Got the Taxe Foncière sorted/Another huge thanks to JDK!

We've finally got the areas sorted out for the Taxe Foncière on the house, so massive feelings of relief for all concerned, I think!

The problems were caused by David filling out a form incorrectly [with sizes based on T+B's plans!], and our being unable to work out how the original areas were calculated [nothing we could do would come up with their answer, again using Jean-Marie's plans] so that we could make the changes needed.

Thankfully David persevered, and Mme Gaule in the Tax Office seemed willing to get this straightened out, and another huge thank you to our friend John for sending us (massively quickly) a set of drawings with the areas marked on each section.

[A quick break to rave about John's marvellous Computer Aided Draughting Services: seriously, folks, if you need help with house drawings he is absolutely wonderful - give him a call!]

Seeing the "blocks" of our house with areas marked on them, it all became clear - we could come to the same answer for the original area the tax people were using IF we didn't include the garage [or the bits above the stable/bedroom which aren't included in the house; odd, but true, they're outside but under a roof]. Then both "habitable" space and 'other' space matched perfectly [or within tolerances, anyway].

[The whole question of whether we should have been paying for "habitable" space in a building with no water supply or drainage and only one working electrical socket is another kettle of crabs (as the Germans would have it)... I'm taking the view that my life is too short to right all wrongs, and the level of overpayment vs. the stress it would take to get a refund means that I'm willing to 'pay' to let this one go.]

David and Mme Gaule also agreed the figures for next year: ~60m² will be deducted from 'other' space and added on to habitable space, and again all will be correct. I think Mme Gaule couldn't under stand why if we'd added to habitable space we hadn't added to the grenier space, but David explained that we'd converted a rangement [stable is not a word to use, apparently] into an extra bedroom (so had lost some 'other' space), and then that all made sense to her.

This is, of course, assuming that the work will be finished by the end of the year!!!

[Sorry, too many exclamation marks.]

Given the level of communication we are having with M. Torelli now that Jean-Marie is no longer part of the picture, we are hopeful that if the work isn't completed by Easter it will at least be finished within the next couple of months.

There's probably a delay on the radiators: having them in clear-coated bare metal counts as a "special" finish, so they have to be make to order (and the factory waits until they have enough orders to make it worthwhile for them to manufacture a batch), as does the shower screen now that we can't do what we'd originally planned [thanks again, J-M!], but if we can finish the bathroom and knock through to the house, there should be only a day or two worth of work left to finish.

And (unlike Jean-Marie) we think that M. Torelli grasps the concept that you have to finish the job before expecting to receive the final payment, so we are confident that the delays will be kept to a minimum.

Fingers crossed, obviously!