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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Micro Entreprise is a very simple way of accounting and as such you don't need an accountant - you simply add up your bank receipts at the end of the year and they will count 30% as income (gites and B&B only). The 70% they give as operating costs is very generous. Cotisations are paid at a fixed level for the first two years and you have to pay them even if you have had no income which, I think, is where the problem lies for most new small businesses. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

GAP Location are pretty good. Price would be by the day (plus delivery) with no restrictions on the number of hours. If you are not experienced with a digger it is often cheaper to get someone in to do it for you with their own machine as the work is much faster and more accurate which, for something like a pool or foundations, can save you a lot of moneey in extra concreteRegards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

If it is single phase you would need a 2 core 10 or 16mm.sq. cable depending on the size of the existing incoming feed. You won't get this in Bricodepot. Try Omnium who will have it in stock and cut it to length - make sure you allow enough for making the connections at either end. It is very costly due to the large amount of copper. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

Don't know about the 'sports' bit but I'm always up for a ride out. Recently bought a BMW R1150GS which has rather sidelined the rest of the fleet. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

No >. Does anybody know if >this breaches any French legislation >?? Yes. To work in France as an independant builder you have to have decennale insurance (in France). The system is such that in order to obtain this and the obligatory 'responsibiltie civile' you would have to have a Siret no. and therefore pay social charges. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

Look under 'Tailleurs de pierres' in the pages jaunes - there are a few in my 2002 87 pj but none in Bellac. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

This is a good alternative to employing a general building company who have all the trades under one roof. I have done a fair amount of this sort of thing in the past but the main problem seems to be that the client has unrealistic expectations regarding the progress of the job. Most Artisans will offer a 6 month to 1 year lead time and unless the p.m. can provide regular work for all trades then he's not going to be able to do any better than the client would himself in terms of progressing the work. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

Anything that is not part of the 'Demande de Permis de Construire' which includes interior work such as floors,walls ceilings, partitions, insultion, electrics, plumbing etc.. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

If disconnecting the earth solved the problem then this implies a faulty element as both the 500mA and 30mA differential breakers measure current difference rather than current flowing to earth. I would get a replacement tank as soon as possible. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr

To add my little bit - do you have a realistic idea of the conversion costs. I do a lot of estimates for this sort of thing and only a very small percentage get beyond the estimate stage. Estimates are usually in the 300,000 euro bracket and that does not include the cost of furnishing and appliances. We've been running our gites for 12 years and whilst the number of bookings has gone down over the years (much shorter season these days) our net profit has increased mainly because the level of re-investment has dropped. Regards Charles http://www.lesflamands.com/hr