BIG MAC

a) I didn't say mine were fire rated. b)The price was why I bought about 30 sets. Fire hoods are easier to fix to the boards before putting them up. Presumably if one was using insulation one would need the hoods in any case.

Keep an eye on Lidls who get them in from time to time ...I was paying €5 for a pack of 6 when I got them a couple of years ago.  

Because I have a shedload of it which cost me nothing :-)  

Disclean Brick cleaning acid ..does the job...

Speaking from what we are doing ..holes should be about 3/4 the way up the joist and aligned as best you can, going higher opens the risk of a nail strike from above. I would run in pre wired gaine and JBs  but I believe (please check) that 'flex' is permitted as the PVC sheathing is an insulator as is the sleeve for the individual conductors / wires. Its simple enought to 'strap' the sides of joists then insert placo to hide the cable runs and create a void for downlighter pots.  

My numberplates are British and Plastic...nothing iron about me ...

I couldn't see the French delivery bit in the link? I have been saying for years that they should do this though.

The previous owner of our house covered the bad walls with bad wallpaper which was painted badly and failed to conceal the bad dampness and bad plaster delamination. In th euk I would hack the lot off - then use a tanking render then two coat plasterwork. In France its getting drylined using ceiling metal rails bedded in tanking render (to give straight walls) then the dreaded placo.

Ahh the romance of it all - mobile homes aren't all bad. As you are well resourced an au fait with French planning and business I shall wish your venture well and pray that your budget is adequate and your instincts sound.  

Again an arguement for leasing mobile homes maybe? minimal outlay and non permanent installations..  

Only my view ... a) You have 'a site' b) You have a building envelope c) You have the option to develop without using up more land d) A redevelopment of a 'worthy' structure may be more to your Mairie's taste/liking e) After basic services are run in you would be working on a secureable and 'dry' site f) By virtue of containment you can match progress to cashflow - maybe do one module quickly and follow on with the fit out of the other slower (I would do all the heavy stuff at once to avoid mess) g) €240,000 is a shed load more than you would likely pay for a barn redevelopment under a new roof...probably in the order of €50,000.00 more and I am including running services in whereas the €240,000 discussed elsewhere will likely assume level site, slabs and services in h) A well executed barn conversion is an investment which may stand for centuries...a garden shed..even a slot together heavy gauge garden shed..remains a garden shed. From a business perspective what gives you quickest return for the type of market you are aiming at? I would guess a conversion of the barn into a common area / kitchen / wet gear change and showers facility (maybe with a sauna) and put mobile homes out round the lakes. This should give you some 2013 lets..mobile homes are about the €45k mark and are also leaseable. This approach should keep the muck, moisture and cooking smells out of the mobile homes (at least to an extent) so would extend their service life and allow the use of larger gas bottles. I wonder if you would  make €10k per year out of each van to give a resonable rate of recovery...after ten years the things will be very tired even allowing a soft furishings refurb every three years and new matresses every year. My last piece of advice as I am no expert on any of the matters raised is get to the money quick as you can - The French are far more likely to listen to someone who is visibly 'doing' something than yet another dreamer - (They get lots of them)

And short shifting, clutch blending, no sudden moves...

Just to be clear..my negotiations are all tax inclusive. I get a proper invoice etc. It's down to a spplier customer relationship...I don't mess them around and I pay in the folding ...do not underestimate the value of cash is my experience. Hard €uros are attractive to a supplier when the little companies are going to the wall owing him money. I would suggest that an anuual spend of even as low as €5,000 will get them talking to you.

You could put in pads inside the barn then an RC  ring beam and a block and beam deck (very little digging and easy to damp-proof) Make good inside walls and line with cellotex. then simply build your units inside as single skin celcon block modules. Cheap as chips and modern on the inside? Could be done in studwork but vermin can be a problem with that  

Dunno if it helps but at the beginning of my DIY Year (March ish) I send an exel doc across to my local merchants and get them all to price a schedule...(They are usually reluctant to price metal work, copper, cable and reinforcement) the rest though is usually ok. so heavy side sand, gravel, hydraulic lime, chaux, cement, concrete blocks, insulation, timber (various sizes) plasterboard, deliveries etc. I average the lot and the Merchant with the most favourable average gets my custom that year. I simply take a printed copy of their Devis with me and smile wryly at Les Anglais paying through the nose....Or indeed a French Artisan who took the hump until he was availed of 'Mr Eccossaise has an arrangement' Horses for courses..

