We've hit a snag...

...No, I don't mean a sausage; I'd be happier if that was all that was wrong!

I mentioned that M. Huguenot was proving difficult to contact in an earlier post...

Well, today we found out why: he was declared bankrupt on 17th February! At least that's what the Mairie in Verpillers told M. Boyer off the record. [So it's probably true; the Mairies seem to know everything.]

I feel so sorry for him, but a part of me is cross that he didn't give us any warning. Realistically, I know, that's not likely - if you are in difficulties the last thing you want to do is tell people (who will then chose another firm to do the work).

David thinks we are a little ahead on the deal, which is some consolation: we will have to pay anyone that takes over the work a premium. Not to mention the extra time that M. Boyer will have to spend finding new builders.

I dread to think about what happens with the guarantee - I seem to remember that Dominique Drouot's work was not covered by his insurance because he hadn't finished, and so we hadn't signed the "reception" papers to say it was completed to our satisfaction.

Doesn't matter if you've been paying the bills, the insurers who are covering the company whilst they were doing the work don't want to know!

And any new builders are wary of taking on any responsibility for work they didn't do (as they do not know whether it was done properly, which may adversely affect their insurance)...

I don't envy M. Boyer this week!

A small glimmer of hope: M. Boyer has managed to contact M. Smail, who has started with a new employer today. We are hoping that if M. Smail states that the work was done properly, his new employers would be willing to finish this part of our job...

As far as we can remember, it's only digging (and then filling in when the pipes are in place) a couple of trenches, and a hole for the gas cistern.

Hopefully not too scary!

Please keep your fingers crossed for us.

NOT the second-to-last visit?

After an extra week's grace, we went to the house for our usual site meeting on Friday.

Thankfully, it being the 13th hadn't caused any unusual problems to occur; just the usual sort of "glitches" that you'd expect on any building project, particularly one where the clients aren't on site every day!

We had been expecting it to be the "pre-reception" visit... [Reception being the French way of accepting that the work has been satisfactorily completed and handing over the final cheque.]

But judging by the amount of work left to do in the back hall, we both think that there will be at least 2 more visits (if not more).

There has been lots of progress, of course, but very little was different in the majority of the back hall (no cloisons, no insulation, no tambour - "innards" still spilling out of the ceiling & floor); Schwartz are still holding up work by the paucity of electricians/plumbers on site. I'm fairly sure that fitting the partition walls will take a while...

What did stand out was the activities of woodworkers!

Lovely new beam.

I can't remember if I mentioned that (it's most definitely an "extra", and totally unnecessary, but will be so lovely and once we've forgotten the "ouch-to-pocket" factor [not actually too ouch, but it's all cumulative...] it will have been the right decision)... I might have been trying to sneak it under the radar! HeHeHe.

Our imposte and the door from the entrance hall are back (in a fixed-up state), and the cupboard door to the space above the bread oven has returned (again, made good).

The palier is in place (the small landing halfway up the stairs), but was so well camouflaged with protective plasterboard, wood-pulp "fluff", and dust that I took quite a while to realise it was permanent, not a temporary measure to allow the carpenters access to the grenier!

And, my beautiful grille is fitted on the back door! M. Baty quietly told me that whilst M. Boyer & David were concentrating on something else, so for quite a few minutes I lost track of proceedings whilst admiring the gorgeous metalwork...

[Possibly the proximity of the gorgeous joiner contributed to the enjoyment; who knows?]

I will put my hands up to having chosen a far-too-ornate design (for the house; the building's quite grand, as farms/smallholdings go, but it's not massively "twiddly"), but in my defence (a) it was the only one we found truly acceptable (the next closest choice wasn't very nice, and was twice the price) and, (b) I have allowed myself just the occasional extravagance (did I mention my new beam?!!)...

Don't ask me how it works that cast- (or wrought-) iron is fitted by: builders (fire base & fire back), plasterers (ceiling roses), tilers (fire base for poêle), carpenters (wall ties) and joiners (door security grilles & window bars). The only people we haven't had fit any metal are metalworkers; we [reluctantly] knocked the porch on the head at the estimate "pruning" stage.

