Chamonix studio renovation - build thread

Chamonix studio renovation - build thread

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Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Monday 11th November 2013
quotequote all
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.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Monday 11th November 2013
quotequote all
Day 36

Maurice is back, knocking together the framework and plasterboard for the bathroom counter.





The storm has passed and left behind a beautiful day. This was shot from the communal garden of our apartment.


Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Monday 11th November 2013
quotequote all
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 wink



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.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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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.



5potTurbo

12,483 posts

167 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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I feel for you, almost there.....
What's been done, considering setbacks though, is a brilliant job, Gruffy. smile


Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
quotequote all
I reckon it is another 2-3 days to finish the bathroom and another 2-3 to tick off all the little jobs elsewhere.

jeremyc

23,336 posts

283 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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Good job on swapping the blue kitchen out for a white one. wink

thumbup Looks great - you've done a lovely job.

Rushes off to dust down skis .... biggrin



GP335i

466 posts

163 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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Absolutely brilliant thread.

I may have missed it but what do you have in the way of ventilation in the bathroom?

Zeemax_Mini

1,213 posts

250 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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Been following this from the start - coming on brilliantly, what a pad it's going to be! clap



Dom

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
quotequote all


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.

Alex@POD

6,133 posts

214 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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That looks really good with the white kitchen and some furniture in! That shower looks pretty funky too!

RichS

351 posts

213 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
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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!

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 13th November 2013
quotequote all
Interesting. I'm really keen to get the agency's view on the value once it's done. It may be impossible to compare it with the conversions that sleep six.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
quotequote all
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…

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
quotequote all

NorthDave

2,355 posts

231 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
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[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.

Council Baby

19,741 posts

189 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
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If you need a hand over a long weekend or something finishing it off give me a call mate. Be happy to help out.

98elise

26,380 posts

160 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
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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 smile



Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
quotequote all
That curve has been as steep as the mountains that Chamonix is famous for.

Cheers CB. Appreciate the offer mate. I think I've got a solution now, but look forward to seeing you out there anyway.

monthefish

20,439 posts

230 months

Thursday 14th November 2013
quotequote all
Gruffy said:
I've now got my black belt in IKEA and can handle three-man jobs on my own.

hehe



Well done on the build, and also well done on the blog: Very entertaining, and impressive that you've found the time to do it (so well) considering the time pressures the build is putting on you.