Renovation Project - Staying motivated

Renovation Project - Staying motivated

We have sticky back laminate tiles for the living room floor; these are the same as the ones that are in the kitchen. I still can’t believe we bought these, but they are very popular in France (well in this area) and its harder still to believe that they cost more than ceramic tiles.

I much prefer ceramic tiles, but ceramic are very cold under foot, these laminate tiles are not and there really is nothing nicer than having warm floors.

Laying them takes time and a good tip is to have some spray contact adhesive in addition to the sticky tiles; this will ensure a more secure fit. We are not sure if this is available in France, but we didn’t really look very hard, as when friends last visited we asked them to pick some up from the UK and bring them over.

The living room floor is finished, this makes the room much warmer and yet again it is another room almost finished, we seem to be at the almost finished stage constantly now. This really is the hardest part of a project like this, we are always almost finished and each night go to bed with me thinking not long now, then thinking oh bugger it is going to take forever.

 But we do have some light relief as we are at a friend’s 50^th Birthday, the night was great fun but the following morning is difficult to get motivated.

I feel tempted to not go out again, but then we will get back to the stage of just working, which is not what we want.

I have to be a lot easier on us both, there are a few more weeks left, that is all, it will be finished and very soon, I need to relax, but it is difficult as the house is often upside down again with furniture being moved from one room to another. This stage will not last that long, it just seems like an eternity!

We have to strike a balance, enjoying life and staying motivated

Renovation project - Replacing old windows

Renovation project - Replacing old windows

We still need to buy new windows for the dining room and the little house living room, we cannot do anything with the door in the little house bedroom until we have decided what we are doing with the garage and we can see more clearly.

But joy of joys, Brico Depot have got the wooden windows back in stock, we just received the little publicity magazine telling us so.

We head over to the Morlaix store, which is only 40 minutes away, and when we get there, there are no wooden windows in stock, we ask when they will be getting them and are informed that they no longer stock them, I explain that their advert stated they were permanent stock, the assistant explains yes they are, but not at this store, the St Briec store has them.

We then drive to St Briec and see the window display, but not our size in wood, there is another store close to Dinan that has them and they have 3 in stock, we need 3!

This is another hour away; at this point we will be back in the UK before we know it!

Do we drive what will be a five hour round trip, I know they said they have them, but so did both of the other stores or do we try something else?

There is another store called Leroy Merlin not far from where we are so we try our luck there. They have them in stock, not the exact size but very close; they are also a lot cheaper. We buy what we need and just hope that they will fit (well more a case of hoping that John can make them fit!)

John spends a day putting them in place, they are not the exact size, but with a little bit of making up you would never know the difference.

As the walls are new plaster up to the windows, John does not want to risk any cracks in the plaster, so he adds a trim around the windows, this will also make them look a little larger and once stained and varnished will give the appearance of a larger window frame.

No problem is in surmountable if you take the time to look at solutions.

The real difference will come in the warmth, these are the last of the old single glazed windows, apart from the little house, that does not have a window at all!

Renovation project - New floors

Renovation project - New floors

We have emptied the bedroom with the single beds and I spend a couple of days cleaning and sanding the floor before I give it a coat of varnish. The room looks good once it is done and the new colour is slightly darker than before, this makes the floor boards look older and covers the floorboards that were obvious where the walls have been changed.

The floors do not look very different on the photo's and this makes life harder, as normally I can look at the photos and see how far we have come. But in reality the floors are a deeper, more consistent colour.

But Peppa Pig seems happy enough with her new room, Every time I skype my grandaughter she insists on looking at Peppa in her bedroom, (this is the balloon that we managed to save from Spain, we really do only take the necessities when we move!). Now I realise why some people think we are slightly mad, we move countries only with what can fit in the car, and a deflated balloon was somehow on the essential list.

All we need now is the skirting boards, the boxing in of the pipes completing and another coat of paint and the windows repainting. This is what I meant by everytime I think we are getting there, the list of jobs seems never ending, but they will end.

There is no point in painting the rooms until we are ready to paint though completely, this will make life easier if we just start in one room and go through the house.

And we don’t want to do that whilst we are living in the house, so in a few days we will move into the little house so that the big house can be painted from top to bottom.

Renovation project - Holidays are over and it's back to work

Renovation project - Holidays are over and it's back to work

Well we have now been back a week and with our renewed vigour after making the decision that we are not going to be staying in France and we are moving to Portugal, we have been working even harder than ever, but looking at the house all I can think, is where does the time go?

 I have not really had time to write anything as we have been nonstop. The house is at that stage where there is so much to do, so much so that I feel really overwhelmed on a daily basis. Which is quite strange as we are not really that far off finishing. But it is the stage where it is all little jobs that need doing to finish.

John has painted the outside of the house as the weather has still been nice. The weather has been one of the determining factors, as we need to get every outside job finished before the weather changes.

I have stripped and painted the last of the windows and some of the shutters. But every day I am waking and thinking oh bugger, what are we doing today, John has been really good and keeps calming me, saying it will all suddenly come together, but somehow it just doesn’t feel like it.

We are quite different people, I like lists that I can tick off and so know what I am doing but John just looks at it and makes a list in his head (and somehow I am supposed to know this imaginary list and understand it!)

But the jobs are getting done and each day we are a step closer.