Obviously fumistes have installed metal, too, but that's a lined flue... So I can see the logic there! I don't know what the English equivalent of "fumiste" is; do we have fireplace fitting/fixing specialists in the UK? And if so, what are they called? They're nothing to do with chimney sweeps; they come and empty your septic tank, too! [Unless, like us, you are lucky enough to be on mains drainage.]

Sorry, I'm not trying to be pretentious with all the French words, I'm just quite tired (and feel as though my head is about 97½% full!) and we've got more used to using the French term for various things (even when we do know the English one!), so it's so much quicker to insert the word I know, rather than finding the dictionary from its hiding place in the cellar & trying to find out what the English is... Apologies.

Also in the back hall we could see the progress of M. Smail and his colleagues: the remaining new stone tiles were laid, and the gap between them and the back door made-up with some of our old stone slabs and the doorway to the "suite" (still known to us at this stage as the "stable") has been blocked up.

Upstairs, it was all change!

The flue for the poêle had been moved, and M. Monnier's assistant was tying it in to the wall, and Laurent Mazij was cutting the new floor away to keep the wood a safe distance from the metal.

One of M. Mazij's helpers was fitting the last part of the lowered floor by the opening to the road. I was totally torn between accepting it as it was (time/cost/hassle-to-workmen in changing it to how it ought to be), and saying "please, would you align the planks so that they are parallel to the sill [of the opening where a window will eventually be] and the edge to the rest of the floor".

My instinct was screaming "No!", but I decided to say nothing. David was perfectly happy with the floorboards all running in the same direction; I will probably either hide this section with a rug, or fit some very thin laminate running in the "correct" orientation at a later date!

I couldn't face upsetting the carpenters when they only had the last bit of wood to drop into place!

I could feel M. Boyer looking at me. I think he was surprised that nothing was said, but I'm mindful that we want work to stop!! And that will happen all the sooner if I don't get carpenters to re-do work that they've only just done.

Who knows, perhaps no-one else will notice it...? [Sorry, MJM, that's your invite cancelled before it was issued! ;-)]

Several things to mention about the floor:

• The floorboards are incredibly light; I salvaged a bit of the poplar before it ended up on the fire, and several bits of similar-thickness oak - the difference in weight was remarkable!
• We had chosen "clous mariniers", which are lovely, for the visible fixings on the planks. I don't think Laurent was convinced... He wanted to use a more traditional squared nail. We were shown a sample of both styles of nail on a made-up section. I have to admit, Laurent was right! Still, he only has himself to blame - we would have accepted the several kilos of round-headed large nails (that he had already bought; thankfully he can take them back) if he hadn't shown us the alternative... I'm not sure how delighted his apprentice was; he then was assigned the task of turning about 1600 round-headed nails into square-headed ones! [Think: big hammer, hit the side of the head (at least four times) to flatten it to have four sides, put it down, start again! Only 1599 to go...]
• We've lost at least 8" of "ceiling" height. Now I will need the lovely ornate grille-work to stop people falling out of the windows. Hurrah! I can go back to GHM... And it would be most odd to have very simple ones, having got the cardoon-patterned grille on the back door, would't it? ;-)

The most obvious progress was noticeable as soon as we walked into the house: M. Suarez was skimming the joins in the plasterboard on the ceilings. He was working along all the joins in one direction, before moving to the next room and doing the same. Once he'd finished that, he was going to start again at the beginning doing the cross direction...

In between being disrupted by anyone else who wanted to do any work wherever he was standing on his plank!

He seemed very good-natured; a perfect complement to the more "firecracker" nature of M. Roncari (his boss).

There was a trench started from the small cellar towards the well. For the water supply, and also the tube supplying fresh air to the VMC; I think that the air supply is the only really bizarre thing about the renovation [other slightly odd things are as a result of taking the pragmatic course], but it will all be hidden, and we will forget... But it's a bit "Heath Robinson"!

Worryingly, M. Huguenot hasn't been seen for several weeks, and is not responding to telephone calls or emails. Here's another instance of me practising "going with the flow": I'm trusting M. Boyer to do any worrying that needs to be done; until I'm told there's a problem, I will believe that it's all going to be OK!

