Gabe
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Posts posted by Gabe
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No I really mean metres. It is the length of the trench that would need to be dug around the house i.e. 100metres in total
Gabe
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Thanks guys useful advice,
I will look at the field drain option and take your point about paying somebody to do it, it will probably come to the same cost and be a better job for it. Just out of interest what size drain did you install both pit size and drainage pipework and do you have any recollection of the costs involved. I assume that the membrane is there to stop the soil refilling and blocking the drainage.
JC as to dimensions, the 30mx20m was the approx size of a rectangle around the house, 100m was the total length of the four sides.
Many thanks....Gabe
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Deimos,
How did you find your tree man ? We are moving to the Gers this year and so far my research for trees has been a little pathetic, local pepineries (sp) only. They have stock, but pretty limited and quite pricey, although much cheaper than their equivalent in the UK.
What size/type of tree are you getting for 8 euros ? I have a "field" of about the same size as yours, and would like to do what you are doing. However I am not looking for firewood, but would like fast growers, but not conifers.
Gabe
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Hardhat,
Based on your experience how long would it take, using the digger, to excavate a soakaway as I have described it. Not precise, but if you assume a rectangular soakaway approx.30m x 20m, total length 100m ? Generally good,clear access all round.
Do others think that this approach sounds correct, or is it a bit overkill ?
Gabe
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Only the obvious one as a starting point; "Living & Working in France" by David Hampshire published by Survival Books. You can pick it up in most bookshops or via the Living France magazine.
It is a very good book and reasonably up to date on most things. It at least helps to get you started and points you in the right direction for further advice.
Hope this helps and good luck
Gabe
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Thinking of installing soakaways around our house as the ground is very wet, particulary around the back of the house (north facing) in winter.The main house has guttering but many of the down pipes don't seem to go anywhere in particular. The ground is clay soil and the land slopes gently away from the house which is useful. I was planning something akin to a ring main of soakaways going around the house to then drain away using the natural gradient. The property is slightly raised from the surrounding countryside, so I am confident that it will ultimately drain away safely without any inconvenience to me or others.
My questions are:
This will be alot of work to do, to others think it is worthwhile ? The house itself does not appear damp, even though it is currently unoccupied and has no heating.
Does anybody know the going rate for the hire of a mini digger, as I could not facing doing this by hand?
Thanks.............. Gabe
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I should have said that all of the wiring will be surface mounted
Gabe
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Can anybody tell me what they have paid to have a whole house rewired by an artisan ? I know that this is probably as long as a piece of string.... Our house was built 1790s and currently has a supply which is ok'ish. My plan is to get somebody to rewire the whole house, 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 3 reception, kitchen, utility room, halls and landings, approx size 300m2. The intention is to do this in parallel to the old system which will then be disconnected and removed (where possible).
Any budget figures will be helpful and gratefully received.
Gabe
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Alcazar,
We are fortunate in that we have a large courtyard and gateway at the front of the house, so access should not be a problem wherever we site the tank (hopefully). One question, am I right in assuming that as your Ballon is at one end of the barn conversion, this is where your boiler is placed as well ?
Gabe
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Thanks all,
To clarify, I should have said a hot water storage tank, rather than an electrically heated Chauffeau. We currently have an old Chauffeau which is alright, but we only have one wash hand basin and a shower as a bathroom and so it doesn't have to keep up with much. I don't think it would cope with two bathrooms, both with baths and showers, my wife and I, plus three children. Not unless we wanted to heat it during the day, which would be too expensive.
Any ideas on the radiator sizes anybody ? Placing, actual installing and aesthetics apart, what is best, one large radiator or two small ?
Gabe
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Thanks Bob,
That makes a lot of sense.
Gabe
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Can anybody say if there is a maximum distance advisable between either your boiler and the chaufeau, or the chaufeau and the bathrooms/kitchens ?
