Re pointing

[robkat]

One of our external walls needs repointing with that white cement looking stuff.  We managed to engage a French mason cum general builder to do the job & he has erected scaffolding agaist the wall which means he is on our neighbours land. All going well until we had a call from the maire - duly filled in the required forms & submitted with 3 photos. Back comes a demand from the central planning office - they want 4 copies of scaled drawings of proposed works, including what it looks like now, what it will look like & a few other things. Is it OK for hubby to sit with some graph paper one evening & do his Gerhy act, or will it have to be undertaken by some architect at vast cost? After all, it's only a wall & we are improving it, not knocking down & re constructing anything.

Kathy

[La Guerriere]

It sound as though your neighbour got the impression that you were going to do something like put in some windows, or just had a general Gallic strop and complained to the Marie. Pointing should not need a DdT, it's just maintenance: try smoothing things out by the application of alcohol.....

[robkat]

Doubt if it's a neighbours thing, but may try the alcohol route when I go down next monday.  Think it may be bureaucracy, but wonder if we could go ahead without permission - after all, they surely can't make us undo the work - or can they? Is there a list of thngs one can do to the house without involving the mairie or permission? Thanks anyway

Kathy

[cooperlola]

Like, La Guerriere, I don't think you don't need any planning permission to repoint/render outside walls - more particularly if you are not changing the appearance of the building - it's just maintenance, after all - unless you intended to paint the house bright purple, or something!  Would your builder be willing to nip up to the mairie with you and explain to them that that is all he is doing?