I certainly don't wish to offend anyone , i just hope that by bringing stuff to people's attention they will hopefully not make the same mistakes and therefore enjoy their time in france.

Yeah I've seen South Park, I know how violent those Canadians can be!!

'Glad to be home' It's your opinion, in my opinion, it didn't offend me! But just to add where we live in France you're more likely to be ripped off by the English!!
Best advice is to do your homework and search, find out the best shops/deals/ before you do ANYTHING!
By the way Timber and insulation ( in my experience ) is cheaper here!

Thanks for all the advice and information,much appreciated.

Not sure I'd agree with the point re Bathroom suites (although the French/English styles are completely different) as good selection and prices are available in the large Brico's.
I would fully endorse the point on Travertine tiles though.

Hi Choo 000 , i congratulate you on the idea of building your own house. Its sad that some brits find themselves in a bad financial situation and have to spoil it all by ripping innocent people off. Is it easier to get planning permission for building your own house in france than it is in uk? We can't find a house to buy over here , maybe cos we have been spoilt by what we have in france but we have thought about building a place but a. cant find the right land and b. don't know if we could stomach another building site/renovation. It took us ages to find the right shops when we first arrived in france . I heard alot of english nip back to uk for their paint cos the quality is better and i presume its cheaper. We found the plumber was one of the most expensive trades, also telling us that we needed to order through him cos they have to guarantee their work for 10 years. You are so right on the nail when you say for God sake do your homework first, and don't rush into anything , don't feel pressured to make a decision before you've checked out every angle, quote etc. We had a life of riley outside of the worries of the school and all the stress of the renovation, hot weather and me in my vegetable plot, picking all the cherries , the kids over the land on their quads or in the pool, no nosey neighbours, abit of fishing from our own bank, the baker coming past every tues ,thurs& sunday in his van full of pain and cakes and pain de chocolat. You dont get that in the uk and you certainly dont get it left behind your shutter if you are out and then pay next time. We just could have done with someone to hold our hand and give us the right advice instead of wading thru the quicksand for the first two years. We had alot of good times but i did miss things from the uk. Actually now we are back its nice cos you can converse without even having to think about it. I couldn't even have a decent row with the artisan or the school cos i didn't know enough french!!! Or rather enough bad words in french. But my God everything has changed so much !!! 15 yrs out of the uk , 6 of them in france. Its funny cos eventually we grew to become really good friends with the artisans we eventually used for the renovation and for more odd jobs after too. They used to say its a real english home, all roses in the front garden and the lawn all green and cut and edged. They would come round on a sunday morning for an english breakfast. My older son 14 used to get called roast beef at his school for fun. Mind you , he was pleasantly surprised by the bises/kiss kiss !! Well enough chat, i hope the build goes well, lovely idea.

Hello again All,
Could I have some views on the Charente region-pitou charente.Interested in a property there,possibly coming over for a few days with my daughter and her friend 1st week of April to have a look at a few properties in the area. If I book the trip I will come back for some B&B advice!
Many Thanks

Poitou Charente. Well we bought here, a couple of years ago, after a lot of umming and erring and quite a bit of of journeying around Europe .
We are, we think, very lucky. We live in a very friendly village, with excellent transport links close by. Our neighbours are generous in every way. People share resources (not just the very welcome fruit and vegetables, but roof tiles, and field stone - a generosity we as Brits are quite unused to).

The weather is good - but not horrendous. We had a hard winter, this year (and last). Not as many plans d'eau as the Dordogne perhaps, but still plenty around.
We are (we think) welcomed as we are bringing life back that was not here before. Speaking reasonable French helps immensely.
Poitou Charente is a beautiful part of France. Perhaps a bit of a time warp - which is why we like it. Like much of rural France the pace of life is gentle. We especially appreciate the everyday courtesy (except at lunchtimes!).

The most off-putting thing we heard before we came was the impossible bureaucracy. I have to say we have found the opposite. There is no denying there is a fair bit of paperwork, but we have without exception found officialdom sympathetic and helpful. (But we do speak French - the number of people who complain to me that our compatriots do not is legion, in a very short space of time)
If you need more specific advice do please PM me. We will be only too happy to help.
Best of luck

What has not been mentioned is whether you are planning to move to France or not and also how much of a renovation you are willing or able to do yourself, and perhaps most crucial of all, without prying of course, how you plan to finance it ?

Clearly coming over with a big wodge of cash to buy then live on site while doing a totally DIY renovation is a very very different proposition to borrowing money and employing artisans and merely supervising the job during fleeting visits from UK.

Each of these factors, and many more, can hugely influence the direction you take so as was said early on, a very broad question to respond to.

Thank you for the response. I am looking at a buying renovation project that has some habitable space with a lump sum.I am semi retired but not in a postion to relocate completely yet,I would hope to come over for holidays and possibly for a better climate in the winter months (if it's possible to live on a pension?!!).I am a reasonable diy'er,so would make improvements as I go along, but may need to use artisans for specialist work.This would be a medium to long term project.
Hoping to come for a few days from the 2nd April.
Many Thanks

A habitable restoration project was our first for choice for a property when searching in 2006.

Some while later, and after God knows how many viewings, we ended up buying a 1970's house in need of little more than a cosmetic uplift, something which wasn't even on our list of possibles at the outset, go figure !

Be aware that 'habitable' seems to have a radically different meaning to the French. Some 'habitable' properties we were shown you wouldn't condemn your MIL to live in

Ha Ha! Thanks for the advice,do you know anything about the Piotou Charente region?
Regards,

Sorry no, don't even know where Piotou Charente is

Only kidding

Booked the flights and hire car today,we arrive on the 2nd April and will leave on the 6th. If anyone can suggest reasonably priced hostel,camping,b&b? I'd be grateful.Flying to Limoges with a view to looking around the Poitou Charente,so around that area,the first property I'm looking at will be in Lesignac Durand.
Many Thanks

We bought in Poitou Charente 9 years ago. We are further west, about 50 mins inland from La Rochelle. We bought here because the climate and communications are good (La Rochelle and Poitiers airports within an hour, TGV to Poitiers as well and just off the A10). Also there are good beaches within an hour or so which is great for a change of scene.
Our neighbours are great - all French - they have helped us with all sorts of things and sourcing materials (40 euros for 3 cu metres of wood is a real bargain!!). Our house was habitable but we have renovated it and converted our attic to accommodation (all done during holidays as we are not yet permanently out here).
If you think you might be interested in looking further west in the region I am happy to help out...