THERE is a good chance that once you have bought somewhere in France you will want to do some work on it.
Depending on the size of the project it may be necessary to apply for a permis de construire or building permit.
Applications for the permis are free and can be made either by yourself, or the builder or architect handling the work in you name.
MESSAGE boards about moving to France are still full of questions concerning the swimming pool security legislation that came in earlier this year.
Many people ask which types of pool the law covers, what security measures need to be taken and how severe are the fines?
But now that there has been some time for the rules to ‘bed-in’ pool suppliers are able to provide clear advice and information.
WITH autumn around the corner the air is full of the sound of chainsaws preparing logs for winter fuel.
Many homes in the countryside still use wood burning stoves and open fires as a major source of heating as the dark nights draw in.
But if you do not have any wood already stored most villages will have someone who sells logs.
THE banking industry has warned people to be on the look out for a new wave of cyber-crime targeting online bank accounts.
Many people use the internet to keep track of their UK accounts as well as buy goods and items online.
But APACS, the banking payment association, has launched a new website to inform people of what to look out for and so protect their account.
NOW here’s something a little different for you property hunters – a 19th Century chateau near the border of the Charente and Dordogne.
Set in 14 acres of rolling countryside the house has gargoyles, a depiction of Joan of Arc, balconies and parapets, as well as two towers and all the original fireplaces.
The chateau was constructed in 1890 and it has a ballroom, pillared reception area and nineteen bedrooms.
PETS travelling between European Union member states must have an official EU Pets Passport from next month.
October 1 marks the official launch date of the system that will allow pets and their owners to travel easily between member states.
ASK an artist what brings them to France and they will often reply ‘the light’ and it was no different for a group slowly working on their watercolours in the courtyard of La Borie du Four.
Set just outside Villefranche du Perigord in the Dordogne, La Borie, was playing host to a week of exercises in perspective, painting trips to bastide towns and the occasional glass of red.
AS the sun begins to rise the early morning mist sits in the valley floor of the river Lot.
Captured from above the small village of Duravel, and looking south, it has cleared within half-an-hour.
Click on the thumbnail, right, to see the full sized image.
ALTHOUGH Paris is renowned for its American contingent the magic of France draws people from the United States to all corners of the Hexagon.
One of these is Lisa Feay, right, who has settled in to her home with her partner Ian in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Carcassonne.
A long way from her previous homes in New York, Glasgow and Minneapolis.
A POPULAR way of paying for your electricity in France is via the Option Tempo tariff systems.
Run by Electricité de France it works by offering varying prices per kWh based upon the actual weather on particular days and according to hours of use.