This post starts with the view that I wrote at the start of the latest visit, it then takes into account what happened at the end of the stay. Things change!
This was to be a short visit prompted by the possibility of meeting the builder who having been let down on a previously organised job might be able to start work prior to winter. I ‘phoned when I arrived and yes he could, and indeed did, turn up. He’d been here before and looked at the house from the outside and had the architect’s plans; so this was a chance for him to see the inside and make a fuller judgment.
As the fifth person to have a close look at the troublesome wall it was interesting to see how he made his judgment. And his view is unequivocally that the wall is eminently rescuable and can be held in place by the structure for the roof that he proposes. This is very similar to the solution offered by the two other builders who say that it can be saved. Overall he was encouraging about the task of undertaking the repairs, and when we talked through the timescales indicated that he could get me a quote before I leave again. Also that he could start the work in late October/early November and therefore be well underway prior to the onset of the worst of the winter. We shall see!
Other than that I did a deal more of clearing out of the house to remove all of the straw and hay that was stored at first floor level at the eastern end of the house. This constituted a substantial fire hazard as well as obscuring the state of the floors making it impossible to judge where it was safe to walk. Moving it in the temperatures I experienced was very hard work – hot and stuffy as well as very dusty. Fortunately I had some face masks available so that I did not inhale too much of the dust occasioned by the clearing process. And I was able to move all the straw/hay onto our field as shown by the picture above. Our neighbour enquired whether I intended to burn it – it would be unbelievably dangerous to do this as the material is completely dry and would fly everywhere – and I said absolutely not, it would rot down in due course. She seemed a little disappointed in this answer!
Other than that I’ve re-sprayed the courtyard at the front with weed-killer to keep that under control. No doubt it will re-grow again before we return some time in autumn but it’s worth trying to stop it getting completely overgrown.
And I made a visit to Biarritz to have a day off and just to see how long it took. It’s actually about 150 km and takes less than two hours to get into the centre of the town. There were surfers even though the weather was rather calm and they made it look all so easy that I immediately wanted to have a go. However, I’ve no doubt that I’d make a complete prat of myself if I did try it. But those visitors younger and fitter than I am will doubtless enjoy themselves enormously having a go at it.
And at that point all seemed well. And then I decided to look in on the Mairie as the architect had informed me that I should expect a letter from it formally confirming the Permis de Construire. Since I had received nothing and there was no sign on the notice-board outside a visit seemed a sensible idea.
How to contain my frustration at this point?? The secretary was helpful but a little baffled that there wasn’t a notification. She ‘phoned the Departmental authorities who informed her that there is a problem over the open-sided barn which we have planned to demolish. And it would seem that despite having had a letter that states we have authorisation as from the end of July in the absence on any further communication (which we haven’t received) we actually don’t have such authorisation! It would seem that the Departmental architect is having second thoughts about the demolition of the barn. But he’s not got round to informing us about this. So, I am told very firmly that I don’t have a Permis, absolutely no work should be done on the house and there’s no indication of what time-scale we are now expected to work to.
Given that none of the builders has actually got round to quoting on the work there’s no real problem in all of this – no work is going to happen any way! But to say that I am angry and frustrated is to put the least construction on my feelings. How we proceed at this point is any one’s guess. I shall retire to England to take advice and think it through. One feeling is that since I have the strong suspicion that the reversal of the decision is the result of the intervention of the Maire, whose parents are the next-door neighbours, I shall simply leave the house to rot away to nothing becoming a permanent blight on the face of the village and affecting his family’s property most directly. Childish and unhelpful I’m sure; but bitterness at the ridiculous twists of the bureaucratic process engendering feelings of hopeless rage can result in such thoughts.
This was to be a short visit prompted by the possibility of meeting the builder who having been let down on a previously organised job might be able to start work prior to winter. I ‘phoned when I arrived and yes he could, and indeed did, turn up. He’d been here before and looked at the house from the outside and had the architect’s plans; so this was a chance for him to see the inside and make a fuller judgment.
As the fifth person to have a close look at the troublesome wall it was interesting to see how he made his judgment. And his view is unequivocally that the wall is eminently rescuable and can be held in place by the structure for the roof that he proposes. This is very similar to the solution offered by the two other builders who say that it can be saved. Overall he was encouraging about the task of undertaking the repairs, and when we talked through the timescales indicated that he could get me a quote before I leave again. Also that he could start the work in late October/early November and therefore be well underway prior to the onset of the worst of the winter. We shall see!
Other than that I did a deal more of clearing out of the house to remove all of the straw and hay that was stored at first floor level at the eastern end of the house. This constituted a substantial fire hazard as well as obscuring the state of the floors making it impossible to judge where it was safe to walk. Moving it in the temperatures I experienced was very hard work – hot and stuffy as well as very dusty. Fortunately I had some face masks available so that I did not inhale too much of the dust occasioned by the clearing process. And I was able to move all the straw/hay onto our field as shown by the picture above. Our neighbour enquired whether I intended to burn it – it would be unbelievably dangerous to do this as the material is completely dry and would fly everywhere – and I said absolutely not, it would rot down in due course. She seemed a little disappointed in this answer!
Other than that I’ve re-sprayed the courtyard at the front with weed-killer to keep that under control. No doubt it will re-grow again before we return some time in autumn but it’s worth trying to stop it getting completely overgrown.
And I made a visit to Biarritz to have a day off and just to see how long it took. It’s actually about 150 km and takes less than two hours to get into the centre of the town. There were surfers even though the weather was rather calm and they made it look all so easy that I immediately wanted to have a go. However, I’ve no doubt that I’d make a complete prat of myself if I did try it. But those visitors younger and fitter than I am will doubtless enjoy themselves enormously having a go at it.
And at that point all seemed well. And then I decided to look in on the Mairie as the architect had informed me that I should expect a letter from it formally confirming the Permis de Construire. Since I had received nothing and there was no sign on the notice-board outside a visit seemed a sensible idea.
How to contain my frustration at this point?? The secretary was helpful but a little baffled that there wasn’t a notification. She ‘phoned the Departmental authorities who informed her that there is a problem over the open-sided barn which we have planned to demolish. And it would seem that despite having had a letter that states we have authorisation as from the end of July in the absence on any further communication (which we haven’t received) we actually don’t have such authorisation! It would seem that the Departmental architect is having second thoughts about the demolition of the barn. But he’s not got round to informing us about this. So, I am told very firmly that I don’t have a Permis, absolutely no work should be done on the house and there’s no indication of what time-scale we are now expected to work to.
Given that none of the builders has actually got round to quoting on the work there’s no real problem in all of this – no work is going to happen any way! But to say that I am angry and frustrated is to put the least construction on my feelings. How we proceed at this point is any one’s guess. I shall retire to England to take advice and think it through. One feeling is that since I have the strong suspicion that the reversal of the decision is the result of the intervention of the Maire, whose parents are the next-door neighbours, I shall simply leave the house to rot away to nothing becoming a permanent blight on the face of the village and affecting his family’s property most directly. Childish and unhelpful I’m sure; but bitterness at the ridiculous twists of the bureaucratic process engendering feelings of hopeless rage can result in such thoughts.