I didn't find time to look in the cellar, so I hope they haven't wreaked too much havoc with our beautiful stone vaulting!

In other places M. Baty has been active: there are door frames between the kitchen and entrance hall, and halfway up where the stairs will be (awaiting the old front doors' return), and to the bedroom. That was a decision of M. Boyer... We're leaving it as it is (for now), but I suspect that I will change that: the door to the bedroom now opens outwards, and can't be fully opened as it will foul the wall lights in the hall.

Hmmm!

Easily changed, but it will mean a new (slightly narrower) door... So that cost can wait!

We've got new glass in the door to the back hall, and the frame has been extensively repaired. It looks a perfect example of restoration (as opposed to renovation); just what I wanted.

Not as keen on the fixing-up on the bedroom door (and what I can imagine has happened to the absent front doors)...

I'm not sure how to communicate "do not do anything, AT ALL, fullstop! I want the old finish EXACTLY how it is"... I tried saying "do not do anything, AT ALL, fullstop! I want the old finish EXACTLY how it is", but that translated to "take off the old locks and handles, and make good. Also make good any ratty-looking bits of wood. Fit new closing mechanisms".

What I wanted was completely untouched history (including any "interesting" bits; at some point a dog must have scratched to be let in... Some time later someone painted over the scratches without filling them!).

I will get used to the made-good woodwork, but I did want untouched woodwork!

How can you get blokes to listen to the words? And not translate what you ask for into what they think you really mean? I'm pretty good at saying what I really mean...!!

We have most of the radiators fitted; they look great!

I had a laugh at the one in the bedroom - it's been mounted vertically (nothing odd there, you'd think), but it really emphasises how far from vertical the wall behind it is!

Various other small changes have been made & decisions taken:

• We're probably going to have small wooden "fillets" between the stone slabs in the back hall and the floor tiles in the WC/shower room/laundry
• The flue to the bread oven has been remodeled; it does look better. M. Boyer is right: the upper bit is not as much of a success, but it's still an improvement

• We're going to ask M. Monnier about the smoking fire in the entrance hall; he thinks we need to raise the fire. I'm hoping we can add a "hood" inside the stonework, instead...
• M. Waeber is going to fit the other iron plaque under the poêle before tiling
• M. Baty wants the staircase to go in after all the work around it has finished. We totally agree, so the tambour is going to be finished, and the tiling under the stairs done before he will install the two flights of stairs. He's going to oil the wood. I'm hoping we can get him to wax the wood in his workshop before fitting...
• The stone wall in the kitchen above the doorway to the entrance hall has been completed
• I'm not sure about the VMC tubing in the stable, but will worry about that later, if necessary!!
• Sadly, we are still going to have to move all of our stuff... Probably on the next visit. Not looking forward to that! It was little-enough fun when the temperature was above freezing

Finally, we've now got a roof on the "cabanon" [interestingly, that translates to "country cottage" in Dicobat; the French must have odd ideas about how we live in England!], and the hinge has been replaced, so the door hangs properly.

I'm so glad we kept it; I keep thinking of alternative uses - it will either be my kindling store, or a potting shed... But I reserve the right to lock David in there if he's naughty!!

;-)

Getting closer...

I'm having problems with computers [again!], and am now having to use David's work laptop - and obviously I don't want to install any new software, so finding pictures to use has been a lot more work than usual!

The first thing that happened, of course, was that I lost the connection to Blogger - I had inadvertantly just obliterated all that I'd written & was desperately trying to navigate away from the page so it didn't autosave... Too late!

I hate it when that happens; I'm almost always more fluent if I don't spend too long altering what I'm writing, and I can never remember what I put!

Here goes [again]:

It was lovely to walk into a warm entrance hall - I know it was a lot warmer this visit, but still, it was hotter in there than we've ever known other than in the height of summer.

Mmmmm! :-)

Since moving down South, I seem to have turned into a nesh southener, and have become a cross between a cat and a lizard!

[I would have added "heat-seeking missile" (to cat & lizard), but that would have implied a turn of speed way beyond me! ;-) ]

Clearly M. Francis ain't daft; he was diligently brushing the stonework/pointing between the cheminée and the bread oven... He was lucky I didn't muscle in!
;-)

The main thing that was noticeable was ceilings - plasterboard in the kitchen, entrance hall & bedroom.

