I am considering the purchase of a property in the village of Saint Pe' de Bigorre in Haute Pyrenees...Can you recommend a professional carpenter or builder nearby who could help me evaluate what it would take to correct a number of carpentry or related defects in the interior of the house?
The current owner spent the past 15 years 'fixing' things or adding frames moldings. His work was well-intentioned but turned out to be sloppy, imperfect, incomplete, ugly, poor materials...
I don't believe any major works (such as roofing or plumbing) is necessary at this point.
The place looks more shabby than chic and clearly needs the attention of a perfectionist, or at least a professional.
I don't mind whether the professional is French, English or Polish...as long as it's someone with a higher standard than whomever worked on this place last.
Another project evaluation on site would consist of rejoining the adjoining, semi-detached house that was separated from the main part of the house a few decades ago with a non-stone wall...and seeing whether the levels are different, what would be required, etc.
A professional evaluation of the cost and time to bring up the workmanship of the interior angles, levels, woodwork and fixtures would be very helpful before I commit to a purchase. The evaluation could naturally turn into a contract or two for the work.
(This would not be part of the standard property inspection; I might not get that far.)
Saint Pe de Bigorre is not far from Lourdes, Pau and Tarbes.
Thank you!
Hi Sean,
Thank you for the suggestions. My project location is about 50 km plus/minus from Espes-Undurein, but I will contact Eric B nevertheless. We will be in that area beginining today for no sure how long.
How far are you and your team from my project site, and in your opinion would that make it a non-starter for you? Please contact me directly or via this board. I will--in the meantime--google you and try to make contact.
My thought was that I would request an estimate from an architect or carpenter (in the non-French sense); but now it seems I might just have to pay a bit for their time up front to come and check out my project and at least provide an opinion.
What are your thoughts?
I would highly recommend Barlet Menuiseries, 64130 Espes-Undurein, contact Eric Barlet 05 59 28 81 47, a very good French menuisier who we used on a renovation project there a couple of years ago. I'm an architect and know a very good team of masons and plasterers/plaster-boarders down here too if anyone needs their contact details. The project ran like a dream!
It is important to distinguish between a Menuisier (joiner) who does doors, windows, interior fittings and a Charpentier who does roof structures. The English word carpenter sometimes combines both. Not the case in France. Then there is Ebeniste, which translates as cabinet-maker, but is sometimes joined to menuisier to denote high end work.
The joining together of the two houses, height differences etc -I suggest you call in an architect. Google me and find my website if you're interested! (Not sure if I can put it on SFN?)