Chamonix studio renovation - build thread
Discussion
Day 35
Quite a productive weekend. First thing this morning I shuttered off the shower area in the bathroom and poured the second layer of SLC. The first layer hadn't set particularly level. I mixed it well but I guess the cold affected it, or I was too slow getting it down. The second layer went down much better, so it's OK.
Then it's back to the flooring. Wow, it's easily 3-4 times quicker when I can use power tools to cut the lengths. I got the mezzanine floor done, up to the glass and staircase anyway. The supplier gave me the wrong profiles so I'll have to go back for the stair trim before I can lay the final row. The floor was immediately covered with old blankets, salvaged from the apartment before it was gutted. I knew they'd come in useful for something!
I attempted to start work on the fireplace but once I planned it out in a bit more detail I realised I needed a couple of different sized blocks, so that'll have to wait til Tuesday when the shops re-open. At least I have a plan now.
I had a bloody good tidy up, tucking all the odds and sods into the downstairs storage and generally trying to clear as much floor space as possible. This meant I could sweep up more thoroughly and we wouldn't be walking quite so much crap upstairs onto the finished flooring.
Time to have a crack at the wardrobes. Three units spanning 2.5m.
Pah, whatever.
Breezed through those, with one exception…
A couple of pieces needed hammering into place - proper wallops too, not just taps - so I had to make a midnight run to the station car park for a hammering session, otherwise I doubt my neighbours would have been too pleased.
Just two days left, but I'm feeling more optimistic now. The key challenge is still the bathroom. The tanking takes quite a few processes, each with their different drying/curing times and it doesn't leave much time for tiling. I think it can be done but it is really, really tight. I'll have Maurice back in the morning so I'll have him working on the bathroom counter and shelving. I'll finish off the wardrobes once I can start hammering the back boards in. I must also remember to get some mortar into the space behind the shower drain first thing so that it dries in time to be filled and then tanked with the rest.
If at all possible I'd really like to get the flooring down in the ground floor on Tuesday. Again, it's asking a lot but I think it could be possible. I'd probably have to leave a gap next to the fireplace and I very much doubt I'll be able to tackle the stairs, but we'll see.
Quite a productive weekend. First thing this morning I shuttered off the shower area in the bathroom and poured the second layer of SLC. The first layer hadn't set particularly level. I mixed it well but I guess the cold affected it, or I was too slow getting it down. The second layer went down much better, so it's OK.
Then it's back to the flooring. Wow, it's easily 3-4 times quicker when I can use power tools to cut the lengths. I got the mezzanine floor done, up to the glass and staircase anyway. The supplier gave me the wrong profiles so I'll have to go back for the stair trim before I can lay the final row. The floor was immediately covered with old blankets, salvaged from the apartment before it was gutted. I knew they'd come in useful for something!
I attempted to start work on the fireplace but once I planned it out in a bit more detail I realised I needed a couple of different sized blocks, so that'll have to wait til Tuesday when the shops re-open. At least I have a plan now.
I had a bloody good tidy up, tucking all the odds and sods into the downstairs storage and generally trying to clear as much floor space as possible. This meant I could sweep up more thoroughly and we wouldn't be walking quite so much crap upstairs onto the finished flooring.
Time to have a crack at the wardrobes. Three units spanning 2.5m.
Pah, whatever.
Breezed through those, with one exception…
A couple of pieces needed hammering into place - proper wallops too, not just taps - so I had to make a midnight run to the station car park for a hammering session, otherwise I doubt my neighbours would have been too pleased.
Just two days left, but I'm feeling more optimistic now. The key challenge is still the bathroom. The tanking takes quite a few processes, each with their different drying/curing times and it doesn't leave much time for tiling. I think it can be done but it is really, really tight. I'll have Maurice back in the morning so I'll have him working on the bathroom counter and shelving. I'll finish off the wardrobes once I can start hammering the back boards in. I must also remember to get some mortar into the space behind the shower drain first thing so that it dries in time to be filled and then tanked with the rest.
If at all possible I'd really like to get the flooring down in the ground floor on Tuesday. Again, it's asking a lot but I think it could be possible. I'd probably have to leave a gap next to the fireplace and I very much doubt I'll be able to tackle the stairs, but we'll see.
Progress is slow on the bathroom framework and we didn't have enough plasterboard to build a perimeter today. It's yet another bloody national holiday today so I can't get more until tomorrow, which means I won't have time to tank and tile the bathroom before I have to leave. Frustrating.
The wardrobes are in. Blue, to match the kitchen
Unfortunately it turned out one of the mirrored doors was cracked, so that's another item added to the IKEA snagging list.
And the first of the actual furniture is in. Unfortunately it's flagged up that the sockets in the bedroom are too low to fit neatly with the bedside tables. Bugger.
Now, at 00:45, I have to crack on with some design work for a proper client. Then pack. Then be at Sallanches for 07:30 to pick up the stair sub-profiles I'm missing and the (hopefully) refined stone for the fireplace.