Complete with light "points" (I'm not sure what to call them, they're not a light fitting, but neither are they just wires sticking through a hole: they have a "socket" that the light fitting just plugs into - currently with bayonet fittings plugged in) - now that's a change from what Dominique had managed!

The back hall is still a "work in progress" with regard to the VMC ducting, wiring & plumbing, but I think it's close now.

Sadly "her indoors" had a late brainwave, and there will also be a small delay whilst a beam is fitted where the ceiling level changes. [Should that be "she who must be obeyed"?!]

Yes, I know, it's more expense, but when all the work is finished, it will look so much better; I'm guessing that in a year or so we will have forgotten it wasn't always there. So, we bit the bullet...

That leads me to the major surprise of this visit: M. Boyer has been through the accounts, and we have gone over budget, but by about €1200 (and that's including my new beam). M. Boyer must have worked miracles!

I know we've not finished yet, but I'm hopeful... If we don't overspend any more, we can go with Plan A and use the contingency fund to buy the poêle in the kitchen!

Back to the matter in hand!

M. Patrique (our sole worker [again!] from Schwartz) was busy making all the "spaghetti" vanish - I know, I know, that's normally a task I'd assign to David, but in this instance I mean tidying up the wiring!

The electrical cupboard is starting to look as though it will be big enough; for a while I was almost convinced that there was way too much cabling for it ever to fit!

We've also got the stone slabs laid in the corridor in the back hall; another communication failure has meant that the stones are not laid to the middle of where the doors will be...

I think I understood that we will be getting a sliver of stone in each doorway - I'm not kean, but that will be the sort of boo-boo that I'm sure I will learn to live with!

We've had very few weird things foisted upon us, so a minor thing like that will just make me think of the Taj Mahal! [Shah Jahan allegedly ordered the workmen to make a minor mistake in its construction, as only God could create perfection.]

Sadly, we have to have the big insulated pipe to the poêle sticking down through the ceiling...

Apparently, there is a kind of housing that will hide this, and no, we weren't allowed an asbestos board (the good kind, obviously, not the bad stuff!) instead of the plasterboard, with the big pipe joining the less-insulated flue just above the ceiling. I did try!

We've got a radiator on site... A confirmation (had we needed it) that the Zehnder radiators are a better choice than the Arbonia ones. Bizarrely, the better-made product was also cheaper!

Anyway, our next visit is not yet fixed - M. Boyer wants it to be the "pre-reception" visit, so is not quite sure whether we will need to allow an extra week.

The "reception" visit is where we check that everything has been done correctly before handing over the final payment cheques. So it all feels very imminent!!

I'm a bit nervous, now, and excited [at last] - we might be finished in a month...

In case you are wondering, the photo of David is there so that you can see the difference compared to our next visit... When I will meanly make him stand in the same spot!!

Watch this space...

Oak Joinery in France...

...Thankfully costs nowhere near as much as in England.

One very kind friend had been worrying that we have spent about £10,000 on the new beam in the kitchen.

We haven't; it was way [WAY] less than that.

I can't remember what we paid for it, but even with sterling in a tailspin, it was still a bargain if that's what if would have cost here!

Please tell my mum...

Last week's visit

A very nippy start to the year; the temperature rose to ½°C whilst we were at the house. That was outside - inside it was much colder (bit I don't have a thermometer downstairs to check)! M. Mazij said it had been -12°C overnight.

So the workmen must have been glad of the fire in the entrance hall fireplace...

Yes, a fire in our new chimney.

Hurrah!

[Still didn't melt the half-bucket of solid ice! The electrician (sorry, I don't know his name) had brought a bucket of water in one morning, and it had frozen solid by lunchtime.]

Sadly, it's very smoky, and I'm going to have to clean up the fireplace again as soon as we can stop it smoking... [I think that's a job for the fumiste, M. Monnier.]

Insulation work has started in the stairwell (we are having the enclosed part of the stairs insulated, but are not carrying on the hemp-lime upstairs) up to the new back door; and now the electrician is putting the cabling in before the next layer of insulation.

