monsieur macon

As already mentioned: i wanted to discuss the issue of legitimate concerns about an eventual exit of UK from the EU. Anyone can draw up a best of/worst of top ten list for the UK and many people no doubt have personal reasons for why they find themselves living abroad. All that aside, i'm legitimately concerned about issues such as health care and social security if the UK leaves, as these will have to be renegotiated between French and UK governments. Pretending that it will be business as usual is in my opinion naive. The French state does not owe anything to UK citizens, be that health care etc if the UK leaves the EU....if you have worked and paid into the system then fair enough, but all that could be about to change. That is my concern. Becoming a French national is one way around this, but i doubt weather all UK ex-pats have this option available.

lol...yes what would Lefarge think of that???? i suppose French citizenship is one way out of the problem...if the French want us!!!!!!! Naturalization is a long drawn out process, but those of us who are married can obviously fast track. I've got kids born in France, so i guess at least they are entitled to French nationality. But the Prefecture told me last week that all new borns must now submit a demand for nationality as of 14 years old...its not longer automatic....

I really hope that France and the other EU countries with large numbers of Brit expats will actually be as accommodating with us as we hope! I suppose that the UK could come to some kind of agreement with the countries individually, much like the Swiss have done, and to a lesser degree Norway. It's certainly not going to be a picnic, re-writting all the accords. Many ex-pat Brits (such as myself) do very well from French health care etc...there is no reason to believe that this would necessarily continue. Also, what about pensioners in France currently converting their sterling into Euros? Would the pound go into freefall against the Euro? Yes, i think it would, about 1€ to 2pounds - or some such figure....great for export from the UK however!!!

surprise surprise....i've leaved in France since 1997 when I arrived at the age of 21...although I love the place, i've never known such a bunch of nationalistic, inward looking, intolerant people. Granted, i live in rural France, but if your not born in the village with 10 generations of ancestors then you are definitely an outsider!!!

Things seem to be heating up back in Blighty. If Scotland votes to leave the union and UKIP thrash the cons next year, there could be a referendum on EU membership within three years. If Britain votes to leave (as 65% of polled voters indicated) what would become of expats in Europe??? What about health care, jobs, carte de sejor etc etc...???? Have UKIPERS in Europe really thought this through? Is Britain a little Switzerland???? You can kiss you visits to French hospitals goodbye!!! It's certainly alarming!!!

i think for 150m2 of roof, i to would want a reputable builder with decenale.  You could look around for a "Couvrer" or "roofer" as sometimes artsians set themselves up in this one specilised area.  In any case, you will need the decenale "attestation" if ever you sell the property in less than ten years from the end of the work.  The notaire will ask for this, and to be honest if you cannot give it to him it may even come down to your own liability being engaged in the event of a problem with the work carried out.  Ask around neighbours and friends, try to find an artisan who has been working for donkey's years in the town and whos quote is neither too high nor too low....as much detail as possible on the quote..hope this helps.

this might be a little off topic....when doing work at our house in le Gard, languedoc...we have done something that the french tend to often do when building an extension - once you have planning permission you do not necessarily need to tell the mairie that the project is finished, what is called 'fin de travaux'. This is the paper work that they send to the tax office which will increase your taxe fonciere and taxe habitation. Thus you can stay with the original calculations of the surface for your house. However, it would be a good idea to order your affairs, i.e tell the tax office about the increased m2 if you are intending to sell your house. The new owners will receive a form from the taxe fonciere people once they occupy aksing them to declare the M2 and in any case, the notaire will ask for precise calculations of the m2 of the house. Any anomaly good come back to haunt you!!! Unless you leave France for good.

i go from top to bottom, that way you drop the excess on a non-pointed are of the wall and you can clean it off as you get to it.

"breaking out", that's what i do after a "doube au singlier"....lol

and whats more, it stinks when you use it!!!!

it may be on sale, indeed i even have one, but it is no longer DTU conform. That is, for new builds or reno jobs that include changing more than 30% of the existing surface and thus engaging the RT2012 new regulations... But like a lot of things in France, they just tend to ignore the rules, so when in Rome!!!

yes, electricians use a very hot fishing ball and melt the foam behind the plasterboard. This method is however no longer in conformity with building regulations, but then again, who's gonna check!!!!

of course, as said by another commenter - its up to you: I do the following, have done for around 13yrs and have never had any problems, each to their own however: - pick out all old mortar from wall, often with jackhammer - jet spray clean with special power jet - humidify just before pointing - start to point with either St Astier Tradi or pure Chaux Calcia (its up to you) - push in well to really fill all gaps and holes - trowl back any big excess just after you have finished - let the area start to go off, but not too hard - test an area with your brushes and if good, begin to brush back. The mortar should be neither to soft, nor too hard. You should not leave grooves in the joints with your brush. - clean up the face of the stones if they are a little covered - recuperate any mix for later use if you are using Chaux pure. hope this helps.....

And remember, you want to work around the stones, to make them sit out very slightly from the wall...make sure all the little holes are filled....i jet spray with my aggressive "Kacher" nozzle for stone work, which gets the stones nice and clean....if you're really fussy, you could sand blast, but that's adding a considerable cost.

Tradi Blanc, by Saint Astier, or if not "Renocal", cheaper but not as good. Or if you are a puritan, Chaux blanc by Calcia or again St Astier. White sand or the colour you want to use...fine grain. I usually go for 1 tradi, 2 sand....mix it well, not too liquid!!! a sort of plastic feel. The Tradi will go off quite quickly (depending on weather conditions), so be ready to brush with a nice assortment of wire brushes.....