{"podcast":{"title":"French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED","slug":"french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906","podcast_index_feed_id":7634906,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/french-reno-diaries-uncensored/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.frenchrenodiaries.com/","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/french-reno-diaries-uncensored/20260109_120115_21a0b9125d00ac1693f1d50371b2ba34.png","author":"Rosie Ellis, Micala Wilkins and Sue Peake-Russell","episode_count":20,"summary":"French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED is your honest, no-fluff guide to renovating, restoring, and surviving property projects in France. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a seasoned renovator, or just dreaming of owning property in France, we provide real stories, insider tips, and actionable advice to help you avoid mistakes, save money, and navigate your renovation journey with confidence. From understanding French planning laws and insurance requirements to choosing the right people for the job when you haven't got the skills, time or qualifications to 'do it yourself', you'll find it here. And if you like hanging out with us, you can join us in between the 'meaty' shows for our 'rants and bants' episodes - where we get everything off our chests, no holds barred! Hosted by Rosie, Micala and Sue - three women who, along with their partners and husbands run trade-related businesses here in France and have completed a fair few renovation projects of their own - expect honest advice, plenty of laughs and a few WTF moments. Get more French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED! Subscribe to the podcast on your favourite listening app. Find downloadable guides based on each in-depth episode and sign up…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-16T18:21:01.137768+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906"},"episode":{"title":"French Reno Diaries - Rants & Bants! (The one where the dream meets French paperwork)","slug":"french-reno-diaries-rants-bants-the-one-where-the-dream-meets-french-paperwork","published_at":"2026-03-03T06:27:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906/french-reno-diaries-rants-bants-the-one-where-the-dream-meets-french-paperwork","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/french-reno-diaries-uncensored/2594872","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/362663/2594872/french-reno-diaries-uncensored/2026_03_02_20_48_37_1c01ad4d-a9d9-4e97-9dd4-338f305de1ce.mp3","summary":"Win a château? Sounds dreamy. Until you realise you might also need a business plan, a visa renewal strategy and enough income to satisfy the prefecture. In this Rants & Bants episode, Sue, Rosie and Micala chat about the Win a Château TV show, the realities of post-Brexit life in France, language requirements, titre de séjour delays and yet another heated Facebook debate about décennale insurance. It’s lighter than our chunky episodes, but if you’re renovating or planning to move to France, there are some important realities woven in. As always, we’ve pulled together the key points on our website if you’d like to revisit anything - www.frenchrenodiaries.com Resources mentioned Château DIY: Win a Château – Channel 4 spin-off competition show The Connexion – English-language publication covering expat legal issues in France CAPEB – French trade body representing building professionals Mini glossary Décennale – 10-year structural insurance required for artisans Préfecture – Regional administrative authority handling residency matters Titre de séjour – Residency card DCEM – Travel document for minors residing in France Pompe à chaleur – Heat pump Raccordement – Connection/fitting (e.g. around a Velux window) SMIC – French minimum wage threshold used for visa income assessments Connect: Facebook | Instagram Subscribe to the newsletter: www.frenchrenodiaries.com Email: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com Find out more about us and our French reno businesses: Maison Bretagne (Rosie Ellis) S.R. Charpenterie (Sue Peake-Russell) Paul Wilkins Electricien (Micala Wilkins) Credits: • Produced & mixed by: Katy Wright • Music: Grand Project","meta_description":"Win a château? Sounds dreamy. Until you realise you might also need a business plan, a visa renewal strategy and enough income to satisfy the prefecture.…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2011,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906/episodes/french-reno-diaries-rants-bants-the-one-where-the-dream-meets-french-paperwork/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/french-reno-diaries-uncensored-7634906/french-reno-diaries-rants-bants-the-one-where-the-dream-meets-french-paperwork.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}