Renovation project - Buying wood in France

Renovation project - Buying wood in France

The decision has finally been made on the stairs; we will have a straight flight on the opposite wall. This will mean making another hole in the floor and boarded the current opening up. There are also 2 large concrete steps that will require removing.

But first is the big job of ordering the wood.

We have spent the last couple of days measuring up trying to get the angles correct and the size of the stairs is not the easiest of tasks, but we think we have it (if we don’t this will be a very costly mistake!)

We head of to the wood yard Reseau Pro, this is a large national company, but they have what wee want, I now know many French words for the different parts of the stairs, but I am still hoping the guy that spoke a few words of English will serve us, he doesn’t!

We go into the wood yard and say what we require, unfortunately the wood is not the correct size and no two pieces are exactly the same.

The pieces that will be used for the rakes (sides) are chosen, there is a ten millimetre difference, but this should not cause a major problem. The pieces are too big to be cut in the wood yard, which really surprises us, due to the fact that it is a wood yard, but never mind

We choose the pieces for our steps and pick pieces slightly bigger than we need. These pieces can be cut so we ask for them to be cut to the size we need, but to make sure the off cuts are added to the delivery as these can be used as supports for the steps.

Delivery is arranged and there is no mention of cost, I have to ask how much and can we pay, the total bill is actually paid to the driver once it is delivered.

We have a delivery date of the following Wednesday, we ask if there is any chance of getting it earlier and they say no, but if anything changes they will call us and arrange an earlier delivery date.

Once back home, John removes the floorboards for where the stairs will go and uses these (and a few from the boarded loft of the main house) to cover the hole from the old stairs.

Renovation project - I am wonder woman (almost)

Renovation project - I am wonder woman (almost)

Picture courtesy of
http://www.memecenter.com/fun/1077200/500-likes-for-wonder-woman-without-her-bra

Friends of ours with a holiday home in the village have had a problem with their electric, as it stopped on the last day of their last visit. They do have somebody looking after the house for them, but this person’s spoken French is not the best.

He pops in and asks if I would be willing to call EDF, this has to be done at the property so that you can follow their instructions for checking possible problems, would I be interested? Would I heck, the thought of a big telephone call with instructions fills me with dread.

But a couple of days later they have still had no joy and when our friends ring, John answers the phone and says no problem, “Jen will do it”. If looks could kill, John would be dead at this moment, he has so much more faith in me than I do.

But as he said we could not leave a friend in trouble and not try to help.

We call at the house and make the call, I manage most of it and then the woman on the other end does transfer me to somebody who can speak a little more English than she can (her English consisted of I will pass you to my colleague, that really was the limit).

But we manage. The technician is calling out today I have become the people that I loved so much when we first moved here, the one who can telephone and sort out a problem, I am finally the go to English person!

Renovation project - Scrapyard challenge in France

Renovation project - Scrapyard challenge in France

Our garden is once again a full rubbish dump, and it is time to make a start on clearing it, we have all of the old radiators and the steel bath and other bits of scrap metal. 

Here in Brittany you can arrange for your scrap to be collected and weighed in, we call into the scrap yard and this time I speak to the woman on the desk in (almost) perfect French and she actually remembers us and our old address. This could be a big compliment but I think it is more to do with the mess I made of it the last time we arranged for scrap collection, but not to worry, practise definitely makes perfect.

We arrange a collection date and as they arrive all the scrap is piled up for them apart from 2 radiators that were too heavy even for John to get downstairs on his own.

We have a discussion on the best way for them to come down the stairs and settle on them being thrown over the balcony. I have never seen a flying radiator before.

In no time at all it is all gone, we now just have to remove the rubble again and all of the wooden slats from the old ceiling to have a pretty garden, said in the loosest of terms, but at some point it will be pretty, even the plants have started to grow.

Renovation project - The vaulted ceiling is plaster boarded

Renovation project - The vaulted ceiling is plaster boarded

The plaster boarding takes a few days to install, mainly because we are having a vaulted ceiling, with the joists on show. This means putting pieces of board on very high spots.

I just wished we had a video of this piece of work.

At one point it consisted of John on the top of the ladder with the board perched on his head (who needs specialist tools when you have a big man) and me at the other end with an upside down broom, holding the end in place.

Though even I had a bit of a panic watching ohn on the top of a ladder holding a piece of plasterboard over the drop where the stairs are!

This is probably not the safest way of plasterboarding a ceiling, but it was the most efficient for us.

The room looks so different when it is finished, hopefully the temperature will go down by the time he is ready to plaster the joints and fix the walls.

