a "branchment provisoire" or a "branchment chantier". regards, Paul

>The hardest word is "serrurerie", a >locksmith. > >Try it, with your best French >guttural r. > >

>We need to hire a sand >blasting machine to remove the >layers of soot grime and >paint from oak beams. >is there anybody out there who >knows where we can hire >one within reasonable travelling distance >of Bourganeuf. >We look forward to your many >replies. > >miket Try Loxam location who are nationwide. Or look up "Location de Material" in your annuaire. see links below. http://www.pagesjaunes.fr http://www.loxam.fr Paul

>Is there something we've missed? Not at all, but the process of immatricualtion to French plates can depend on several factors such as make, model, age and even (surprise surprise)the department you live in, on how difficult the process can be. I've now registered three vehicles here with varying degrees of difficulty. I found it is often the certificate of conformity which can present the problems. If a visit to the mines is involved then this also can delay the process. Your vehicle was French and relatively new. If it had been a 10 year old Chrysler Voyager as my friends had, then you would maybe have had a different story to tell. In any case, more and more cases are presented to the relative Prefectures on a daily basis so if people go well prepared with the relevant documents correctly filled in, as you did, then there is no need for it to be at all difficult. Best regards, Paul

LAST EDITED ON 28-Apr-04 AT 05:24 PM (BST) Here in Mayenne we had some severe thunderstorms yesterday evening and during last night the electricity was cut off for around 4 hours. This morning I had a meeting with the EDF at a clients house near Desertines (North Mayenne)and he said although there wasn't much rain last night, the lightning caused quite a lot of disruption to their supply network. Having lived here for several years now and having lost two telephones, a modem and two motherboards on my PC's, I always unplug all these devices now in the event of a storm, despite the plug in type surge protectors, and a UPS which I have installed. I could of course fit a lightning surge protector on the main fuseboard, which are obligatory in some depts (not Mayenne), but the disadvantage is that they are non re-settable and quite costly, even though I get them at trade price. Even so, the spectacular views of an electric storm approaching on the horizon from here are amazing! regards, Paul

>I remember seeing a thread on >this subject some weeks/months ago >but I can't now find >it. I thought that the >conclusion was that TVA would >remain at 5.5% for renovation >work but I have heard >that it has now gone >back to 19.6%. Is this >right? No. The lower rate of TVA at 5.5% for renovation works using registered artisans has now been extended up untill the end of 2005. This link has info on the criteria for what qualifies at the lower rate. This is great news for businesses such as mine who have been campaigning for months to keep the lower rate. http://www.batitel.com/revues/tva.php regards, Paul

LAST EDITED ON 21-Apr-04 AT 07:45 AM (BST) LAST EDITED ON 21-Apr-04 AT 07:40AM (BST) Could anyone recommend to me a boarding kennels for Tilly, our 2 year old Border collie in the Mayenne area? Or even someone who can take care for her for a week at the end of May/beginning June. Regards, Paul

LAST EDITED ON 19-Apr-04 AT 07:23 PM (BST) Alexis, I I don't wish to sound rude but it would maybe help if you gave us a clue about what "seeds" you are talking about???? Who is Louis who is Giles?? Have I been away too long (a day) from the forum to understand? >Gilles says that if the plant >fails to work then you >put the seed cases in >the runs and rip 'em >to death. Which I >won't be doing. Horrible! Rip what to death? Oh my, please explain further! Paul

LAST EDITED ON 11-Apr-04 AT 06:30 PM (GMT) > I read somewhere on this >forum that there might now >be no requirement to change >the number plate of a >car bought in a different >department (or registered in one). >The mention of this was >incidental to another question so >there wasn't much detail. I think this may have been one of my posts. The French system is changing whereby a car will have the same number plate for life. I believe this is being implemented from 2006. This will apply to both old and new cars, the change for older cars being made at time of controle tecnique or dept change. here is the link to that dicussion. http://www.livingfrance.com/dcforum/DCForumID23/635.html regards, Paul

Right before anyone asks, the only thing this has to do with France is that it is for a function taking place in France. I want to make some CD compilations for a forthcoming function/soiree in France. I have a problem with both my CD drives on my computer, not much time to do it myself, and besides I need to keep it a secret. I was wondering if anyone knew of any on line resources that can produce the music tracks perhaps from a list and burn them to CD for a fee? The problem with that is that I would like to choose tracks at random so my next question is about MP3. I know nothing about MP3 except that you can have thousands? of tracks on a single player. Would an MP3 player be a worthwhile purchase? I assume then that I could download (for a fee no doubt) music from the internet onto the player and then somehow link the MP3 player to the Hi fi equipment. best/ most helpfull answers willreceieve an invite to the function. Ps Keep it shhhh! Regards, Paul

LAST EDITED ON 18-Mar-04 AT 08:06 PM (GMT) Has anyone used the services of a traiteur in France to provide a buffet type meal for around 60 people and could give indication of how much to allow for each person? Alcohol will not be included which will be organised seperately. regards, Paul

> This subject was covered in a very recent thread; http://www.livingfrance.com/dcforum/DCForumID28/1514.html Keeping a good circulation of air is one of the best methods to keep it at bay. Coupled with a dehumidifier (electric or otherwise), this should greatly improve the problem Another good solution is to install a VMC (ventilation mecanique controlee) which will provide a few air changes per hour and keep fresh air circulating. You will of course need to leave your electricity on for this. regards, Paul

>Does anyone know wether or not >it is a legal requirement >in France to provide a >toilet in a public bar? > > >we are buying a small hotel >with a bar (the bar >is open to the public >but, being remote, attracts little >or no passing trade apart >from the local postman). Most >users are hotel guests before >and after dinner. We are >looking to renovate the bar >which will mean that it >no longer has a toilet. Are you serious? I've never been in a French bar or restaurant where a toilet hasn't been available. Do you really expect your guests to go back to their hotel rooms for a pee? Mind you most of the French men I know prefer to go outside up against the wall!! Even if the loo isn't in the bar area itself, I would expect you will have to have one available elsewhere in or near the bar area. regards, Paul

>Original paragraph: >L'usine fabrique 11 milliards de cigarettes >brunes et 8 milliards de >blondes chaque anne Yes, Brune et Blonde are also the two types of draught beer commonly availalable in bars in France. Pelforth being a typical "Brune" and 1066 or Heineken being the Blonde. Paul

I am currently renewing my childrens passports from France via the Passport office in Paris. I have looked at the embassy web site in Paris, downloaded the form C2 and notes, but have a question; Does anyone know if new photos are required to be sent as it is not entirely clear from the notes provided on the site. It does say that documents are not normally required if you are returning the existing passport (which we are), but is a bit unclear as to whether this includes phtographs. To provide a new photo which then has to be countersigned by a French or Uk official is obviously more complicated than just sending back the original passport and fee. Has anyone recently done this and could advise? I've tried telephoning but it's sods law that the morning I have taken off to do this just happens to be the morning when the office in Paris is closed!! regards, Paul