BIG MAC

So if in it's transitional period it is insured and that insurance covers 'foreign travel' whether affiliated to the MIB (or not) and meets the third party requirements  (MIB or not) then he may have been legit?

Did you seal the tiles pre-laying.....if not....woops

Just watching this programme and saw an unfortunate chap getting his car taken off him by Essex Police. The guy had English plates but French Insurance as he was a French resident,,,,not good enough according to the Police as the French insurer was not affiliated to the motor insurance bureau in the UK. So if the guy had French plates he would have been ok (assuming he had foreign travel cover) however I believe you may have a vehicle in France up to 6 months on UK plates before changing...I believe that if the French insurer was prepared to provide cover and the vehicle met the criteria in terms of controle technique etc.. the Police would have been wrong to arrest him?  Discuss.....

Probably not reading this correctly but how would turning the jig over change the cut angle of the joint? Inverting the router might (Unlikely and awkward) or turning the worksurface over ...I have seen blunt cutters used and people exerting pressure on them giving a poor pass but ultimately an adequately sized /powered router (Mine is a Hitachi 1850w with 12mm chuck if memory serves), an accurate jig and decent cutters along with a bit of experience will see the job done.

What are the tiles made of?  

I have just been sent an email from Kwak UK re the 'new' 650f...It looks like my fazer replacement may have arrived.

I presume you are using a router jig...if surfaces are clean then a quick rub with sandpaper to the mating faces will give you an adequate join IMHO particularly if you are looking for functional rather than indetectible. Cheap cutters are a risk not worth taking I would rather spend my money on one  decent cutter that a set of tandoori ones. Yes you can use your router as a biscuit jointer but measuring is of paramount importance, you can also set up a dremmel type machine to form slots...not as good as the real thing and more fiddly, personally I would simply use the old 'dog bone' bolts method. I prefer clean and accurate cuts and once sanded a couple of coats of varnish to the raw edges (flat back once dry) to seal them then use coloured silicone sealant in the joint when clamping it up seems to have lasted well in my 12 year old kitchen.

Seems to me that some people in our commune just build willy nilly without too many formalities...others go the full monty with the board outside giving project details ....

Yes you can ....I approached our local merchants told them that I like to support local business and that I knew what I thought were reasonable prices. I provided a schedule of principal materials (In French) and quants asked them to give me a devis against which I could calculate costs pro rata. Turned out they were cheaper than the sheds on most things and deliver anything up to 6 tonnes for €18 (I would spend that in Diesel and time going to a Brico anyhow) happy days....

Don't take this the wrong way but I don't think direct recommendations are permitted on here and this company look like an English developer (although French Reg). If you want to say a big thanks to them they have a contact page on their website.

Rather than criticise.....have you considered a disabled access shower tray? not as disabled access per-se but as a means of having a very shallow but 'laid to falls' shower tray? I think a company called 'phlexicare' do them in the UK and theres bound to be a French equivalent...remove floor boards and fasten to joists to create a 'level' access  

http://www.bigmat.fr/catalogues-et-guides/nos-guides

I know 'BIG MAT' stock the material ready folded for ridges / flashings and in sheet form for forming box gutters etc..  

Without seeing it ...how about tiling it?

Is there a definitive text that anyone can point me at in relation specifically to insurance of a domestic property which covers the following areas? Electrical works (significant but not a full rewire) if carried out in accordance with standardes and normes does this subsequently need to be certificated by a French trades person? Plumbing works I have a mountain of UK standard copper pipe and fittings which I would like to use I have read my policy and see no exclusion in respect of using fittings from another EEC country...ie. taps from Italy, sinks from Germany, shower cabinet from Spain...why therefore would UK fittings be excluded from being covered? Solid fuel stoves - I have an old Quebb Master stove sitting in my hangar but as these were made in a foundry in the Forest of Dean and this no longer exists can I legally install it? Hinges ironmongery etc - These items when bought in France fall into two categories - French made, decent but prohibitively expensive or Chinese made affordable tat...surely these can be 'brought in' without penalty? Bottom line - despite all the scare stories is there much narrative in respect of French Insurers swerving a claim in respect of any of the above (I can imagine electrical would be the likely one) Big question - In relation to third parties...if a visitor to a Frech home in some way suffers loss or damage as a consequence of DIY lets say they slip on a tiled floor which is wet due to a weep from a UK spec rad valve onto tiles bought in the UK...What view would insurers take (All purely hypothetical of course)

I may be interested as I have a soft spot for the Kwak twins since I had a kle500

it is possible to trepan on a new errr 'stop coque' in the UK so I imagine France will be little different...Pipe freezing is a possibility if you are brave and want to work on a live system....problem is pressures in France tend to be quite high

Hi Theiere (sorry re English keyboard) It's going to be an internal stair up from my cave to my hangar which means I will be able to get to one end of the property to the other without going outside and traipsing mud in...it also allows me to store furniture etc in the hangar while working on internal projects bit of a faff but ultimately convenient particularly in the winter.

This shows the hole that I have got myself into lol! Next 1200 dpm then the blockwork to allow me to pull the DPM tight to the back of the blocks and fill the gap behind in concrete (The mesh wll be extended up  and is  also edge thickened below with 10mm rebar around the lower edge of the 200mm slab) I agree with the observations made in respect of the top course and U Blocks being uneccessary. The top will be shuttered and wired into the floor slab which will be formed once the reinforced block work is in - I intend opening out the corner blocks and reinforcing with small proprietary rebar cages.   How much stone came out of the hole I hear you ask? That's just the stone we hand riddled from the dig...there's a load of sandy soil gone to level the garden a bit

Engine out to access the air filter?!!!! nahhh........10 minute job, seat off, prop tank if needs be, lid to air box off, filter out ....aerosol carb cleaner (or cold start if you cant find any carb cleaner - basically spray ether) give it (not you) a few lungfulls and see if that works......refitting reverse of dismantling etc.

I would be tempted to 'repair' a leak that may have resulted from the revised ground level. Although I suspect the authority would not want you touching anything 'their' side as you could just as easily trepan a new unmetered connection into the line.  What you could do is run a new pipe in  a trench up to their suggested meter location and have them connect it.

Unless you have somehow precluded this...simply bury the thing deeper or re-route in pvc pipe where it can be sunk to the required 800mm from the existing location?

cheers both.... typing with a broken hand so struggling a bit ...  

Hi looking for info preferably video showing the construction of a reinforced wall out of French type 200 x 200 x 500 concrete blocks?

why not  ask a local farmer to employ his telehandler (used for moving those big bales of straw oftentimes)