Running a Gite in Brittany

Gantt charts

Debbie is really excited about the project and is creating a project plan using some free Gantt chart software.

There are loads of activities, milestones, deadlines and dependencies. The whole thing looks a bit daunting. I'm really glad I blogged about the previous renovation projects because all we had to do was go back through and identify the major tasks and see roughly how long they took. The Gantt chart also helps with budgeting and as a useful reminder list.

There are still loads of decisions to make about flooring, heating, room layout, etc. but you've got to start somewhere. It can take weeks to get a quote out of a builder and then months before they can start, so a little planning can help to push things along a bit.

Anyway, in roughly the right order, although some things run in parallel, here is the current list of tasks for the renovation work:

• compromis 11h & 17h
• measure interior of house & draw plans
• DDE Architect
• organise devis & contractors
• 1st meeting with ROOFER
• Awaiting roofing quote
• Roofing
• SOIL Study
• Awaiting results of soil study
• 1st meeting with MASON
• Awaiting masonry quote
• Septic Tanks and Masonry
• Architect
• Awaiting Planning permission
• Send OUVERTURE DU CHANTIER
• Money transfer
• Acte De Vente
• Connection Elec/water & insurance
• GARDEN WORKS
• Clear garden of old posts/fencing/sheds etc.
• Fencing, boundaries, weedkilling
• Speak to farmer about prep for grass
• PREPARATION
• Remove/replace old timber floors LHS to RHS
• Sandblasting stonework and woodwork
• Remove concrete flooring prepare for pipes and elec.
• Clean beams
• Treat woodwork
• ORDER doors, windows, staircases LHS
• ORDER DELAY Lepeyre
• RECEIVE ORDER Lepeyre
• fit doors, & windows LHS
• ORDER. Materials Resau Pro
• ORDER DELAY Reseau Pro
• RECEIVE ORDER Resau Pro
• Start of internal construction work
• Ceiling joists
• Nova-daal on floors
• Plasterboard ceiling throughout
• 1st floor studwork and doors
• 1st floor electrical runs
• 1st floor plumbing
• 1st floor insulation
• 1st floor plasterboarding
• Preparation and laying chape
• CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
• Ground floor studwork and doors
• Ground floor electrics
• Ground floor plumbing
• Plasterboard and insulate
• Jointing and taping
• A WEEK OFF
• Floor tiling
• Fit staircase
• Undercoat upstairs, downstairs & stairwell - undercoat
• Fit Bath - upstairs
• Bathroom tiling
• Fit WC and wash hand basin etc.
• Wood trims/architrave
• Paint walls and ceilings throughout
• Paint doors and frames throughout
• Fit door furniture
• Upstairs flooring
• Skirting boards and ceramic floor plinths
• Fit Electric switches, sockets, lights, tv points, PTT
• Fit kitchen cabinets
• Kitchen worktops and sink + taps/hob and appliances
• Connect services, water, elec., check and organise inspection for Cert. de Conformité
• Ceiling/loft insulation

|   5:43:18 PM   Gantt charts   

Signed the Compromis de Vente

Signed the compromis today at the Notaire's office.

Fortunately earlier in the day I collected a copy of the compromis and the diagnostic reports so I could have a look over them before signing and translate things. The compromis was quite comprehensive covering the details of the buyer and seller, a description of the house and cadastrel plan references, rights of access, etc. Three reports to do with the state of the building, asbestos content, and lead/radon content. The first report did detail some problems with rot in the windows and some beams, and a little parasite infestation. Mainly woodworm and furniture beetle (petite vrillette). There was some mention of Deathwatch beetle (grosse vrillette). Nothing too severe and treatable and expected in an old house. Luckily no termites or dry rot.

The whole procedure took about 1 hour with him reading and explaining each paragraph to both me the three sellers who where also present. A small clause was added in the process such that if could not get my divorce money in time he added an option to get a loan from the bank. That means that if the bank would not give me the loan then I can back out of the deal without losing my deposit. It is known as a suspensive clause.

I paid over my 'non-refundable' deposit of 5%, and everyone present initialed every page of the contract and signed the last.

Was a little sad because the three sellers and their parents were all born in the house.

The completion date was set for the 31st July, when I have to pay the balance and ensure I have insurance for the house and organise the reconnection of the electric and water supplies.

|   12:59:14 PM   Signed the Compromis de Vente   

Drawing plans

We took a trip up to the house to take measurements for the architect and so I could draw some plans for room layouts etc. In general terms the building consists of four sections each approximately 7m by 7m square. I'm hoping to split the building into two three bedroom houses.

I downloaded a free CAD program called QCad and loaded it onto my Ubuntu desktop PC. It's never easy learning a new package but I've been bashing in the details taken to try to get some rough plans together to see how the space works.

|   12:30:07 PM   Drawing plans   

Arrangement of the compromis de vente

I took my stuff in to the Notaire's for a really short meeting just to confirm my personal details.

As part of the sale the Notaire said that the vendor has to have the place checked for wood parasites, asbestos and lead content at their own cost. The reports will be made available to me shortly.

