lostinfrance

[quote user="opas"]I will look at this thread again on Tues/wed as one of out neighbours who have a holiday home here comes from that area....he should be here on Monday.[/quote] Merci         Await your post.

[quote user="Jonzjob"]Maybe there isn't? But there is a LOT of French oak and good quality too!![/quote] Yes i agree and it keeps us very warm the early and last part of the winter.                              And all so good in the buildings.

[quote user="wiskersnatch"][quote user="Nearly Retired"] He's not wrong this wiskersnatch. Any background or link to MICE? [/quote] RICS and a few others but out of touch with the latest stuff.  By the way.  If anyone wants free building advice I am happy to help.  Just ask on Private Message.  You could ask me or the bloke in the pub. [:D]  [/quote] You know the bloke in the pub then?

[quote user="Nearly Retired"]He's not wrong this wiskersnatch. Any background or link to MICE? [/quote] Think the little White Might in picture would keep mice away[6][6][6]

[quote user="wiskersnatch"]First off it is unwise to build anything without proper foundations.  If you don’t know for sure what it there you must assume nothing.  The depth and type of foundation will depend mainly on the proposed loading and the ground conditions.  A strip foundation for example for a garage may be a certain size but useless if not buried deep enough to avoid frost heave (in a clay area).  The permutations are vast but some general principles apply always.  If the ground is very soft you must dig until you reach firm ground and if that is over a 2 m you will need to think about piles or a raft.  As you will know there are various types of foundation.  The most common on domestic dwellings is the ‘Strip’ foundation. For a house, in firm ground with no clay,  a convenient way to calculate the size is to take the wall thickness and measure out and down from each side at a 45 degree angle.  This will automatically give you an approximate size.  (As the loading bears down at 45 degrees).   The top of the foundation should be a minimum of 600mm from GL (in firm ground).  If you have clay and frost the distance must be NLT 900mm to avoid frost heave.  The concrete should be C30 as a minimum (just ask for 30 Newton concrete).  Lots of builders use C20 but frankly the cost difference is so small it is better to go with 30.  By the way, I have used concrete in various places and have to say French concrete is as good as I have ever come across.  As a minimum your foundation should run 150mm each side of the wall (so a 250mm wall would have a foundation 550mm wide, round up to 600mm).  This is enough to support a domestic dwelling of 2 stories.  It will certainly be enough for a Garage.  A raft foundation is basically a big slab, most of the slab should be the thickness of about 150mm to 200mm (depends on loads) and the edges, which shall bear the major loads should be deeper (imagine a waffle inverted).  The problem you may have is that the base, although solid is unlikely to be reinforced and a raft needs to be reinforced.  It is not a good idea to treat any slab as a raft because a raft is designed to float and has specific areas designated for heavy loads (most often its perimeter but also other areas sometimes).  Your slab is likely to be a floor and not designed for huge point loads i.e. walls supporting a roof.  It may well support cars and tractors but when you introduce walls and roofs and wind loads and snow loads etc you are in another world altogether.   If you introduce new heavy loads to the edges you are likely to crack it, unless it is extremely thick or reinforced or both. Typically Rafts are used in areas where ground conditions vary, so if there is any subsidence the whole structure moves, sinks etc and does not crack. Rafts more often than not do not have piles, they are meant to float (that is a relative term)  when they do have piles they are not, strictly speaking, raft foundations. They are piled foundations. Remember,  concrete is most excellent in compression but less than useless in tension and varying ground conditions gives areas of tension and compression.  Any point you have the ground pushing up and weight (walls) pushing down will be a point of tension.  Reinforcing (metal) is great in tension, which is why it is used. Of course a raft may be the same thickness all over but that is a waste of concrete. Piles are another form of foundation.  These can be used in extreme soil conditions such as marsh ground.  Each pile or set of piles (they are often grouped) has a Reinforced concrete pile cap and these can support reinforced beams or a reinforced raft (Not really a raft as it can work without even touching the ground, a raft is deisgned to float).  Piles are costly and not often used on domestic dwellings. Piles can be driven (a big hammer) or poured.  If poured a hole is bored with an auger, a steel reinforcing frame usually dropped in (not always) and concrete poured in and vibrated.  Piles can be driven till they meet hard ground or can, where hard ground is not available at a reasonable depth, can rely on friction, even in very soft ground. After driving or pouring a pile should be loaded with a known load and its movement can be measured.  There are tables for the movement allowed, you just need to know the imposed and superimposed loads, the safety factors are built into the tables.  Needles to say piling is an expert job.  I mention it here as you may find it of interest, I don't suggest you pile. I hope that even if you don’t find this useful you find it interesting.  It is a vast area and many people tend not to give it due consideration.  My guess is that this is because foundations are hidden. But back to your question.  I have a suggestion which may be helpful. Instead of using the slab as a foundation why not dig around it and drop in a strip.  I would recommend also installing about 4 x 8mm reinforcing bars.  In a row, evenly spaced. These need to be covered in concrete so use spacers to support them before you pour the concrete.  (Spacer you can buy at any builders' merchant).   The cost is low and the added strength is huge. For real 'belt and braces' install bars in the bottom and the top (50mm cover).  If you do this you will be sure to have a very strong base to build upon. Also, try digging down beside the slab to see its depth. Did you know that concrete gains 50% of its strength in the first 7 days and continues to get stronger for about 50 years.  There after it losses strength very, very slowly.  When poured in huge mass concrete does ot go off quickly.  Apparently inside the Hover Dam there are areas where the concrete is still soft!   Regards   CY [/quote] A good and informative post.                                          Take my word this poster has been there and done it, it is not from a book or web page,it is fact.                                                         Keep up the good work.                                         

