Chamonix studio renovation - build thread

Chamonix studio renovation - build thread

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Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
The plan was to rent a place in Argentiere, Chamonix, for the winter to do a ski season. We viewed a few places in the summer and realised the deposit on a modest place was only a bit more, so we put in a cheeky offer on a small studio in Grand Roc instead and it was accepted. We signed last Friday and by Monday I was in Chamonix with a big hammer, knocking seven bells out of the place with a view to doing a complete renovation.

The apartment is a studio duplex on the ground floor of a 5-storey concrete tower block, built in 1968. It hadn't been re-decorated since. Here's a plan of the original layout. It's 32sqm in a footprint that's 3.75m wide and 5.7m long, with a ceiling height of 4.3m. The walls are chunky concrete and the upstairs bathroom sits outside those measurements on a solid concrete floor. All of the plumbing is off a communal chimney, which gives a few restrictions on placement.



Here's a panoramic shot of the ground floor space. It's even smaller than it looks.


Taken with my back to the apartment door, with the ground floor toilet room on my left and the 'GCSE woodwork' staircase to my right.


The beautiful bathroom. Again, it's a panoramic shot so don't be deceived by the space. It's pokey in there at 1.3m x 1.9m. I'm also hoping to squeeze a toilet in here now as well.


Apparently a very popular renovation is to extend the mezzanine to a full floor and add two proper bedrooms, to sleep six. We're more interested in making a very comfortable space for ourselves (a 30-something couple, with a dog) and visiting friends to enjoy. I looked at the space and thought it could be improved with a bit of a rethink. The little bathroom downstairs seemed to be a waste given there was already a bathroom upstairs (albeit missing a toilet). The stairs were also in an odd place which left a lot of wasted space above them, on the mezzanine floor. I came up with a new design that would mean gutting the entire place and starting again from a bare shell.



I'm a designer by trade, but not an architect, so I suspect I'm a nightmare client. 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, though I have designed a desk, library wall and walk-in wardrobe for the London gaff which have proved successful. I've designed the staircase myself, but have a friendly joiner helping to install it and stop me from cocking it up too royally.

Total budget is £30,000, including my own living and travel costs during the build. I'll be doing the work with a local mate (paid) who's got a full complement of tools and knows what to do with them. If everything ran perfectly smoothly I think it's a five week job. I'm allowing six weeks - hopefully 20% is a big enough contingency.

The carved wooden tat seems to be the only style the mountain folk can do, so all of the apartments and chalets I've stayed in have been the same. My plan is to aim for something a bit more luxurious. More like a studio apartment you'd find in London or another European capital.

KTF

9,788 posts

149 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
Do you have access to a communal ski locker (or similar) to store all your gear or does that have to be in the apartment as well?

If the natives have all extended the second floor isn't that something that should be explored as it gives you a clue to what the market wants?

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
Day 1
Gathering tools and doing a bit of research in the nearest big town to see what's available in the way of materials. After lunch we starting demolishing the place and made decent progress. Unfortunately, being France, we're only allowed to do heavy works within very narrow times, and not at all during school holidays, so the race is on to finish before half-term week.

Half the ground floor cleared already.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
KTF said:
Do you have access to a communal ski locker (or similar) to store all your gear or does that have to be in the apartment as well?

If the natives have all extended the second floor isn't that something that should be explored as it gives you a clue to what the market wants?
There is a communal locker, but it's too narrow for snowboards, so I'm utilising a bit of leftover space behind the new kitchen for a supplemental ski-locker.

That may well be what the majority of the market wants, but there are 100 odd apartments in the three buildings all catering to that need. I'm fairly confident that there's at least a small market for a well appointed small apartment for people with a bit more cash than the gap-year seasonaires, looking for something a bit more comfortable. It's the sort of place we would like to rent, along with many of our friends. It may be niche, but there doesn't seem to be anybody else competing for those type of people so I'm hoping we'll do OK.

We're treating this as our pension so rental yield is important, but it's also for us to enjoy ourselves, so I wouldn't be too disappointed if it didn't generate the absolute maximum return possible.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Tuesday 24th September 2013
quotequote all
Day 2

The skip arrives. Luckily we managed to jump into the space right outside the apartment just as one of our neighbours left. It's hoofing distance from the balcony so now we can get on with some serious demolition.