Reason I ask, further to a previous posting, is relating to the position of the oil storage tank. If I instal the tank indoors (presumably no planning permission required), I would like to put it and the boiler in an old wine chai that is at one end of our farmhouse. If I put it outside (I am assuming based on previous advice that I will require PP for this), then I would place the boiler in the utility room which is the opposite end of the building, directly next to the kitchen and underneath the two bathrooms. The distance between the two positions for the boiler is approx 12-14m. With this in mind would a chaufeau 12 - 14 m away from the main areas of use for hot water be sensible, or doesn't it matter. Or alternatively is there a problem with heating the chaufeau, if placed in the utility room, from a boiler the other end of the building. I assume that the latter is not a problem as after all we will be looking to heat radiators all over the house.
Also when calculating radiators sizes, what is best practice, is it best to go for 1 large radiator or two smaller to achieve the same heat output ?
Anybody got ideas on costs/advice on oil fired boilers providing approx 44 - 52 KWs ?
....and finally, do you need to get planning permission for boiler flues ?
Many thanks
Gabe
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Ron
Thanks for the speedy response, very helpful
Gabe
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Forgive me for this one, I am sure that everybody else knows the answer to these, but in the post euphoric glow of the good news, can somebody educate me as to how this works.
Q1:I assume that renovation work undertaken by an artisan will incur 5.5 % TVA, does this include materials/equipment or just labour ?
IQ2: know that if I do the work myself I cannot claim for my own labour, but can I get the TVA reduced for equipment/materials that I buy ? If so how do you go about it ? Is it set off against your tax obligation ?
Q3: With any of this, does it matter that I am not yet pemanently based in France and as yet do not make a tax return ?
Apologies if this has already been done to death !
Gabe
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I wouldn't "lug" one over from choice, but initially a cost of £540 in England, compared to 1,350 euros in France, for exactly the same stove started me thinking. Obviously the rebate makes the French option much more attractive. The only down side being, that if we do not relocate until after Christmas, we cannot claim the rebate, so will have to postpone the installation.
Just one question on the rebate, do you get a refund or is it off set against your tax liability for the year. If the latter, how does this work if you do not actually have to pay tax in that year due to low income whilst we renovate the house. Obviously we would still need to make a tax return.
Anyway, I can always have an open fire in the meantime (before anybody jumps in, yes the chimneys have been swept), it is just more of a pain and very smokey, I had to disconnect the smoke detectors last time and have the windows open, a bit counterproductive.
Anyway thanks to all for the info.
Gabe
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Interesting about the rebate. Do you know if there is a time limit to this as I would like to instal now but will not be permanently resident until later this year, possibly after Christmas. Can you claim for more than one stove per house, as we would like two ? Also any idea on how easy or difficult it is to get the rebate. I am assuming that the rebate applies only to the cost of the stove itself and does not include all the peripherals, flues, installations costs etc.
Gabe
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Well we can put it inside or outside hence the question. I would prefer to site it outside as it means we can be more flexible with the boiler position. Nick what is your thinking on the permission ? Is it aesthetic, somebody looking at it, or is it Health & Safety. Reason I ask is if it is aesthetic then presumably inside no permission required. However if it is on safety grounds it is irrelevant whether it is inside or out.
Gabe
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Thanks for the sites, the hautefortrenovation one particularly good as it includes prices. This raises another question though. On their site they have Villager stoves for sale, which in some cases are significantly (up to £400) more than the same model on line in England and this doesn't account for delivery. With this in mind I am tempted to drag one over from England, a lot of hassle, but worth it. If I do this do I have to get somebody to install it for me for insurance purposes, or can I do it myself ? If I pay somebody, any ideas on costs ? Also I am assuming that flue liners are readily available at a similar price, or should I bring this with me ?
Once again thanks for the help
Gabe
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Forgot to ask this...Probably stupid question but, do you need planning permission to instal an oil storage tank/s in your garden ?
Gabe
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Does anybody know of French based internet sites that include price lists for woodburning stoves. Particularly interested if you know of suppliers in 32 (Gers) that have web sites. I know that Godin have a place in Ibos Nr Tarbes, but I cannot find their web site.
