Keni Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Hello,can anyone help us.We have a small house in the Haute Vienne, in the centre of a small vilage. Opposite and to the right of us, but not actually visible, unless you walk 100 metres, is an old chateau. I have visited it - it opens maybe a few days a year, and does feature some historical items.Our problem is that our house is in need of serious gutter work and the rendering has blown from problems with the chimmney. We have had the place three years now and only want to get at least the rendering sorted. Each time we go to the Mairie, the Mayor says we have to go through Baitments de France for any front facing work, due to the historical importance of the chateau. Our friend opposite justs gets on with his work, having told the Mayor what he wants to do. All we want to do is get the major work done, but as I say, three years down the line we are no nearer sorting the problem out, and the damp/rendering is getting worse.Does anyone know if what the Mayor says is correct or could we just apply for a Permis de Construire and just do it, as they say?Thanks, Keni & Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris pp Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 As long as you are doing nothing that changes the outside of your house there shouldn't be an issue.But, did you have something in writing that said otherwise when you bought your place and what exactly is the work you want to do?Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tj Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 HiI sympathise with your predicament, however, under normal circumstances you would submit a "declaration du travaux" a one page simple form which details the work you wish to do ie: the rendering. With it you need to submit too scale maps of the location of the house, dont worry, the mairie has them and will supply you copies, also you should submit an A4 size photograph of the house ( so its easier for them to visualise the changes). Thats it, and they have 3 months in which to OK it.It would appear however, your problem now, is that you say you have discussed with the maire, I dont quite know how they would react when you try to submit "Declaration du Travaux", infact you need to get the form from them or the local DDE ( planning office )in the first place.I obviously dont know the house, but in my experience, and infact with my current project, the house next door has had the facade redone within recent times and so to make things easier we said that the finished house would look the same as the neighbouring one, they cant argue with that.Have not dealt with the french heritage people Batiment du France, you will no doubt get all the horror stories here , I suggest you ignore those give them a call and put your mind at rest, or get someone to call for you if the language is a problem.Take a look here, there is a phone number at the bottom of the page, may not / probably not the right office but they will point you in the right direction. http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/sites-sdaps/sdap25/abf/abf.htmI'm sure this is or should be an interesting thread for a number of people, and would be pleased to hear how you get on.good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJSLIV Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 Just complete a Declaration de Travaux detailing the work you are going to carry out.The form can be downloaded from the net, and is relatively easy to complete. Emphasise that it is a like for like replacement , and that you will not be replacing zinc guttering with plastic, the color of the rendering will remain the same etc etc.Once you have completed the form it is submitted vai the Mairie, they forward it to the DDE who will then involve the BdF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tj Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 [quote user="BJSLIV"] The form can be downloaded from the net, and is relatively easy to complete. [/quote]Just to clarify, it is my understanding that you cannot submit the downloadable form since there are a number of copies and I have always been asked for an original?Is confusing, as if this is the case whats the point of being able to download a copy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Trollope Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 You can use the downloadable form (I have, plenty of times). The Mairie will want photocopies (which you will have to do/pay for). If you use the triplicate form you will still need to photocopy the drawings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Redman Posted July 2, 2006 Share Posted July 2, 2006 [quote user="BJSLIV"] Just complete a Declaration de Travaux detailing the work you are going to carry out.The form can be downloaded from the net, and is relatively easy to complete. Emphasise that it is a like for like replacement , and that you will not be replacing zinc guttering with plastic, the color of the rendering will remain the same etc etc.Once you have completed the form it is submitted vai the Mairie, they forward it to the DDE who will then involve the BdF.[/quote]I beleive you down load the form. fill it in, print it off, then sign each printed copy before you hand/send it in ?Anybody and better ideas. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thank you to all so far for your replise. We will start with the downloaded form and see where the Mayor takes is from there. He speaks no English at all, but I have found out his secretary is actually fluent in Engligh, but he will not let her tell anyone.We are only trying to repair the house, rather than let it fall down. Unfortunately our neighbour (the mayors' buddy) damaged our property and his insurance had to pay is 1200 euros, so we have a sneaky feeling this is tit for tat.We will be chatting to a couple of neighbours in the next week or so and see if they can shed light on it. We will keep you posted as to what the rules actually are.Keni & Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted July 3, 2006 Author Share Posted July 3, 2006 Sorry all,Where will we dowload this form from - the Traveaux thingy?Keni & Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
painterman Posted July 3, 2006 Share Posted July 3, 2006 Hi, husband & I downloaded a copy from here:www.equipement.gouv.fr/formulairesWe found this site by going to 'google' and then typing "google.fr" in the search space, this brings up a page where we click on "translate this page", and it brings you to google france. We are finding this quite useful and typed in 'declaration de travaux, amongst other things we now want to find.Good luck with it, and hope it's the right one. The Mrs.[:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynpy Posted July 4, 2006 Share Posted July 4, 2006 We also live next to the chateau and when we wanted permission for our extension so went to the Mairies for advise. The secretary immediately made an appointment for us to visit the Batiments before we submitted our plans so we could get the correct information first hand. My French was basic but I found out all the necessary words that I wanted to use before I went, and took photos and plans with me, including a plan of where the house is situated. The man we saw was very helpful (and patient!) told us what we could and couldn't do and then gave us a very useful 'how to submit plans' sheet with all the relevant forms that we needed. It was all very straightforward, and of course if you go it will also give you the opportunity to ask about any other 'works' you may wish to do in the future.Good Luck!Lynpy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted July 5, 2006 Author Share Posted July 5, 2006 Thanks for that, I might try the lady secretary to see if she is more amiable about the Batiments. I am sure we are being used as Guinea pigs by the mayor to see if we would do anything first - so that is why we are trying to make sure we do it the right way. There are a lot of Brits in the area, but we are the nearest to the Chateau. I'll keep you posted on the rules etc. as we go along. Keni & Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keni Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share Posted August 14, 2006 Just to let you know how things have been going on the house as promised. We made it over to the house, and again saw the secretary to the Mayor. She said he would get over to see us, but again, he never made it. It appears that until we move over to the village permanently we will not get any help from the Mairie. There had been a mega storm prior to us arriving, the water had flowerd down the road , into our front garden and into our Sous-sol, thankfully it had just flowed straight out the other side. However, the chimneys are allowing water in and the rendering has blown completely now on the front.Is there any way we can get this sorted or do we just have to keep plugging away at the Mayor to get him to contact the Batiments de France?Keni & Chris, ps weather was great, so was the food and wine, as usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BJSLIV Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 I assume that your Declaration de Travaux is now working its way through the system. You will get the response from the DDE and the Batiments de France in the coming weeks. If the answer is a refusal it would be worth arranging to meet someone from the DDE, preferably on site, the next time you are over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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