Buying marble worktops in France from abroad
In France you sign a written quote, usually pay a deposit, we measure the fitted units on site, then we book a day to fit. The…
Guides for owners in Champagne and the Aube
We wrote these for English-speaking owners renovating a house in the Aube or Champagne who want to know how stonework is quoted, taxed and fitted in France.
French stone vocabulary for your renovation
A worktop is a plan de travail, a splashback a crédence, an edge a chant and a waterfall end a retombée. These words are on…
Renovating a Champagne farmhouse with natural stone
Old farmhouses here are built with timber frames, chalk and lime, and their walls need to dry and move a little. Marble and…
Marble or quartz for a holiday home
In a gîte, quartz forgives careless guests and the lemon and vinegar that would mark marble. Marble copes better with sun and…
Quotes and VAT for stonework in France
Stone fitted in a house finished more than two years ago is normally invoiced at 10% VAT in France. New builds, supply-only…
Marble and the hard water of Champagne
Limescale and marble are the same stuff, calcium carbonate. Anything that dissolves the scale also dissolves the marble. So the…
Stone for a pool surround in north-east France
Round a pool in the Aube or the Grand Est, the stone has to get through winters of freezing and thawing while wet. So it has to…
How long a stone kitchen takes in France
A stone kitchen goes in a fixed order. Quote from plans, choose the slab, sign the quote, units go in, we measure, we cut, we…
Marble fireplaces in period French houses
Most old marble fireplaces in French houses are 19th-century surrounds in Louis XV, Louis XVI or Napoleon III style, made of…
Stone floors over underfloor heating
Stone works well over underfloor heating. It needs a flexible adhesive on a cured, pre-heated screed and movement joints, and in…
Quotes and paperwork
How French quotes, deposits, VAT and templating work when you live elsewhere. Start with buying marble worktops in France, then quotes and VAT.
Old houses
Chalk walls, frost, hard water and a house shut from October to Easter all change what works. Read the farmhouse guide and the pool stone guide.
All guides
- Buying marble worktops in France when you live abroad
- French stone vocabulary for your renovation
- Renovating a Champagne farmhouse with natural stone
- Marble or quartz for a holiday home
- Quotes and VAT for stonework in France
- Marble and hard water in Champagne
- Stone for a pool surround in north-east France
- How long a stone kitchen takes in France
- Marble fireplaces in period French houses
- Stone floors over underfloor heating
For the work itself, see kitchen worktops, bathrooms and Troyes.
Free quote
Send your measurements or a photo of the room and we will call you back. The quote costs nothing.