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Fosse..


Chris
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Morning Guys,

I hope someone here can give me a ball-park number to keep in mind. We are off to see a 4-bed house near Parthenay, been told there in no fosse (not that it can not be found -there is not one). This is all new to us and I'm sure the forum will have a resident expert and other very knowledgeable folk on hand, things I would like to understand are;

Size how is it worked out tank and filter bed

Type is it just down to cost or do some work better

What would the likely cost of having one installed to suit a 4 bed house.

I’m sorry if this has been covered time and time again.

Thanks

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Any property not connected to mains sewage (mains sewage being...tout à l'égout) must undergo a diagnostic called 'le diagnostic des installations d’assinissement non collectif'.

This diagnostic will tell you if a fosse exists and if one does exist what is required to bring the installation into the latest norms.

Do not go near a property unless this diagnostic has been undertaken as the diagnostic will tell you for FREE what work is required. You will have to do this work within one year of buying the property.

If the seller is serious, they would have already had this diagnostic undertaken because they can't sell it without it. If they have not, tell them to do one.

Controversial this may be, don't buy a property that requires a fosse. Not worth the hassle for so many reasons.
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Totally agree with ALBF in the post above.

You do need to establish whether you would get permission for a fosse and one of those conditions will relate to the type of ground and character of the soil (sandy, clay, etc)

For a 4-bedroom, the size of fosse recommended would be 4000 litres:  normally, 1000 litres per bedroom.

If it's true that there is no fosse, then there MUST be a reason why.  Perhaps there IS a reason but that the contraindication is that it is insuperable.

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I take it you don't watch 'chasseurs d'appart' on M6 LOL.

Admittedly, the forum expect could have rephrased that better. Lets say, don't go near a 4 bedroom house that does not have a fosse without a diagnostic being undertaken. As Minty said, you have to ask yourself why there is not one....if it is a house !!!!

Maybe the land is not big enough, servitude or rights to access. Loads of reasons.

I guess quite a few numbties each year buy a house which ends up being a pile of stones in the shape of a house. Nothing more, nothing less.

And while we are on the subject, personally I would not buy a house with a fosse. Houses connected to the mains supply are easier to sell. Apart from Humax boxes, Fosse's must be the second biggest misery question on French forums.

Tara.
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Good advice on here.

In our case, we had both, a fosse and mains drains, and I reckon that we had a perfect system.

The grey water went into the mains drains, the 'sludge' was our problem, only it was not. We had a perfectly working fosse for 25 years, which was never emptied and never a problem, well, when the pipes into it froze in January 2005 it was a bit of a problem, but that was soon remedied.

Would I buy a house without one......... just what had been happening prior to this......... polluted ground, wouldn't fancy that myself.

Before we sold we had all the proper paperwork for everything, abspestos, electrics, everything, if a house has not got it's paperwork, I would not give it another look unless I was filthy rich and know that everything could be sorted out legally.

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If you really want the house, here is a suggestion as to how to proceed and to protect your investment:

Ask the vendors to have a SPANC inspection and feasibility study and make the purchase subject to the result of that investigation (have a clause suspensive inserted into the compromis).  If the vendors shy away from that, then I'd be very cautious.

If the study is positive, ie, it's OK to build a fosse, the authorities will specify the type of fosse that is suitable.  Then ask the vendor to get a devis for the build.  You will therefore have a figure to work from (your request in your original post) and also a figure possibly to use as a bargaining chip.

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Chris, you don't say how old the house is or if it's in a town/village/miles from anywhere? That should give a possible indication of if you have a fosse or not. It's the law for an inspection before a house is sold, so the present owners must know if it's on the mains or not.

We had a SPANC attack yesterday, an inspection that is, and although our fosse was complient in 1982 when the house was built it's going to need a lot of work doing now. No details on that yet.

This is the SPANC site, in French of course. Le Service Public d’Assainissement Non Collectif (SPANC) Katchy name ehhh? But the French do like their acronyms and I wonder if they realise what picture this one conjures up for the British?

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"I take it you don't watch 'chasseurs d'appart' on M6 LOL"

I dont.

"Admittedly, the forum expect could have rephrased that better. Lets say, don't go near a 4 bedroom house that does not have a fosse without a diagnostic being undertaken."

Ok, I will give you that one.

The plums that moved into the house in front of mine have just found out that having a house surrounded on 4 sides by roadways and is 300 yards downhill from their garden is a problem. Currently when they drop a load it goes through a 100mm pipe laid under the road back in 19oatcake and exits in a ditch, complete with clumps of sh1tty pink toilet paper for all to see.

The guy whos land the ditch borders is a first class choob and wont let them do anything on, under or through his land so now since the mayors wont let them dig up the road and put a fosse under the roadway either they are probably going to have to dig up their lounge floor and put it under their own house.

"Apart from Humax boxes, Fosse's must be the second biggest misery question on French forums. "

I dont understand this. Its not rocket science - its a big box full of sh1t...nothing more. I have lived in several houses Uk and France with tanks and had a tank at a previous garage in UK too and never, ever had any kind of problem at all....I dont even think about it....and I dont "baby" them with fancy cleaning products or waste money on silly sachets of magic powders....its all completely pointless. I even use bleach cleaners....as long as you arent pouring 20 litre drums down the bog there wont be a problem.

Also, dont put baby wipes or jam rags or cotton buds or make-up remover pads or anything like that down it....but that goes for mains drains too. Most of these things that claim to be flushable are not.

Been away for months and think your fosse needs "activating"? (it doesnt.) A fivers worth of magic powder is not going to help you. You would probably be better putting the actual fiver down the bog due to the level of bacteria on it. The best thing to do is have a sh1t in the fosse, which can conveniently be done from the comfort of your bathroom.