[quote user="wiskersnatch"]First off it is unwise to build anything without proper foundations.  If you don’t know for sure what it there you must assume nothing.  The depth and type of foundation will depend mainly on the proposed loading and the ground conditions.  A strip foundation for example for a garage may be a certain size but useless if not buried deep enough to avoid frost heave (in a clay area).  The permutations are vast but some general principles apply always.  If the ground is very soft you must dig until you reach firm ground and if that is over a 2 m you will need to think about piles or a raft.  As you will know there are various types of foundation.  The most common on domestic dwellings is the ‘Strip’ foundation. For a house, in firm ground with no clay,  a convenient way to calculate the size is to take the wall thickness and measure out and down from each side at a 45 degree angle.  This will automatically give you an approximate size.  (As the loading bears down at 45 degrees).   The top of the foundation should be a minimum of 600mm from GL (in firm ground).  If you have clay and frost the distance must be NLT 900mm to avoid frost heave.  The concrete should be C30 as a minimum (just ask for 30 Newton concrete).  Lots of builders use C20 but frankly the cost difference is so small it is better to go with 30.  By the way, I have used concrete in various places and have to say French concrete is as good as I have ever come across.  As a minimum your foundation should run 150mm each side of the wall (so a 250mm wall would have a foundation 550mm wide, round up to 600mm).  This is enough to support a domestic dwelling of 2 stories.  It will certainly be enough for a Garage.  A raft foundation is basically a big slab, most of the slab should be the thickness of about 150mm to 200mm (depends on loads) and the edges, which shall bear the major loads should be deeper (imagine a waffle inverted).  The problem you may have is that the base, although solid is unlikely to be reinforced and a raft needs to be reinforced.  It is not a good idea to treat any slab as a raft because a raft is designed to float and has specific areas designated for heavy loads (most often its perimeter but also other areas sometimes).  Your slab is likely to be a floor and not designed for huge point loads i.e. walls supporting a roof.  It may well support cars and tractors but when you introduce walls and roofs and wind loads and snow loads etc you are in another world altogether.   If you introduce new heavy loads to the edges you are likely to crack it, unless it is extremely thick or reinforced or both. Typically Rafts are used in areas where ground conditions vary, so if there is any subsidence the whole structure moves, sinks etc and does not crack. Rafts more often than not do not have piles, they are meant to float (that is a relative term)  when they do have piles they are not, strictly speaking, raft foundations. They are piled foundations. Remember,  concrete is most excellent in compression but less than useless in tension and varying ground conditions gives areas of tension and compression.  Any point you have the ground pushing up and weight (walls) pushing down will be a point of tension.  Reinforcing (metal) is great in tension, which is why it is used. Of course a raft may be the same thickness all over but that is a waste of concrete. Piles are another form of foundation.  These can be used in extreme soil conditions such as marsh ground.  Each pile or set of piles (they are often grouped) has a Reinforced concrete pile cap and these can support reinforced beams or a reinforced raft (Not really a raft as it can work without even touching the ground, a raft is deisgned to float).  Piles are costly and not often used on domestic dwellings. Piles can be driven (a big hammer) or poured.  If poured a hole is bored with an auger, a steel reinforcing frame usually dropped in (not always) and concrete poured in and vibrated.  Piles can be driven till they meet hard ground or can, where hard ground is not available at a reasonable depth, can rely on friction, even in very soft ground. After driving or pouring a pile should be loaded with a known load and its movement can be measured.  There are tables for the movement allowed, you just need to know the imposed and superimposed loads, the safety factors are built into the tables.  Needles to say piling is an expert job.  I mention it here as you may find it of interest, I don't suggest you pile. I hope that even if you don’t find this useful you find it interesting.  It is a vast area and many people tend not to give it due consideration.  My guess is that this is because foundations are hidden. But back to your question.  I have a suggestion which may be helpful. Instead of using the slab as a foundation why not dig around it and drop in a strip.  I would recommend also installing about 4 x 8mm reinforcing bars.  In a row, evenly spaced. These need to be covered in concrete so use spacers to support them before you pour the concrete.  (Spacer you can buy at any builders' merchant).   The cost is low and the added strength is huge. For real 'belt and braces' install bars in the bottom and the top (50mm cover).  If you do this you will be sure to have a very strong base to build upon. Also, try digging down beside the slab to see its depth. Did you know that concrete gains 50% of its strength in the first 7 days and continues to get stronger for about 50 years.  There after it losses strength very, very slowly.  When poured in huge mass concrete does ot go off quickly.  Apparently inside the Hover Dam there are areas where the concrete is still soft!   Regards   CY [/quote] A good and informative post.                                          Take my word this poster has been there and done it, it is not from a book or web page,it is fact.                                                         Keep up the good work.                                         

