Sue Buckle

Thank you everyone for your useful links and suggestions. I'm not sure we can opt for a geothermal or heat-pump option. The current owners have installed the radiators and pipework, but no underfloor heating. So we are stuck with a conventional solution, I fear. It would not be practical to take up the flooring. It may be that the best thing to do is to install electric radiators, or have an oil-based system and hope we don't have to use it very much! Luckily the property has two wood-burning stoves as well. Sue

Wow, thanks for calling me 'stupid'. I was just asking a question. The price of boilers in France is much higher than the UK, so it seemed a question worth asking. We have friends who have installed British cookers, fridges, etc. And just because we can afford to buy a property does not mean we can afford to do everything to it that we would like.

Good, salutory story! I think we had better buy in France.

No idea what type of boiler yet, but thank you. I see that it was a bit of a foolish idea!

Good points. Thanks.

After all the useful information about renovation work at a distance, we've decided to buy a house where very little needs doing. We'll leave the renovation project for when we move to France permanently. The house we are buying has radiators in place, plus all the pipework, but the owners have not installed the boiler. They saw no point in investing the money as they are selling. Apparently boilers are much more expensive in France than they are in England, for some reason. Does anyone know if an English boiler can be fitted in France? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but I can't see why we couldn't buy a boiler here and take it to France... As always, thank you in advance for any help. Sue

Thank you, Sally. I appreciate this, as we would be in exactly the same situation. Sue

Yes, I would have thought that a dormer included absolutely everything. That reminds me of the time we purchased an IKEA bed, and the woman at the till asked if we needed 'sommier'. I thought she meant a mattress topper, so said no. When we put the bed together and the mattress fell through onto the floor, I realised that she had meant the supporting struts. Felt very foolish!

Oops, we crossed over. Thanks for the explanation. You must have laughed when you realised what you had left out! Sue

Okay, I now know that a chien assis is a dormer window! Sue

What is a chien assis? Apart from a seated dog? It sounds like a phrase I should know! Sue

Ha ha! Yes, a little put off, but not totally discouraged! I quite understand that things change during a restoration, and that obviously has to be paid for. We are obtaining 2 reasonably detailed quotes, and will take it from there. Thank you so much for all your comments. Really useful, and will help us decide if we are up for it. At the moment we are both resident in the UK, and would have to find a project manager, as co-ordinating from here would be really difficult. So if anyone knows a good PM in the Lot, let me know! Thanks again, Sue

We are trying to cost a renovation project. The house has solid walls and roof, and the current owners have insulated the roof, and then stopped. We would have to finish the internal attic space, and re-organise the downstairs space, moving a staircase, bathroom, adding velux windows, knocking some holes in thick walls, etc. We have been given a rough estimate of the work involved at €70,000. We have never attempted a restoration before, and are worried about the constant refrain of builders always charging more than their estimates. Someone else has quoted €1000-€1250 a square metre as a good rough guide of costs, but this seems very high for internal work, and would put the project out of our reach. Another person has said you have to add 40% on to the quote for materials, and half as much time again as you have been quoted. We have a lump sum and cannot exceed it. I'd love to hear from a few people about whether we really need to add 40-50% onto our budget. Thanks in advance. Sue

We have just come back from a house-hunting visit, and saw a couple of properties through Beaux Villages. So they are alive and kicking, in Montségur anyway! Sue

Our estate agent went ahead and booked someone to do the diagnostics without discussing it with us first. His price was 550 euros. I managed to find someone who did it all for 240 euros. If anyone wants someone reliable in the Var, Provence, I will happily pass on the details. The price differences are a bit crazy. Sue