Book Reviews

- looking for a book about buying or restoring a property in France?

Charpentes & Couvertures

Henri Renaud - pub. Eyrolles, 2006, Softback, spot colour, 50pp, €6.50 (€6.17), language: French

From the same author and publishers of 'Murs & Planchers' and in the same series, this book is also aimed primarily at new-build. There is slightly more of interest for owners of traditional buildings, in that much of the terminology and some of the construction methods are applicable. There is a similar level of detail in drawings of construction methods and useful information both for new-build and renovation. There is also a small section on staircase construction, and the book touches on fixings, tiling and roof timber sizes.

Choisir et réaliser les charpentes

Henri Renaud - pub. Eyrolles, 2006, Softback, spot colour, 156pp, €22.80, language: French

A fairly comprehensive book covering a wide range of roof types and methods of construction. As with the previous volumes (in the 'Maisons Individuelles' series), this book is for new-build but with significant information for owners wishing to renovate traditional French houses. You won't find details of ancient methods using massive roof timbers built from still-round trees, but this is nevertheless a useful resource for a competent person involved in a major renovation.

L'installation électrique

Thierry Gallauziaux & David Fedullo - pub. Eyrolles, 2006, Softback, spot colour, 338pp, €25 (€23.75), language: French

A comprehensive guide to installing French electrics.

From the 'Comme Un Pro' series, this excellent book covers almost everything you could want to know about installing, extending or renovating a French electrical installation. Up to date with the latest 'Normes' (French Electrical regulations), clear and well drwan illustrations and diagrams explain the subject well. Some of the essential information is contained within the text. Therefore if your French isn't up to scratch you will need some patience with a good English/French dictionary but it should pay dividends. Short of a full English version, armed with this book (and if you are installing a complete re-wire, 'Installer un Tableau électrique', next review) you will be hard pushed to find a better source on French electrical systems.

Installer Un Tableau Électrique

Thierry Gallauziaux & David Fedullo - pub. Eyrolles, 2005, Softback, full colour, 53pp, €7.50 (€7.12), language: French

How to install a French 'fusebox'.

From the same authors and publishers as L'installation électrique, this book (from the 'Cahiers du bricolage' series) explains how to install a 'tableau électrique' (a French fusebox, or consumer unit, to give it its proper name) using well drawn diagrams and clear, full colour photographs. Whilst the larger book (above) covers just as much detail, the colour photographs and diagrams may help to clarify some points. Again, some of the most important information is contained within the text so be prepared for a thorough read.

How to renovate a house in France

David Ackers, Jérôme Aumont, Paul Carslake - pub. Ascent Publishing Ltd, 2004, Softback, colour and spot colour, 224pp, £25, language: English

This book is very nicely photographed and extremely well written, and the authors are all well versed in their fields. In some ways, therefore, this book is something of a disappointment. It is mostly all technically accurate (we found a few surprises in the English/French glossary: for example every French builder and builder's merchant we know refers to an Acrow prop as an 'étai', not an 'étrésillon à vis' or 'étrésillon à verin', but to be fair, this section is an extract from another book), however it is just far too brief to live up to the expectations created by the title. It seems a little unfair to say that the book is style over substance, because what substance there is is good. There are two 'Real Project' Case Histories with a breakdown of costs etc., but again the detail is somewhat scant.

The book eloquently gives a flavour of the lifestyle and will make you aware of some of the things that you will almost certainly have to deal with (if not in person, then when instructing someone else) if you own an old French property. Consequently it may be most suitable for someone thinking of buying in France. However it won't tell you how to renovate a house in France in any practical depth.

Larousse du Bricolage: aménager, réparer, décorer

Michel Galy - pub. Larousse, 2002, Hardback, colour, 612pp, €100, language: French

This massive tome (612 pages) is an all-in DIY guide for beginners: it won't replace a specialised book on any subject, and in most cases an English equivalent may be a better bet for an absolute beginner. Having said that, the plentiful photographs, clear illustrations and concise text do a reasonable job of explanation. If you don't mind the price, that is (around €100 on Amazon France - ouch!).