I have an appointment to sign the compromis de vente (the initial sale contract) on Wednesday 23th 17:00

When the compromis is signed I have to pay a 5% deposit, so I better get on with transferring some money from the UK. In the past I have used HiFX and they have been really efficient.

Now thats in the pipeline we also arranged an appointment with the free architect at the DDE (planning office) for 10th May to discuss options, mostly cosmetic, with regards to any future planning application.

|   11:56:03 AM   Arrangement of the compromis de vente   

Offer accepted

I got a phone call this morning to say that the vendors have accepted my offer. Hurrah.

I've got to pop over to the Notaire's office with my birth certificate, passport etc. so they can prepare the sale contract.

|   11:01:59 AM   Offer accepted   

Negociation mind games

After waiting a suitable time I got a call from the Notaire to say that two of the vendors wanted to accept my offer but the third wanted more. Not entirely unexpected.

I think I'll leave it and add a small sweetener to the offer and hopefully that should seal the deal.

|   10:56:06 AM   Negociation mind games   

Offer made

Made an offer for the first house in Ploubalay that was quite a bit lower than the asking price because of the fact that it needed septic tanks, a 'new' roof and some major internal renovations.

The reason for this house was because of the investment potential, i.e. splitting the property into two houses and selling each. I did some calculations last night and reckon I can complete the pair for less than 100,000 euros even with a contingency of 15,000 euros.

Sometimes you just have to 'go for it' because the perfect place never comes along

Just have to wait and see what happens

|   10:49:18 AM   Offer made   

Another viewing

Visited another place today, an old farm and buildings near Ploubalay. It's actually quite close to the other house in Ploubalay and again close to the coast. The building had some nice original features, with good stonework and curved granite doorways etc.

The downside was the close proximity of other farm houses which were not part of the sale. Also the land had been divided up rather oddly which meant that you needed to go through one of the buildings to get to the land at the rear. Because the land at the rear overlapped the adjacent buildings there was no real access from the back of the buildings. You would have to come out the front door then back through a gap further down the building.

It all felt a bit closed in and claustrophobic even though it was surrounded by fields.

|   11:23:21 AM   Another viewing   

DDE - Planning Office

Went to the cadastrel office in Dinan today for the plans of the area. The cadastrel plans show each of the parcels of land, the boundaries and the placement of buildings. The office was not terribly helpful but we did arrive just as they were closing. We got the local plan of the house and the surrounding fields and buildings. The cadastrel plan is very important as it shows what land you are buying. Just because there are hedges and fences on 'your' land it doesn't necessarily mean they are the boundaries.

We also went to the DDE (planning office) with the mockup of the building frontage I made yesterday. Again we arrived after they had closed, but they let us in and we spent 30 minutes discussing the project with them. They were very helpful and I think if one is starting a project like this there is no harm in opening a dialogue with the people that will eventually decide the fate of any planning application.

We asked if there was any plans for any new roads or road widening in the area. According to the 'big plan' (plan d'urbanisism), there was no problem. The plan d'urbanisism shows if land is agricultural, building land, industrial use etc).

Unfortunately I can't have the style of lucarnes (dormer windows) I want because the style of the building must be preserved. It's part of the heritage. Bizzarely I can add new 'pointy' lucarnes that I like but not block up or change existing ones. The building used to be a chaumiere (thatched cottage) hence the low window openings upstairs. Personally I think a mixture of styles would look odd, so I guess I'll have to make the new openings in the same style as the old ones.

Asked about selling the plot of land. No way. Land is classified as agricultural and no chance of building unless you are a farmer.

At the DDE they have a architect on-site for consultation, at no charge. Nice service. The people we spoke to suggested we see the architect as they would be able to give some alternatives or find a 'workaround'. My reason for the raised lucarnes was to let more light in.

I need to sleep on it, but maybe it's not a deal breaker, it would make the roofing job cheaper and I wouldn't have to build the lucarnes. Maybe some extra Velux windows would help.

They advised that I should get a Certificate of Urbanisation before signing for the property. The CU is basically outline planning permission and gives you some level of confidence that when purchasing you know you can renovate the property and are not stuck with a lemon. It can be made a condition of sale and takes about two months. The Notaire can oragnise it but would charge a fee or you can apply yourself for free.

|   10:59:57 AM   DDE - Planning Office   

Revisit of house in Ploubalay

Went to have another look at the first house in Ploubalay. I wanted to see if access from both sides was possible in preparation for making it into two separate house for later resale. Basically split the longere into two parts and divide the land down the middle. To do this I must ensure that there will two electric/water meters and separate septic tanks. This involves extra costs for the standing charges and tank installation but would be necessary to sell as two separate houses.

The garden extends about 80 meters to the front of the house and need to check if there is an option of selling the bottom of the garden as a building plot. It looks OK, as the land slopes away a little and it shouldn't spoil the view. The road is less of a problem and with some good hedging it would be fine.

I took a new photo to mock up in photoshop any possible renovations to take to the planning office tomorrow to see if in principle the changes would be accepted.