Renovation project - Insulating a vaulted ceiling

Renovation project - Insulating a vaulted ceiling

The sun has still been shining and the temperatures have hit over 30 degrees on a daily basis. For me this was wonderful, I could write outside on our new terrace. But for poor John it has been agony.

He has been insulating the loft in the little house, this is a hot job at the best of times but in the heat it really was bad.

As we are having a vaulted roof, we had to ensure that the insulation keeps it warm but does not take up to much space. For this we have used the same insulation that we did in the main house. But you must ensure that there is a breathing space between the insulation and the roof and plaster board, if you do not, you could end up with problems later.

During the day, I had to call at a friend’s house and the sun was shining, the temperature was amazing and we sat there with a cold drink, looking at the beautiful view from her garden (I say garden it’s about 2 acres!).

I don’t want to go back to the house and start work again; this is why we moved here, for lazy days in the sun. I call John and ask if he wants to stop and come for lunch, but no, he wants to get this job out of the way, I try every persuasive tack I can think of, but the man is not for moving, he tells me to stay and enjoy myself, but there would be no way of driving home. Reluctantly I get my things and leave.

I realise I also have the lunch in the car and John will be starving by now. He is surprised when he sees me arrive back, but I am a supportive partner (inside I am growling a little bit) but still supportive, he needs to eat.

By the evening it is done, the insulation is in place and we are now ready for the plasterboard.

I am glad I came back (sort of) as we are now starting to see big differences, the light at the end of the tunnel is starting to shine a little brighter, maybe it’s brighter because I didn’t spend the day drinking wine in the sun or maybe it’s just that we are both determined to get the house finished for summer visitors, I guess we’ll never know

Huelgoat Forest, Brittany France

Huelgoat Forest, Brittany France

The sun is still shining so today we are having a walk in the forest, it truly is the most beautiful place we have ever visited.

You can walk for miles on the sign posted walkways, passing natural beauty and enjoying the myths and legends, the Chaos is a sight that can not be appreciated by words and photos alone the boulder formations and passages are a delight for any age.

Though as you are in France, there is a clear sign stating that some areas can be dangerous to certain groups and you are fully responsible for yourself if you have an accident. We just hope that France never joins the sue culture and starts to put up safety barriers.

Enjoy our walk and imagine yourself sat in the L'autre Rive cafe enjoying an organic Breton bierre or homemade slice of cake.

The cafe with library is a joy to behold in the forest on a hot sunny day

Renovation project - Electrics and plumbing in France

Renovation project - Electrics and plumbing in France

picture courtesy of
http://www.guy-sports.com/funny/funny_electric_safety_pictures.htm

John spends the day putting the electrics in place not actually in the final resting places but enough wire to go where they are supposed to.

Then he has the fun of putting the water pipes in, we even managed to buy enough isolation valves so the water did not need to be turned off.

This was a full day’s work but unfortunately nothing looks very different, that is the problem with these types of jobs, he can spend all day completing them and if anybody saw, there would be nothing to show for it but the difference it makes in the long term is fantastic.

We have started to measure out where the bathroom will be fitted and think we have chosen the shower unit.

The bathroom is the next aspect that needs to be considered, we have decided that it would be much better not to have a square room, this way we will be able to build a wardrobe so that the room will not require any furniture other than a bed and bedside tables.

This is when we realise that the new lights will fit perfectly in the house and other than a light for the bathroom, we do not need to buy anymore and the whole house will match.

Renovation project - How to build a stair case: Part 1

Renovation project - How to build a stair case: Part 1

The stairs in the house cannot be bought off the shelf as the height of the room is not big enough.

These are what the stairs look like now. They are not much more than a ladder and I hate the idea of walking up them.

We look at all types of stairs and none will work, John could buy some and cut and adapt them but there is no guarantee the angle will be right.

We have no choice but to make our own stairs.

We found a much bigger builders merchants, and called into check on the price of wood to build the stairs, we cannot find what we need for the risers and I have no choice but to attempt to discuss it with a member of staff. I feel really pleased with myself as I have a full discussion on wood and prices and delivery in French. We go to look at the wood in the yard and he shows us different types, John cannot believe that you can buy a 3 metre piece of mahogany with the right dimensions and planed for only 60 Euros.

We need to work out the measurements and how many treads he will need to make, but we think we may have found our new staircase. Our problem now is the newel posts and spindles, to buy these in mahogany would send the cost spiraling out of control. We could make the spindles from pine but that would not look good with the mahogany and if we stain or paint it all, well just try asking John his opinion on painting real wood!

