Coming Along Bit by Bit

Yep - seems like a slow process, but things ARE happening. Simon is renovating the windows and Ian has started on the loft floor.

I went up the new loft ladder and took some photos...

The wood is the old rafters and voliges from under the old tiles. There need to be new windows up here too... It will be a useful storage space when it's finished.

Ostension is fast approaching in Le Dorat. It is a religious festival that takes place every 7 years, and relics of saints (normally kept in the Collegiale) are paraded through the town. The council have erected some mock-ups of the old town gates and this stage has just appeared...

I'm not sure how it'll be used - too small for a rock band...

Roof and Floor

Some good news - the roof's finished - and some not so good - the floor upstairs needs replacing - but, on the whole, the shop is finally 'coming along'.

Ian has put in some plumbing (the toilet now works in the shop) and Fred has taken up the old cement and tiles on the first floor. This has actually caused me a slight setback, as I expected to reveal nice boards that could be sanded. Instead the boards comprise short pieces, only reaching from beam to beam, with a finish that looks as if a VERY poor apprentice used the saw



Ian tells me that this was normal building practice at the time - they used the cheapest possible boards - offcuts of some sort, with only one side planed. The planed side faced down to give a pretty ceiling downstairs, as the top was destined to be covered with a concrete layer and tiles.

Now, obviously, these planks will have to be replaced *sigh*...

More good news is that Simon starts on renovating the windows on Monday, and then I can paint them. Who knows, I may even be open before next winter...

Wednesday's Child

Well, I was certainly full of woe yesterday, although I was actually born on a Sunday, which makes me wise and wonderful, blithe and gay...

...but not yesterday.

Yesterday I went to Brico Depot in Poitiers with Ian, to buy plumbing stuff for the shop and flat above. Because of the 12 o'clock closing, we didn't get everything we needed in BricoDepot and planned to come back after lunch for the copper pipe. We did, however, find a corner shower 'parois' (the doors and their fittings) and a shower tray and fittings. We put them in the van, went and had lunch, then went to Leroy Merlin for a look at lights. We didn't ever get to the lights, as I bought a complete kitchen for the flat above the shop, all in flatpack - on special offer!

This is the kitchen from their website picture, although it's not exactly what I got...

What I got (from memory - it's not unpacked) is a couple of small wall cupboards, a couple of floor cupboards - one with sink on top ( sink included) and electric oven, hob, extractor and the faux granite worktop. Also a fridge-freezer. A pretty good deal for 890 euros.

It was a struggle getting them in the van, and we had to tip the shower package on its side to get everything in. As Ian did this, there was the tinkle of glass, and it was obvious one of the glass doors was broken. Bother!

So... back to BricoDepot and an argument a discussion with the management as to what should be done. In the end they gave us a second shower paroi for an extra 50 euros. I can't see how we could have been responsible for breaking a door (in the middle of the package) but they were adamant that we must have done. Apparently safety glass is very fragile - maybe the road was rough, or in turning the package we had twisted it...

So Ian dropped me at my car in Bussiere-Poitevine at almost six o'clock after a frustrating day! He and Debra have gone back to the Poitiers store today to pick up the copper pipe, taps etc that we didn't get yesterday.

Slightly South of Slough

Yes, probably Guildford now, not exactly the Slough of Despond, but still fairly near...

Today I went to the shop again - no roofers working. I took some photos of the bricks down the chimney situation and went for a coffee. To be fair, half of the bricks were gone and it wasn't as messy as the previous day.
After a coffee I went back to the shop and Luke was there by then. He said the chimney is capped off but now one part of it needs re-facing as the remaining bricks are soft and will soon be in a bad state if this is not done.
I had a look at the windows with Simon, who is going to quote for their repair, as well as the shop façade. He may be able to start at the end of the month...

So it will be many months before the shop is open to trade.

On the plus side, the permission has come through to paint the outside although, obviously, this will be one of the last jobs...

Slough of Despond

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that Ian has sorted out the blockage in the water pipe, so there is now water coming through to the shop and the plumbing can go ahead.

The bad news is that nothing else has progressed, in fact, the situation has gone backwards if anything. The chimney was unsafe and I decided to have it taken down and capped off. Luke had said that if it was rebuilt it would take two days, so it seemed that taking it down would be quicker than that. But oh, no. They (although I only ever saw the man next door working on it - it is half his chimney) knocked off the bricks and threw them down the chimney. and it seems that a large piece of brickwork fell (so I'm told) down the chimney too and is now stuck. When I went to the shop this afternoon they were trying to poke this out with a long stick and were attempting to do this by poking this stick through the ceiling of the shop, which ran the risk of that piece of ceiling collapsing completely (and possibly the fireplace floor above) into the shop, right above a new fluorescent light fitting in the cellar below (there is currently no floor in this part of the shop). I pointed this out and Luke has now placed a motley assortment of bits of spare wood under the area, but I still think the fitting would be seriously damaged if the ceiling fell down.

The bricks that did make it down the chimney are now strewn across half of the first floor and this has made a terrible mess. I would have taken a picture had I not been too upset and angry at the situation.

The roof should have been finished in 10 working days from the start (9th February) but they started 3 days late, and have hardly been there most of the time, so the job is nowhere near finished over three weeks later. After the roof there is the guttering to do as well, and I have cancelled the fitting of a Velux window, or the job would have taken for ever. All thoughts of opening the shop for April are now dashed and, to be honest, it looks as if there are months of work ahead.

So...the slough of despond is really where I feel I (and this project) am at the moment.

Watch this space - but don't hold your breath.