Chippiepat

why even think of buying something special when you have been told any old oil based paint will do??I don't know anyone who has'nt got a drop of old paint knocking about, and I know for a fact that it works.

I Don't know what a Fouine is, but In the U.K. you can get a plastic bird guard that is rather like a comb with long plastic teeth,this is pinned to the top of the fascia & then the weight of the tiles bends the teeth to the shape of the tile.I know that most french houses don't have fascias, but, would probably work o.k. if fixed to the voilage, and tops of walls sealed to underside of foilage also,this could be done with sand& cement or expanding foam.The bird guards are cheap as chips, flexible, & light so probably would'nt cost much to have sent from U.K.

If your going to face the lintels with oak planks why not use oak for the lintel?I've done many of these & I don't feel the price of oak is over expensive if compared to the time fa**ing about with concrete & shuttering,if you fix planks to the face & underside of the lintel, in my opinion the corner joint of the two is going to look ugly & amateurish,better of just plastering it. Good luck whichever way you go.

just being nosey, why do you want to plasterboard them? could you not just paint them? even cheaper.

Hi Fridgeman, most of the flat unders I have seen(especially newer ones) are interlocking and I usually only nail the fist row & then maybe every 6th-7th row,the ridge tiles(in my opinion) should not be loose after only 4 yrs unless you've had some extreme weather,zinc or some form of flashing should,again in my opinion, be used round the stack although I see many that just seem to be sealed with a cement fillet,it's usual to cement the first over tile at the verge.

( 60 cm between centres is OK for 16mm OSB,) ? don't think so

Cheers BJ, I should be O.K. as I dont intend to employ any outside labour except for a few bits & pieces I'll need help with & my helper is registered in France cheers, Pat.

including a very usefull assurance benevoles which might just be enough to discourage the URSAAF should you have the misfortune to be côntrole'd. ? could you explain please?, what would URSAAF have to do with it & what do you mean by controlled.By the way I am a builder in the U.K. drew & submitted my own plans & just thought I could get on with it, I'm just trying to ease any problems I may have when it eventually comes to selling,which I may have to do in next 5-6 years.

Thought not! Cheers anyway.

Thanks for the link, looks interesting.I Can't believe it could be that difficult to self build,or nobody would bother.Surely some people in France build thier own without having to pay fortunes for insurance, & if it's anything like the NHBC in U.K. then it's not worth much anyway. Cheers.

Think I know the answer to this but will ask anyway, I am building my own new property, is there a way of claiming the t.v.a. back on materials I buy? just hoping against hope really. Cheers, Pat.

HI All, I bought an old barn some years back that has now been demolished & I have permission to rebuild, in the same footprint,a 2bed house which I shall be building myself.Searching the archives for relevent information It seems that the build must be covered by a "dommage ouvrage" policy incase I come to sell the property in the future.Is this the same as an artisane's deccinal insurance? if so does anyone know how I go about obtaining said policy.Many thanks in advance, Pat.

I was granted a permi for an extension to my house in 2003, began the work 2005-2006 finished the work about 2009.I am now selling the house and it has come to light that I never completed the form, Declaration d'ouverture or Declaration d'achevement.Anyone else done this? or know how I now overcome the problem.Any advice welcome.Many thanks, Chippiepat.

Hi, thanks for your response,seems a little bit clearer now,should know for sure the exact position around the end of June, as that's when we should be completing on the sale. Merci, chippiepat.

sorry to barge in but seeking some advice also, will try to be brief.Jointly own property in U.K. with my partner(joint mortgage both names on deeds)bought property in France feb,2003 in my name only, fist couple of years travelled back & forth renovating, then in 2007 stayed in France & worked as registered artisan paying all cotisations insurances etc; filed 2 years french tax returns & claimed french address as principle residence.Late 2009 work dried up so de-registered retuned to U.K. for what should have been a short break, but due to health issues am still here.Health issues are now resolved & I am selling the French property & with the proceeds intend to return to france & build a new property which my partner & I will move into when complete.I briefly spoke to a notaire some 18mnths ago who seemed to think that no c.g. would be payable as in essance I was selling my principle residence to purchase another,but I'm not sure as to weather or not she understood that I am part owner of U.K. property.Any thoughts those in the know?? Many thanks, chippiepat.

There is a firm advertising in our local freebie mag, for english scaffolding supplied & erected to Depts,86 & around, let me know if you want the phone no. & I will p.m. it to you.Dont know if I'm allowed to print it here. Chippiepat.

Gizza job,,you pay £230 per day!!?What do you charge the client?Bin in the game 30yrs & dont know many subbies that can command that sort of dough.

for a more proffesional job I always tape the joints and skim with plaster as in the U.K. Even tape & jointing is time consuming and messy for the D.I.Y'er. For the plaster ask for 'Lutec'2000  mixes easy & does'nt set in the mixing bath or bucket to quick.

What about sand blasting.

surprised no-ones mentioned it,(but don't know if it would work either) but I would have a try with diluted uni-bond (pva)

Many thanks  Sunday Driver, I assume that the 'certificat de cession' is obtainable from my local prefecture? or can I obtain this in england. thanks again, Pat

Hi, advise please if poss,. I french registered  my van the year before last as I was living in france,I am now in england with the van that has sadley died.I'll be selling the van here for spares or scrap,can anyone advise me what legal obligations i need to full-fill to french authorities.Many thanks, Pat 

If the water pipe is say 25mm dia. I would lay a 40mmdia plastic pipe in the concrete as a duct then feed the water pipe thro this.

is decinal insurance compulsory by law?, or can you inform clients that you are not covered & leave it them to decide wether to use you or not. Pat

Have read most of the posts regard c.g.t. but have not come across my particular dilema, My partner & I have held a joint mortgage for some 20yrs, on our u.k. house, but,,,only my partners name is on the deeds (we trust each other (I think))When we bought the house in france it was easier to put this in my sole name.The point is, do we own a house each, so that if we were to sell either one we would not be liable for c.g.t.