Jump to content

darnsarf

Members
  • Posts

    155
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

darnsarf's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

0

Reputation

  1. Here's a link to a suppliers of dimmable LED GU10s. http://www.ablectrics.com/product-3819-7Watt-LED-GU10-Equiv-to-50-Watts,-fully-Dimmable.-40,000-hours-warm-white.html There seem to be quite a few of these coming onto the market now. Fairly expensive at the moment and the dimmer itself needs to be of high quality.
  2. LEDs produce virtually no heat. Halogens tend to produce lots of it! I have two switches in my kitchen to produce a 'half light effect' i.e. half the lights on, half not, or all on or all off! it works fine for a kitchen and may be OK elsewhere but it's not really the same as dimming. That said, I have seen what they call dimmable LEDS bulbs recently though I suspect they achieve this by switching off some of the diodes (I may be wrong). The choice of LED is really important. Firstly, to avoid the blueish light, called 'cool white' (which is for me near impossible to read from) you need warm white but even some of these vary enormously. It depends on the number of diodes each bulb has (and some have ridiculously few). I bought mine from ultraleds.co.uk (no association). The more diodes, generally, the higher the cost. You can buy GU10 versions from about £3 but up to £20 each for some. Ideally, it's best to see some before buying the whole array. The equivilence to halogen/incandescent wattage is usually shown but the LED will normally be about 5W. Hope this helps and sorry if I confused anyone!
  3. The Sunday Times recently ran a story about the bad practices of car rental firms. The main problems seem to be about fuel bill, damage costs and the need to thoroughtly check and photograph the car inside and out, lest very large sums are added for fixing. ST now charges for content but the reader response can be seen free here http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/your_say/article707160.ece Advice seems to be to purchase the damage excess insurance from an online specialist other company, not via the rental firms.
  4. I agree the new LEDS are miles better than they were and last for ages. However, many people use downlighters with a dimmer. LEDS will not, as far as I am aware work with dimmers (i.e. they are either on or off) and this is why many people don't swap/ For places like a kitchen though, where maybe dimmers are less useful, LEDS have a role. Against halogens is the heat that they produce. I've had lots of smoke and near fires with them and had to reduce wattage.
  5. ....Although plainly a salaried estate agent who didn't achieve many sales would be unlikely to remain salaried for very long! That said, I certainly wouldn't suggest agents, whatever their employment/remuneration status are all self serving blaggards. But the client relationship is to my mind too blurred for me to feel comfortable with. The language/law issue bothers me. I wonder how many people in the UK would buy a house in the UK where the contract was in another language, their main contact was an apparently friendly agent financially involved in a sale taking place, a government employee whose primary role is tidy paperwork and tax collection, generally with no Surveyor involved, just the local builder and in a jurisdiction where the law as it applies to property, tax and inheritance is completely different. This is what has created some lovely material for programmes such as 'homes from hell'
  6. I agree . trouble is you don't often know it's going to be tricky until it's a bit too late. Donald Rumsfeld's "known, unknowns" come to mind. Certainly not wishing to damn an entire profession at all but it strikes me that relying on an Agent (who is not necessarily working for you but possibly the Vendor) for certain kinds of advice and, in particular drafting of the CdV and other issues that need surely a legally trained professsional with knowledge of the Buyer's circumstances, seems a little too trusting to me.
  7. I know the subject of UK law firm vs Notaire has been raised many times before but I'd like to support the UK gunslinger/solicitor line. I should add that I'm not a Lawyer! Maybe after a few times buying and selling in France one may become more confident or know more what to spot, but for my 1st buy there, I certainly didn't. The virtual 'sold as seen' concept in France is a potential minefield, compared to the regs and processes carried out in the UK on a home sale. The Notaire is essentially there as a Government officer to collect the tax due. Whilst mine did offer advice and was generally helpful, I felt far more comfortable knowing a UK Solicitor (and qualified Avocat in France) was wholly responsible for guiding my part of the process. They explained what the Notaire did and more importantly didn't do, they checked validity of artisan guarantees, planning in the local area, route of a proposed by-pass, inheritance issues, CGT and the all important Clauses Suspensives. For example, they added a few carefully worded clauses which gave me the option of backing out if certain events changed prior to completion, without losing my deposit. Although a clause didn't specifically cover sudden exchange rate shifts (it's perfectly possible to see a drop of 20% over a month or two), there were some options there that would have given me the opportunity. I speak OK-ish french and could gather what various artisans were telling me (pretty much) and was broadly able to read the documents (though I did use the UK lawyers to help understand the implications and translate a bit) but despite being (I think) about £3K lighter after using the UK lawyers,I consider it was very much worth the money. I'm no wimp when it comes to high ticket items and contracts but it's just too easy to walk into a nightmare, with both sides smiling all the way in.. Definitely my own personal gunslinger for me!
  8. Message on Ryanair website ( http://www.ryanair.com/en/new-routes) says it's starting again 02/01/2011, but I wouldn't rely on it!
  9. My understanding is that they are typically sold on a lease of about 25 years though existing leases with a portion of the lease remaining can be sold on. There are sometimes restrictions on who can sell the lease  - sometimes it has to be offered through the marina itself (and commission paid). But there are brokers - try http://www.marineonline.co.uk/index.htm as an example of the kind of prices charged.
  10. So they can apparently work on a temporary basis provided that they are registered for such work in their home country? Interesting. Given that I know not one word of Polish (and therefore verifying credentials may not be simple), I think I'll still go 'conventional'. I've found two separate Brit artisans who are registered in France and, with the help of an existing French artisan, a carpenter. So, hopefully, the long march to completion is nearing its end. ish Thanks for the link.
  11. The link doesn't work (for me). Could you check it and re-post?
  12. Just to be clear, I was not interested in engaging in black market labour, just a way of getting a small army of skilled workers to finish a renovation legally. It now seems this is at best borderline and would probably run the risk of being prosecuted, even if we put aside the local politics, which I do actually care about too. So, I'll now opt for a rather more conventional route - seeking out more quotes from registered local/regional artisans!
  13. Hmm, a little too close fo comfort! Thanks for the info. Any idea what actually happened in the case on judgement day? I tried a search and got nowhere.
  14. Thanks for the responses. Nick, if I use a business which is not registered in France (i.e. no SIRET), am I in potential trouble or is the (Polish) business? Given that it's largely decoration we're after, I'm less worried about the potential insurances/guarantees than the law.
×
×
  • Create New...