Maurice, my geriatric, potty-mouthed accomplice with a leaky arse that smells of dead things.


By lunch time we'd cleared the upstairs bathroom and all of the upper level.


And by the end of the day we've cleared the kitchen and taken up most of the mezzanine floor. I think we'll have a largely bare shell by lunch time tomorrow.

VEX

5,256 posts

245 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Great little project. Very interested in what your doing.

If you don't mind, what did you pay for the unit.

Ball park is fine if you prefer.

V.

E36GUY

5,906 posts

217 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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bookmarked!

jke11y

3,181 posts

236 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Great project. Looking at the photos the extending of the mezzanine would result in an internal bedroom? I can see why you would rather keep it open and more spacious feeling, double heights spaces are great for that.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
It was on for €144k and we had our offer of €132k accepted. €8k of that was the agent's fees. I'm absolutely sure I'll be making a few quid once the work is done. Gut feeling is it'll be somewhere around €180-190k once finished.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
jke11y said:
Great project. Looking at the photos the extending of the mezzanine would result in an internal bedroom? I can see why you would rather keep it open and more spacious feeling, double heights spaces are great for that.
Yes, the standard renovation creates a tiny windowless bedroom and a larger one at the bottom of my plan. They'd both be tiny in reality.

Going double height in such a small space is a bit indulgent but that's the whole idea. I'm using glass for balustrading too, so it helps to open the space up a little more.

Ranger 6

7,040 posts

248 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Ecellent - our friends have a place near Morzine, watching this to see how you get on smile

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
Day 3
Final clearing of the internal structure.


We now have the most spacious bathroom in the valley.


Safety first.


The internal space is now cleared, save for a bit of carpet, asbestos-filled floor tiles and some wallpaper. The electrics in the place are awful so we'll just rip it all out and start again from scratch. I'll pick up the joists and wall brackets tomorrow and we'll make a start on the new mezzanine floor.

Edited by Gruffy on Wednesday 25th September 12:24

KTF

9,788 posts

149 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
Gruffy said:
Safety first.
Best socket ever smile

Mattt

16,661 posts

217 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Is that Maurice, Marcellus's friend?

Craikeybaby

10,369 posts

224 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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This looks like a great project!

Council Baby

19,741 posts

189 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Where's Scruff?

Alfachick

1,639 posts

196 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
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Bookmarked! What a great project. It's something that me and my dad have always wanted to do but have never taken the plunge.

I think it will be a welcome change to many not having the wood everywhere. All the apartments look the same wherever you go in the alps. That orange pine, tiny kitchen and bathroom and minging carpet. Nice to see someone breaking the mould.

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
Yes, that's the Maurice.

Scruff is back in London. He'll be coming out for the winter.

OscarIndia

1,126 posts

171 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
Alfachick said:
Bookmarked! What a great project. It's something that me and my dad have always wanted to do but have never taken the plunge.

I think it will be a welcome change to many not having the wood everywhere. All the apartments look the same wherever you go in the alps. That orange pine, tiny kitchen and bathroom and minging carpet. Nice to see someone breaking the mould.
I have just been stripping the 70's orange pine out of my chalet, it is being replaced by wood, but certainly not orange!
Also have put in new carpets, if you saw what is available in France you would understand why the carpets are minging! I shipped some out from the UK and had them fitted. that was about half the price of getting it done by the French!

Gruffy

Original Poster:

7,212 posts

258 months

Wednesday 25th September 2013
quotequote all
OscarIndia said:
I shipped some out from the UK and had them fitted. that was about half the price of getting it done by the French!
I'm finding this too. I had quotes for the glass for the staircase and mezzanine balustrades from the local French glass processor and it was €5,000 (for about 4.2sqm of 15mm toughened). Seemed a bit pricey to me so I had my local Bermondsey place quote me and it came in at £1,600 + VAT. That's being cut this week and I'm shipping it off to my joiner in Brum to bring down with the staircase.