cruddler

Cheers. Got used to the shopping around ethos I the UK, it's just not the same here is it. Need a Moneysavingexpert.fr!

Hi all, Is there a website or some means of comparing various lenders mortgage offers in France? Just starting out on search for a mortgage to pay for some renovations. Sorry if it's been discussed before, but I couldn't find anything when searching. Thanks Andy

Hi, thank you for the follow up and the installer details. I'll PM you too with further details but in answer to your questions: We have a 2000l EK+K tank. Your pool assumptions are pretty much spot on in that we would hope to achieve 25 degrees+ and use the pool from April/May - September depending on the weather. The pool will be 10x5 with average depth of 1.5m I would hope to try and insulate the pool as much as possible too. I came across a company called Thermapool when in England recently who made quite big claims about the benefits of insulating the floor and walls properly during construction which obviously makes sense and likewise their insulating cover which heats and insulates the pool although I imagine a separate security cover would be required also. By my calculations, I think I could squeeze 90 tubes on the south facing roof plus another 30 on the vertical wall it sits on which should be useful in the colder months when the sun is lower. One question about potentially running under floor heating in the colder months, is there any reason why water can't be sent straight from the panels into the UFH bypassing the accumulator? As the temperatures required are only in the 40 degree range, is it not more efficient to pump it straight into the floor when the panels are operating at lower temps? Thanks

Hi, thanks for the reply The accumulator has an internal solar coil as it was always part of the plan to add solar at some point. It is an Akvatherm Avantti in case you know whether or not this has the kind of coil you mention? I'm definitely interested in installers so will PM you now...do you think it's feasible for 16m2 of panels to make a decent contribution to heating the pool then? Andy

I'm looking to install a 10x5m pool in time for next summer and still umming and ahhing over how to heat it. We have a 40Kw log gasification boiler with 2000l reservoir containing a solar coil but I really don't want to be burning wood throughout the summer especially as I have to cut it down and transport it in the first place... As part of our roof renovations, we will be creating a south facing roof of about 16m2 which I was hoping to completely cover with evacuated solar panels. The first criteria for them is that they take care of our DHW outside the winter months and maybe help with the UFH in the shoulder months but is it overly optimistic that they could also contribute to heating the pool a touch? We are in Saone et Loire near Macon Thanks Andy

Thanks for all the advice Andy

I've had a read of all the threads I can find and appreciate that all vehicles must be sold with a CT no more than 6 months old but if this is impractical is there a way to sell a vehicle as spares or sans CT these days? We have a RHD Renault Master ambulance that we bought from the UK with the intention of converting in to a camping car but its just not gonna happen. Given its value in the UK and the cost of getting it back to the UK from 71 it's just not worth it so the only option is to sell it here but th cost of getting it through a CT, replacing headlights and immatriculating also doesn't seem worth it. I'm tempted to bite the bullet and proceed with conversion/registration but any advice would help Thanks Andy

I use FX brokers regularly and having used most of them, I have found that HifX are best for larger sums say 8k+, whereas for smaller sums 1 or 2k, XE offer the best rate.

Thanks Sunday Driver, Ill check out those links Andy

I bought a Renault Master ambulance last year from the UK to move some furniture to France with the intention of one day converting it to a Camper Van. A year on and it is still sitting in our barn and I am torn between cutting it loose or persevering with the plan. I know the first step of course is to get it registered here but I have been told that obtaining the certificate of conformity could be a problem both in its present state as the shell of an ambulance and after conversion. Also, what are the insurance options? It seems a bit crazy to insure it for a whole year especially at current prices when it might only be used for 2 weeks a year. So, has anyone else done anything similar, what was the process and would they do it again? Any advice much appreciated. I have had an offer from someone who wants to buy it and I really need to know what I will be letting myself in for if I keep it and continue down the conversion route. Thanks Andy

For those not planning to load up a van in the UK, has anyone come across any decent offers here? cheers

Thanks for your help Will. Ive spoken to HMRC who collectively didnt know the answer and to my employer who reckons I should exclude holidays from the calculations so I think thats what I will do

