DIY Shopping in Brittany

In common with the rest of France, Brittany has seen a surge in the opening of new DIY superstores as a result of the increasing enthusiasm for improving the house and garden. This is completely contrary to the France of a few years ago where dilapidated buildings falling into the street were a common site in rural areas and building maintenance in general had a low priority.

Coming from the UK the first thing a DIY shopper in Brittany notices is the incredible range of tools, building materials and ancillary equipment available. My wife complains that when I go to the DIY store a glazed expression comes over my face and she is convinced that I drift off into an alternative dimension.

 

It is immediately clear that there are no boundaries beyond which a DIY aficionado is expected to go; every dangerous bit of kit is freely available to all. From an ex-pat point of view this can be quite a dangerous prospect, especially as a large majority are retirees. It is not unusual to see people walking out of the stores carrying chain saws, welding plants and aluminium building towers; one would hope that their complimentary health insurance is in place. My advice would be to take advantage of all the recommended protective equipment for the use of individual tools, read carefully all the advisory guidance on use supplied with the tool and in the case of potentially dangerous equipment like chain saws, make enquiries regarding a training course for safe use.

At this stage perhaps I should admit that I have from time to time taken my DIY skills beyond the bounds of safety and ended up in casualty with increasing regularity. Last year I reached the stage where the doctor wrote out a prescription for a First Aid Box which dented my confidence a bit. By the way if you ever ask your wife to place bandage on your head as a matter of urgency make sure it is not one coated in red iodine, it took nearly a month for the stain to disappear!

 

A wide variety of tools are available ranging from the very cheap to professional quality. Good examples of the cheap tools available are the large hammer drills/chisels which are more than capable of heavy building work; these can be purchased for around 28 to 35 euros. On average these cheaper range of tools are suitable for the one off type jobs but will not put up with heavy and continued use. If you have a large ongoing project, you are better off investing in good tools at an early stage.

 

The range of tools available never ceases to amaze me, everything from glass engraving to professional spray kit and compressors, all available under one roof. In the UK you often have to go to specialist suppliers for the slightly unusual tools or items of building materials, but in France the DIY stores cater for all your needs.

 

If I had one negative as regards the shopping experience it would be the customer service which whilst polite is not always knowledgeable about the goods on offer, particularly in the larger warehouse type DIY stores. The French stores could learn a lot from B&Q who in the last few years have employed more semi retired persons, often with building experience.

 

You will inevitably have to get used to using different types of building materials specifically produced for the French market. From my experience some are better than the UK equivalent and some are much worse. French paint clearly falls into the ‘much worse’ category as anyone who has used it will know. It ranges from a water type constituency to something resembling glue and comes in tins that are only two thirds full with lids designed to cause maximum injury. It is not surprising to note that several enterprising ex-pats have established small enterprises supplying UK paint to the residents of Brittany; look in the ex-pat newspapers and magazines for contacts.

 

One of the most popular types of building materials purchased by the DIY enthusiast is the Velux type window which is ideal for throwing more light into some of the darker areas of your Breton idle. I say type, as there are a number of suppliers who provide alternatives to the original Velux. These windows come with comprehensive fitting instructions which advise you that fitting can be completed in a few hours. Speaking as someone who has completed fitting them by torchlight, allow yourself a full day and have a helper on hand for the tricky parts. Make sure you get the additional waterproofing kit when you purchase the window as it can be a real pain fitting it after installation! Yes, you should have planning permission, although recent changes in the building and planning regulations in France make this a much easier process; check with your Mairie for details.

 

Plumbing materials are well catered for in the general DIY stores although you may have to visit a specialist if you have to adapt an old system involving steel pipe work or unusual converters. You will find that the range of joints and associated equipment is more extensive than that available to the general public in the UK. Incredibly, you can buy oil, gas and even heat pump boilers off the shelf, but unless you have previous experience in installation this is something I would definitely leave to the experts.  In France, as in the UK, only certified installers should be used for this work.

 

The hobbyist is well catered for with an extensive range of tools and equipment to pursue whatever takes you’re fancy, from furniture restoration to oil painting. It is clear that the poor television service in France encourages other activities on those long winter nights.

 

In this post I cannot hope to cover everything that is available to the DIY enthusiast in Brittany but I hope I have wetted the appetite of the newbie’s and to the hardened restorers I will see you in the aisles.