Collywobble

Grimp, basically it's three years experience for each trade. Apprenticeships don't seem that common, they seem to work on refence system. So get... C & G Letters of reference from at least one (two is better) clients, employer etc for each trade Have these translated into French Go to your Mairie I can't remember if you need your insurance first? BTW, I'm told that there is no official recognition of C & G etc, but its an official bit of paper, so it helps. I had read that to be a 'Builder' you needed three trades, but i can't find anything to support that now. cheers

thanks!

[quote user="Tresco"] I thought that was one of the things about a small community; that everyone knew your business?[:D] [/quote] A friend of ours decided to move back to a larger town and away from her tiny adopted village near Dumfries, when one afternoon upon returning from a (very) short walk to the local SPAR, a neighbour stopped her as she passed the womans garden gate and asked "What did you buy the bacon for?"  She actually found it quite spooky that she and her shopping habits, had presumably been the subject of a phone call within seconds of leaving the shop.[blink]

Not to be too blunt, but if you are going to have a toilet in the room, remember that urine is an effective bleach - the Romans, amongst others, washed their clothes in it for that colgate white[:)] - and that the floor should be monitored for staining, such as white spots. This will obviously depend on the final product.

Sarah,  If your new neighbour is being this petty now, do you think he will be OK to live alongside over the longer term ?  I'm not saying 'give in' but I am saying he may be like my dearly departed grandfather who was always deeply dissappointed when he went to the bank and didn't get into an argument with one of the tellers [:D]  I loved old grandpa dearly, but I wouldn't have wanted to live next door to him. This farmer may have a chip on his shoulder and take pleasure in doing whatever he can to erode your quality of life. Something that won't be lessened if you stitch him up on the off chance that he shouldn't have cattle. Then again, a guarded comment about his situation may change his attitude. But which way?[:)] cheers

Moos,  I don't know the French logic for the number of sockets, but the USA NEC (National Electric Code) has a very simple reason for one every 12' (I think?). Many house fires start through people using old/frayed/crappy extenstion cords or overloading adapters etc, in rooms that don't have a sufficient number sockets. Makes sense to me. Please don't take the following as condesending, but I have previously done a self build (and many renovations) and thought 'what can we reduce and save money on?'  Looking back, trying to saving a few hundred quid here and there by cutting back was a hint that we didn't have enough in reserve for contingencies. We had various over spends and on occasion had to ask trades not to do work till after pay day. It was very stressful and I wouldn't want anyone to go through that. All the best with your project. Cheers

[quote user="Dick Smith"]Many of the more interesting patterns are laid down with rubber moulds before the concrete has fully set. I saw it done on 'This Old House'... [/quote] Yes, I'm a fan of T.O.H. also.  The moulds are great, but only if you can get someone with them [:)] Most companies tend to be franchised and this can limit the availability, as there aren't many placed to buy them.

Well then the 6,500 is consistent with an average of 800 per room. I wonder if there are regional variations in price, but three grand is a big difference.[8-)]  Then again, we are looking at a small sample.

There are some really nice things that can be done along the lines of using a concrete to appear like slabs of stone. Basically it is done like this: Pour/finish concrete. Do not colour. Wait until the concrete has cured - say a month or better still, a few months if in winter as concrete stays 'green' for a very long time and is likely to chip when cut. Cut small grooves say, 12mm  deep (1/2") using a masonry blade in a powersaw. The norm is to cut perpendicular or diagional lines. These can be  any width, from a couple of feet to 10 feet. It's down to the desired look; tiles, flagstones, massive slabs etc. As a saw won't be able to reach all the way to the edges of the room - because the front of the saw will hit the wall before the blade can get to it, leaving a gap - you can cut a 'border' around the perimeter of the room first. This finishes the effect neatly. Now you can 'grind' it perfectly smooth if you wish, then spray various colour dyes to get a 'stone' finish. This look is enhanced with various type of sealer, again depending on the look that is desired. This reasonably cheap method is used in many night clubs, restaurants etc. Auto dealer Pic Huge range of pics from a NZ company

Yeah, a bit of a double bladed sword.

Hi Cooperlola, I've PM'd you. Cheers

I think you misunderstand me.  I was not trying to imply that the US is an egalitarian society TW, that is exaclty what I thought you were saying. Sorry, my mistake. Cheers

Well then, cross your fingers, toes, legs and anything else you can thik of  and hope its ok. [:)] I'm sure it will be fine. Most problems come from not knowing how to install it in the first place, which doesn't seem to be your problem. Cheers

Hi WJT, Its good to see some comparisions. Thanks

Tresco,  I've seen the green board last for years. It is often the 'sealing' of the joints that fails and not the board itself. When water gets in, it causes s-l-o-w damage. Here is a comparison of backerboard - from the completley impartial view of James Hardie (Manufactureres of cements based boards[:P]) http://www.jameshardie.com/pdf/comp_backer_half.pdf

Hi Monika Thanks for the detail. I had a horrible feeling that it would be in that region. Cheers

[quote user="Afy"]I could just forward some interesting emails to the labor department...but screw'em. I have other fish to fry.... [/quote] Yeah, good idea. If you get onto the revenge spiral it eats you up.  And gets really frustrsting when it doesnt have the desired effect [:)] Good luck. cheers

[quote user="Chris Head"] I tend to just pick up the good female friends we have and bear hug 'em and hug the bloke friends I have too. It's just normal and beats the hell out of the Brit standoffishness. [/quote] The kids were watching some stupid kids sitcom the telly the other day, one with James Belushi (I think) in it and he was down in the dumps and 'needed a hug'. One of the other guys in  the  show approached him arms wide and said "C'mon big guy, give us some broke-back-mountain"  LMAO [:D] I'm sure there were complaints to the TV station from viewers in the southern states.

