insideKENT Magazine Issue 40 - July 2015 | Page 158

PROPERTY

British builders create the dream French holiday home
Over the past 30 years, owners of French holiday
homes or ‘maison secondaires’ have been relying
on British builders to repair and renovate their
property instead of using their French
counterparts. For antiques dealer Mary Isobel
Smith, the experience of instructing a French
builder to refurbish her maison de maitre near
Bayonne was often challenging: “I’m sure many
French homeowners have satisfactory
relationships with French builders, but in my
experience it has not been easy because my
spoken French is simply not as good as it could
be..."
Folkestone-based Cross Builders has been
working on all types of French holiday homes for
British owners, and it helps that three of the senior
members of the building firm are fluent French
speakers. Xavier Fougasse, Colin Gaunt and Jay
Cross have all lived and worked in France so
there are no problems when it comes to ordering
building materials from Gedimat or Batiland – the
French equivalent of Jewsons.
With a strong pound against a weak Euro, now
is a good time for British owners to carry out
renovations and essential repairs.
Cross Builders has been attending French building
conferences to learn about the latest innovations
and building technologies that are helping to
improve homes, making them warmer and
more comfortable in winter whilst using less
heating fuel.

Jay Cross says: “Sometimes we're so impressed
by these new European technologies that we
bring them back across the Channel on our return
home. An example is a reflective quilt
manufactured by Actis near Carcassonne. With
a thickness of just 12mm, it is a huge impr vement
o
on glass fibre insulation because it does not
irritate the skin; it takes up less room, and is three
times more efficient.”
Cross Builders also uses its product knowledge
of UK manufactured materials to help repair
structurally damaged homes without the expense
of underpinning. By installing thin stainless steel

rods into cracked masonry walls, the team can
skilfully repair a property that would previously
been considered too expensive to repair.
With smooth, well maintained ‘autoroutes’
throughout France, the company can arrive at
any destination in France and often, within 10
hours, be ready for work.
Cross Builders are a STEM accredited company,
based just 10 minutes from the Channel Tunnel.
Visit www.cross-builders.co.uk for examples
of some of its recent projects.

VIPs toast success for Barratt Homes at Phoenix Quarter
The Worshipful the Mayor of Dartford, Councillor
Avtar Sandhu MBE, performed the official opening
duties at Phoenix Quarter, a development of new
homes in Dartford with ribbon cutting and unveiling
of a plaque.
He joined VIPs for the opening of the new Barratt
Homes development, which will provide a range
of one- to four-bedroom homes and is already
proving popular with buyers with a third of the
first phase selling off-plan within the first few
weeks.

Barratt Homes to Dartford and to be involved in
the official opening of Phoenix Quarter,’’ said the
Mayor. "Around 150 people are working on this
site every day, which is great n