Since the beginning of 2009 Neil Vesma has been writing a monthly Architect’s diary for French Property News Magazine – one of the UK’s leading homebuyer’s guides to the French property market.

Here are some of the past articles of the Diary which have appeared in the magazine: 

Articles 2013

January - Hotel Edward 1er Monpazier extension and renovating a sous-sol in Capbreton
February 2013 Building a new house in Villeréal and a perigourdine refurbishment in Sarlat
March - Perigourdine house renovation and RT Thermal Regulations 2013
April - Extending Hotel Edward 1er Monpazier and Mairie's pre-emption rights to land purchase
May - Cognac manoir renovation and the Villeréal garlic soup competition
June - Barn conversions, bories and bank holidays
July - Hotel Edward 1er Monpazier extension
August - Monument Historique in the Dordogne
September - Maison à Empilage and St Jean de Luz
October - Félibrée, SPANC drainage & planning in the Pyrénées

Articles 2012

January – Turning training courses into an art form
February – Raising a glass to a job well done
March – Travels with a donkey ... well, a pursuit of two donkeys
April – Coming up against a jobsworth brick wall
May – The acorn of inspiration for a green oak house
June – Garlic soup followed by light bulbs of genius
July - A day at the races and a bath for two
August - Grumpy trousers and green oak roof trusses
September - Completing the Cognac manor house and colombage issues
October - Attic conversion near Sarlat and refurbishment in the Médoc
November - PLU challenges in Mirepoix, Garden terrace in Cognac and at the foot of the Pyrénées
December - Dordogne manoir renovations and Déclarations Préalables

Articles 2011

January – New Year, new resolutions
February – Castles, castles everywhere
March – Uncivil service is part of the appeal
April – Big heads and barn-storming ideas
May – The budget-busting brouhaha of a built-in Brad Pitt
June – An architect’s life can be a bit of a boar
July – Topped-out towers and long, long legs
August – Happy holidays, snap decisions and excess puddings
September – Invisible houses, compliant banks and Grace Kelly
October – Manor conversions, new contracts and sore backsides
November – Perplexed planners and exclamation-mark blizzards
December – A project comes back to life in Dr Frankenstein’s lab 

If you would like to read one of the following articles from 2010 or 2009, please e-mail us at: - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Living France Magazine

Neil has written a Renovation Guide for Living France Magazine, the UK’s lifestyle magazine for people who dream of living in France. 

Rising from the Ruins – advice for would be property renovators in France