Builders in Dept 72

[Rita]

Hi there all those in dept 72 or nearby. Can anyone recommend a builder, electrician and plumber please!!!!!!

Have contacted local Artisans that have had their names given to us however their devis have now come in and boy oh boy! they are bigger than we thought. Even the French people we have spoken to that gave us their names in the first place think they are too much. They think that it may be that the Artisans don't want to do the job or perhaps they think us expats have loads of money (which we don't)

We know that we won't get any joy now until Sept but just want to be ready to contact people and get more devis'

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Don't know if the moderators will allow you to post your recommendations so here is my e-mail address so anyone can e-mail me direct.

le-fourneau@wanadoo.fr

Thanking you in advance for any help.

Rita

[paolo]

Welcome to the forum, Rita!

Just to warn you that putting up your email address like that makes it easy for spammers' spiders to 'harvest' it and add you to their mailing lists.

If you do something like this you will prevent that happening:

le-fourneau@ wanadoo.fr (removing the space after the @ sign)

You can rewrite a post by clicking on the 'edit' button within it.

It's also OK to post recommendations for builders here.

[tansy]

welcome Rita...go to your local Mayor...tell him the problem - let him recommend - tell those he has recommended that Mns Le Mayor said to come to you - you'll find the devis are starting to be normal....but I'm afraid prices have sky rocketed even for the French!

But your first port of call must be the mayor.

let us know how you get on

Best of luck

Tansy

[Alan Knighting]

Rita,

I have also found the chap running my local brico/matériaux to be a useful source of information. Who is busy and who is not. Who is good and who is not. Who is reliable and who is not.

Alan

[Itsonlyme]

Yes, I wonder if English people are seen as 'rich' and quoted to accordingly. We were given a quote from a local artisan of €5400 for painting two rooms (one has an ornate ceiling, but the other was just the paintwork, not even the walls and ceiling!). Also, a French gardener quoted, then let us down. We have also paid 50% up front to a French builder to install a fire insert (again, a high quote). Two months later, we are still waiting for the work to be done. Thus we now more or less exclusively use (registered) expats who have given reasonable quotes and done the work as promised.

[enid]

We have had a very different experience from yours. We have had very fair prices from local artisans - very good work and our plumber and builder are still honouring estimates made two years ago. We have never been asked to pay in advance for work. The expats may be cheaper because they aren't as busy as the local artisans - they may need your business more. I am glad you say that you are only using registered expats - I know that a lot of expats can charge a lower rate as they are not registered and are therefore not paying the charges that local artisans are. Make sure that all the business is registered - we know of expats who have registered as a one man band and then use unregistered labour.

Our French artisans do take a long lunch - so do we - but they make a very early start and work 8 hours a day without tea breaks. We have found them very honest and yes at times exasperating but they have done us proud. Remember that an estimate is just that - you don't have to accept it - please don't tar all local workmen with the same brush . I agree you should make full use of your Mairie to get the best workmen around - but don't be surprised if they are very busy.

[Itsonlyme]

Maybe it depends what part of France you are in!

[la vache!]

I'd go along with Enid for the local artisans here - the people we bought from employed an expat to do all the odd jobs here, working on the black of course. 3 years later I am still paying to rectify all his shoddy work. I agree that some French artisans need a kick up the **** to get started sometimes, but they do work hard when there. I speak good French so I have never had a problem chasing them up when required and I have never had an 'unfair' devis. The work has always been good. I am sure that there are some very good expat workers, but equally there are some who take advantage of the fact that a lot of Brits don't speak French and will always choose them, despite the price and quality of work. I'm afraid my experience with expats has rather put me off using them for work, I would rather integrate with the French community, thats why I moved here in the first place!

[Itsonlyme]

As you can see from my earlier post, in the first instances we invariably get quotes from French artisans. Like Alan Knighting, we got the recommendation for the painter/decorator from our local DIY shop. I'm sure he is an excellent artisan but, at over €5000, he is beyond our budget (I would have thought most local peoples' budgets, so I don't know who employs him)! I know everyone is ready to leap on anyone using expats as they assume they must be 'on the black', but I am very well aware of the situation and only employ registered companies. I was simply presenting my experience. It is not a question of language - primarily budget. I would happily 'integrate with the French community' - I just can't afford them!

[Rita]

Thanks peeps!! for your advice and experiences.

I have to agree with itsonlyme, its not a case of us just wanting to use expats now. It is more the case of we can't afford the locals!! We are trying to integrate with people and so far have done not too badly but if its means that to totally integrate we have to put up with these high devis' then I would rather not integrate any more than we already have. We just cannot afford it!!

Still hoping someone will be able to give me some recommendations of anyone fairly local to us we are between Le Lude and Chateau Gontier which are in the south of dept 72.

