candide

Those of you who have experience of gite changeovers :  How long on average does it take to turn around a two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage (occupancy 4 people with 1 double bed and 2 singles)? Have just started renting, and my changeover people claimed it took 13 hours to prepare after guests A and before guests B. This is after they did a 21-hour 'thorough clean' before arrival of guests A because property had been unoccupied for a long time. Am I right in thinking this seems excessive?

I think somebody on this forum mentioned using skimmer nets in the skimmer baskets, but I can't find the post I'm thinking of.  Does anyone know where you can buy such nets (and are they disposable or reusable?) Secondly, my pool company recomments a Polaris 280 robot.  Does anyone have any experience of this particular pool cleaner? Thanks in advance for your help.

Year 11/12 student seeks a 1 - 2 week unpaid work experience placement in Charente Maritime area in summer 2007.  Reasonable French.

Having just planted up a large bed with shrubs and perennials, in an area of the garden which backs onto woodland, is there anything I can do to deter deer from eating the plants?  Fencing the entire garden in is not an option, particularly as I have read that a fence to keep deer out needs to be at least 8 ft high.

Thank you.  That's a relief.  French assets are not worth much.   

If you are a UK citizen and tax-payer, with just a holiday house in France which you visit 4 or 5 times a year, would this French wealth tax affect you?

How can you consider this option if you have no idea if it is correct? Because it is the option that has been suggested to me by my professional pool installers.  I mean I am just unsure as to whether it is necessarily the best option.

I am also considering a 14kw heat pump for a 10m x 5m pool with a 75 cubic metre capacity, although I have no idea if this is correct.   Macker, do you really mean a 32kw pump?

We need to employ a labourer to clear stones / rubble from some buildings in preparation for building work.  Accommodation possible at some times of year.  Please PM me for further details.

  Albert - I think you're right.  I've also read that moving a borne is a criminal offence.  But I can't prove that anyone has moved anything.  All I know is that we found it impossible to find one of the bornes (which had been put in a month or so before in front of the previous owners and our neighbour) while our neighbour looked on. Anyway, we've just had a new bornage done at our expense.  The new borne is exactly where we calculated that the old one should be, and the geometre didn't manage to find the old borne either.   I don't want to cause a big fuss, or make a song and dance about anything.  It would simply be nice to be able to put up an attractive fence, create a visual boundary and a screen between us and the neighbour - and to do it all legally so that he has no cause for complaint.  I think the idea of photos is a good one though.  Both of the bornes as they are now, and later of the fence.  It's a holiday home for us so part of the problem is that there are often lengthy periods when we're not here, and then perhaps there is a temptation to 'interfere' a bit. 

I've already tried planting a privet hedge (70cm inside the boundary in order to be nice) but it's growing so slowly.  It'll be at least 5 years before it provides a screen.  And it's some of the privet plants that disappeared.  So it has got to be a fence.  Another problem is that he has very young grandchildren who do wander in when no-one is supervising them.  I've nothing against children, but we also have unfinished ruined buildings on our land (not to mention a swimming pool)  and I don't want to be responsible for any accidents.  Surely it's quite normal to have a fence between gardens?  Having got the new bornes sorted out I shall pay a visit to the mairie (when they reopen) and just check whether we can erect it 'en limite', ie. with the bornes outside.  And if we do need a declaration, then I'll make one. 

Well, you would think so, but unfortunately the  character of our neighbour is the reason we really need the fence.  The boundary is in front of our house, and behind his.  So the view from all of our windows is into his open garage; bins, washing on the line, cars, general storage etc.....  I have no objection to what he keeps in his garage, and it's all reasonably tidy, but I would just like to be able to screen it off with a fence and create a 'garden'. For some reason he doesn't want a fence.  For 7 years we've tried to appease him, to maintain good neighbourly relations, but now we're at a stage where our plants are dug up when we're not here, bornes have mysteriously disappeared, his plants are planted just inside our boundary...  So - consulting him about our fence is no longer an option.  That's why I need to be absolutely sure of our rights before putting it up, otherwise no doubt it will come straight down again.   But thanks for showing an interest anyway...  

