My house in France needs a complete re-wire.
How much will it cost?
Very much a ‘how
long is a piece of string?’ question! Using as an example an average
two-bed roomed cottage with kitchen and lounge, with a modest number of sockets
and light points, you can expect to pay around 1200 euros for first and
second"fix materials and between seven and ten days labour. This will
alter greatly between houses which are being ‘rebuilt’, ie with new stud walling
in which the new conduits can be hidden and routed, and those where the original
internal walls are being retained, making it so much harder to hide the cabling.
Chasing out stone walls in French houses to hide conduits is far harder than
doing the same thing in UK brick-built houses.
I can buy electrical materials far cheaper in
the UK – should I bring them over for my rewire?
The short
answer is NO!! Firstly, you have just bought your house in France – why on
earth do you want to look at 13A UK sockets etc over here!? Secondly, imagine a
UK Insurance company finding out that a house that has unfortunately burnt down
was recently rewired with materials not bearing the ‘Kite Mark’ ……………..
My house still has the EDF (Electricité
de France) cables attached to it. I have heard that I will not need to
have an inspection before I can have the power turned back on. Is this correct?
Normally yes.
What is a certain fact is that if you buy a barn to convert, or if there are no
EDF wires attached to your house, then you will need to have an ‘Attestation de
Conformité’ from the local Consuel. This will involve a visit from a technician
who will inspect your installation with a fine-toothed comb. A certificate will
not be issued if there is a single fault (such as English cables being used!) It
is essential that the person who installs your system is fully aware of the
current regulations. When our local EDF office is approached to reconnect a
supply, they normally recommend our company to do the work.
I want to install a bathroom
in my French house. My local B&Q has an offer at the moment for a complete
bathroom suite which is very attractive. Should I buy it and ship it over?
NO!!! This
section could take many pages, but basically copper pipe sizes in France are
different to the UK, waste pipe sizes in France are different to the UK, tap
fittings in France are different to the UK, toilet overflows in France are
different to the UK, shower tray trap sizes in France are different to the UK,
header tanks in lofts don’t exist in France, etc, etc…………
I’ve been told that if I
want to alter my house by putting in Velux roof windows and another door,
it is simply a matter of asking my local Mairie for permission. Is this true?
It may have
been some years ago but that is not the case now. Formal plans (the extent of
detail will depend on the size of the project) will need to be submitted to the
local DDE for approval. However, you will find the process more straightforward
than in the UK and certainly cheaper when it comes to the costs of the plans
being approved which is normally a minimum charge to photocopy the original
documents. We can arrange for any required plans to be drawn up for you.