Le 47

SHON is the net surface that must be less than 170 sq m. Allowance from the SHOB gross figure include heights less than 1.8 m,  5% for insulation, in other words living space over 1.8 m high. there are some other bits & pieces but I cant remeber all the details. You cannot escape this rule by doing work in increments as the existing building and new bit are always added together. You can buy a book on PdC in a decent bookshop as well and get a PdC application form and check that out too. Bill

I paid a local farmer by the hour for his work. He turned over the top soil (heavy clay) which had been used for corn, levelled it and sowed the seed. He charged me 30€ an hour. He actually did about 4 acres for me, more or less how I wanted.  He would have made it really flat if I wanted but at extra cost because an extra bit of kit was necessary and more time. I think he charged me 600€ in the end which I was happy with. he actually did the work in March and it all worked out well. Bill

Teleconnect are offering a broadband service for 29,99€ with the facility to suspend service with a cost of 25€ to recommence after volunatary suspension. The operator I spoke to said that usage 5 or 6 months a year only was no problem. Bill

John - the point of your post was.............? Looking at the EDF page for EJP it seems it is no longer offered so changes may be difficult. http://www.edf.fr/141107i/EDF-Particuliers/mon-energie-au-quotidien/mon-tarif-electricite/l-option-EJP.html&onglet=3 Can you just ask EDF? Bill

A property professional  (i.e. estate agent) should be able to tell you all the fees which are due and therefore the final cost  to a fair degree of accuracy. You need to know this and if in any doubt you can confirm with a notaire if it gets that far. Before that ask and ask again to get to the bottom of it and get it in writing if necessary. The fixed fee is not so fishy for an estate agent in that one agent I have used in the sale of a house used a bareme (scale?) which kept the same  fixed (sort of!) agency fee for a range of prices e.g. 10 000 € for a property sold for between the prices 150 000€ and 200 000€. It was not a percentage and would be reduced if the property went for below that scale cut-off. Bill  

I take your point but was anybody actually talking about anything other than selling a property? Bill

Hi Vicky I have sent you a PM with details of the group. Good luck - let us know how you got on. Bill

How do you choose the right agents? Most around here show the same level of service. I have gone with 7 agents which seemed to give us a reasonable degree of exposure in our 'extended' area. There are similarities (e,g, no written valuations) and some differences in the level of knowledge that each agent has, which seems to depend on whether that particular agent put the property on the books or not.  Some have brought several people to view, one has brought none. I could have gone to another six immos, I suppose but that would mean advertising our property from further and further away. One agent actually sends a letter with client feedback. Until there is a track record with each agent it is very difficult to get any true feel for the quality of each agent. Bill

Hi Vicky I needed sunglasses to read your post! Do you know about the 'mum's in france' group running in the Castillonnes/Eymet/Duras area? If not I can send you details of the group which may well be of interest. Bill

I was at Bergerac airport yesterday when I noticed for the first time a new artists impression of Bergerac airport. It is sited above the parking payment machine. It depicts a large super modern glass & steel single story terminal building, with check in car hire desks etc all inside.  The text suggests that work will start 'debut 2007'.

Come on Turnip let us know your secret. Bill

As potential cutomers we only looked at gites with a dishwasher. Now renting out a gite we would not dream of not having one. It is a standard item IMHO. There is a lot of competition out there unless you want to compete by being the cheapest. Bill    

I am in 47. I had 6 valuations from 6 different agents. They were all "free valuations/market appraisals". There was absolutely no implication from not putting the property with them. Bill

Hi Bob Thanks for the reply I suppose I really mean does it come with a wifi modem or not like the old Cegetel modem or the current Freebox. If it does not is it the case that a wifi router is connected (by a network cable say) and the wifi functionality follows the router?  I am actually looking for the best/cheapest option to set up wifi in a gite I am looking after. Also seeing if it would be cheaper to cancel after the 3 month rental period and start again the following year. I have been looking at the main options and doing the numbers which puts Teleconnect in a favourable position. Thanks again Bill

Hi Barrym Do you have wifi with the broadband service? Bill

I was at Bergerac airport yesyerday (Thursday 22nd February) and I used the car park whilst dropping off the family for a flight to the UK. I found using it much easier than before, as the surface is smooth and there are trolleys. The barrier is now working but you do get 30 mins for free and then charges start at 1€ for an hour. I do prefer the set-up now to what would have been a muddy area before. Bill

Has anyone out there had any recent experience of opening an ordinairy UK bank account using a French address? I have made contact with 2 banks who both referred me to the offshore banking sections with associated high charges. Thanks Bill

I used Airflex fitted on the outside and liteau/tuiles plates over. It was installed and taped up as per the spec. It is not as good as 200mm of rockwool in the winter but I think it is probably better at keeping heat out in he summer. Overall I may use it again but I have reservations. Clearly it has some advantages but if winter fuel economy/comfort is driving your decision I would consider not using it or or a hybrid likeusing  the extra 100mm of rockwool as well as suggested by Dc. BTW DC how exactly have you installed the two types together? Bill

There are other permutations as well. If you are self employed in UK and living in France you can get an E106 for 5 years.  I am the proof as I am now on my 5th and final year of having an E106. Bill

Thanks to everyone for the replies which have provided food for thought. The car is owned by a film production company who do not have any details of the previous owner. It has French number plates so if it is straight the vehicle could be traced. I understand there is no info about the previous owner held by the company who have had the vehicle for several years, they tell me. There we have it. Thanks again everyone. Bill

Thanks for the reply Bob. Of course if the vehicle was stolen there would be a range of issues. Assuming that it is not, you mentioned bringing it over on a trailer but what then? I suppose I could register it in the UK first and then import it? I dont know if and how the rules have changed in the UK but a few years back having no V5 was not an impediment to registering a vehicle in your name.

I have looked at previous posts on classic cars which were helpful but I would welcome some advice on this please. If I bought a 26 year year old car in UK with French plates but no papers (no carte grise CT nothing!) what problems might I encounter getting it registered in France? What would be the best approach to facilitating me driving to France? Thanks in advance for any info from those in the know. Bill

[quote user="PossumGirl"] you can go with an online solution like Mozy. They give you 2 GB free,PG[/quote] Hi Possum Girl I looked at Mozy and will sign up. If you give me your referal number I will put it in and maybe help towards anothe GB thanks for the info.  

Hi Lee  Last year was our first year and all came through Holiday Rentals.

Its an ingredient in Sri Lankan dishes e.g. curry. An example recipe is on the link below. http://paradisaya.tripod.com/recipes/chickenc.html