"Before"

We had to clear the "salon d'été" as the floor is going to be replaced; apparently the joists are just too far apart to hold the weight of the floor above, safely

I had wanted to leave it as it is, as I loved the old, uneven, much patched look, but the project manager and carpenter won this argument!

All our belongings needed to be out of the way, so we had a couple of tiring days getting everything away from the "larch lap" wall, and then putting it back again.

Neatly!
The floor above the shower room and laundry needed to be replaced...

I'm looking forward to that; I'm hoping it will be rodent-proof!

It's going to be a bit weird...

Not having a shower cabinet in the kitchen!

Mind you, I suppose we could get used to that ;-)


The fireplace has already been stripped of its tiles...

And the fireback is in the stable, waiting to be re-installed.

Whilst we were there the bricks above the mantel went - looking to see how deep the recess is; we were hoping for a prefabricated metal hood (rather than a brick one).

Already the door from the bedroom (and its frame) have gone.

But we don't yet have the hole into the cellar "restored"!



I'm looking forward to the new stairs...

And having the really strong old front door on the landing to close off the grenier.

I don't feel very nervous staying at the house on my own, but know that a strong door will help with that!



M. Huguenot's workmen managed to remove all the fittings without mishap.

Although we have got another cracked stone slab.

Still, that's nothing compared to the damage Dominique's workmen managed!

Watch this space for some "during" photos!