Jump to content

Lf

Members
  • Posts

    46
  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

Lf's Achievements

Newbie

Newbie (1/14)

0

Reputation

  1. Our gites are full as ever - hardly a nice family amongst them though. Definitely a strange year from a booking point of view - bookings came in very late and nothing much has come in for September. I thint the season is going to continue to get shorter except perhaps in the short breaks for couples area. As Chris (Quillan) points out in another thread the anticipated occupancy rate for BandB is about 19% and I think this figure applies to self catering as well. Based on this, anyone spending their life savings (and more) on a 'ready to go' gite complex and expects to make a viable year on year living should seek psychiatric help. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  2. Generally feed the liner in from the top with the bracket clamped to the liner and the slots for the bracket already cut into the masonry. Clean the chimney before fitting the liner and make good any damaged masonry. I normally just fit the black (rigid pipe) inside the liner by a good amount (50cms) as I think that being able to dismantle the pipes for cleaning is more important than avoiding a few condensation streaks on the black pipe. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  3. Cotisations are not based on turnover. The biggest problem you have as a micro entreprise is charging for materials including TVA (at 19.6%) when a TVA registered business can in some situations supply materials at 5.5% Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  4. Just had a long chat with my accountant this morning about forming a societe. my accountant is a cautious sort of chap but he was was horrified that I should even contemplate going the EURL/SARL route. He justifies this by the fact that for a business with a turnover of less than half a million Euros the fees are crippling, the bureaucracy is very complex and if you miss something it almost always reverts to the 'Tribunal de Commerce' which is always expensive. He has suggested 2 alternatives which are simpler but not often used because there is little in it for the lawyers and accountants (in terms of setting up fees):1). SNC 'Societe en Nom Collective' which has to be set up by a notaire and 2).'Societe de Fait' which you can set up at the Chambre de Metiers. Neither of these may suit your needs but, whilst I'm not as cautious by nature as my accountant, I heed his warnings about SARLs as any errors with French bureaucracy can cost you dearly. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  5. Avoid the vapour barrier. It is best to ventilate the void between the wall and the placo.. Metal studding is OK (cheap and fast) but not very rigid and can be difficult to fix to as it keeps flexing away from you as you apply a little pressure to the screw to get it pierce the metal. Buy one of the crimping tools - a bit costly but worth it, very useful for fixing 'noggins' across the back of the studs which helps make it more rigid. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  6. Apologies for posting in two sections, but anyone looking for a bit of work could look at my posting in the Central France forum. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  7. I need someone to help on one of my sites for a couple of months. The site is between Bellac and St.Junien. The work is mainly labouring and decorating - most of the heavy stuff has been done. This is on a proper contract so the wages won't make you rich. Reliability is the most important thing, previous experience would be useful but not essential. As mentioned above the initial contract would be for 2 months but there is also the possibility of more permanent work. Site foreman and all tradesmen on site are British. Regards Charles http://www.hautefortrenovation.com
  8. Some of the UK regs. are a bit ridiculous about this and obviously, the stove manufacturers are cautious as some DIY installers can be a bit short on common sense. If the material used to make the fireplace is non combustible - brick and Siporex as suggested are ideal, then a clearance of as little as 50mm is fine. If you have plaster or plasterboard behind the stove then 150 to 200mm would be more suitable and if you have a timber lintel above the stove you should leave a large gap (at least 300mm). Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  9. They need a plan or preferably a photo of the attic as it is before work starts. they want to know if it is already boarded out and if there is a staircase that will be retained - whatever next, they'll be expecting a full set of plans. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  10. It is not a pressure issue but more a solution for problems caused by expansion and contraction of the copper. French spec. copper pipe is a different alloy, size and wall thickness from UK pipe. Also, UK installations are prone to problems and many regulations have been tightened up in recent years to try to overcome some of the common problems in the UK. French installation techniques are not without faults but generally a lot better than the UK. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  11. This not an easy job. You will need to cut one or more joists accurately in situ and add one or more trimmers to form the correct shape and size opening. The easiest way to connect the joists and trimming joists together is to use joist hangers but with old joists of no particular size you will to get the hangers made for the job. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  12. Easy and cheapish is to use Siporex blocks to form the carcass and then face it with real brick facing or possibly reconstituted stone. Fit an oak lintel and oak surround in sawn green oak from a local sawmill. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  13. Lf

    cement

    It is only about half a pallett so it would be best to get something else delivered to make up the load (sand or ballast for example). Try the Builders merchants in Thiviers (Valade, Bost & Grandchamp and S.A. Paul) as these may be closer to you and charge less for delivery. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  14. They are not as good as they were when John Smith was running it, but they still get us the majority of our bookings. They are also expensive compared to internet advertising but there are so many sites it is hard to pick the ones that will get the bookings in. I get the impression that the new earlier deadline for a discount has backfired, and they are now struggling to fill the brochure. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
  15. LAST EDITED ON 23-Jul-04 AT 01:36 PM (BST) I've costed quite a lot of new build projects recently and they seem to come out at between 900 and 1100 per sq. metre. In my experience, Architects and Maitres D'Oeuvres quote low psm rates at the outset to get the order. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr
×
×
  • Create New...