Product Description

Designed for anyone who has bought (or is thinking of buying) a place in France - whether it is a dilapidated manor house in need of total restoration, or a charming little cottage that would benefit from a bit of freshening up. With 224 pages, and more than 170 full colour illustrations, this is a book packed with ideas, inspiration and know-how, aimed at all kinds of people renovating in France.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63496 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

The Independent, Property Overseas
The authors have a wealth of knowledge about what French renovation truly entails

Ouest France (translated from the French)
Superbly illustrated...with an amazing glossary of building equipment terms. This book will help you avoid misunderstandings with your builders

About the Author
David Ackers is a British interior designer who has been living in France for the last 20 years, working with French colleagues on a wide range of renovation and restoration projects for clients from around the world. Jérôme Aumont is a French freelance journalist specialising in the fields of building and renovating. He has contributed to a wide range of media, including France's biggest selling DIY and renovation title, Maison & Travaux. Paul Carslake is a journalist, editor and fluent French speaker, with a background in motoring and technology journalism before getting the French renovation bug.

Customer Reviews

How to Renovate a House in France
At last! After a glut of books on how to buy your dream house of age and character in France, here's one on how to make it strong, beautiful and habitable.
The authors have taken what could be deemed - let's face it - a fairly tedious subject and produced a lively, accessible and thoroughly researched book.
'How to Renovate a House in France' takes you through the early processes of assessing any damage linked to your new purchase, selecting your method of renovation, and getting down to the heavy-duty business of weatherproofing roofs and walls. Next come individual sections on floors, kitchens, bathrooms, lofts, cellars (caves), gardens and swimming pools to name but a few. And finally you get lots of essential advice on the basics, such as organising insurance, sourcing materials, dealing with French plumbers, and tackling dreaded "red tape" scenarios.
Oh, and with heaps of high-quality, glossy colour photos illustrating every section, this book is gorgeous to look at.

Too superficial to be of any real help
On a positive note I can say that this book is well illustrated and quite an easy read. It may help you understand what your builder is doing but it certainly will not give you sufficient information to complete many jobs yourself. My copy is for sale used. As an alternative a friend has loaned me a copy of "Renovating & maintaining your French home" by Joe Laredo and this is proving to be really informative and comprehensive (also about half the price).

How to Renovate a house in France
The BEST book by far that i have bought to renovate an old house in France. I have a barn i am converting and it has the most amazing info and pictures. Has average cost breakdowns, other projects. Am absolute gem of a book! Would recommend anyone purchasing a property to renovate in France purchases this book - it is my life saver!