Gabe
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Will, Ron & Leslauriers,
Thanks for the info, very helpful. Just to fill in some gaps; the renovation that I refer to is more appropriately termed modernisation of our home. Which should not really take three years, but I do not intend to kill myself doing it. In response to Ron's point, we have no intention of claiming unemployment benefit at all. Seems a bit cheeky to claim family allowance, but we are entitled to it in England (or its equivalent) and as such I wanted this info so that I can make financial forecasts for all income and expenditure. Trust me that receipt, or non receipt, of family allowance benefits will not make or break our plans, but should be factored in.
Longer term I plan to either undertake limited working back in the UK to supplement income, or to use some of our capital to develop some of our outbuildings for income purposes. However I would much rather consider this option with proper, robust costings generated whilst living in France, than trying to do this as a desk top exercise from England. I have a reasonable level of building project experience to know how budgets can overrun. Also this approach will give me time to get to know my neighbours and local community better, before "slapping" in a planning application that risks offence.
Finally, I take Leslaurier's point and have been "hoovering" up as much advice from various sources for the past three years. However this in itself can sometimes be contradictory, hence the question. Anyway at some point you have to stop planning and start doing !
Once again thanks for the advice.
Gabe
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Thanks Will,
Your reply was very helpful indeed and I note the caveat regarding treating your reply as gospel.
We will be making a tax return anyway, even if it is a nil return (hopefully), as we will eventually be fully joining the system and appreciate that this will make things easier later on (again hopefully). Sorry to be a pain but can I just check that I now have this straight;
Short term : Initially we should be covered for up to a maximum of 2 years by E106. During this time we should receive state health care to which we should add complimentary (top up) health insurance to cover any short falls. During this time we should receive family allowance but would not be liable for any social security contributions.
Longer term: After E106, we would be liable for social security contributions linked to income and would be entitled to state health provision and social benefits, regardless of whether we are employed or not. Obviously we would need to continue with complimentary health insurance.
Sorry to labour this, but I have read so many things on other sites, admittedly of dubious credibility, that you start to question yourself. Also don't worry I fully intend to get professional advice in France when we move just to check the local application of the "rules".
Once again, thanks for the advice.
Gabe
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Help anybody,
Planning our move for this year, thought I had the following all straight in my head but recent articles have confused me;
We are relocating permanently this year, my wife and I, our three children (6, 4 and 2) having bought a house in the Gers last Spring. My questions all relate to Social Security issues:
Neither my wife or I will be working for at least three years, whilst we renovate our house. During this time we will be living off of the proceeds from the sale of our house in England. I believe that as the interest from the money from this sale will be below the income tax threshold, we will not be liable for tax, as we will have no other source of income. However can we /should we choose to voluntarily pay social security contributions and if so, what are these likely to be. Is there a benefit to doing this ?
Also if we do (or do not) pay these contributions are will eligible to receive family allowance? Also if we make voluntary contributions do we then qualify for state health care support (eventually) at the corresponding rate. I am assuming that we will require full private health insurance (not top up) if we do not make social security payments.
Finally does the E106 provide you with full health care cover for the first two years (Jan - Dec) or do you still need top up/complimentary insurance during this period ?
Help !!! Gabe
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Thanks Apero,
I will read all of the relevant strands of this thread before I ask anymore questions, as they may have been answered already. But if not I will comeback to you if I may. As it still is a bit of a mystery.
Best regards and Joyeux Noel
Gabe
How far is Cahors?
in South West (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées)
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In a car 8 hours sounds spot on, after all it is 95% + autoroute. To be honest in a 7.5 tonne lorry it will probably take 11 -11.5 hours dependent on the age and condition of the vehicle. Obviously none of this includes time for stopages etc and these msut be factored in. I frequently do this journey on my way down to the Gers via Montauban and know that these times are realistic.
Can I ask are you hiring your lorry, if so where from and how much does it cost ? We are planning our move for later this year and are seriously tempted to do the whole thing ourselves also. One other question, have you considered going over by the tunnel instead, or doesn't this work out with a lorry ?
Gabe