Paul, No, were still talking about tile and showing more courtesy than some [:D] I agree about the membpane and if you pm me or email your email address I'm happy to scan & email you an article from the US magazine 'Fine Homebuilding' that deals with this. It's quite good. The article is also in  from a book called "Setting Tile" (Michael Byrne) from the same publishers. There are some voice that say the membrane is bad because it doesn't allow moisture out again, but most people (with an opinion on the subject)  seem to like the idea of a membrane. BTW, There are some good videos on the FHB site. http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/fh_feat_video.asp Cheers

[quote user="tenniswitch"] The class system is alive and well in France in a way that n'existe pas in the US.  (Although, it reminded me a bit of the way some people in the US defer to doctors.) [/quote] In the opinion of whom?  Ask some doctor's maid and see what they think. Or maybe the $3ph (illegal) mexican gardener. I'm sure they live in a different US to most of middle class suburbia (which is where I live).   I'm not sure which US you're talking about, but obviously not the one I'm in.   There is a huge class system here, but it's not around your surname/heritage (unless you are a Kennedy), but around what you do, how well known you are and how much $$$ you are worth, what Alumni you are part of (that one makes me sick), golf club you are in,  etc. My god, I know people who are card carrying members of  "Descendents of the the Mayflower". How pretentious. I have seen more shows about royalty, here  than in all my life. People here are obsessed with status. That said, I have some fantastic American friends who are really down to earth and share most of the above thoughts. Mind you, they are, in general, well travelled, as I assume you  are yourself  TW. Right, no hard feelings and back to France Cheers[B]

Hi,  As I am trying to err on the side of caution while estimating potential costs for renovation, the electrical costs are something that I don't have a scoobie on. It would be much appreciated if you would let me know approx what you (or those you know of) have paid for major electrical work: Anecdotal info is fine, as I say, it's just 'ball park' stuff. E.G. Complete rewire   3 bed farmhouse or 80sqm farmhouse xxxx Euro or partial rewire  etc This would really help me get some idea of how long your particular piece of string is [:)] Cheers

[quote user="Will"]CW, that is an interesting fact, that I for one had not heard about. Typically French, it seems to contadict the notaires' wisdom that the CU marriage regime is not suitable if you have a small (i.e. not SARL or similar) business as it lays the family home vulnerable to business debts. It appears to offer a way around that difficulty. I wonder if it only refers to mortgage debts, or if it has been superseded by something else? [/quote] Will, like I say, I couldn't see anything like "However, you then become liable...." but that bit probably wasn't translated to English [:)] There was a brief example of someone doing this when they started a small business. So I gathered that it wasn't one of these things that needed to be declared at the time of purchase. which is nice. Cheers

[quote user="expat paul"]but only found that all the claimed 'waterproof' were only water resistant ie did not degrade in the presence of water. [/quote] Paul, I may have this by the wrong end of the stick, but my take on it is, to keep in mind that manufacturers are (sometimes) wary about making promises on labels. For example, I just looked at two wristwatches  and despite one being a timex, they both say  "Water resistant to 50m" Now if a 14 quid watch lets me stick my hands in buckets of water all day with no problems, then it's pretty 'proof' in my opinion. You may find that while many adhesives are perfectly ok, no one is brave enough to say "This product is you-beaut 100% waterproof, like what you get  for the tiles in your local public swimming pool" for fear that you may do something silly like, um,  tile a pool, then sue when it does eventually deteriorate. [:)]

[quote user="Will"] The duties are shown at www.notaires.fr (in English if you wish). [/quote] Being a woosie, I looked in the English section and noticed this tidbit   http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/EXEMPTING-HOME-SEIZURE "The Law on Economic Initiative of 1 August 2003 is designed to make it easier to start and transfer a business. Under this law, any natural person who is self-employed may have a statement prepared by a notaire and filed with the mortgage registry, stipulating that his or her primary residence may not be seized. This protection applies to debts incurred in the course of one’s business. The value of such a provision should be apparent to any self-employed worker (tradespeople, shopkeepers, farmers, professionals)." This sounds like a good use of a Notaire to me![:P] Without having sought legal advice on the matter (as I only just stumbled over it) it would seem a prudent thing to do. It would be a shame should anyone who reads this forum not know about this and loose their home. Perhaps the link could be included in one of the 'stickies'?  If it already is, then I stand corrected for laziness in not having already read it.[:)] There is more info at:  http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/ENGLISH-BUSINESS        (English) or http://www.notaires.fr/notaires/notaires.nsf/V_TC_PUB/FRANCE-ENTREPRISE      (Français) Cheers

There does seem to be lots of deference to ones 'betters'.  A French lass who was known to me, was quite well travelled and admitted to being perplexed by this herself. Funny for a country that sent a bunch for the high jump in the name of equality .[8-)]