Our French farmhouse build thread.
Discussion
[quote=Gingerbread Man]I'm interested in the Cognac vats. Is this what the barns were previously used for? Took me a while to get the scale, just how big are they? As you were talking about the roof, I imagined they were in the loft at first!
Sorry, lacking some context here. The Cognac vats are in another barn. Mrs Neilsfirst is 5ft 8 to add some scale.
I haven't got the measurements for them to hand, but the large one held 14,000 litres and the 2 smaller ones held 10,000 litres each.
Sorry, lacking some context here. The Cognac vats are in another barn. Mrs Neilsfirst is 5ft 8 to add some scale.
I haven't got the measurements for them to hand, but the large one held 14,000 litres and the 2 smaller ones held 10,000 litres each.
Measured the vats this morning and the small ones were around 9ft high and the large one was 10ft high.
Not too much land with the farm. We have just over 1.7 hectares. Enough to keep us busy with all the other bits we have going on.
Pictures to keep you all going without jumping ahead of the story.
View from the back garden over our field.
Mowing said field
Our very own bread oven!
Not too much land with the farm. We have just over 1.7 hectares. Enough to keep us busy with all the other bits we have going on.
Pictures to keep you all going without jumping ahead of the story.
View from the back garden over our field.
Mowing said field
Our very own bread oven!
View from the roof of the house.
Joists from first floor coming out to be recycled in the maison d'ami at the back when we get to that.
Velux in and light flooding down from above.
The mess that needed clearing up and digging down to get the ceiling height we wanted. Was back breaking as full of large stones that needed digging out and removing.
Joists from first floor coming out to be recycled in the maison d'ami at the back when we get to that.
Velux in and light flooding down from above.
The mess that needed clearing up and digging down to get the ceiling height we wanted. Was back breaking as full of large stones that needed digging out and removing.
It is a fantastic adventure but one of the downsides is that we are more often than not broken at the end of the day. Worth it when you stand back & look at what we have achieved. Just hoping there is truth in the saying 'build it & they will come' as this will be our bread & butter 
Edited by CarGeeksWife on Monday 19th October 17:48
With the roof now on we move onto the floor. My first job was to dig down to get our ceiling height. This took me 2 weeks with a wheelbarrow, pick axe and a shovel.
The floor level was set and marked. Then because of the near 8 metre span and the size of beams we needed this had to be adjusted down.
Once my bit was done, we had our guys back in to do the final level and lay the soil pipes. Once this was down the membrane was laid on top ready for the cement pour.
The holes in the wall are for the soil pipes exists and the electrics incoming.
The box on the floor to the left is our incoming water and meter. When we get to do the next barn, this will have to be split 3 ways to maintain pressure.
Then one morning we have a cement truck turn up.
It took 2 trucks for the whole pour. Over the next week as this set it was nice and warm in the barn even without windows. The makeshift windows I made with polythene didn't stand up well to the high winds we had!
The floor level was set and marked. Then because of the near 8 metre span and the size of beams we needed this had to be adjusted down.
Once my bit was done, we had our guys back in to do the final level and lay the soil pipes. Once this was down the membrane was laid on top ready for the cement pour.
The holes in the wall are for the soil pipes exists and the electrics incoming.
The box on the floor to the left is our incoming water and meter. When we get to do the next barn, this will have to be split 3 ways to maintain pressure.
Then one morning we have a cement truck turn up.
It took 2 trucks for the whole pour. Over the next week as this set it was nice and warm in the barn even without windows. The makeshift windows I made with polythene didn't stand up well to the high winds we had!
Neilsfirst said:
Forgot to say thanks to everyone for the encouragement. It is nice to share the story. Are you guys interested in just the build or all the trials and tribulations (frustrations) of the whole process?
Warts and all I reckon.Plenty of warts in my 1970s semi let alone with a build like this I bet!
Rutter said:
Neilsfirst said:
Forgot to say thanks to everyone for the encouragement. It is nice to share the story. Are you guys interested in just the build or all the trials and tribulations (frustrations) of the whole process?
Warts and all I reckon.Plenty of warts in my 1970s semi let alone with a build like this I bet!
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