In the section of the Cosmos reserved for the worlds truly helpful folks...there's a little chair ...it has 'Clair' written on the back of it.  

Oh dear, I wasn't planning on writing a thesis.. 1) If the tiles are irregular it should become apparent using methods described 2) Thermal imagery will show you the area getting wettest and consequently getting some evaporative cooling...this is likely to be the point where water gets past the sarking board...the leak may be 20ft further up the roof or in a ridge or flashing. 3) Velux kits dont tend to be too great with pan tiles and flashing details need to be executed properly 4) A membrane below the timbers will be expensive and wont achieve much more than the foil backed rigid insulation board which would conduct a minor ingress to the eaves. 5) I suspect the problem to be in the velux which I think often  assumes the presence of underfelt. If the head gutter or side flashing details arent executed well then water can simply spill off them. It may be the case that its worthwhile whipping the tiles off round the window and checking the flashins are set up properly...Not a bad idea to felt below the flashings for a short way. Without seeing - difficult to help more but a pragmatic approach is way to go.

The principle is that pan tile roofs existed long before membranes and if properly installed shouldn't let in. Equally one needs to have confidence in the roof covering before doing decs so without seeing it its difficult to advise further. Even without membrane, water shouldn't penetrate so worth playing a hose on a small area at a time (trying not to shoot under the tiles) better to aim high and let the water fall mimicing rain. You may be able to use an endoscope through the gaps in the boards to see exactly where the penetration is.  

And does the Burkha meet the same criteria?  

You are about 3 and a half hourse south of us so weather isn't likely to be massively different . Our roofs are slate and tingles (Ardoise et crochet I guess) I recovered one of our hangar roof slopes a couple of years ago and will do the other soon, in this case as the area may end up being occupied I used breather membrane however the rest of the property hasn't got membrane and doesn't need it. I don't think yours will neccesarily need a membrane either if the covering has sufficient laps and is secure. Our Hangar Roof was relatively simple to do but as one can see the opposite face needs doing (I patched it up llasty year as time was tight) The main roofs will just get the insulation and board treatment...not bothering with membrane until I absolutely need to re slate.

I rather like Fwawgs

I watched the programme and have a lot of sympathy for the wife whose poker playing husband had highsided her and for her determination not to let go of what by then was her and her children's 'home' I understand the kids were being French schooled etc and maybe losing Dad would be bad  enough without further upheaval. That the two ladies had knuckled down with little idea and few airs and graces and now have a little cleaning company..fair play to them. The former musico in Spain who has the energy to record new songs and shout to his mate in the next valley....should get off his Arris and help his poor missus ...who seems a flaming Saint. The USA wheelchair renters....I find it hard to believe they had a case. The use of a solicitor beforehand may have been wiser than praying they would get a result out of a business which ultimately went pop. Would I return to the UK. ...I suspect I would want to try a bit of Good life self sufficiency first..

Apologies for not giving the 'right answer' I didn't go into detail but you wouldn't neccessarily see a breather membrane on top of the boards and may not need one..Its the tiles that keep the weather out and a breather membrane just acts as a 'back up' The spec I gave you considers the protection of the framing and considers the sarking boards (where you see gaps) to be to an extent expendable ...(they should last as long as the tile battens) The rigid insulation is foil faced and can be cut to fit snugly while leaving an optimum air gap to allow condensation and any slight weep to run down the face of the insulation. the boards can extend down into the soffit / eaves and allow cross ventilation which will further help to protect the wooden parts. The gaps in the sarking would have (back in the day) been filled with pitch if you were in wet or snowy climes and the gaps would allow some expansion and contraction. There are many chateau which will not as yet have breather membranes yet manage to shed water quite adequately. Why strip a roof you are happy with to counter batten and membrane? There is no such thing as 'The right answer' just a number of options... Hopefully this helps

The original question was re a device to detect the line if there is one...I think I answered that. That the OP was using a well might suggest that there isn't an incoming service immediately visible. Clues may include service 'scars' to pathways or a 'valve pit' at the house end. You should be able to dig down alongside the meter (If you can't already see) to determine whether a stub pipe has been installed just to allow a cap to be fitted. Unless there is evidence of a nice modern pipe I would suggest running new may be the best idea, If you can get one 'moled in' even better.

Reminds me to buy hammerite