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Learning from others mistakes


macstumpy

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Hi All,

I have been hanging around for a while reading the many and varied posts on here, the trials and tribulations that people have endured or indeed are enduring and it occured to me that thus far my French property owning experience seems to have been "But for the grace of God"

We have a house witoutbuildings in the Mayenne egion and intend over the next ten yars to extensively modify the buildings in order to create our retirement home.

Cash is and I expect will be for the next while pretty tight so we can't afford to make too many mistakes.

I am a plumber by trade my brother is an electrician we are fairly handy types we would like to find a reasonably priced competent roofer to re-tile our roofs fit dormers etc.

If anyone reading this can think of good advice other than "Dont do it"! we would be vey grateful.

All the best for 2007

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Robin's dead right - Mayenne is lovely, and there are loads of Mayenners (?) on this forum who will tell you so!

He's also correct that 10 years is about right! Julie was reminding me last night that I planned to have our place finished in 3 years. That would have been 2003, and it may be finished this year, that's with us just doing the decorating. Then we start on the garden...

Anyway - good luck, I hope you get a lot of enjoyment from it.

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When we did a long renovation job in the UK, I regretted that we hadn't planned for, and started on, the garden at the same time as the house. At the very least have a plan for the garden so that nothing you do will need undoing.

Best of luck with it.

Hoddy

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Thanks, though we need a tractor more than luck. It's only small, but as we aren't there much at the moment it gets very overgrown, so membrane and gravel is the first step, then think about the hard landscaping. Also before and since we bought there has been heavy traffic through it, so it is horribly rutted.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]Robin's dead right - Mayenne is lovely, and there are loads of Mayenners (?) on this forum who will tell you so!
[/quote]

Wouldn't they be the Mayennaise?

Good luck in finding your roofer. Fortunately our roof was fine, but we have been plodding along with the rest of it, and enjoying it most of the time, for six years now.  I don't think it will ever be truly finished.

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Hi Cooperlola,

We are in Charchigne so very close to Alencon nearest village to us is Javron Les Chappelles

I f you have someone you can recommend so much the better, what goes around etc.

Incidentally we are back and forth a fair bit cw Tranny van so if  you are local and need something delivered do let us know.

 

 

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Pascal Roussel, 36, rue Ampere, ZI Nord, 61000, Alencon.  02 33 28 08 88

He is very busy (the good ones always are) so although he may be reasonably quick to give you an estimate, do not expect immediate service!  However, from the look of things with your sensible timescales this will not be too much of  a problem.  We are about 30k's south of Alencon, and if you'd like to look at M. Roussel's handywork, PM me and we'll fix it up.

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Hi Cooperlola,

We may well take you up on your very kind offer It would be nice to see an example of a tradesmans work.

One of our favourite spots is by the River in Les Alpes Mancelles? is that near you?

We are in France hopefully in Aprl for Le-mans bike race however this may be dependent upon our pregnant daughter who could be producing offspring about the same time!

Thanks once again,

TM

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We are sure to be about as a group of mates are coming for the race and are coming over in convoy to our local bar for a nosh.  Tell your daughter to be a bit more considerate with her timing for the next one![:D]  We aren't that far from the Alpes Mancelles but not all that close either.  Pretty much equidistant between Alencon and LM.  I'll PM you nearer the time with details.
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 As already said learning French helps and, like with everything in life, take as much advice as you can find then make your own mind up. You seem to be taking a sensible approach, didn't mean that to sound as patronising as that sorry, and if you're realistic about timescales and what you're aiming to achieve I've no doubt you'll enjoy the journey.

 

All the best

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Hi Angelweb,

We very much subscribe to the idea that we don't want the French experience to be a chore, hopefully we come across as fairly rational and worthwhile people (We dont feel at all patronised, we were the ones asking for advice and very glad of it)

We believe that while the whole project is a bit of fun we do have responsibilities to our French neighbours some of whom we hope to call friends in the future. We hope once are up and running to have many of our friends across and put some money in the local tills.

We have some adjoining outbuildings that we would like to convert into another house, our main house is on mains water drains and electric (French electrics a la agricole are a hoot!) has anyone any experience of making connections to mans services as Ideally we would like the out buildings to have their own water, power and drainage this would entail digging up a section of our tarmac lane to get the drains in I suspect the power and water we could connect withing the curtelage of the property.

We haven't pointed out yet but hope it goes without saying if we can help someone out let us know we are backwards and forwards with our tranny van a few times through the year.

Oh and on the learning French from I have the Michel Thomas CD set but it just doesn't seem to be working still give it time, didn't claim to be the sharpest tool in the box did I?

 

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Hi Cooperlola,

 

I have mailed you back, Ta

"Do you have long straggly hair, ginger whiskers and wear a cape and deerstalker btw"

Errrrr nope, not the last time I checked anyhooooo, is that not the preseve of the Morgan Aero owners club or something like that?

Oh to have straggly hair....oh to have any hair!

I digress......

Thanks for your help thus far

 

 

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