tempinfrance

We are planning to convert space up in the roof into a bedroom. I want to use  that silver backed insulatation as I believe it will make the bedroom cooler in summer - our last house was so hot in the attic roof in summer that the ceiling was red hot to touch. Keeping the heat in is not so important as the room is small enough to heat economically when it gets very cold, which isnt for long. Silver stuff is very expensive - has anyone noticed its had a good effect in reflecting heat and keep roof areas cool? Would be grateful for any advice as price really is an issue on this one. Thanks

Hi You sent me an email in reply to a post in employment section but emails sent in reponse to your address are bouncing, I think  your mail box is full. Pls could you email me again . Thanks!

You replied to a post 'english speaking telesales' (on wednesday ) but I've been advised emails to the email address you  gave at wanadoo are bouncing, your mail box may be full. Pls can you forward alternative email as your skills are apparently well matched to the role!! Thanks

I would be grateful if anyone could let me know whether it's ok to keep chickens roaming free at the moment or if there are restrictions on keeping them under cover. I've been thinking about getting some chickens to scare away the snakes in my garden but if the chickens have to be in a pen, i don't think the snakes will be too terrified!  

Thanks Bob, that's really helpful.

Ashamed to say that after two years of owning a house in our village I don't know our Mayors real name!! We live and work elsewhere in France so dont get to spend much time in the village. Of course, now we need a favour...a permis de cosntruire...the application for which I am going to have to send by post to the Mairie. Would be grateful for any advice re who to address this to...I guess Mr. Mayor is out of the question...maybe I should just address in to 'The Secretary, Mairie' or should I address it to 'The Mayor'. Grateful for any assistance in avoiding upsetting anyone!     

Thank you, Nick.

Just in the process of putting together the application for the permis de construire and can't remember whether the application for the fosse needs to be done at exactly the same time or not. Some of the plans in the permis application show where the fosse will go, it's size etc but I know that the application for the fosse will require it's own form separate from the permis for the house conversion. I would be very grateful if anyone knows whether I can post the permis application and then tackle the one for the fosse or if they need to go together. Tahnk you!      

Apologies, because I know for sure this has been covered , i just can't find the right post. I have a small barn with its own CU, the main house also has its own CU but they stand on the same parcel. they are not attached in any way . Would the potential surface areas be added together to calculate whether an architect is required or are they treated as separate with regard to the 170m rule? Thanks for any help.    

I would be grateful if anyone can advise...I have a totally ruined, roofless house which is impossible even to enter but which for some reason taxe habitation has always been paid on...probably as the old owner lived in a little barn in the grounds follwing the roof falling in on the main house and probably needed to pay taxe d'habitataion on 'something'. The main house came with a CU applied for by the immo years ago when we bought and which we have since renewed , the little barn has a separate CU as it was only just before the acte de vente I asked the immo for one to cover this building too . We need to develop the little barn first as the main house is beyond our means at the mo' and the little barn is actually habitable now...permis de construire application is need just to make it legally a dwelling/ So, we are paying taxe d'habitation on a ruin that impots say is a 94 m2...should I be careful to keep the projected surface area of the little barn under  76m2 so that the two added together remain under 170 or does the fact that the permis de construire is only for one building and it has its own CU, make a difference? Sorry for over wordiness and gabbling...this is rapidly becoming more and more of a muddle!!!  

After not a little struggling, some great help from this forum and a patient architect lady found via the forum who checked ( and corrected) our application...my DIY permis de construire application is almost ready for sending. I know its still not perfect and whole situation is sill really a muddle ... permis is for a little barn in the garden lived in for years by previous owner as the actual house had more or less collapsed and has totally no roof since at least 5 years...thought for a while that i could get away without a permis as habitation tax was paid...but although impots cant tell me for sure I think was actually paid for the ruined, roofless house and not the little barn (that has chimney, running water etc) possibly the old owner thought that if taxe was paid on something then that made living in the barn not quite so naughty. My partner has a 'proper' job in France and I know that there is a law that says you need to pay taxe habitation somewhere if you are working.  Sorry! My question actually was, should all the papers, application itself, drawings ect be sent in some kind of binder or just stapled together...i know about 6 copies of everything are needed. Also, aside from the mocked up photos which I've scanned? I would like to include some originals...wondered if anyone had done something similar and if they should be mounted on card or whatever. Hmmm, last ditch attempt to avoid rejection...anyone know of a law that says that if building was lived in for many years then no permis de construire is required...there's only a velux thats exterior change and I'm doing the whole thing just to be 'legal'.       

thank you, that saves some searching.  