So true,             But not to all peoples taste

Third party??????????????                                           Please could you enlighten me.[8-)]

[quote user="Jonzjob"]What happened to your "On the wards of no-one Dick". I liked that!! I take it that you are not in the market of large oak at the moment Chris?? Lovely when the sun shines ... [/quote] Is there any English Oak left now?[:P]

Have to go to Grimsby in Lincolnshire for two or three days.can some-one tell me a good hotel to stay at.

[quote user="Scooby"][quote user="lostinfrance"] Sorry i must disagree with you.   We live in France and yes when the sun shines lovely, (le soleil brie), The winters long, But we go south then to south Spain or Portugal, it never gets below 7 degrees. So heating costs.   So why go back to U.K. and spend money?                                                                 Retirement good if you spend no money,so go to the places that cost less. [/quote] Sorry I wouldn't want to go to Spain - even if I was paid to do so!!  Likewise the Algarve and a few other parts of Portugal.  Plus, I love England and love sending time with my family there - so why would I not want to go home to be with them? [/quote] Pardon,              So be it.                           Horses for course.                                                           c`est la vie.

[quote user="Gluestick"]Interestingly, JR, I was reading recently some construction details concerning the Chunnel. Apparently, the native chalk strata which was bored, is quite capable of withstanding the immense crust mass above: as well as the water pressure loading. All that was needed was a coating of Shotcrete. The concrete liners were used purely for cosmetic purposes and to aid periodic cleaning. The vast cellars in the Champagne, of course, were simply dug out of the native chalk by the Romans originally. They still seem to be OK.......................     [/quote] I think there is a little difference to the wine cellers and the( chunnel. )[:'(] N`est ce pas ?

