Cat71

Me neither! Cat www.pictureburgundy.com

So I won't ask about woodworm killer or dry rot treatment then? Cat

Wow! Thanks for the scientific explanation. However, I'm a little confused about accelerators. What are they? Couldn't quite catch the drift but I may be suffering from lead poisoning as I've hacked into so much old plasterwork, paint work etc that my brain cells my be affected. If not lead then the red wine syndrome. I'm sure I used to use linseed oil on my horse's saddle many years ago. I've also used it to wipe across bricks to emphasise the colour. I'm wiling to try anything and will look into Tung oil.   Thanks, Catherine

I'm just hacking off plaster which is on top of lathe off an old beam. This stretches across the breath of the house and is in quite an elegant room. It's in reasonable condition except for the odd bit of worm which is superficial and lots of nail holes. It has been stained brown in the past but is not saturated so my hopes are high. I'm going to treat it first with anti-all and after that am not sure. Do I stain, just oil or what? I want it to remain fairly natural but not too rustic. Any suggestions? Thanks, Catherine www.pictureburgundy.com

I wasn't sure where to post this question but today I came across a dead buzzard in the ditch, next to a local neighbour's farm. I had a look to see if it had been shot, snared etc. but nothing visible. I'm assuming that it had suffered secondary poisoning but obviously without lab testing can't be positive. There is a very healthy population of birds of prey in the area and I'm in an area where the chase is very low key. Can anyone give me any info about bird conservation in France? Thanks Catherine www.pictureburgundy.com

Our one little room (4X3.30m) is all part of a greater plan. We are attempting to set up painting and other hols. As our place is turning out to be very expensive to renovate in one go, we are going to use other b&b accommodation in the area. The one we are hoping to use has mainly double beds and is quite spacious. Therefore, our room, if 2 single beds, would give the people, who are not partners, a more comfortable weeks hol. Or, I can offer our room to a single person and not have to pay my local B&B the single supplement.(Hope this makes sense) BUT, I don't want the room to appear cluttered. It will have its own entrance and private shower room opposite but if I put in two singles, will not be quite so spacious. All theory at present because plasterboard etc, still on sejour floor!!!!! Catherine  

Thanks Miki, If we were millionaires, we would be able to finance the 5 ensuite rooms where there is ample room up in the grenier but alas! So for now, we will only be able to offer one room. You've convinced me that a double is the way to go. Thanks, Catherine  

We are in the process of dry lining a bedroom which seems to be getting smaller by the minute. The room will be 4 metres by 3.30m when finished. I can't decide if 2 single beds would make the room seem very small. A double bed maybe better. Can you advise which beds are preferred, one double or two singles. It is our only room at present that we can offer as a chambre d'hote so it's important I make the right decision. Thanks, Catherine 

French paint is very expensive! I would definitely bring over paint if given the choice. Interior paint equivalent to Dulux etc is more than double plus the price.  However, we've used Astral exterior masonary paint at 90 euros for 10 litres, which has been quite easy to apply and seems to be a good quality paint( we chose our own colour and had it mixed). But, we are now ordering our 10th tin and may need more!Oh la la!  Definitely purchase interior in England.

We removed some old plaster today from an inside wall to discover one of our supporting wall beams has dry rot. Lots of very soft wood and fungal spores. Obviously the next stage is to remove the damaged wood and treat the rest with a dry rot fluid. Any further recommendations greatly accepted as the house is timber framed. However, to date we haven't discovered any more rot. Does anyone know the French name for dry rot fluid as first thing tomorrow I shall be off the the local bricomarche? Catherine 

We were told that last year temperatures dropped to -18!! I think this may have been a little unusual for Burgundy but I will definitely put them in a barn for the winter just in case. Sounds like the easiest method. Thanks. Catherine

What's the easiest way to over winter geraniums, fushias etc? I haven't had time to take cuttings but would like to try and keep the few plants I have. Thanks, Catherine

Hi Charallais, I think we are few and far between in this area of France. Where we are on the borders of 71/39 there are a lot of Swiss who have holiday homes but not many of us Brits. I think the Swiss are prepared to pay the higher prices making property quite expensive here. We have bought a large Bressane maison hoping to run art holidays but are becoming very frustarted by the extortionate prices quoted for converting a grenier and the time it's taking to get quotes. However, the local people are very pleasant, the area is pretty and our daughter has settled in at college and is making lots of new friends. You are not alone! Some of us just like to keep a low profile! Catherine 

Thanks for that info. We have got a De Dietrich wood burner which is actually a cooker. In fact we've got 2, one each end of the house. I've been used to a range cooker but as yet have to test out the DD. We've just spent 2 days moving our woodpile which we bought from the previous owners. The logs are huge and will need cutting so I take note of your comments about the size of logs! It's also comforting to hear that a gas hob doesn't always burn! I think my old bottled gas cooker will end up at the dechetterie soon   Catherine

Our ancient house 1739/1841 is riddled with woodworm. Fortunately it's oak framed and built like a cathedral. However, having been here 3 months I'm convinced my chopping board is suffering even though my husband just tells me I have a vivid imagination. Lord help the soft wooded DFS suite when it comes in from the garage let alone the pine beds! The woodworm will have a party. We've got gallons of water based chemicals to treat the floorboards etc but can you recommend anything for furniture. We bought a few pieces that were in the house, such as a large table, a couple of clocks, a bed and a wardrobe.When we moved the table it's foot just crumbled into sawdust Is there any easy to use chemical on the market to treat the remainder of the furniture before it's too late? Catherine 

Sorry, got confused with the new layout. I was responding to Bob on previous page. Thanks to all for info on their devis. It is really helpful. Catherine.

