Chamonix studio renovation - build thread
Discussion
The ceiling is plasterboarded, the false wall for the kitchen (with the ski locker and waste pipe boxout behind it) are in place. The stairs and under-stair unit have had all the gaps filled ready for sanding and painting.
Work has also started on the kitchen units. It's been quite a challenge to figure out how to modify a 211cm kitchen to fit into a 203cm space. Friday was a very productive day. With the kitchen going in things should start taking shape quite quickly next week.
I do love this place.
Work has also started on the kitchen units. It's been quite a challenge to figure out how to modify a 211cm kitchen to fit into a 203cm space. Friday was a very productive day. With the kitchen going in things should start taking shape quite quickly next week.
I do love this place.
Halfway report
According to my original schedule I'm about half way through the six week renovation. Whether that turns out to be accurate or not we'll see in a few weeks time. I'm cautiously optimistic. Either way, here's a summary of where it stands after three weeks.
Budget
I'm running about £1,600 under at the moment. We were running almost £3,000 under budget until we decided to do a full re-wire. That added a few hundred to the bill in materials and extra time, plus I've also bought a better TV than originally intended. I'm probably going to blow some of the saved £1,600 on more luxurious materials and fittings to the bathroom.
Lessons learned to date
I'd like to get the kitchen in by mid-week. The rest of the fireplace needs to come out (I've been putting that one off). After that it's the bathroom, which I think will take a while. We're turning a small bathroom into a wetroom, which means raising the floor, laying underfloor heating, tanking and building a drainage gradient before tiling. Lots more channelling to run water pipes for the shower and electrics for the lighting. I think I'll build a vanity unit to be tiled rather than buy one as I'm not finding anything I like the look of. The toilet needs to be plumbed into the waste pipe we've run behind the kitchen and up through the floor. Getting that through the thick concrete wall is going to be fun job. And then I'm probably going to tile one or two feature walls.
There's lots and lots of filling and sanding to do as well. With painting, I suspect that's going to be about 4 days work. The main flooring will probably go down in a day. Laying flooring over the stairs is probably another day on its own. The system is very good but I have built a hatch into the corner landing and making that tidy is likely to be a bit of a sod. Then it's furnishings, of which I've found most items already, but still need to do some hunting. I'd also like to make a small bench for the entrance and upholster that with cow hide.
Outstanding challenges
Can anybody offer any pearls of wisdom or any good sources for the following items:
According to my original schedule I'm about half way through the six week renovation. Whether that turns out to be accurate or not we'll see in a few weeks time. I'm cautiously optimistic. Either way, here's a summary of where it stands after three weeks.
Budget
I'm running about £1,600 under at the moment. We were running almost £3,000 under budget until we decided to do a full re-wire. That added a few hundred to the bill in materials and extra time, plus I've also bought a better TV than originally intended. I'm probably going to blow some of the saved £1,600 on more luxurious materials and fittings to the bathroom.
Lessons learned to date
- Aluminium channels for frameless glass are probably worth the cost for the fine-tuning adjustability they provide and speed of installation.
- It's all about having the right tools for the job. The €30 disc for the mini angle grinder was infinitely better than the regular €7 disc when it came to channelling concrete, which was becoming a real chore. Cheap kit is often a false economy.
- French electrics and electrical supplies are bloody awful. The only place we could find brown 2.5mm wiring was a trade place that relieved me of €0.54/m. Even the sockets and switches you buy still have red wiring instead of brown (against EU regs brought in back in 2003). And it's all hideously overpriced.
- The French have an odd attitude to earthing. Double and even triple-check that the sockets you buy have both earthing wiring and earth pins.
- French paint is awful. Bring it with you from the UK, unless it's for exterior application. They make it differently out here to handle more intense UV exposure.
- Appliances in Switzerland (or Swiss IKEA, at least) are 60% more expensive than UK equivalents and 30% more expensive than French.
- For everything else, IKEA Switzerland is significantly cheaper than the UK and France, assuming you can bring it back across the French border without being relieved of the difference for French TVA.
- It takes about 10 days of graft to turn dainty mouse-pushing office fingers into something tough enough to handle a bit of manual labour.
- Never, ever feed Maurice onions or cheese and always have an escape plan.
