Chamonix studio renovation - build thread
Discussion
Day 20
More kitchen action today. We got the last of the carcasses in place and positioned up all lovely. Most of the doors, drawers and hinges are on and the appliances I have are in. The dishwasher and washing machine should arrive on Wednesday/Thursday but we've tested the space with the doors that'll go over them. Finishing tolerances are very small but it's all coming together and looking all the better for it.
The drawer runners were a bit of a sod to position properly. The IKEA instructions and diagrams are normally very good, but they left something to be desired for a stack of three drawers (rather than one or five), so I had to have three goes at getting the runners on. I may have swore a bit.
The pressure is on to ramp up the pace a bit. The original plan was to be done within six weeks but I suspect this'll run into seven weeks, especially if the bathroom order from Germany is genuinely delayed. The künts.
More kitchen action today. We got the last of the carcasses in place and positioned up all lovely. Most of the doors, drawers and hinges are on and the appliances I have are in. The dishwasher and washing machine should arrive on Wednesday/Thursday but we've tested the space with the doors that'll go over them. Finishing tolerances are very small but it's all coming together and looking all the better for it.
The drawer runners were a bit of a sod to position properly. The IKEA instructions and diagrams are normally very good, but they left something to be desired for a stack of three drawers (rather than one or five), so I had to have three goes at getting the runners on. I may have swore a bit.
The pressure is on to ramp up the pace a bit. The original plan was to be done within six weeks but I suspect this'll run into seven weeks, especially if the bathroom order from Germany is genuinely delayed. The künts.
Day 21
One of the lads renovating a neighbouring apartment has agreed to have a crack at the last bits of the fireplace. €100 sounded a bit steep but I figured it'd have taken me a good half a day or more plus some knackered tools, so I agreed.
He starts off with this beautiful old mechanical jack.
That wasn't cutting it, so out comes the hydraulic jack.
That still wasn't doing much so out come the big guns.
Making it have it. Even with this monster it's taking some serious time. By now I think €100 is a bit of a bargain.
The beast is slain.
One of the lads renovating a neighbouring apartment has agreed to have a crack at the last bits of the fireplace. €100 sounded a bit steep but I figured it'd have taken me a good half a day or more plus some knackered tools, so I agreed.
He starts off with this beautiful old mechanical jack.
That wasn't cutting it, so out comes the hydraulic jack.
That still wasn't doing much so out come the big guns.
Making it have it. Even with this monster it's taking some serious time. By now I think €100 is a bit of a bargain.
The beast is slain.
DS3R said:
This looks fantastic!
How do you have the time to do it though?!? Having said that, I can imagine many PHers employing you to do the same after this!
I'm a self-employed designer so I have some flexibility. As it's part of a co-propriete officially I'm only allowed to carry out works (noisy or otherwise) between 08:30-12:00 and 14:00-18:00. After 18:00 I usually head back to the other place I've rented, freshen up, update PH/Facebook, eat dinner and then get on with my design work until about 23:00-midnight. It's quite a tiring routine but it's only a 6-7 weeks.How do you have the time to do it though?!? Having said that, I can imagine many PHers employing you to do the same after this!
I do enjoy this property development game - especially the design part of it - so I wouldn't be unhappy doing more of it in the future.
Day 21 - Part Deux
This b
d pull-out unit took me absolutely ages to get right. Mostly because I mis-measured a fixing on the door front and didn't realise until I'd tried to correct it (elsewhere) a dozen times. Probably too tired today.
The rest of the appliances arrived this afternoon and almost all of the doors are on now. Turns out we're missing one. I reckon I've got this IKEA system down now, just as I finished the final bits of the kitchen.
This b
d pull-out unit took me absolutely ages to get right. Mostly because I mis-measured a fixing on the door front and didn't realise until I'd tried to correct it (elsewhere) a dozen times. Probably too tired today.The rest of the appliances arrived this afternoon and almost all of the doors are on now. Turns out we're missing one. I reckon I've got this IKEA system down now, just as I finished the final bits of the kitchen.
Edited by Gruffy on Thursday 24th October 20:07
Day 22
The boxout for the electrical conduits is now in place including a little door for the consumer unit and master cut-off.
This is the view from just outside the door. The carcass is in place for some shelves to hold four pairs of ski boots, helmets, gloves and so on.
I've done the second pass on the plasterboard ceiling and made a start on some of the conduit channels. The polyfilla is a bit crap going on, but sands really well so I've been quite heavy-handed. [edited to add] This pic shows the area where I'd cut the neighbour's conduit which was sitting just under the surface. The cavity was enormous after I'd repaired it. I'm not being that heavy-handed.
Some of the conduits wanted to bulge out so I've wedged the mischievous parts in place and filled around them. Hopefully once it's set that'll hold them all nicely in place and I can fill in the gaps.
The boxout for the electrical conduits is now in place including a little door for the consumer unit and master cut-off.
This is the view from just outside the door. The carcass is in place for some shelves to hold four pairs of ski boots, helmets, gloves and so on.