Good to hear other peoples thoughts though, Thanks and keep it coming.

Rita
(not having a good day!! Ran out get the washing in during the rain we had this morning and have badly strained my ankle well I think its a strain! I hope thats all it is! Swollen and hurst like hell....Bit of a problem though when hubby works every other week in the UK and it is this week he is over there. Dog dosn't understand why I can't take him into the field and throw his disc and just keeps pestering me, oh to have 4 legs so when you hurt one at least you've got another 3, flippin hard enough just getting to the bathroom. Oh well at least I can make it to the pc and read the forum taking my mind of it for a bit even if it is on my hands and knees. Sooooooo glad you peeps can't see that sight!!!)
Hope you guys are having a better day

[enid]

Le Lude - the son et lumiere place? I have very longstanding French friends who live in Chateau Gontier - if that isn't too far away I could send them an e mail for you.

Itsonlyme

I'm not against using expats - I agree with you that you have to get the best price you can and your devis do sound crazy. I just find personally that I get a good job with my local guys. As you say it depends where you are and on the actual workmen.

[tansy]

having had our finger burnt big time by british builders never ever would I use any of them even if they were registered with the pope/queen whoever....not only do I question why they are here....have they been run out of the UK because their work is so bad there? It also is like a big wet fish slap in the face of the French....didn't you come to live in France? why use a british builder?

Of course there are some French builders that will try it on....but I'm afraid the british have not been very helpful to themselves....messed a lot of folk around and upset a lot of folk before you guys arrived - so now you are paying the penalty.

See your Mayor - make yourself known as someone wanting to mix....try to think how you would percieve a foreign person moving into your area in the UK who doesn't speak the lingo.....not many got a helping hand - thus all the 'areas" and problems now.

Once we got away from british builders and started to use local - the whole thing changed for us here.

Sorry this is a subject I get quite excited about...I could tell a story or 2! And tell where a few are behind bars and tell about people loosing their whole life savings [/u]

[marcus]

Thanks Tansy, I was worried as I read this thread that I would have to get overexcited as well but your post has saved me the trouble.

Our experiences and thoughts are exactly the same as yours and we would not dream of using UK builders here again.
Without exception the work has been cheaper, better and more punctual (note, punctual not sooner - we have usually been told a date or agreed a date for the work to start, typically 2 or 3 months away, and it has started at or before that date - not the same as starting immediately) since we insisted on only using French workers, and as you say it helps integration in the community etc, or at least stops you being ostracised by the community as the rich english

We have never been asked for payment upfront except for our pool where we paid 25% when work first started.

I am very surprised by the experiences described, if they are typical for some areas of France. I have seen that devis for other people who live here don't always arrive and this is usually because the work to be done is not clearly defined (so the worker doesn't quote or quotes high to cover all possibilities) or perhaps because the artisanknows that you are getting devis from all and sundry, so doesn't bother sending one.

That does still leave the question of why someone has quoted 5000 euros for painting a couple of rooms...I can only imagine that the 'painter' thinks that the walls need replastering first, or the 'ornate ceiling' needs some kind or restoration or careful stripping before work can commence, or a special paint effect is in mind. Presumably the devis should specify this.

Good luck
Marcus

[alexia s.]

If you know what you are doing - if you are an experienced DIY person yourself - you could do what we have done (but my husband is an architect who knows exactly how the work should be done). We advertised at the local unemployment office (ANPE) & hired the artisans directly, paying the going rate for tradesmen (this is about 8-9 euros p.h, plus charges). The final price, even with social security, is a third or even a quarter of the price a builder charges. You do have to be on site & vigilant, but we have had some great people who have done excellent work. We have also had a couple of extra lazy people who didn't last longer than a few days. As a general rule, it is difficult to find a painter/roofer/plasterer who maintains the good work for a long time. We had to change frequently, which is a pain, but it is certainly more economical.
The quotes we were given when we moved here were so exhorbitant that we had to wait 12 month before we found anyone affordable (we didn't know about ANPE then).
If finding decent artisans is a nightmare for an architect (& it was), it must be hell for anyone else.
Don't do it unless you can supervise the work yourself: you have to know what you are talking about, or you are back to step 1.

[Alan Knighting]

On top of all that the local guy was brought up in the French system. He knows the laws and regulations, he knows the materials and the practices, he knows the sources of supply and people in other trades, he carries his own insurance and he gives guarantees. Initially, he may think "Rich Brit" but that goes away very quickly. With certain exceptions, I wouldn't touch an ex-pat British "builder" with a barge pole. Most of them couldn't even build a Lego house in the UK, what makes them think they are competent do the real thing in France?

Alan