[quote user="lostinfrance"][quote user="Sprogster"]If you can afford to maintain two homes and spend the winters in the UK and summers in France, you probably have the best of both worlds. I suspect there are members of this forum who ideally would like to do just this, but the only way they can maintain a house in France is by selling their UK home and moving to France permanently. Not sure if the price comparison some posters have made asserting fuel prices are appreciably lower in France is still correct with the much weaker £ to euro rate.   [/quote] Sorry i must disagree with you.   We live in France and yes when the sun shines lovely, (le soleil brie), The winters long, But we go south then to south Spain or Portugal, it never gets below 7 degrees. So heating costs.   So why go back to U.K. and spend money?                                                                 Retirement good if you spend no money,so go to the places that cost less. [/quote] The sun is shining now. No rain!!!

[quote user="Nearly Retired"]I'd like details of a tree lopper in 17 too. If he's any good why not let us all in on the secret? [/quote] If you go talk to the Mairie they will put you on the right track. And it is free.

[quote user="Sprogster"]If you can afford to maintain two homes and spend the winters in the UK and summers in France, you probably have the best of both worlds. I suspect there are members of this forum who ideally would like to do just this, but the only way they can maintain a house in France is by selling their UK home and moving to France permanently. Not sure if the price comparison some posters have made asserting fuel prices are appreciably lower in France is still correct with the much weaker £ to euro rate.   [/quote] Sorry i must disagree with you.   We live in France and yes when the sun shines lovely, (le soleil brie), The winters long, But we go south then to south Spain or Portugal, it never gets below 7 degrees. So heating costs.   So why go back to U.K. and spend money?                                                                 Retirement good if you spend no money,so go to the places that cost less.

   The same principal has  the Air of the Dog  Is it not?

[quote user="trees 2"]Strange that people don't like cabines: I bought one from Mr Bricolage three years back and it went together without silicone, as they said it would, and hasn't leaked yet. Maybe I've just been lucky? Instructions WERE rubbish though.......... [/quote] So you put together the shower,and no leaks.    Thats the way to do it.

[quote user="Frenchie"]Sorry Lostinfrance.. I was addressing that méchant Woolyb..... [:)] your post got in between.. [:)] [/quote] O.K.         The story of me live.                                      Getting between.[:D]

[quote user="Frenchie"]Well, to me it is.  I must be simple, is that what you mean ?? LOL [/quote] no

[quote user="Frenchie"]I simply adapt to the place where I am. My walls and floors are white at home, and on long winter evenings, I enjoy feeling cosy at home, with the sweet light from lamps .. Even when I'm in the UK, I feel perfectly well.. But I have the feeling I could easily live anywhere, as long as I have the ones I love around me, I really don't care about a few Xtra minutes of daylight. But of course we all have a different perception of things. [/quote] In lots of ways the French Culture and the English Culture differ. As the comments made on forums show.

A very interesting post,makes you think about the shower thing.  Nothing good about water all over the place,but not where it should be.

[quote user="Cathy"]Two questions: 1. What is Fathers' Day in French? (My son is writing a card for his Dad.) 2. In English, is it Fathers' Day or Father's day?  With more than one father being honoured, surely it is Fathers' Day?   [/quote] Fete des Peres                          Sorry english keys, Com. over first e in both words

[quote user="Clair"]I buy stamps by the carnet (book of ten) so I always have some at hand. Why does it take 20mn to buy stamps at the post office? [8-)] [/quote] Perhaps because all the people are buying thing(s) one at a time.[6]

[quote user="David_Janet"]WOW! What can I say! Thank you everyone, for such informative, useful - even entertaining - replies. [:D] A lot of stuff to digest, but I think it's pretty obvious that 'proper' foundations are the way to go. I do enjoy this forum..... Thanks again David   [/quote] Please do come back in time and tell us wich route you took.[8-)]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Why not have a word with the Syndicat des Eaux whether they can recommend a firm? At least, this way, they can't later say that your fosse doesn't conform to regulations! That's what I did when we were still in the UK and we were given the names of 2 companies to contact. [/quote] Your faith is worth a medal.[8-|]                                          Things are changing all the time at the moment.