And then they will enclosed the stairs - to keep the heat in/cold out!

The door looks lovely (and is wider than we had remembered), and is just waiting for the grille to be fitted (which, bizarrely, arrived really quickly) and then the glazed opening part can be fitted.

We have 'lost' our little window, so we think (hope) that M. Baty is re-working it in his workshop, so that it opens the other way...

Since we had the window (orientated the same way as the existing frame) made, the stairs have altered out of all recognition, so the little window was now opening the "wrong" way.

I haven't seen an additional estimate for that work, but I shall add that to my (mental) pile of "things-I-am-going-to-worry-about-later-(if-necessary)".

Not going to tell you about that pile, now. Maybe never!

Denial is my chosen strategy at this stage; I will worry if I have to, when I have to. I've controlled everything I could about the costings, and now am practising "going with the flow".

Perhaps with practice I will become 'perfect'!!

Work is moving ahead with the VMC, and there are cables, pipes & air tubes everywhere; the "spaghetti" by the electrical cupboard is most impressive!

Its so nice to see it in this state: I know that all the 'mess' will vanish, and then be completely forgotten, so it's good to have some photos.

I guess it's a bit like bespoke tailoring or couture gowns; all the work done "behind the scenes" is what makes the finished product look so effortlessly (and unobtrusively) perfect.

I know it's not going to be "perfect"; there are so many compromises you have to make with an old house, and indeed any building project, but it really is going to be fabulous.

Can't wait to get it all cleaned up!

We've got some bonuses: a niche in the bedroom; extra pointed walls; etc, so I am very happy with how it's turning out.

Another lovely thing we've seen during all our trips to see progress is how light it's going to be in winter!

We've visited loads of times, but have rarely opened the shutters; when it's that cold, you don't open shutters if you don't need to!

Our main task this trip was to finalise the placement of ceiling lights. We had got them all marked on the plans John drew up for us, but it was good to review them in situ.

The poêle had moved (so the seating round it will all be in different places), so (I think) we've moved a ceiling light in the "coin salon". We also had to have a big think about the light in the dining area: ceiling rose vs. beam, coupled with table placement... The light in the entrance hall is also going to be offset (middle of beam vs. midline between mid-mantle and mid-wall lights).

Hmmm! We've done our best.

I was greatly tempted by the offer of a light in the cupboard above the bread oven ("I can resist anything except temptation"!), but that was an "extra" too far.

The rails are all in place for the ceilings to be plasterboarded out; just awaiting the first fix of the electrics (hence our discussions), and a "tweak" of the insulating wooden board around edge to keep the plasterboard from touching the still-damp hemp-lime...

M. Boyer had many things to jump up & down about this weekend: a non-listening carpenter, and impatient plasterer, Schwartz not doing what they should/not liaising; with my new policy of not worrying unless I have to, I let him get on with it.

Whilst desperately avoiding catching the eye of Laurent Mazij; he would set me off in fits of giggles. It's not funny when there needs to be raised voices, but M. Boyer is quite entertaining when he gets worked up!

The beam has been sanded in the entrance hall, and looks fab.

We are going to have the flue re-routed; it didn't follow the original drawings, and would be really quite obtrusive when we get around to using the grenier as a summer sitting room, so that's probably something else to wind up M. Roncari!

Can't wait to see the next set of changes.

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's a bit late for wishing you a 'happy new year', but I've been offline since my computer died before Christmas, so this is my first chance...

Happy rest of the year!

A very kind person installed Windows XP [no-one was still running Windows 2000, so they couldn't just copy & replace my corrupted file; I've been dragged (screaming & kicking?) into the 21st Century], and the first thing I installed was my photo software.

[NOT the useless Samsung package ("now copy the files and paste to a folder"; I think not), but the lovely Casio PhotoLoader that will upload anything, and Picasa, for really easy scrolling & finding.]

But then I loused it all up by installing my firewall/anti-virus...

I'd [inadvertantly, obviously!] set the thing to run permanently, so that slowed it down to a speed that would have shamed a snail! [Have you seen those little b***ers heading for your hostas?!]

