Free tickets to Rennes Exhibition

Rennes, the capital of Brittany (France)  is hosting an exhibition this weekend on, Friday 15,  Saturday 16^th and Sunday 17^th January 2016 about renovation, building a new house and renewal energies. To apply for a free invite, just follow this link here.

All you need to enter is your name, address, phone number and email address. 

Salon Destination Maison 

Address;

Parc Expo Rennes Aéroport
La Haie Gautrais
35172 BRUZ
Tel. 02.99.52.68.42

Skip hire near Dinan

I get asked this question very often by my clients when they renovate their houses in France: where can I hire a skip in Brittany?

There is a company near Dinan in St Carné called Romi. You will find a skip there. It is called ‘Benne’ in French, pronounced just like the name ‘Ben’.

You will find Romi in various places in Brittany:

Saint Malo, Dinan, Rennes, Quimper, Lannion, Ploërmel, Redon and a bit further in the Loire Valley in Saumur.

Se their web site for more info here.

Disposing of asbestos waste near Dinan

When you buy a house in France, a report about Abestos is done amongst other reports and surveys.

In Brittany old buildings often have asbestos roofs. One of my English clients had an outside toilet made of asbestos left by the previous owners!

I looked into it for her and found a place near Dinan in St Carné to be précised, called “Romi”, that would take it. We didn’t have to double wrap or package it in thick plastic; it was taken there on a trailer...

They charge €200/Ton.

If you don’t live near Dinan, ask at your local Déchetterie. They don’t recycle asbestos but might be able to inform you where the nearest place for safely disposing of asbestos is to yours.

Bricomarché in Dinan

This DIY shop offers a comprehensive range of gardening and DIY materials and tools.

They also sell pet food and accessories.

I find the staff there always available and friendly.

They can also organise deliveries if materials don’t fit in your car. It is always a problem when you buy plasterboard especially if you drive a Twingo like me!

You can also hire a van from them.

What I like about it, if you have a big order and you hire a van from Bricomarché, they will load it for you before you come and collect it.

We ordered 27 joists and 30 bags of cement as well as other stuff. This is 1 Ton to shift so I was glad to hear they were loading it for us!

To drive home and back to the shop was a quick round (just under 1 hour) and it only costs us 12 euros.

Bricomarché is our favorite DIY shop in Dinan. It is in Taden, North of Dinan on the Dinard road.

You can find Bricomarché all over France. Visit this site here

and enter your post code. You will then find out where the nearest shop to yours is

Can I install a mobile-home in my back garden in France?

I often get asked this question by my clients who undertake renovations in their property in France.

Here is the answer:

Under French law, you are not allowed to live in a mobile home unless it is for a holiday purpose or a temporary measure.

If you wish to live in a mobile home whilst your property is being renovated, you will need an authorization from your local mairie. So write a letter to the maire giving of course your name and address and the length of time you need it. Wait for their answer!

You may need a planning permission depending on the size of the mobile home. Don’t worry, the mairie will inform you of the requirement.

If you need any assistance with any paperwork or drafting a letter to the maire, please contact me and I will help you.

Boiler room - work in progress!

The last room in our cottage in Brittany that needs renovation: the boiler room.

Chris has just started work: insulation, plasterboard, new lights, cupboards and everything will be tidy. This is where I store all the bed linen for our gite in Brittany.

I can’t wait to see the room finished. In the meantime, I have to put up with the noise and dust but I know it will be worth it!

Déchetterie in France

Déchetteries in France are household waste recycling centres. You can drop off household waste items such as old televisions, fridges, cardboard, polystyrene, cartridges, oil, etc, and any rubbish you get from a renovation (old tiles, rubbles, PVC or copper pipes, cables, etc).

More or less whatever you can’t recycle in the 3 containers can be taken to the déchetteries.

Asbestos needs to be taken to a specialist. Your local déchetterie should be able to give you the address of the nearest one.

Déchetteries are free to use. Businesses (builders, gardeners, roofers, etc) however pay a fee each time they use the déchetterie.Our déchetterie in Evran (Brittany) charges €7 per m3 for gardening waste, €11 for rubble.

Staff can assist with the unloading of your car on request.

Check with your local mairie for the opening hours. Déchetteries are usually open from Monday to Saturday 10 am to 12 and 2 to 5 or 6pm.

It is advisable to take a water or EDF bill with you to prove you are a resident of the commune where the déchetterie is. Some communes give stickers to put on the windscreen.

Please note it is forbidden to recover items from the déchetterie!!