Im sorry if this is a silly question, but when Im on holiday/annual leave, where am I earning my money from and who do I pay tax to for that time when I am on holiday? I live and work in France for a UK company but also spend some of my time working in the UK and for those days when I am physically in the UK working I pay UK income tax. I therefore need to determine a daily rate figure for my tax calculation purposes. If I include days when Im on Holiday in my Total Days worked figure, my daily gross earnings rate goes down and therefore so does my UK Taxable Income and of course my French Taxable income goes up. Last year I excluded all time spent on holiday from my calcs as I thought it was fairer but I want to make sure going forward I am doing the right thing. Apologies if im making this unnecessarily complicated and missing a much easier work around. Andy

Thanks for the replies. Bluebell, we are just round the corner from you so to speak in Curtil. There is a local Menusier and he is hopefully going to build us a staircase, but we are in an old stone house and we would like to insulate as much as we possibly can and in this era of argon/krypton filled engineered windows, I just cant see how our local man could produce windows with a U value anywhere near what we are after. Has anyone else used Lapeyre? We've had some bad reports locally so hadnt bothered with them  

Hi, We are looking to replace the original single paned windows on our house with Double/Triple glazing. None of our windows are standard size plus we are after as high an insulation standard as possible so we have so far got quotes from KParK, Tryba and Internorm. I just wondered has anyone used any of these companies and if so what do they think of their work/product? Are there any others that anyone could recommend? Thanks Andy

Hi Ando, We live just outside St Gengoux Le National so obviously I am biased but I would recommend anywhere between say Buxy and Cluny. The countryside is stunning as its hillier than the eastern side of the A6, lots of lovely villages and of course they make pretty good wine round here. Transport links are excellent too with access to the A6 only 20 mintues away meaning Paris is about 3 hours drive, Marseille 4 hours or the Alps and Switzerland 2 1/2. We also have Le Creusot TGV station with regular trains to Paris taking just 1h19. Chalon and Macon are both under 45 minutes away are are decent sized towns with extensive choice of supermarkets, bricos etc Hope this helps a bit Andy

For Mme Poivre. This is quite good. http://www.goutv.com/main.htm Not sure how much of it is live or just on a loop but has the likes TV5 Monde, FR24 and Orange Sports

Can anyone recommend anyone around the Vire area in Normandy? Need 3 very large Beech trees felling and the first quote of €3100 seems a bit steep to me. Also if anyone ever needs trees felling in 71 I can highly recommend the company that did ours. It was a 20m Pine that needed felling in sections due to its proximity to us and our neighbours and the bill was a mere €200

I have effectively proved that I am in the French Tax system via the ardous processing of my P85. It was they that decided that I was to be taxed wholly by France and that I warranted being removed from the UK Tax System. Everytime I speak to them they say they say that I will be due a refund....perhaps I should have got names and address tho [:(] And yes of course, I will report back although I am awaiting a UK self assesment form apparently so would guess that its completion counts as further prompting

But I do need to claim a Tax refund from the UK. They have been taxing me for the last 7 Months on PAYE while they have been losing and then processing my P85 application. Now that my NT Tax code has been issued, they say that the refund will be done once my P60 is issued which suggests no need for me to submit the FD5 but I dont want to get off on the wrong foot with my new taxers (?!)

Do you still need to fill in an FD5 if you have already been removed from the UK Tax System? After some delay I have eventually been issued a NT Tax Code by the UK and my Tax Office insists that once I receive my P60, my tax for the last tax year will automatically be refunded. They had never heard of an FD5 and didnt see that it was necessary

Just thought Id update on this. Turns out VW sent us a dud Certificate of Conformity and their entire data printing process is screwed Starting to think someone out there doesnt want us to register this car....

Brilliant as in LOL....I dont seem to be able to get these smileys to work

Brilliant Ernie :-D PCWhizz, yeah thats exactly how I read but seemingly it wasnt good enough for the chap at the Prefecture. Thanks for the suggsestion J.R. We actually applied to DRIRE first before getting the COC but they werent interested. Will try them again and see if they can clear up what it is that our COC does or doesnt contain

Im guessing this is going to be a new one on you all but before I try VW France I thought Id ask. VW sent us a Certificate of Conformity for our Sharan in German. As it was the first issue, it was free. It contained the all important e1* number and at the Prefecture this wasnt raised as an issue. Unfortunately, the guy said that the 'weight' wasnt in the right format and so he couldn't proceed with the application. Some of the weights are in the format 0*11KG which seem be the weight divided by 100, whilst the main weight is 1k24 KG Has anyone else encountered this or know exactly which weights they require as the chap didnt elaborate? Andy