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Howards Carpentry

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Everything posted by Howards Carpentry

  1. Thanks panda, I thought perhaps i had been a bit too negative but the truth is our house went on the market today and my application to Australia will start next week. I've never failed anywhere before, as a carpenter i always find work and it's true here that i have work booked up for all summer but this place beats me. Can't wait to leave.
  2. You can get velux windows that hinge at the top and so dont take up room when open and the same unit will also pivot in the middle so cleaning is easy. I've fitted many such windows in the uk they are normally specified in loft conversions as an escape route. 
  3. Hi Saff, As one person with itchy feet to another please consider what you're giving up. France is really not easy for young famillies alot that I know are leaving or want to our selves included. I toured all over the North Island with my family and loved it but at the end of the day it was my wife who just could'nt make the move for various reasons, parents etc I even had a Kiwi friend with a business in Auckland I could work for. I know it has problems but so does this place and your children are too old to enter the French school system. The education  is very dull. I n our area ( the south west) there are a few problems with teachers making it known that they think English speaking kids are holding classes back. My wife is half Swiss and speaks very good French and she feels so isolated she can't wait to leave, the French systems for every thing are complicated beyond belief, red tape etc. This is all leading to us going back to the UK which is heading straight into ressession. If I could swap with you believe me i would. It's not just that we dont like France we love it and have had many great holidays here, but unless your arriving with a lot of money you must really think hard. And of course i hav'nt ever lived in NZ but all the Kiwi's I've met all come to europe for a look earn some money and then return. Others will disagree with me but your doing the wrong thing. Print this out and bring it with you so when you find out for your selves you can email me so i can say I told you so!! My wife is a very positive person full of life and this place is knocking the stuffing out of her, I should also add that were not new to this we lived in Luxembourg for five years before having the children which was a far better place to live than France.  Dont do it to your kids    
  4. I can confirm alot of Brits prefer not to pay the going rate here either. Most ask for a cash price (black) trouble is you can't take that to the bank and your turn over would be too low to be believable. Their are alot of people working totally unregistered in my area also, I turned up yesterday on a job to find two Polish workers doing all the internal work on a referb job for a Brit and on other jobs I've come across English blokes doing plumbing and electrics all unregistered. As the last poster said if you can get employed do it It's sound advice.   
  5. Phil , this could be your new start perhaps 'curry Express Co'
  6. Hi Saff, Why are you leaving Nz to come to France? I took my family to Nz to check out the big move but my wife just did'nt like it and we understand salaries arn't too high but I still often wonder what if. As far as work goes here get your selves in to the chambre de metiers with any qualifications you have and register. Try to make some contacts for work first though so you hit the ground running.
  7. Hi Phil I have been here 2 years with my family and I agree fully with Mackyfrance. My wife and I both speak French she being half Swiss so can help with school homework etc but lessons here are boring, education is not that fab. Although I'm finding quite alot of work I would be suprised to be still here this time next year, it's just not what I hoped it would be. Englands not all good I know, but you can get a decent curry and all our friends are there. Think very hard before you take the plunge France is really good for people who retire early with a fat wallet but not so good for you if you need to work.   
  8. Hi , get used to it, it's the reason so many work on the black. Keep your chin up though when you earn more it gets much worse.
  9. How would you make sure your French was good enough ? by the time you've learnt the ins and out of grammer they've already overtaken you in the school playground while you flounder at the school gates with other mums who dont speak with you because they think you can't understand. It's not that easy.  
  10. Im not knocking anybody, just saying France is not utopia. Being in a position to retire early and therefore not needing an income is nothing like moving to France with not much knowledge of the place limited comunication skills and the need for income. Life anywhere is easier if you've already made your nest egg, and I'm certainly not knocking you for that, well done, and I hope you enjoy all France has to offer.  
  11. A jolly good posting Ian. I dont want to appear too negative but there seemed to be a lot of suger coated follow your dream type of cr*p on this thread. France is great if you have enough money, money can get you out of trouble, but moving here with a large family and a barn owl would not be an easy ride and expats telling people 'all will be great go for it' not knowing there situation is giving folk false hope. Cheers.