I think you've hit the nail on the head. We have also bought a large maison that is really beautiful on the exterior but pretty bad inside. I think the artisans believe that we are both wealthy and also incapable of doing renovation work ourselves. Unfortunately, some things ie chien assis, are beyond us so we do need carpenters, electricians etc. We are just in the process of obtaining another quote and even this second ball park figure on a chien assis was almost half of what the first builder quoted. We shall see! Catherine 

Thanks Val. We are thinking of running as a small business (B&B) but as yet haven't had any works done. We'll talk to the local tax office if our French will stand up to it! Mick, good luck with digging the hole and bon courage! (My husband is of the same opinion and ps TVA= terrain very 'ard!:

We are now shopping around of course and yes we realise the consequences of using labour from another country. We came with the sole intention of using local artisans as we are living here permanently but I do think we are being given quotes that are somewhat high for the job. We have done quite a lot of building work ourselves and are aware of both cost of materials and labour involved. Therefore, we expect a fair quote for work involved. Hopefully, the next devis may be a little more realistic!  

I'm currently using a very old bottled gas cooker which has two modes-off or burn. The whole neighbourhood knows when I'm cooking which just strengthens the French theory that the English can't cook! Therefore, a new cooker is a must. Most cookers I've seen are a mixture of gas and electric. I've been used to an aga so gas and electric are a bit of a novelty to me. I do a lot of cooking and don't want to make a mistake choosing the wrong type. Having now had experience of bottled gas I'm not very impressed. I'm assuming the gas/electric combination is to cut the cost of electricity bills. Can anyone advise? Thanks, Catherine

Have got the devi in for installing a large fosse of 5000 litres.The price is very high and we're also being charged TVA at 19.60%.The builders are quoting 5.5% for their work so why 19.60% for a fosse? Catherine  

Our local builder has quoted 5,800 euros to install a medium sized chien assis(dormer window). Having seen his work in the area we are impressed with the quality. However, we have queried the high price as we have had dormers installed in our house in England at a much lower price. He insists that this is what they cost, materials, labour etc.We will need three of these dormers but at a cost of 17,400 euros, we are tempted to fly out a contact from England who is a master carpenter! We realise that prices here are different but this does sound a little silly. What price are chien assis? Has anyone had them installed recently? Thanks, Catherine  

We are living in an area predominantly grazed by Charolais cattle. Loads of mixed woodland and extensive areas of good grazing land that is not sprayed etc. Superb hunting land for owls/birds of prey etc. We've been here a few weeks and haven't heard a single hoot! Got a pair of buzzards locally and was delighted to see a couple of red kites soar over. I've noticed that the majority of shops sell rat/cat/kangaroo/ and anything else that moves poison by the kilo, plus snares traps etc. Are we talking secondary poisoning or do owls not like living by me?

The house we have purchased is one mile as the crow flies from an autoroute. We visited the property at least 4 times before we moved in and didn't hear any noise at all from the road. We deliberately set out to research it during our weeks stay in the area. However, now we have been here for a few weeks we realise that the noise varies according to the climatic conditions which change considerably from day to day and hour to hour. Sometimes it is totally quiet and one doesn't notice the road noise for a couple of days. Then it can change and be totally unbearable if you are sitting in one side of the garden.(The other side is sheltered). We have moved from a very quiet area in England where we could hear a pin drop at night. Being a fresh air freak we like to have the windows open at night and are used to total peace. Here in the countryside of France we are experiencing what I would call 'noise pollution'. My sister, who lives on a fairly busy road in England exclaimed "what noise!" when I pointed it out. The main problem is the noise kicks in at night when all is still and I'm wondering if this will put off prospective visitors as we plan to run chambre d'hote. Can anyone reassure us that this will not be a potential problem? Thanks.

We are curently living in a house of 150 sqm and are planning to convert a part of the grenier into 2 ensuite bedrooms making a total of approx 250sq m. Our builder has suggested we heat them with 6 radiateurs "fluide colporteur" but had quoted us 8970euro to install the electrics and rads. We think that for that kind of money we could install a full system! We are planning to use the rooms for chambre d'hote so they may not be in use full time. We have high ceilings and face the Jura so I think it may be quite cold in winter. Can anyone recommend a heating system be it oil, gas, wood or electric that will be economical to run and install and will suit our needs? Thanks