Thanks, again, person-who-I-shall-not-name (non-work stuff may have been done on work time...)!

Last visit of 2008

We've just returned from our last visit of the year to the house; one of David's colleagues has booked a fortnight's holiday that coincides with when we would have next visited, so that takes priority.

Quite rightly!

Half of me is relieved that we don't have to fit in another trip before Christmas, but half of me will miss seeing the changes that will have occured in the next fortnight.

It's really great to see progress each and every time we visit (very different from the dark "Dominique" days!).

The only downside, of course, is having to find time to update my blog!!

M. Huguenot's team has made great strides in applying the hemp/lime insulation (I'm not sure what the terminology is: "sticking" pretty much sums it up, but doesn't quite feel right to me as building terminology...?!) in the kitchen and has made a start in the bedroom/study.

It's amazing-looking stuff; I almost feel that we're turning our house into the first little pig's house!!

We are having one wall in the entrance hall done, but that contains a door and window, so I'm guessing they will leave that till just before Christmas so the entrance isn't all messy whilst it's drying out.

Speaking of drying out, there is so much moisture in the mix that it may be 6 months before the walls are fully dry...

M. Boyer is chasing a dehumidifyer, but it may delay the plasterboarding in the back hall and the stair case being fitted; both would suffer if fitted in too damp an environment.

Still, as I said in the last post, we're quite sanguine about delays.

We have also changed the plans slightly, and are now having the wall in the back hall to the side of the stair well (and around the back door) done in the hemp/lime mix (instead of plasterboard)...

Work was nearly completed yesterday morning altering joists and enlarging the stairwell opening (I know the word in French [trémie] but don't know it in English), and would have been finished by the time M. Mazij jnr & colleague knocked off for lunch.

The scaredy part of me worries about health & safety, but the fun-loving part adores seeing a guy with no safety gear (goggles/mask, ear defenders, gloves, yada, yada, yada) up a wobbly step ladder waving a chain-saw above his head!!

They know what they are doing, so it was more entertaining (do you remember "Archaos"?) than frightening.

I think the housing for the staircase (we want to completely separate upstairs from downstairs - primarily for warmth-retention, but also for added security) needs to be completed before that part of the house can be insulated...

Judging my what we saw yesterday, that isn't far off!

David had emailed M. Boyer (and spoken with Joëlle to catch Nicholas before his meeting on site on the 18th) about our worries over the electrics...

I'm guessing my memory hadn't played tricks, as we received an email thanking us for our "judicious" enquiry...

And when we got to the house there was new wiring in several locations!

There were various points where we had to decide exactly where to position switches/power points (and one place where we've had to compromise - one set of switches set into the stone wall has had to be above should height and set further away from the door than I would have liked), but I think everything's back on track with the electrics.

It also sounds as though the later model VMC is also now planned, so that's another good result.

We discussed the grille for the back door with M. Baty, and he's changed the design slightly - I think it's all going to look lovely.

We also decided on the balusters and newel post: nice, but fairly simple in style.

I would have loved some of the really twiddly items from the catalogue (the was a newel post with about half a dozen different types of decoration!), but it's not a belle époque mansion, so sometimes the sensible decision has to be the right choice!

After all, I wouldn't fit in in "Footballers' Wives", would I?!

A minor hiccup (the hinges on the door frame suffered some kind of communication failure and ended up on the side of the door that was briefly considered, but then rejected - I don't think M. Baty was at that meeting), but M. Baty was very kind about that and they can be made good easily enough.

A bonus we weren't expecting: the cupboard under the stairs will be full depth under the turn (so a lot deeper than we were expecting, and taller at the 'back') - lot's more storage!

Hurrah!

You can never have too much storage.

Sorry, I sould probably rephrase that: if you have any females in the house, you can never have too much storage!!

On the 8th of December M. Monnier is putting up the tubing for the poêle and is lending us an old stove to act as a "workmen's stove".

This should help with drying out the insulation, and prevent the workmen from freezing solid!!

The new joists are in place in the back hall, and much thicker board has been laid upstairs, so that's no longer delaying the creation of the rooms in that part of the house...

Finally, on a lighter note, here's a photo of a French workman's lunchbox ;-)!

