There's a new kid on the block - Update # 25

15 January 2015

We have been waiting with bated breath to see our little dépendance transformed from ruin to safe-as-houses cutie.

Tom's photos don't disappoint. He clearly knows what he is about, that man! He and Gregg have been flat out on the little building since getting back to work after the New Year, and it shows.

In Tom's words:

The weather here has been quite pleasant considering the time of year, so we have been going flat out to get the dependence done while the going is good. 

The masonry needs to dry out and will benefit a lot from a bit of weathering. 

Safe under glowering skies.

So happy that we have preserved this teeny window, which will be double glazed, though won't open.

This window will be double glazed, and will open.

Don'tcha just love those stones peeking through...and the splayed back wall?!

I think this is an example of what Kevin McCloud would approvingly call an 'honest restoration' - where you can clearly see the old and the new, and they work very beautifully together. In my humble opinion!

Once again, Tom has done a stunning roof in Spanish slate, and he has managed to gain us a bit of head-height along the way....

Tom is still to fit the double-glazed window to the gable end closest to the barn, and after that, we will have to consider digging down the inner floor level, to get maximum head-height, and to accommodate a good-size door.

Our plan is to involve Jean-Marie's son, the menuisier, to help us with the other (opening) window, the glazing of the A frame, and the door...but all in good time. For now, she is safe and sound, and sitting pretty avec sa grande soeur au sommet de leur petite colline :)

The elevation from the road is largely unchanged, apart from that magic roof!

Finally (handing the microphone back to Tom):

Greg and I really enjoyed working on the dependence.

Yes, thank you, guys: we can see that.

Buffer store enclosure, ta da! - Update # 23

24 November 2014

Attached to a typically cryptic email received yesterday, Chas sent this photo of the buffer tank enclosure. The photo was taken on 10 November. Clearly, it's a secret and G and I don't know the password.

As Chas says, it looks a little 'red', but hopefully it will weather with time. It looks OK, otherwise, as far as we can make out. Could he have got any further away, one wonders? The door mechanism, etc might as well be drawn on in permanent marker, for all we know.

The plumbing side of things is still not finished. Good thing we aren't going for Christmas this year. Do we dare hope that it will be ready for next year?

Damp-proof membrane and insulation. Warm and dry, remember?

17 September 2013

Tom's second photo update has arrived and it looks as if there has been a fair amount of progress.

Lovely shot of the neighbour's shed. But it also shows that the veluxes are in, and that the roof tiling (at time of taking the photos) was almost done...

...and the zinc gutters and downpipes are in place. She's almost watertight (if you ignore the large barn door opening at the front!).

Following on from last week, when we raised an issue with the placement of the kitchen drain (too close to the shower room wall), we are waiting to hear that the plumber has moved said pipework...

In the meantime, as the photos below illustrate, the damp proof membrane is down, and the under-floor insulation has been laid. I don't know if it's just me that is aware of a slight hiccup in the order of events...(see note about kitchen drain above).

 It looks tiny! But perfect.

Brian the electrician has been in, too, and has laid conduits and cabling under the floor, which should tidy up the future downstairs ceiling somewhat.

All being well, and plumber variables sorted in time, the concrete goes down this week.

Happy news times two

8 September 2013

At last, a cheery email from Tom with the happy news that their baby has arrived safely and that our baby is progressing nicely. The good weather has held and the roof tiling is nearly done.



The roof is looking great! And it's obvious now that replacing those old uneven rafters was a good call.

We have chosen to go with the heavier-duty Spanish slate tiles, which are thick and robust and not dissimilar to the local Ardoise tiles that we had on the old roof. Their edges don't look machine-cut; they look kind of 'nibbled'.

Of course, what makes this kind of tiling different from the original is that the tiles are all the same size and they are attached with hooks, rather than nails, so they are less likely to fly off in a storm. Also, only one-third of each tile is exposed to the elements and Tom is confident that they are there to stay. After the series of roof-smashing violent hailstorms we witnessed this summer, that is reassuring.

And Tom knows his roofs: he is a self-confessed 'tile-geek'.

I love the detail on the gable ends.

The plumber has dug his trenches and has laid the outlet pipes for the shower room and kitchen...although G and I are not too happy with the placement of the kitchen pipe. It looks too far to the left and may have to be altered before the concrete goes down.

OK, so you would really have to have been there to understand that photo. It makes perfect sense to us.  And it's a lovely one of the wheelbarrow, I think we'd all agree.

Next, I gather, is the preparation work for the concrete slab. Watch this space...