I'd like to get the kitchen in by mid-week. The rest of the fireplace needs to come out (I've been putting that one off). After that it's the bathroom, which I think will take a while. We're turning a small bathroom into a wetroom, which means raising the floor, laying underfloor heating, tanking and building a drainage gradient before tiling. Lots more channelling to run water pipes for the shower and electrics for the lighting. I think I'll build a vanity unit to be tiled rather than buy one as I'm not finding anything I like the look of. The toilet needs to be plumbed into the waste pipe we've run behind the kitchen and up through the floor. Getting that through the thick concrete wall is going to be fun job. And then I'm probably going to tile one or two feature walls.
There's lots and lots of filling and sanding to do as well. With painting, I suspect that's going to be about 4 days work. The main flooring will probably go down in a day. Laying flooring over the stairs is probably another day on its own. The system is very good but I have built a hatch into the corner landing and making that tidy is likely to be a bit of a sod. Then it's furnishings, of which I've found most items already, but still need to do some hunting. I'd also like to make a small bench for the entrance and upholster that with cow hide.
Outstanding challenges
Can anybody offer any pearls of wisdom or any good sources for the following items:
- Sourcing decent stylish wall lighting.
- Sourcing a good-looking and affordable bio-ethanol fireplace
- Beating the €3,000 quote for an electric shutter
- Designing a tidy solution for managing drainage for the ski-locker
Gruffy said:
- Designing a tidy solution for managing drainage for the ski-locker
Mayye have a extractor fan that extract same place as the bathroom as well ?
Day 16
Putting the kitchen together. A tricky challenge as I want the tall units to go right to the ceiling (2030mm) but they're designed to fit into a 2110mm space.
Annoyingly the extractor unit from
IKEA was missing the plug and the equipment for fitting it into its unit. That'll slow things down until I'm at ikea again next Monday.
Drilling and cutting the cutouts for the sink and hob.
Putting the kitchen together. A tricky challenge as I want the tall units to go right to the ceiling (2030mm) but they're designed to fit into a 2110mm space.
Annoyingly the extractor unit from
IKEA was missing the plug and the equipment for fitting it into its unit. That'll slow things down until I'm at ikea again next Monday.
Drilling and cutting the cutouts for the sink and hob.
Day 17
Some final faffing with the waste pipes for the sink, dishwasher and washing machine. We thought we'd do this so that we have water to mix the plaster with. Once we'd finished and opened the plaster tub up we realised it was ready-mixed anyway. Still, it's nice to have running water again.
Then it was lots of clamping units together, loosening, tapping, tightening and so on, to get the cupboards perfectly positioned. Because I'm a fussy sod and 1/2mm is too much to live with.
Some final faffing with the waste pipes for the sink, dishwasher and washing machine. We thought we'd do this so that we have water to mix the plaster with. Once we'd finished and opened the plaster tub up we realised it was ready-mixed anyway. Still, it's nice to have running water again.
Then it was lots of clamping units together, loosening, tapping, tightening and so on, to get the cupboards perfectly positioned. Because I'm a fussy sod and 1/2mm is too much to live with.
DoubleSix said:
Great work. I hadn't realised you were just using screws. A proper bolt through the joist (presumably with a dirty big washer) is the way forward for sure.
Looks great, you must be chuffed with the end result!
Here's a close up of the glass bolts, complete with dirty big washers. Looks great, you must be chuffed with the end result!
Drainage in the ski locker, have you thought about the wet room tanking with gradient again on some cheaper porcelain tiles but standing the skis on a wooden pallete type affair?
Bio ethanol fire - I was looking at a Morso BEL(bio ethanol), I'm not sure on the size of it but they look very fancy http://www.morsoliving.co.uk/Produktvisning-2188.a... however trying to source one is a bit of a nightmare. I did see a cheaper version in B&Q the other day for around £30!! Maybe could be an option depending on the size.
I fitted a wet room about 12 months ago, it's all about getting the tanking right (I used the roofing felt type called homelux rather than paint on) and the gradient. The underfloor heating is ultimate luxury for not an expensive price (tool station)
Will toolstation/ screwfix post out to you?
Good luck and keep posting.
Bio ethanol fire - I was looking at a Morso BEL(bio ethanol), I'm not sure on the size of it but they look very fancy http://www.morsoliving.co.uk/Produktvisning-2188.a... however trying to source one is a bit of a nightmare. I did see a cheaper version in B&Q the other day for around £30!! Maybe could be an option depending on the size.
I fitted a wet room about 12 months ago, it's all about getting the tanking right (I used the roofing felt type called homelux rather than paint on) and the gradient. The underfloor heating is ultimate luxury for not an expensive price (tool station)
Will toolstation/ screwfix post out to you?
Good luck and keep posting.
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