It is such a strange feeling as this is actually one of my favourite houses and I had planned to stay here for some time and enjoy it, but Portugal is calling and we saw some houses that were just as beautiful, oh bugger, there are so many things to consider, but I don’t have time if we want to get finished!

Renovation Project - Central Portugal and a big decision is made

Renovation Project - Central Portugal and a big decision is made

Pedrógão Grande is our final stop in Portugal; we have another 3 nights booked here. The reason we chose this particular area is because of the accommodation we found. But the entire area of central Portugal is stunning.

We leave Coimbra and as we only have approx 60 kilometres to drive, we decide not to bother with the toll roads. This ends up being one of the scariest yet most beautiful drives we have done for a long time.

The road is quite narrow and winds up the side of the mountain, we had no idea just how high this mountain was. The views are unbelievable as long as you don’t look at the sheer drop by the side of the car. As we are driving we see a bus in front and think, they must be mad and hope no cars come in the opposite direction then we see a bus in the opposite direction. My heart was in my mouth surely there is no way they can pass on this mountain road, but they do.

We stop at a small village called Castenheira de Pera and cannot believe what we find, it is Huelgoat in the sun, the village has a beautiful town square and we sit at a cafe and just relax for a few minutes with a drink.

We had never thought we would find anywhere as beautiful as our French village, but we have, the mountains give a great backdrop and the area is covered in forests, this town has a large lake, of which a part has been converted into a large pool with sun loungers and cafes. for more photos click on link http://www.praiadasrocas.com/

photo cooutesy of
http://www.praiadasrocas.com/

We find that there are many lakes in this area and each has an area for safe swimming, you do not need to be near the coast to enjoy the beach. But you do have to be careful with your parking!

We drive to our accommodation and the owners are so friendly and welcoming. We spend evenings with them and their BBQ; I even go to collect the pine cones from the local pine forest one evening no charcoal is used, the pine cones burn on the BBQ.

They take us to local markets; we really could not have found a better place to stay. The accommodation is a small one bed house, with everything you could want, there are also B&B roooms available in the main house. The garden has a large vegetable plot with far reaching views over the mountains.

Here is the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13367515

We love the area so much that we extend our stay for another 3 nights.

This is the time we make our big decision, we love Huelgoat, but we want a hotter climate. Central Portugal has it all, the climate we are looking for, mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, beautiful villages and not far from Coimbra, our new favourite city.

We research the flights and the airports are a reasonable distance. We talk to our families and spend many evenings chatting with the owners of our accommodation and looking at properties, there are so many old properties that require renovating.

We love France, but you are only able to renovate and sell so many properties before you become a business, it is time for a new challenge and we have just found it.

Drum roll please.........

We are going to move to Portugal

Renovation project - Coimbra, Portugal

Renovation project - Coimbra, Portugal

We have a 3 nights planned in Coimbra, in Central Portugal. Coimbra was once the Portuguese capital and is now the fourth largest city.

We have a room booked in NS Hostal and Suites,(click for link) located near the republic square and the mermaid gardens. The hotel is stunning and we have a balcony overlooking the gardens. This is not a luxury hotel but it is traditional, we have a private bathroom, but this consists of a shower cubicle in the actual bedroom! The toilet is in a separate room. But this is a small price to pay to be able to sit out on our private balcony.

Breakfast was included in the price and the cost or 3 nights was 144 Euros. The staff are pleasant and friendly and all speak different languages.

There is free parking on the road but this is very limited, the main road has paid parking but this is time limited, however we never struggled to park.

There is so much to see and do in Coimbra and the food is amazing. Where the hotel was located seemed to be more of the student area with mass gatherings each evening with entertainment. The cafes and bars were all busy but extremely inexpensive 2 beers cost only 2 Euros, the selection of food in just this area was very impressive and again very inexpensive, tapas from 1 euro, pizza slices to take away at 2 Euros and a sit down meal from 5 Euros.

We explored the city by foot as it is not the largest city centre but there are some hills, but with squares full of cafes there is always somewhere to take a break.

The university is the oldest in the Portuguese speaking world and has students from all around the world.

We think we may have just found one of our favourite cities; it is friendly, beautiful, full of fantastic architecture and very inexpensive.

Renovation project - Fatima Portugal

Renovation project - Fatima Portugal

As we are driving to Coimbra our next destination, we decide to stop off for some lunch, we have no idea what is in the area so press points of interest on the sat nav and Fatima comes up, we decide to go and see what it is.

Oh my, what a shock, this was not what we expected at all, there is an amazing basilica, if you want to read about the history click on this link. Sacred Destinations Portugal

The basilica gleams, it is so white and reasonably new, we go into to have a look around expecting there to be a large entrance fee, there is no fee anywhere.

A mass is happening as we walk around and you can see people kneeling and walking the route on their knees.

There is such a feeling of calm all around the place, it is just so stunning.

There is the option to light a candle and yet again there are no major fees to pay, you can buy a candle (a little stall near to where you light them) and the prices start at 50 cents.

You do not need to be religious to visit the shrine of our lady of Fatima, the architecture and place is compelling for all.

There are a number of restaurants and cafes in the small town area, so we choose one for lunch eat, relax for a while and set back of on our journey.

If you are travelling big distances, it is always worth just checking your sat nav to see if there is anything nearby.