I just wondered if anyone knew of a web site where plan cadestres are available to view / download online? this would be of great use to me as the section numbers of ours have recently changed and I'm not within travelling distance of the Mairie for the area my property is in. This might be of use to others, maybe in the UK, so if i find a site before anyone can tell me, I will post the address here.  

i have been naughty and posted a similar question on another thread but since realised the question is more simple than i first thought...if anyone knows if outbuildings are included as part of surface area of house i would be grateful. Our (ruined house was about 148 on two floors...its totally not habitable ...not even to enterable!) yet our taxe d'habitation bill is calculated on a surface area on 365m2 ( i called impots and managed to understand that much)j. I'm wondering if outbuildings are included on this bill. The note at the bottom of the bill just says its for one 'maison'. I suppose just because the surface areas are included on the tax habitation bill it doesn't mean they are classed as 'habitable'...or does it! After ages of toing and froing still trying to get to grips with whether i need a permis de construire or not to live in the most habitable of the buildings on my land...which is a barn lived in by previous owner as their house had collapsed! Now i guess it hinges on whether this little barn was included in bill for tax hab'..and if so, whether this means its considered a dwelling.             

sorry, to post again but i think someone will know answer to this next question . called Impots and managed to understand enough to find out our tax d'habitation is for a massive space...about three times larger than the (ruined) house itself...are barns and other outbuildings included in calculation of surface space (at the bottom of the bill it just says 'maison') Many thanks   

Does anyone know if there is a part on the taxe d'habitation bill that details how many sq. metres / number of rooms etc the taxe has been calculated upon...at the foot of the bill there is an 'H' under the cataegory 'AFF' but I've no idea what this relates to and my French isnt quite good enough to phone and ask how the taxe has been calculated re property size. I would like to find out as I've a ruined, roofless, mising one entire side (for many years) house on my land plus a little barn that has chimney, cosy room, sink etc that i thought the old owner lived in illegally and for which i was about to apply for a permis de construire for to change use....if the taxe d'habitation was calculated for the little barn then I guess its already classed as a habitation and no need for permis...my guess is though, that the owner just carried on paying taxe d'habitation on the house for years and years even after it fell down. If there's taxe d'habitation being paid...i guess there must be something somewhere on my land classed as a dwelling...or am I wrong as usual?!       

thanks Val. Could you tell me if i CU usually means conversion is okay in principle? I understand demand for permis might highlight areas the planning dept are not happy with but idea of refusal to allow to convert at all had not occured to me before! 

Has everyone who has renovated a property such as an old barn on which tax habitation was no paid by previous owner (due to property not being habitatable), had to obtain a permis de construire - even when little or no exterior changes are needed?. I have a barn with a CU, I could live in it with no exterior changes, just changes on the inside. I am wondering if it really is possible just to inform impots and ask them to start charging tax habitation? Is a permis de construire the only way to turn a barn into a home?  

After months, i am still trying to get to grips with this and can't seem to get a definate answer. Could a barn that needs no exterior changes except for a velux (ie it already has other windows) be changed inside and become a habitable dwelling without a permis de construire? The barn has a CU. Is it possible to obtain classification as habitable on what is classed as an agricultural building with just the CU and a declaration for putting the velux in?    

A relative has got a bit of a grumble re one of the French property websites based in the UK (they just list houses and arrange viewings with the various immobiliers they work with ) is there any legislation covering these sites - do their operators need an agent commerciale cert for instance?

I'm in the process completeing the application for the Permis de construire and am having to make a list of all the materials used as part of the application. In the roof will be two velux windows. Do i have to list the make and maybe include a photo from the catalogue or will simple measurements be sufficient info. Hoping someone who's done this before can advise! In hope!

Thank you thank you!

I'm trying to compile list of materials which will be used in exterior renovation of my barn. I'm trying to find out the name for those wrought iron things that you often see on the outside of windows in France. Not the full length bars...but the type that come half way up...sometimes they are used decoratively / for security...ours will be for safety reasons as the window concerned is floor length and on teh upper floor. I'm not sure if the different purpose means they have a different name...my French friends are not sure either! Would be grateful if anyone could let me know!    

Right, I'm slowing understanding a bit more about this. This is my second place in France but the first needed no work requiring changes needing permis so although I've not applied for anything other than a CU before, I'm guessing that in applying for the permis I could easily make a small mistake that leads to an awful lot hassle ... possibly by giving 'too much ' information. For example, our permis relates to a small barn in the grounds of our ruined house and for a good few years before we purchased, someone lived in this little barn...no loo, no bath but a sink draining just to outside. I'm dithering at the moment about whether to mention this in the notes on the form...I strongly suspect years and years ago the front of what was a tiny 'open' barn was bricked up...obviously without planning permission so the person could keep warm and dry. I f anyone has learned any tips from applications perhaps we could post them here, so others can avoid making similar mistakes or benefit from knowledge gained. At the moment I'm puzzled over how much detail to give about interior changes and just how much detail to show on the drawings... one bedroom and bathroom in loft.

Thank you very much for your help - this saves me from over complicating things and probably digging  a hole for myself in the process.