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Hi Which shops would you recommend for good value floor tiles? Thanks in advance.

Excellent, thanks for all your replies.  We knew about Siddalls and Blevins Franks but not PKF or Sykes Andersen so will also have a look at them. Really appreciate all the practical tips as well so if there are any more of those then that would be great too. Thanks again. 

Hi Did anyone take financial advice before leaving the UK and, if so, which company did you use and were they any good?  I should be grateful for any advice or recommendations. Many thanks.

Definitely wood.  Looks great and feels good to bare feet.  Scratches and ageing only add to the character.

Thanks for your replies.  I hadn't realised that the metal shutters would heat the room in summer - not really what I want!  The other factor that that is swaying me towards wood is that I understand the aluminium shutters have plastic handles/levers, whereas wooden shutters have metal ones.  The plastic levers in the shop were very flimsy and just didn't feel very nice at all. Any other views/thoughts are welcome. Thanks again.  

Hi I am about to buy shutters and cannot decide between aluminium or wood.  The traditionalist in me would like to go for wood but I am keen to keep maintenance to a minimum and I have been told that aluminium requires no maintenance.  If anyone has aluminium shutters then I would appreciate the benefit of their views on them.   Do they sound "tinny", particularly if it is very windy? Do they feel solid/substantial when opening and closing? Do they really require no maintenance?   Any advice would be appreciated, particularly as the costs that we have been quoted are pretty much the same for both so the choice really is down to aesthetics.   Thanks in advance.

Sounds like we need to have a good look at the Brico Depot products and keep our fingers crossed that the sizes match. Thanks for all the replies (and the links) - much appreciated.  

Hi We're looking for good quality, reasonably priced, double glazed windows and doors.  Does anyone have experience of companies/makes that they would recommend (or advise us to avoid)? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.   

Try the Oxford-Duden Pictorial French and English dictionary.  Not just building terms but all sorts of other things too. 

Hi This link might be of use: http://www.bois-de-chauffage.net/ 

Sorry, I don't claim to know anything about roofing and it's obvious from your comments that I don't!  [:)]

It sounds like a lot to me.  We are having a 300 sq mtr barn roof replaced for less than half that amount.  Okay, it's not a direct comparison because our roof is only 2-sided and the "A" frames are all okay but that is still a big difference.  I would certainly advise getting more quotes.

When we bought our house a couple of years ago, we spent several weeks comparing HIFX and First Direct, getting quotes from each at practically the same time every 2-3 days.  Surprisingly, First Direct was better so that is who we used.  It's certainly worth running comparisons between a couple of companies (and a "proper" bank) if you've got the time to do so. 

Agree with Shivy that trees often have a poor year following a very productive year but there was no fruit on any of the trees in our area.  When I mentioned it to someone I was told that there had been a very bad frost which killed off the blossom (or something like that) and that was the reason for no fruit on anything. One thing that you could try is to send your photos to a Nursery and ask them.  Hilliers has an "Ask the Oracle" email link (http://www.hillier.co.uk/) - at least that way you're getting an expert opinion.

I know nothing about plum trees or silver leaf so can't comment on your photos but we have lots of plum trees and they too produced nothing, whereas the previous year they were full of plums.  I understand that it has been a very bad year so perhaps it's best not to be too hasty with the slash and burn.

When we received planning permission to renovate the roof on our outbuildings, which are under some electric cables, we were told that we had to send the electricity company (Soregies) a Déclaration d'Intention de Commencement de Travaux (DICT).  Within a week, they came and put a protective cover around the cables at no charge to us. Not sure whether this would be sufficient for your needs (depends how close the lines are to the trees) but no doubt EDF would assess the situation and do whatever they think is appropriate.  Also, I notice that felling/pruning trees is one of the options on the DICT so they must have to deal with this fairly regularly. 

and there I was thinking I was doing my bit for the environment as well as saving some money! I have been enlightened by your comments and will try to make sure that any future tips are a bit brighter.  [:)]

[I]   Rather than having a night light plug (or putting/leaving a light on) to see the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night, we put solar lights outside all day then bring them in at night and strategically position them along the required route.  They usually last through until about 3am, by which time the bathroom visit has taken place.  [:)]

We opened a CA Britline account.  Have had no problems at all with it but they do have an English Help Line if needed.

If it's for firewood, we were advised to grow Ash.  If you need quite a lot (and are buying in the UK) then let me know and I will provide you with details of the company where we bought our hedge and trees at very good prices.

When we move to France permanently we are planning to do a course at Poitiers University (http://cfle.univ-poitiers.fr/en/Cours/organisationC.htm) as recommended to us by the Dutch Agent who we bought our house from and who is (now) fluent in French.  They seem to be good value when compared to some of the weekly courses that are offered but you do need to do 13 weeks at a time. If you have the time, but Poitiers is too far for you, then try looking at some of the Universities in your area to see if they do similar courses. Hope this helps!  

For those people in the UK who want to order a shelf to take out to France (like us), Kleeneze do them at £6.50 for one or £11 for two.   (Page 22 of the Kitchen bit of their catalogue http://www.main-book.co.uk/)

It's probably still not technical enough for your specific needs but we find the Oxford-Duden Pictorial French and English Dictionary to be a really useful book.  (ISBN 0-19-864538-4, RRP £18.99.)