Thanks for your prompt replies.  I also felt that chlorine must be chlorine, no matter whose bottle it comes in, but as it's all very new I don't want to make any mistakes.

We have a new automatic regulator system and it injects chlorine and PH aqua minus.  The pool company tell me I should always stick to the same brand of product (ie. the one from them, which can be difficult to get hold of as they're a bit of a journey away).  Would it be OK to put in any chlorine which is intended for pools?  And if so, where can this chlorine be bought? (Sorry it's such a stupid question, but I'm a pool novice)  

Thanks for your reply.  Will ask again at the Mairie.  It's just that the lady there is a little bit vague sometimes.  When I asked her on the phone about fences, she said no 'declaration' was necessary, but that if the neighbour didn't want a fence, then we should construct the fence 50cm in from the boundary to avoid any possible problems.   I feel this can't be right, as for a 50m length of fence, we would be 'giving away' 25m2 of land to the neighbour.   (A geometre has just been round to do an official 'bornage' so no problem there).

I would also like to know if a declaration de travaux is necessary for a green post and plasticised wire fence if anybody has any idea / experience of this.  In my case it would not border a road, but would simply serve as a separation between my and neighbour's garden. I have had conflicting advice, so perhaps it is safer to get the DT anyway?  but waiting for permission to come through would obviously delay matters.

Where did you get the stone chippings from?

Is privet quick enough?

Does anybody have this type of security cover?  It has bars across it and can be walked on by a person of normal weight.  It conforms to the AFNOR security requirements but I'm just wondering how practical it is, ie. how easy to open and close etc.  Is it a good alternative to a fence?

Yes - I don't want to name any names.  They're a French company and are generally well regarded in the area I think.  And they definitely haven't gone out of business.  I think we've just been very unlucky for some reason.  It has been ridiculously slow and badly organised, but I'm still hoping we'll end up with our pool before the end of the season....

Yes - they started the work in the autumn ! and unfortunately we have paid them for more than they have completed, so we have no option but tu finish it with them.  I will be on the phone every day, and will see them next week!  Thanks for the advice though.

Thanks for your replies.  I know there is no easy answer - just feeling frustrated as we are obviously the ones sent to the bottom of the queue.  Will just keep on at them until it's done!

Ordered and part-paid for a pool in August 2005 for the following summer.  End of June 2006 and pool company are still not able to tell me when it will be finished, and we are already half-way through the season.  What can I do?

We have a 20m boundary with a neighbour.  It is at the front of our house, and the back  (garage) side of his.  It is, therefore, where he hangs his washing, parks many cars, does building work etc.  Obviously, I quite understand that he has a right to do all these things - and I have never complained - I would just prefer to screen it off so that we can have a pretty garden in front of our house.  When we occasionally put something which doesn't please him near the boundary (temporary piles of tiles left by builder, piles of prunings etc.) he complains in a very  agressive way.  Over the last 6 years we have gently broached the question of a fence, not wanting to fall out with our neighbours, but he is against it.  Recently he has pulled out some of our plants, half of which we planted on land belonging to a third party through ignorance of the French cadastral system.  However, the third party said nothing.  Had he pointed out our error, we would obviously have rectified it immediately.  It was the difficult neighbour who pulled them up and disposed of them when we were away. (It is a holiday house). I cannot accept that this was a reasonable way to behave, and I now think a fence is essential. I don't think he will agree, because he likes to give the impression that he has more land than he has.  We will pay for the fence - this is not the issue.  My question is, how far does the fence have to be in from the boundary, to avoid any possible redress from him?  And do we have to get agreement from him, even if we are putting it in from the boundary? I would be grateful for any advice from anyone who has come across a similar problem.  Thank you!    

If anyone has any insights into the relative merits of the PSA Edenpac brand versus the Climexel brand of heat pumps, I would still be very interested.