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.