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The problem with a 'fosse' in France is that you will invariably be living rural.

Now, I love rural living. Born and bred. Apart from being an expert on everything French related, I can actually (I like to think) identify most European birds. That is the ones with feathers. I do rural and nature.

Trouble is, I am not that bothered about rural living in France. Not my thing.

Militant farmers, crazy driving, crap supermarkets, hunting, backwards thinking, barking dogs, Brit neighbours, people who open your letter box for a lark because they are board shîtless, crap internet, no kababs, Brit neighbours, people talking behind your back, having to shop in Lidl and convince yourself they are selling food, Leven, tourists, uninsured RHD cars, no proper commercial centres, can't sell your house....oooh the list goes on.

Nice view vs that !!!!

Move to a French city with mains sewage and have none of the above. None of this putting chemicals down your pipes so your garden does not start growing poo.
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Thanks Guys,

To answer some of the question, the house the old part 1500 the newer 17/1800 , it's in the middle of no-where. The waste has be going "out to the land" as far as I can understand for the last 40 years. It's never had visits from SPANC !
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[URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/Jonzjob/media/Johns/Pyranese%20amp%20Carcassonne%201_zpsusvs7lpe.jpg.html][IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Johns/Pyranese%20amp%20Carcassonne%201_zpsusvs7lpe.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/Jonzjob/media/Johns/Pyranese%20amp%20Carcassonne%202_zpsnt0bob3x.jpg.html][IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Johns/Pyranese%20amp%20Carcassonne%202_zpsnt0bob3x.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Nice views we got, Brit neighbours with or without right hookers we ain't got, good French neighbors, apart from 1, we got, Voisins Vigilante we got. I've been in Lidl once I think, to look at a tool they had on offer. I bought it. I hadn't noticed anything I would eat in there (ducks and waits for thr grouse [6] ) 3 organic supermarkets within 15 minutes of here, Pont Rouge Carcassonne with an ENORMOUSE Carreforre, or however the hell is spelled and a cinema that you can see from the Pic du Noire 15 miles away! Oh, the Voisins Vig are having a gallette de roi knees-up Saturday evening and most of our end of the village will be there and we will be the only English speakers, well, some of the French neighbours do speak a little of the official EU language [:-))]§ We have also all got fosses [kiss]

Sorry for the off topic Chris. If you are really thinking of buying this place then a SPANC inspection is essential and as far as I know that inspection is a legal requirement and no Notaire will let the sale/purchase go ahead without it.  Sounds interesting init! Any chance of a photo??

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Chris said 'Can you buy a house without the reports - would not the notaire want to see the'

No.

All the diagnostics need to be undertaken relevant to the property and its location before it can be sold. They are annexed in the Compromis de vente.

Unless you are buying a barn !!!!

I don't understand what you want to do here.

Jonzjob, nice views !
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[quote user="Chris"]Thanks Guys,

To answer some of the question, the house the old part 1500 the newer 17/1800 , it's in the middle of no-where. The waste has be going "out to the land" as far as I can understand for the last 40 years. It's never had visits from SPANC ![/quote]

Our neighbour didn't have a visit until he asked for one, he didn't have mains water got all his water from his well so he wasn't on the system.

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[quote]

I don't understand what you want to do here.

Jonzjob, nice views ![/quote]

I want to buy a house, but the old guy who has it up for sale, a private sale is somewhat behind the times. No immobilières to help guild him/us, I think the words where (robbing barstools).

If I UNDERSTAND:

If I make a offer and we go to the notaire he will want to see all the paperwork "Dossier de Diagnostic" to make sure things are in order.

OR:

Do I have to insist the sell has the "Dossier de Diagnostic" and "SPANC REPORT" done.

So at the moment I'm trying to cost things out to offer a fair price. Most things I can cost, it's just when I come across the unusual I hit a wall.

Chris
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[quote user="Jonzjob"]Sorry for the off topic Chris. If you are really thinking of buying this place then a SPANC inspection is essential and as far as I know that inspection is a legal requirement and no Notaire will let the sale/purchase go ahead without it.  Sounds interesting init! Any chance of a photo??

[/quote]

Will do off on a viewing trip this coming half term..
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I would ball park a figure of 15 K Euros for the Fosse.

It probably will be less or might be a little more. Who knows.

Then make him an offer based on that and all the other work that needs to be done.

If matey accepts, take him to a Notaire and he will guide you through the buying process. Just make sure you put in a 'clause suspensive' (of some description.......ask the notaire) that you will pull out of the sale if there are problems concerning the fosse highlighted in the diagnostic report....once it is done.

The seller still has to do and pay for all the diagnostics if he wants to sell the property.

Like I said, drag him to a Notaire if he accepts the offer. Just make sure you protect yourself.

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My good man on this occasion you are wrong which is most unusual. If there is no bathroom or kitchen in the property, no spanc report is necessary. Lots of old houses have neither. It still makes sense to have a report done anyway. That way there are no surprises other than having the risk of having Albf as a neighbour but stick to the countryside and one should be safe. lol
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[quote user="dave21478"]"....don't buy a property that requires a fosse. Not worth the hassle for so many reasons."

More pearls of wisdom* from the forums Expert Of All Things.

*total sh1te.[/quote]

Your English translation is wrong, its not called a total sh te in English. I know all the poo goes in there but its called a septic tank.
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When I was young (you were probably in your mid twenties Levey and still learning to read LOL) we had fosse at our house in the UK.

It is not something I would want to live through again. Ok my dad built it....lol

Mains sewage was invented for a reason !!!!

Just buy a house with mains sewage....there are plenty about. Usually by shops, and stuff....

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