It is back to the drawing board a little bit, but I am sure we will come up with a solution at some point (and at some point soon as we want to get the house finished)

Renovation project - Antique french chandeliers

Renovation project - Antique french chandeliers

John has been working out where to put the electrics, he soon realises that there will be far too many wires going from the consumer unit to be able to be hidden easily. At this point there is no option other than to put another consumer unit in the little house. We had not wanted to do this for purely cosmetic reasons; we will have a good sized utility where the electrics will be hidden. But as is often the case with best placed plans it won’t work.

So off we go to buy all that is needed for the electrics, he also works out how much extra pipe will be required for the plumbing (we are going to install a bathroom and mini kitchen).

On our way home we decide to pop into Emmaus as it is Wednesday (they only open on Wednesday and Saturday and the stock changes each day) we have been wondering what lights to have in the little house and as we go in we see a couple of chandeliers hanging, perfect, we ask the price of one and it turns out to be a set, 2 chandeliers and 2 wall lights for only 40 Euros.

But as john turns to look at it a plate (from a very nice dinner service) jumps off the shelf and lands with a loud clatter on the floor, we can feel all eyes on us, I’m gutted that it was from a full service, John is insistent to me that he didn’t touch it.

The shop assistant comes over and tuts as I pass him the broken pieces, but that is it, I apologise but no problem, we are not even asked to pay for the damage, but I am glad we are buying the lights!

We still have a few hours of working time left when we get back so it’s time to drill the hole for the waste pipe, this was a job that could take days when we first arrived, but now John knows that the space between the joists is filled with infill so is much easier to get through.

We just have to hope that the space where he wants the pipe is not where the garage is, as the drill bit comes through the wall, we could not have wished for a better result, it is in exactly the right place!

Renovation Project - Creating a vaulted ceiling in France

Renovation Project - Creating a vaulted ceiling in France

Well after almost a week of nonstop sunshine and heat, the sort that actually caused sunstroke, so a big tip never paint all day without wearing a hat! The rain is too return which means the gable end of the house cannot be painted just yet.

Time to change our schedule again. We look at the room that was the old bathroom and decide this can stay as it is for a while longer, we will be starting on the little house.

We still have to decide how it is going to look; we want to make it so it can be fully independent of the main house. The biggest problem will be the stairs and where these are going to go. This is something we have discussed many times and changed our mind on many times, so we are going to leave it there for now and go to the first floor.

There had been a fire some years ago and part of the roof was replaced this means that the wood covering is two different colours. We want to remove all of this and leave it as a vaulted ceiling.

John removes the wood and the room looks so much bigger.

Everywhere is given a quick clean and he starts too add the insulation, we only have so much, so this is used up. We will need to buy more when we go shopping later in the week.

Renovation project - French health and safety

Renovation project - French health and safety

The front of the house is the next to get painted and now we can see just how pretty our little house is going to look. Even the geraniums have started to grow.

As our house is on the road, we will need to make sure that John is safe on the ladder, we have all the tools required for this job, namely our car and the red emergency triangle.

We position the triangle and then park the car in close to the ladder. This is French health and safety at its best.

The white paint makes a huge difference and with the sun still shining I look at the house and really do think this may be my favourite house ever.

Renovation project - French exterior paint

Renovation project - French exterior paint

We have a non eventful sailing back to France which is the best thing you can ever say about a journey over the water.

It feels so good to be back, but I am on the phone a number of times just to check all is OK, I think the family may be glad when I stop clucking over them so much.

But back to Brittany, the sun is shining and the weather is glorious and likely to stay this way for some days, so it is a case of sorting our work schedule around the weather and first things first is the painting of the house.

John starts on the bedroom terrace, we have our white paint, but as it goes on, it really doesn’t look very white, maybe it will dry whiter.

It doesn’t, it stays the same colour. We have not used this make before, it does cover well though and is a rough finish, as parts of the walls are smooth and rough, John manages to get them all the same, before painting over again in a definite white paint.

The paint is called crepie (do not buy this for a smooth finish!)

The floor of the terrace is painted in a fibre glass product to ensure that it is water tight.

The gutters are painted in a dark grey metal paint that we bought and the whole area looks really good once it is finished.

The thing we have realised is that the terrace is a real sun trap, we first found this out when John was painting it and ended up with sunstroke, I know sunstroke in Brittany, it really was that sunny. He also had no hat; we had searched for his caps and could not find any.

I popped to the local market to buy a new one, but all they had were multicoloured with writing on, so I had to ask in my best French, if they had any suitable for old men (john was not impressed with this) the best the stall had was a blue NY cap. But it was better than nothing.

Once it was finished I put my table and chair there to write, it was bliss, for about 5 minutes, the sun and walls were so bright I ended up chasing the shade. What I really needed was a big hammock and just to spend a few hours sunbathing.