I have loads of questions to ask the planning office (DDE) about whether an architect would be needed for planning. The rule is that if the habitable space is over 170 square meters then an architect is required to draw up the plans. Even if you extend to over 170 the rule still applies, so you can't do half then half later to avoid using an architect. However, maybe if the plot was split beforehand, then it's two separate houses. Can I do this. Is it worth it to avoid architects fees (2000 euro?) Trouble is then I have a maison secondaire and capital gains tax lasts for up to 15 years on a sliding scale. Primary residence is only two years. However what some people do is move into one, after two years sell, move into the other, after two years sell again. Taking this option does mean I could live in one and rent the other out for two years.

I'll have to find out from the planning office.

|   10:33:48 AM   Revisit of house in Ploubalay   

Decorating Cerise gite

Caroline has been finishing off re-decorating Cerise gite for the 2007 season. Most of it has been finished upstairs with painting, laminate flooring and wallpapering. Downstairs was wallpapered a couple of years ago and most of it has stood up very well. The only part that need doing was around the kitchen wall 'return'. I suspect that because of the stools against the wall to use the breakfast bar people's feet have knocked the paper. Not a major job.

The biggest job is finishing off the ceiling. It is something she has wanted to do for ages, because the underside of the floorboards between the beams had been in-filled with polystyrene tiles when we bought the place. Not ideal.

With the help of a compressed air nail gun she is replacing the tiles with tongue and grooved pine planks (called lambris here) placed at 90 degrees to the beams. Every piece of plank is a different length by the very nature of old oak beams, so it is quite a slow job, but looking good. Over time they should age to a nice natural colour and certainly be safer and look alot better then polystyrene tiles.

 brittany Gites

|   4:32:08 PM   Decorating Cerise gite   

Two more viewings

Another two viewings with another agent. So much for using Notaires. Trouble is the agents advertise more, better ads, and on the web. With Notaires you need to go and visit or phone each office.

Anyway, two longeres. First between Corseul and Plancoet. Nice longere, 203,000 euros, empty. A part of it was habitable (just) and the rest was a fairly easy renovation project. Stonework was good, very quiet location surrounded by crop fields and apple orchards. Like most renovations it would need a new roof, but water tight for now. The downside was that it was in a dip. There was 10 meters in front of the house and then the land rose up for the next 30 meters or so. No view except from the upstairs windows. Often this is the case with longeres and older house cos I think they excavate around the house to get the stone and mud to build them.

The second property was two/three houses in a courtyard. Old farm buildings. The roof was ropey and the main house almost uninhabitable, although there was a farmer living there. 223,000 euros near Plancoet, 15 mins from beaches. Trouble was it was on a hillside and facing east and surrounded by new buildings. There was a huge danger of more buildings going up around as Plancoet expanded. The view was fantastic, once the old hanger and dog sheds had been demolished. Bit pricey, and consquently it didn't leave alot for renovation and the proximity of the new builds was a worry. I guess it is more profitable for farmers to sell fields as building land than grow crops.

On the way home we went back to first property to look outside. Road not too bad, view great and the price would be very attractive if we could get it for less than 160,000.

|   4:18:32 PM   Two more viewings   

Three more viewings

Arranged to view 3 more houses today. We cancelled one cos we recognised the house and knowing it had been on the market for about two years decided to skip it. The position in St. Helen was too far south and the house was right on a main road with limited land and privacy.

The other two. One in Plancoet, was on the edge of a housing estate. Had been modernised inside very badly. Access was bad and the neighbour seemed like trouble. Plancoet.

The next in Pluduno was expensive, 267,000 (originally on for 230,000), but was completely renovated beautifully, 5 bedrooms, all the furniture was being sold with it, and was ready to go for rental. The downside was the proximity of the neighbours and you had to walk around their land to get to the back garden. Common in France but weird. Not an ideal holiday rental. There was another building as part of the sale but that was across the road with NO land.

Sleeping on things the first property looked good, cos it was 100,000 cheaper, and had better earning potential. Also once renovated we reckoned it could be sold as two houses and possibly the end of the large garden sold as a building plot. This house had no opportunity to add value except to wait for it's value to rise.

The first had better investment potential.

|   4:09:29 PM   Three more viewings   

First viewing of a Longere in Ploubalay, Brittany, France

Found one property via the Internet from a Notaire. Went to view. Empty possesion. The previous owner had passed on.

The property comprised of a fairly run down longere just south of Ploubalay. It was close (100m) to a 'main' road which was a little off putting but not too bad considering that traffic is generally quite light over here. After spending a little time looking around the noise levels were perfectly acceptable and no problem.

The building is built of stone under a slate roof however the stonework was a bit shabby, someone has 'cemented' over the pointing. It needed a new roof, and a septic tank. The previous owner just had a macerating toilet that emptied into the ditch!!

On the plus side the building had potential to split into two houses and had fantastic panoramic views over the countryside. It didn't seem like a great start, but the position was only 10 mins from beaches.

Was priced at 176,000 euro

|   3:34:01 PM   First viewing of a Longere in Ploubalay, Brittany, France