Point taken, thanks.
From experience… I suggest you contact your Mairie and discuss with them what you are planning…
It might just be a simple form to complete or something slightly more involved… but you should speak with the Mairie before laying out cash, accepting devis etc…
and, as suggested, ask for a copy of the Insurance to check that roofing is covered… better safe than sorry.
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Okey-doke Stella…! Thanks.
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it would also be an opportunity to discuss the “builder” with the Mairie… they should know if he’s OK or not… although they might be discrete…
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Or French and rubbish.
I googled cost per square metre for raking out and repointing a stone wall in Charente Maritime and found an AngloInfo reply of 50 euros/M2 - seven years ago. There’s a similar cost from another brit website.
I don’t know what the rate of inflation has been over the past seven years, but I’m prepared to add 25%. That would bring the cost to 62.5 euros/m2, but I’m prepared to pay 100 euros/M2 for a good job.
There must be a known average cost so that architects can work out costs for renovating listed buildings, for example.
Does anyone know, please?
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I know bvgg*r all about this but if it’s being done again new, would it be a good thing to spray/treat for woodworm or termite or whatever whilst everything is open?
Vero, you’re a lifesaver - thanks!!!
When I bought my house in 1985 the notaire said, in his best English, presenting me with a 10-year guarantee, that “the termites were as dead as a dodo!”.
When I come to selling my house, if ever, I’d get someone in to do the work and present me with a new 10-year guarantee for house and barn.
I’m thinking of leaving all my worldly goods to charity, so if one day I keel over in the supermarket, they will have to worry about that – not me!
I thought termite guarantees only lasted 6 months?
I have no idea, but I shan’t worry about it.
I have seen a house with termites everywhere and it is devastating. Huge roof beams looked to be in perfect condition but poking about with a screwdriver the wood was fragile and came away like confetti.
Are termite guarantees as short as that?
In 1985 I had a guarantee for 10 years
Does anyone know how this pointing effect in my neighbour’s more than a hundred-year-old barn wall came to look like this? Not sure how to describe it – ‘swirling’?
is there a hole in the centre of the swirl… looks like it in the photo
just wondering if it’s caused by insects (over time)
No idea but so weird 
My guess would be water erosion in a very sandy mortar. Water moves in strange bur regular ways.
This is wood, so you have the structure of the wood to give definition, but I can imagine similar happening with mortar
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I think I agree with you that it’s some kind of erosion. A bit like the erosion you see on the Moon or on Mars. Maybe it’s a combination of water and wind erosion.
I’ll take a really good photo or series of photos and send them on to a photographic library.
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Maybe your neighbour’s barn has extra-terrestial origins … be careful!
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I googled ‘swirling erosion’ and found this big brother to my neighbour’s swirling mortar…
.“Over time, erosion has created these swirling shapes and bright colours”.
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Catching up on the renovation to the ruin of a newly purchased barn next to my house towards the end of 2022…
Progress has been slow but is picking up now. Typical builder – “be back next week” - turns up 5 weeks later.
However, he’s the sort of builder/artisan who knows what he’s doing, knows what’s needed, and does it well, and quickly once he gets going.
Have seen his work on renovated barn outbuildings belonging to the local chateau. Looks ok to me.
I’ll be close to being a pauper when finished but have been told that when this barn roof is restored, and when my 2-story barn garage roof has also been restored, my overall property value will be well increased.
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