The Builder.

Coping stone is usually referred to as chaperon or sometimes plaquettes finition. Chaperon terre-cuite in various profiles should be readily available or to order.....

Good news! He'll happily confirm that in writing then (specifically concerning the roof covering) and the vendor and estate agent,who have your best interests at heart, know an asbestos cement when they see one....

Just to reassure British Gas customers out there.... BG would never carry out an installation that wasn't to regs just as they would never condemn an installation solely to generate business.

I'd be screwing the "plates" slightly higher, removing nails in the way and running a circular saw flush with the ceiling.

www.albinosquirrel.com    

Do rats smell?

....or you could get it from fluesystems.com..........

Sorry not a lot of time at the mo. Check out http://boutique.cstb.fr/dyn/cstb/upload/fichiers/ext_cheminee.pdf  for basics..........

.....or you could do it properly.....http://www.extech.com/instrument/products/310_399/382152.html

I really really don't want to make a bad situation worse, but are you really sure about the plumbing side as well? From what I can see from the photos, the plumbing is as bad as the tiling. More pics of the mixer / valve please?

Ah yes Dave..... we remember it well, the bank's favourite D.P.C scam, the wall-tie scam and then the ridge vent scam, the drive by-survey scam, the Guild of Master Craftsmen, the Health and Safety Executive...... Will we look back on sellers' packs and part P regs with the same fondness? Hopefully not, we are in France. Enjoy people.

Try Cedeo if there's one near you or Brossette. http://produits-btp.batiproduits.com/fiche/r?id=1241559326  from Sotralentz - (Eurolentz are quality and good range)

Normes only call for all principal rooms and entranceways to be lit, there is no restriction as to how other than each room should have it's own switch. The shower lighting circuits can be run as one as long as they do not form part that exceeds total number as above, but please check especially minimum siting clearances from zone 1 (600mm) if using mains, as well as splash and earthing ratings for your fittings.These are strictly controlled. (By the way you should have Type A disjoncteur for washing machine)  

Sorry I can't picture the layout and be more precise but generally with condensation problems you need to be considering ventilation more than heat.

Forgive me, I assume you've already paid. If you were my customer, I'd tell you the tiles are the wrong colour. You've seen tiles you want and it's only those you'll be happy with. Two choices here. 1. Leave them, forget about them, they're just roof tiles and will weather in a bit. 2. Strip them off, sell them second-hand to offset the cost, match them properly and put it down to experience. Lessons learnt? 1) Check what you're paying for. 2) Check one more time just exactly what you're paying for. 3) Don't pay until you've got what you're paying for. 4) Don't ever waste your time painting your tiles with yoghurt, cow dung, cement dye, fairy dust or anything else people can come up with.

You could try ringing radiateurfonte.com and pick their brains as they source throughout France........

Hi. Just a few pointers. If they're ornate, don't think of replacing them.Can't help with 65 I'm afraid but if it's any help, rely most on the pressure test. If they fail it's not really cost effective to continue but you can split sections and renew gaskets  if the rads are a  matching set. As they're already part of your system there's less risk compared to buying second-hand.If you want to save money and are strong, de-commission them yourself get them outside, get the hose on them and up to 3 bar.Fill them with a good de-sludger (e.g Sentinel) and let them soak.Pressure wash them internally if possible or get an air line through them at least. Then think about restoration.Personal preference here but french method tends to diagonal flow and return. Swap fittings / bottom bushes if you're doing new pipe runs as well. This can be tough if corroded. You may need heat and the right tools.The best is blasting by someone who's done rads before and immediate powder coat (cheaper finishes can smell for a long time afterwards) and make sure they know not to bung up the bleed valve etc. Definitely Danfoss. I wouldn't want to pay more than £50 per rad for blast and coat for a big job lot but I would go a bit more, depends if you can transport them etc. As for efficiency no-one I know would swap.

Wow. I apologise unreservedly for upsetting the forum page format, for preventing forum members from reading  people's posts other than mine and for not posting short links.

Sorry, I'm a busy man. Just wanted people to be one click away from the answers they're looking for.......

http://www.amazon.fr/Linstallation-%C3%A9lectrique-Thierry-Gallauziaux/dp/2212114311/sr=8-1/qid=1164383592/ref=sr_1_1/403-2254627-5450818?ie=UTF8&s=books The best there is.

PLEASE people remember ecart au feu min. distances from ceiling combustibles. http://boutique.cstb.fr/dyn/cstb/upload/fichiers/ext_cheminee.pdf

Don't want to add to the woes, but don't forget the db rating. Cheap ones are noisy as hell and neighbours hate them.

Don't give up. You are the customer. No-one should be confused that you need more power and even less resist coming out. Complain at your local office and you will get a result. You may or may not be interested in the following. I dealt with E.D.F by phone.  I've just had our disjoncteur changed as like you I had a complete new installation of meter. A short while later on rewiring, I noticed somewhat disconcertingly that the disjoncteur they supplied was not the selective type they should have installed so I rang for a change. They could only book up to one month in advance and had no technical department to speak to to explain the problem. The lovely lady I spoke to didn't know what a disjoncteur was. They also didn't ring me back a couple of times. I persisted , but at one point was one step away from declaring a total power failure which will as in England trigger a faster response.( tell them you can smell burning or something) Eventually the engineer came as agreed but tried to convince me the disjoncteur was fine.I was surprised to have to tell him it was not to normes and he told me he would "stick a sticker on it" to say it was selective when it wasn't. I laughed and sent him away to get the correct one. As he installed it I went to make a cup of tea and caught sight of him crossing himself  before carrying out the changeover without disconnecting the supply. If it's any help, you can always get the meter reader to put in a request for an engineers visit and also be aware that another limiting factor on the disjoncteur rating is the wiring cross section from the pole to your house.This may also have to be upgraded if it's 10mm. Best of luck.      

New boiler installation, a large one with 28mm outlets. In general how much of the distribution should be in 28mm for an average 3-bed 2 storey house? Should I reduce to 22mm to cross rooms and then 15mm to rad tails or do as much as poss in 28mm?

It's  "gravier beton"  in my merchant. The usual 20mm ballast / sharp sand mix. It is sold here in small and crane bags as in UK.