The French Reno Diaries story
Brought to you by Rosie, Sue and Micala - three women who, along with their husbands and partners, run trade-related businesses in France - French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED is the antidote to all the misguided advice and rose-tinted stories about renovating in France that you’ll find on social media and YouTube.
It all started when they all began to notice they were sharing similar advice (and debunking the same nonsense) in various Facebook groups for people renovating in France. Having been through it themselves, and now running businesses helping others to do the same, they were very much ‘on the same page’ and before long a WhatsApp group was formed.
Their conversations have been private for a few years now. But during that time, the bad advice being given anglophones renovating property in France has been getting louder and louder. It was time to set the record straight - and French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED was born…
Meet the hosts
Rosie Ellis, Maison Bretagne Renovations
Having lived in France for over 18 years, Rosie has transitioned from the fashion industry to managing a family renovation company in Brittany. She bridges the gap between the client's vision and the artisan's construction, overseeing everything from conception to invoicing for their team of five.
Sue Peake-Russell, S.R. Charpenterie
With 30 years of hospitality experience and 8 years renovating her own French home, Sue manages the client-side operations for her family’s carpentry and building company. From navigating tricky mairie permissions to understanding complex tax rules, Sue knows exactly what needs doing and when to keep a project on track.
Micala Wilkins, Paul Wilkins Electricien
Moving to France in 2012 with three months' savings and a van, Micala now runs the administrative and marketing side of her husband’s electrical business. Beyond the wires, Micala mentors fellow tradespeople to build sustainable businesses by mastering their operations, ensuring they run the business before it runs them.
Get involved!
French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED is all about sharing sound advice and real stories about renovating property in France, and having a good old time while we’re at it. You can get involved (or quietly watch from the sidelines!) in all kinds of ways.
Listen to the podcast
French Reno Diaries UNCENSORED is available on all major listening platforms - you can access it direct via these links: Spotify Apple Podcasts Pocket Casts Amazon Music and Deezer.
Prefer to listen directly here? Head to the Episodes & Blogs section at the top of the site to browse all episodes and their companion blogs in one place.
Read the blogs
Each episode blog lives alongside its episode in the brilliantly named Episodes & Blogs section.
Get the newsletter
Each month, we round up all the episodes and blogs we’ve published, and sneak in a few extra tidbits too. It’s the only thing we send to subscribers - we prefer quality over quantity!
Join the conversation
We love hearing from fellow renovators — questions, comments, horror stories and wins are all welcome. You can:
Leave a comment under any post right here on our website
Comment on episodes directly on Spotify
Email us at frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com
Voice notes are especially welcome - and you never know, yours might make it into a future episode 💛
