Peter

a burner with a rear flue requires this sort of adaptor http://www.charnwood.com/features-flue-adaptor.asp P

As a surveyor I often see flue pipes fitted upside down.  The female should be up so the tar flows back into the appliance where it will be safely burnt. The T sections pictured are not designed for wood burning appliances.  Flues should be lined all the way to the top. If bends are needed, then no part of a flue pipe should form an angle greater than 45° from the vertical. It is recommended that a vertical rise of at least 600mm should be allowed, immediately above the appliance before any change of direction. P

In my opinion (and experience) 14 is too old to move a child to France

‘Done thing’ or not, it seems the most obvious thing to do. When else, during a life time, would one risk such huge sums of money without taking action to protect oneself? Also when looking for a property it is easy to be pressured into making a quick decision. Often the choice is made after only a couple of fairly brief visits and without a full understanding of the condition of the property. Sometimes buyers don’t fully appreciate the importance of recognising the condition of the property and as a result often pay over the odds and seriously underestimate the costs of renovation. So yes the findings of a surveyor can be used to negotiated a better price Finally, you don’t have to pay the fees a RICS surveyor charges there are other – equally competent – building professionals out there who offer the same service for smaller fees.

Following Will's lead here is another web site you might find useful http://www.surveyor-chanteloup.com/index.html

It can be confusing ensuring you have chosen the right ‘type’ of chartered surveyor.  After all there is no point in getting an Arts andA ntiques surveyor or a Facilities Management surveyor to look undertake a condition survey of a building Of equal status are the members of The Chartered Institute of Building. This is the qualifying body for more than 42,000 construction professionals in over 100 countries worldwide. It has a Royal Charter to promote the science and practice of construction for public benefit. After a minimum of  6 -7 years training - and often a long career in the building industry - these professionals are more than qualified to offer building condition surveys on any sort of property.   In the final analysis most of the players in the property selling process are not working for you, the buyer’s, best interests.  Frankly the odds are stacked against you.  The best way to strengthen your hand is to instruct a professional and completely independent Building Surveyor - one who has absolutely no outside interests related to your decision - and who is committed to acting only for you. Also always make sure any surveyor you use is registered as a business in France and that they carry Professional Indemnity Insurance for building surveys in France.  Ask to see proof of this insurance - it gives real protection and peace of mind.   It is worth remembering that the professional surveyor sells expert advice, not building work or chemical treatments. ____________________________________________________

There is loads of stuff on this site http://www.plans-maisons.com/Reglementation-de-construction-de-la-maison.htm

During the early 1970 the price of oil rocketed.  In order to try and save energy the requirement to ventilate roofs and other voids was removed from the UK building regulations.  As a result those houses had real problems as various types of rot took hold.  The one good thing to come out of the calamity was that students, like me, coming up through the system were able to learn from it. When I first started surveying houses in France 7 or so years ago I was staggered how little ventilation was being built in to new or renovated houses.  Things have improved slightly but still there is not enough. One of the problems with our society is vested interests are able to shout very loud and drown out reasoned debate. This terrifying spectacle of ‘silent leprosy’ creping through our houses is laughable. How it made it onto prime time TV is astonishing.   Think about it there is rotting wood all about us in the forests and woodland, and we bring it into the house with the firewood.  Generally the rot stays outside unless there are the ideal conditions inside for it to grow.   Dry out the timber and keep it dry and the rot will stop –it is as simple as that. Over the next few years in France expect to see many thousands of litres of dangerous chemical poured into our houses.  It will cost loads, damage human health, will kill bats and other useful creatures like spiders and in the end do no good. These problems can be easily dealt with a bit of understanding and good design.  In France the control of the building process has to become more rigorous and proper regulation will have to be more widely enforced. See this link for a bit of sense (from a Sunday Telegraph columnist)     http://www.askjeff.co.uk/dry_rot.html

Generally the problem with chemical treatments used against wood damaging organisms is they are often proved to be dangerous to everyone involved: the people that make them, the people that use them and of course the people that have to live with them in their properties. A change in attitude of the last few years has seen people questioning the efficacy of these products and the way they are marketed and used. Even in the most vulnerable places like cathedrals and churches experts are turning away from these products. Why? Simply because they don’t do what it says on the tin. Put simply wet or damp timber will cause problems reasonable dry timber will not – simple as that. Mend the leak the problem will go away. Better still don’t allow a leak in the first place. Wood damaging insects are trapped in the wood; they cannot leave to get a drink. If the timber is too dry they die. If you have to use anything use Boron – easy to use, non toxic to mammals, no problem with bats. Lots of good stuff on the web away from the chemical peddlers Also http://www.ask-jeff.co.uk/woodworm.html

The Kraft paper that comes with the insulation is a vapour barrier and should be installed with the paper to the warm side (i.e. in your loft, down). As long as it is you main residence there are significant grants available for insulating a house. If doing it yourself be careful about trapping moisture in so don’t block the eaves, don’t stuff it between the rafters etc – you still need loads of ventilation over the, cold side of the insulation

I think it is so they can get lovely straight lengths of timber with few knots. very valuable

You have to be really careful filling the gap between rafters because of condensation problems. Ideally one should leave a air gap between the  roof and the insulation. If you have to use this method use a ridged foam type insulation. See HMSO publication Thermal Insulation Avoiding the Risks. Good luck

There is the equivalent to the cheque'd emploi service for temporary building workers. Like everthing concerning employment it is complicated and expensive. It is called Titre Emploi Service; my bank manager told me about it. You have to register at the Urssaf (or whatever it is called) and then they send all the details. Registering was the easy bit! Anyway it is nice to feel that one is the right side of the law in case of accident etc. And you employee is getting all their contributions paid. All the best Pete