  12. Hi Janine, there is a private school in Saint Gaudens called Saint Therese which caters for ages from primaire to secondary and there are english children there. You would have to go there to register your children. This maybe of help. I don't really know about the state schools in Saint Gaudens. Zoe
  13. Hi Goldfish, Why is it your so sure France will be better for you than the UK? It's not utopia here, far from it. If you have enough money not to worry about working ever again I agree it's really very nice. However since we've been living here I have been amazed how many people are living on very little money once their dream renovation ends and they have to find work. The folks in this group normally feel they cant afford to move back, others who can hang around for months trying to get top money for their house here to limit the damage. Education, is it better here? our children were more interested in school and learning back in England. Yes our children now speak French, but is that worth what they've had to leave? There is no facility near us for swimming lessons for example no cubs or scouts. There is an out side pool in the next village but thats only open for the period of the summer holidays, and to be honest it's a bit run down.  Food in supermarkets is expensive and limited, people who think France leads the world in the eating department are wrong. The choice of different foods from around the world is far greater in the UK than here. If you choose to live in an area full of British expats the supermarkets do get stuff in but it's only for expats benefit and their sales figures. Like any where if you can afford to eat in decent resturants you get great food, but we feed a family of five and it's no cheaper here just less interesting. We do have a much larger house here than in the Uk with loads of space, the weather is better, the roads are clear and smooth, we can ski and mountain bike in real mountains and I have a small registered business which is working but I now spend my working life alone. It's very hard to see how the business can grow as employing help is just too expensive, the people I know of who have are crippled by the cost.These factors will make it harder for you to find employment. So when you read postings from people telling you how brilliant their lives are, remember there are two sides of the coin they may have more money than you will have access to, and if you dont speak/ understand French god help you, get real. I know you will want to try it, good luck, and I fully understand anyone wanting to leave the Uk, two years ago I hated the overcrowded sh** hole. All I'm saying is that for various reasons the grass may not be greener here.        
  14. Yes it is Pauline, hope you find something you like. Howard.
  15. Hi Pauline, My wife and I and our three children all live just down the road in area 31 in a small village called Sarrecave. The locals are so very friendly and the children have been made very welcome at school in Blajan. We do miss being close to more life at times but the mountain biking's great, you can ski and the weather's good. I dont think we would stay here for ever but it feels a lot safer than the UK, I never want to go back there. Our children have much more freedom and we never sit in traffic. Houses are still reasonable I think that is bringing more people here. Boulogne seems to be on the up both of the large supermarkets have just been re-built and the Marie is also being really done up.There is now an estate agency in the town run by brits, a sure sign a certain type of growth is expected. Its a nice area to live in ,easy for airports so you can escape or friends can arrive. Cheers, Howard  
  16. Sorry I was so negative it's been a bad month caused by a client who although friendly was unable to pay their bill. I have also met many very pleasant people here and apologize for my previous attitude. I will not post on here again unless It's positive. Kind Regards to all Howard.
  17. Hi John, My name is Howard and I'm a registered carpenter in France( area 31). It's not difficult to set up here and you will find people who can help you with comunication. You will need a copy of your qualification translated with that and a current electricity bill you can do anything.However it's expensive and who will your customers be? because France is great but it's full of Brits who want everything cheap, tell you first off their on a tight budget and then tell you they have no money when you arrive with the bill. My wife and I have been looking at Canada/ Australia with our three children . Europe is swamped with cheap labour from eastern countries and the rates are droping, tradesworkers are considered very low most brits think all artisans are going to rip them off. I've been a carpenter along time but now realize it's time to re-train, stay where you are it cant be greener here! Sorry, Howard.    
  18. Hi, I had a look, your right I must have misheard, sorry. 
  19. Hello All, I've built many timber frame buildings both traditional oak and modern kit houses,also I've combined the two for a couple of clients. As yet I havent used Iroko for a frame only balcony hand rails where it has been specified, but it is a nice colour and I should imagine would work well. I'm sure I have heard it refered to in the past as Japanese oak. You could look on the web for the wood worker monthly magazine site and email them for information. As far as the climate goes, I cant see a problem using a combination of traditional and modern timber framing here as long as the design is right and I've used the layered quilt type insulation under the tiles many times, it works really well at both keeping heat in and out. Oak timber frames have been built all over europe for hundreds of years, they last a long time and look great while they do it. Cheers to all, enjoy your space    
  20. Hi Twist grip, I am a carpenter, age 40. I've also done it all my working life. My thing is cut & pitch roofing which is a shame cos it's different here although I cut my teeth doing 2nd fix. We moved ( thats my wife and three children) to area 31 about a year ago, we bought a house got the kids in school & got used to our new surroudings. The children are doing well making friends etc our house is ok just needs a bit of work which as I'm a tradesman means it will never get done! We have loads of space, feel safe and I'm not paranoid about tools getting nicked anymore. But the bottom line is always money, and the amount you have to pay here is heartbreaking( you may as well have a large mortgage at least your house goes up in value) most of the people I have met here who work are not doing great It's a stuggle and It's a shame because It really is nice here maybe a bit too quite at times. The locals here in our area are very friendly, we and the children have been made to feel really welcome. However, if I had known for sure what I know now I would not of come to France, It,s time to re- train or open a bar for eastern europeans, my brother in law did and is making his fortune. sign of the times. From one chippy to another, think vary hard, France is great if you dont need to work. Cheers Howard.       
  21. Hi Zeb, I'm in area 31 south of Toulouse near to Boulogne sur Gesse in a village called Sarrecave.
  22. Come and give it a go, I'm a registerd carpenter and have clients with no money and the current one who tells me she can get polish workers for 7 euros an hour, great! See other threads to see what you need to charge to put food on the table. Think very hard, we know now we should have rented our uk house not sold it although that would have made it too easy to give up. Sorry for being negative . The weather is better our house is nice with a garden we enjoy. 
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