It's not often I get to post something like that!

Latest...

We went to the house again for the bi-weekly Friday meeting, and a sleepover!

It's really good to see work progressing on reassembling the house: for a long time it seemed as though all that was happening was undoing Dominique's work, and taking the rest of the house (where he hadn't done anything) back to square one as well.

Taking off/out doors & doorframes, cupboards, stairs & raking out all the joints where we were going to have exposed stone walls, pulling down the redundant chimney, ripping out the floor/joists - it's been quite a while where all progress has seemed to be of the "gutting" variety...

And now we are getting to see "putting back together" progress!

The stone plinths are now in place under the oak uprights in the kitchen; all wrapped in cling film so they don't suffer during the process of applying the hemp-lime insulation.

Apparently the lime gets everywhere, and sticks like glue!

The workmen are in the process of covering the woodwork as well.

I'm a bit concerned that not all the wiring is in place before the builder starts the insulation; I don't want a beautifully finished wall then to need channelling out to add wiring later.

David is trying to speak with the Project Managers to ask them to check all the wiring is in place before work starts on applying the hemp-lime mix.

I'm getting better at letting T+B do the worrying, but then something happens (without any comment from M. Boyer) that makes me worry again!

The wall in the back hall where all the switches for the lights in the back hall and entrance hall (and a power socket) has been pointed, without the wiring in place for any of the electrics.

And the wall to the left of the chimney is pointed, again missing wiring for a wall light...

I'm not so concerned about that: it's a shame to rake out brand new pointing, but it's possible, and it won't leave any obvious "making good", unlike having the insulation channelled & filled.

We intend to leave this finish bare; it looks nice enough that I don't want to paint it!

The niche in the bedroom that we found on our last visit has been unblocked, and pointed around to be left exposed; that looks great.

And I'm sure we'll find something to display there!

A lot of lightweight block work has appeared: the piping for the VMC has been encased in the bedroom; the small cellar has "disappeared" from the bedroom; the chimney breast has been completed, enclosing the hood.

M. Smail showed us the "clapet" - something we really needed- it closes the flue when the fireplace is not in use.

Having really enjoyed the fire at the Bouzenards' gîte, we coveted an open fire of our own, but there's no way we wanted all that cold air dropping down the chimney when there's not a fire lit.

Now we'll have the best of both worlds!

M. Smail was in the process of rebuilding the flue to the bread oven (everyone assumes we will use it for making pizzas - we probably will!), and by the time we left, that was finished.

We'd had lunch (see below) with M. & Mme. Huguenot and had left our car at the house & travelled to Verpillers with M. Boyer.

We needed to collect our car, and had a couple of things that M. Boyer wanted to check, so we went back into the house...

I'd assumed that the workmen would be waiting for us to leave so they could go home early on Friday, but I was obviously wrong!

Between us leaving at midday, and returning to collect the cars the flue to the bread oven was finished, the pipe for the cooker extractor hood had been put through the wall and the space in the stair well had been concreted in the newly enlarged opening.

The carpentry is running late, so we are now looking for a completion date sometime late in January...

Good job we never believed that the 15th of December would see work finished - we might have been rearranging our Christmas plans now!!

If we get to spend Valentine's Day there, great, but otherwise I'll just be happy whenever it's finished!

We had a fantastic lunch chez Huguenots; sadly I wasn't expecting to eat a whole day's food in one setting, so had had breakfast!

Big mistake!

Wonderful hospitality, lovely food, and David said the wine was brilliant.

About five hours later they wheeled us out the door!

The only downside to that was feeling unable to do justice to the meal that Mme. Boyer had toiled over...

Both ladies had made much-appreciated efforts on the vegetarian food front...

Thankfully David made a good showing for the Brits in the meat-eating stakes.

Although even he chose the vegetarian options on Saturday, so perhaps it is possible to have too much of a good thing?

;-)

I loved the bedroom where we stayed chez Boyers: it confirms for me that I'm doing exactly the right thing in planning to wallpaper my doors in the back hall...

Eventually, we hope to afford the planned (nice) doors, but in the meantime wallpaper in panels will feel suitably "French"!