The vermiculite and the glass for the fireplace are both due to arrive tomorrow via TNT. Haven't had much luck with TNT so far, so fingers crossed it's third time lucky.
The wardrobes are in. Blue, to match the kitchen
Unfortunately it turned out one of the mirrored doors was cracked, so that's another item added to the IKEA snagging list.
And the first of the actual furniture is in. Unfortunately it's flagged up that the sockets in the bedroom are too low to fit neatly with the bedside tables. Bugger.
Now, at 00:45, I have to crack on with some design work for a proper client. Then pack. Then be at Sallanches for 07:30 to pick up the stair sub-profiles I'm missing and the (hopefully) refined stone for the fireplace.
The vermiculite and the glass for the fireplace are both due to arrive tomorrow via TNT. Haven't had much luck with TNT so far, so fingers crossed it's third time lucky.
Day 37
Another very long day. My last full day for this phase. I drive back to London tomorrow.
Ruddy cold this morning.
But beautiful in the late morning sun.
The flooring is in, up to the final rows on each floor. Unfortunately Maurice had to leave earlier in the afternoon and I was only left with basic tools. I have enough to live on until I can get back later in December to finish off.
The bathroom is unfinished. The framework is done but I've not had time to tank or tile, which means nothing's actually functioning yet. That's quite a blow. There's enough there to get a good feel for the final space but I hate to leave things unfinished.
A wider shot to show the position of the recessed 45° lights. The shower is connected for now, just to seal off the pipes.
And the other side, using the reflection in the wardrobe to get a wider shot of the counter side.
Very late night clearing, cleaning, dragging in and assembling furniture.
Another very long day. My last full day for this phase. I drive back to London tomorrow.
Ruddy cold this morning.
But beautiful in the late morning sun.
The flooring is in, up to the final rows on each floor. Unfortunately Maurice had to leave earlier in the afternoon and I was only left with basic tools. I have enough to live on until I can get back later in December to finish off.
The bathroom is unfinished. The framework is done but I've not had time to tank or tile, which means nothing's actually functioning yet. That's quite a blow. There's enough there to get a good feel for the final space but I hate to leave things unfinished.
A wider shot to show the position of the recessed 45° lights. The shower is connected for now, just to seal off the pipes.
And the other side, using the reflection in the wardrobe to get a wider shot of the counter side.
Very late night clearing, cleaning, dragging in and assembling furniture.
There's a 100mm extractor pipe that's got a decent amount of suction even without a fan. The building was designed to be used without fan-assisted extraction. You can see it in this pic above. I've found a good looking cover plate for it at Leroy Merlin, which is an hour's drive away. I'll be going there in December when I collect the shower screen anyway.
Gruffy said:
Here is an identical apartment in the same block, albeit the mirror image. It has had the two-bedroom upstairs conversion that seems popular, but no meaningful work to the rest of the property. That's on the market at €180k, as a guide.
Now listed at €199k, you're a one-man property boom creator!Day 38
I'll call this a working day as I managed to get 3-4 hours of tidy, transporting and assembling in before setting off for London.
I've now got my black belt in IKEA and can handle three-man jobs on my own.
Here's a panorama taken from halfway up the stairs. The blue-green paint on the facade of the mezzanine is adhesive primer, ready for the stone veneer.
The vermiculite delivery finally turned up just as I was locking up for the last time, three weeks late. I had a few errands to run in the valley (cleaning the rented place, laundry, cutting and distributing duplicate keys etc) and was quite late getting away at 4pm. That left just over 1,000km to cover back to London. The Scooby performed brilliantly and helped me yomp across France in less than six hours, arriving back home just before midnight.
I think I'll be back in mid-December to finish off. Until then…
I'll call this a working day as I managed to get 3-4 hours of tidy, transporting and assembling in before setting off for London.
I've now got my black belt in IKEA and can handle three-man jobs on my own.
Here's a panorama taken from halfway up the stairs. The blue-green paint on the facade of the mezzanine is adhesive primer, ready for the stone veneer.
The vermiculite delivery finally turned up just as I was locking up for the last time, three weeks late. I had a few errands to run in the valley (cleaning the rented place, laundry, cutting and distributing duplicate keys etc) and was quite late getting away at 4pm. That left just over 1,000km to cover back to London. The Scooby performed brilliantly and helped me yomp across France in less than six hours, arriving back home just before midnight.
I think I'll be back in mid-December to finish off. Until then…
[quote=Gruffy]arriving back home just before midnight./quote]
Its amazing the difference being down south makes. It took me 13 hours Morzine door to Manchester door last time I drove. That final four hours makes a huge difference to things.
Build is coming along nicely by the way. Looks lovely.
Its amazing the difference being down south makes. It took me 13 hours Morzine door to Manchester door last time I drove. That final four hours makes a huge difference to things.
Build is coming along nicely by the way. Looks lovely.
Gruffy once said said:
....I have very detailed ideas but not the experience to execute them properly - knocking up some IKEA flat-packs is about as far as my DIY experience goes.....
That's a hell of a learning curve....well done, the place looks fantastic.I think you've earned your DIY Black Belt
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