I've done the second pass on the plasterboard ceiling and made a start on some of the conduit channels. The polyfilla is a bit crap going on, but sands really well so I've been quite heavy-handed. [edited to add] This pic shows the area where I'd cut the neighbour's conduit which was sitting just under the surface. The cavity was enormous after I'd repaired it. I'm not being that heavy-handed.
Some of the conduits wanted to bulge out so I've wedged the mischievous parts in place and filled around them. Hopefully once it's set that'll hold them all nicely in place and I can fill in the gaps.
Edited by Gruffy on Thursday 24th October 20:10
Edited by Gruffy on Thursday 24th October 20:42
Day 23
Maurice finished the shelves in the entrance area. I've re-sanded half of the ceiling and regretted being so heavy-handed with the polyfilla. Not so bad on the walls but the plasterboard sheets are too delicate to use a power sander and need to be done by hand. It's hard work if there's too much excess.
Got the first of the integrated doors on. That's quite a faff! Nice to get the first handle on though. It's only a small thing but it made such a difference in helping to see the place as a home rather than a building site. Not long now, hopefully.
I'm losing Maurice next week (along with the big SDS drill/chisel) so I wanted to make sure I'd finished all of the channelling so that I can get on with filling and sanding along with making a start on the bathroom. First job was to channel to wall for the shower plumbing. That didn't go so well. The smaller disc cutter gave up the ghost. A bit of testing tells us it's the switch that's died.
No bother, we have its big brother. Only that gave up after just 60 seconds too. It didn't hit anything or appear to have burnt out. The odds are phenomenal but we put it down to coincidence. That just leaves the power chisel. Urgh.
That took much longer than I'd have liked. I'm totally up for never channelling concrete again. I thought London bogies were bad!
Fitted the last of the downstairs lights this afternoon too. Classic cantilevered design from Italy. I didn't want to invade the double-height space with anything too weighty (because that's a canvas for a piece of art) but, at the same time, the light would always steal some attention so I didn't want to ignore that fact and go for something dreary. This feels like a decent compromise, but it did take a lot of searching and visualising. Not the best photo for appreciating the scale and proportions within the space. I'll take another once the walls are finished.
Maurice finished the shelves in the entrance area. I've re-sanded half of the ceiling and regretted being so heavy-handed with the polyfilla. Not so bad on the walls but the plasterboard sheets are too delicate to use a power sander and need to be done by hand. It's hard work if there's too much excess.
Got the first of the integrated doors on. That's quite a faff! Nice to get the first handle on though. It's only a small thing but it made such a difference in helping to see the place as a home rather than a building site. Not long now, hopefully.
I'm losing Maurice next week (along with the big SDS drill/chisel) so I wanted to make sure I'd finished all of the channelling so that I can get on with filling and sanding along with making a start on the bathroom. First job was to channel to wall for the shower plumbing. That didn't go so well. The smaller disc cutter gave up the ghost. A bit of testing tells us it's the switch that's died.
No bother, we have its big brother. Only that gave up after just 60 seconds too. It didn't hit anything or appear to have burnt out. The odds are phenomenal but we put it down to coincidence. That just leaves the power chisel. Urgh.
That took much longer than I'd have liked. I'm totally up for never channelling concrete again. I thought London bogies were bad!
Fitted the last of the downstairs lights this afternoon too. Classic cantilevered design from Italy. I didn't want to invade the double-height space with anything too weighty (because that's a canvas for a piece of art) but, at the same time, the light would always steal some attention so I didn't want to ignore that fact and go for something dreary. This feels like a decent compromise, but it did take a lot of searching and visualising. Not the best photo for appreciating the scale and proportions within the space. I'll take another once the walls are finished.
Deliveries are also improving. The shower unit arrived from Spain, a cowhide from Sweden and the künts have also been in touch to say that the bathroom bits (wash basin, mixer, WC and concealed cistern) are finally on their way. There are two packages waiting to be collected in the morning from Chamonix post office. I suspect that's the underfloor heating supplies for the bathroom and the bioethanol burner box for my DIY fireplace.
Glass becomes a challenge once again. I need to find a 700mm shower screen and a small piece of glass to screen the fireplace, as it will sit uncomfortably close to the sofa to be safe without it.
E36GUY has been advising with bathroom lights. I've got some demanding ideas but I think we have a solution. Sadly that involves more channelling of concrete.
There's a hell of a lot to do in two weeks. I may get some help in next week, even if it's just for the easy (but time-consuming) jobs like filling, sanding and painting.
Glass becomes a challenge once again. I need to find a 700mm shower screen and a small piece of glass to screen the fireplace, as it will sit uncomfortably close to the sofa to be safe without it.
E36GUY has been advising with bathroom lights. I've got some demanding ideas but I think we have a solution. Sadly that involves more channelling of concrete.
There's a hell of a lot to do in two weeks. I may get some help in next week, even if it's just for the easy (but time-consuming) jobs like filling, sanding and painting.
That cracks me up every time, aah dear...
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