I am British with a French wife. I have recently left the Royal Navy after serving as an engineer officer (which, since the Navy offers a wide range of opportunities, included four years as the military assistant to the most senior European NATO general officer at SHAPE in Belgium). My wife has a French law degree and a Masters in European law from Exeter University; she has worked for a firm of solicitors in Plymouth giving advice to British buying in France and now works part time for a charity in La Rochelle.  In search of a little more stability for the family, we now live permanently near La Rochelle.

We have been involved in a number of house restorations in the past, both in the UK and France, so have already encountered and resolved many of the likely problems. For the past four years we have been working on our present house which has allowed us to build up a network of contacts in this region.