Our French farmhouse build thread.
Discussion
The forecast for tomorrow is not the best, but as it is my birthday and I can't change that date we are ploughing ahead with it. The hangar will be setup with tables, chairs and a gas stove. The bread oven is being used to cook our pizza tonight and will be going again tomorrow to do jacket spuds, think we have about 15 to 20 to do.
Probably best to park on the drive. Look forward to seeing the brave ones who make it tomorrow. If all goes well tomorrow we will be hosting another one next month on the 26th June as it is our wedding anniversary so would be rude not to celebrate.
Probably best to park on the drive. Look forward to seeing the brave ones who make it tomorrow. If all goes well tomorrow we will be hosting another one next month on the 26th June as it is our wedding anniversary so would be rude not to celebrate.
Greshamst said:
Do you have previous experience when it comes to all the DIY stuff you're doing? I wouldn't know where to start with most of this stuff!
A bit of home DIY finishing off an attic conversion is all we brought to this. Believe me, we have made mistakes along the way and had to redo quite a few bits, but you learn and get better!Kev_Mk3 said:
Fantastic thread and wonderful read. Reminds me when my mum and dad first moved to France and holidays ended up helping dad do building work at the house - Still the same now but sadly he is no longer with us 
So I have to finish the jobs he didnt the swine lol
Thanks for the feedback. There are a few jobs I'd love not to finish too! Nice that you can help the legacy of your dad's project.So I have to finish the jobs he didnt the swine lol
After a very wet Sunday Service/birthday which I enjoyed immensely, where we were all sat around the kitchen table for a good few hours talking, eating and drinking, it was back to work on Monday.
The week so far has consisted of insulating, boarding and a very small bit of plumbing.
The back 2 bedrooms are coming along nicely. Wilfrid should be in next week and can sort out what he intends doing with a load of wires terminated in one place in the 4th bedroom which is stopping me putting up my last board along that wall.
I had to put up a couple of extra studs up as we have not run just a single board from the bathroom to the bedroom, instead we split it so wiring could run through and this left me with nowhere to screw the board in the bedroom to at the corner. This meant I had to pull the 2 wires back through 9 studs and then re-do.
Last job tonight was a bit more wire re-routing as for some reason Wilfrid had laid 2 wires coming through the passageway from one half of the barn to the other. These have now been pushed through with the VMC piping hiding them, what I consider to be a more correct way, rather than burying them in render.
The week so far has consisted of insulating, boarding and a very small bit of plumbing.
The back 2 bedrooms are coming along nicely. Wilfrid should be in next week and can sort out what he intends doing with a load of wires terminated in one place in the 4th bedroom which is stopping me putting up my last board along that wall.
I had to put up a couple of extra studs up as we have not run just a single board from the bathroom to the bedroom, instead we split it so wiring could run through and this left me with nowhere to screw the board in the bedroom to at the corner. This meant I had to pull the 2 wires back through 9 studs and then re-do.
Last job tonight was a bit more wire re-routing as for some reason Wilfrid had laid 2 wires coming through the passageway from one half of the barn to the other. These have now been pushed through with the VMC piping hiding them, what I consider to be a more correct way, rather than burying them in render.
Yesterday we spent the day pointing. My least favourite activity that I would rather do plumbing instead. We managed to get the 4th bedroom finished which means we can scribe the 2 pieces of plasterboard for that room.
Last job yesterday was to clean out the joints in bedroom 2 for pointing today. A nice mess that I need to clear up this morning before we put the floor protection down.
The walls we are having built are coming on nicely. Once they are done they can finish off the driveway and we will then be able to use it again instead of parking in the garden. It is a bit slippery occasionally getting in and out.
Last job yesterday was to clean out the joints in bedroom 2 for pointing today. A nice mess that I need to clear up this morning before we put the floor protection down.
The walls we are having built are coming on nicely. Once they are done they can finish off the driveway and we will then be able to use it again instead of parking in the garden. It is a bit slippery occasionally getting in and out.
Another day of pointing but thankfully the last whole day we will spend doing it. It didn’t start off so well as yesterday we finished the lime so I sent cargeekswife off to get some more. This morning we come to use it and they had supplied the wrong sort as it had cement mixed in. A trip back to the supplier to get the right stuff and we took our chance to get some fuel. Pulled up at the Intermarche to see a whole 2 cars there and no restrictions. Back to the house and started over an hour later than I wanted to. I am so glad to be seeing the back of that particular task. I ache all through my shoulders but off to see a physio on Tuesday to try and help with the tendonitis. I am glad we did most of it in the winter as I lost a lot of fluid today and yesterday.
First stage
Finished
Happy with the finished result and we need to get 1 plasterboard scribed against the wall and up for Wilfrid to sort out another circuit of power points. As it has been a full on week we rewarded ourselves with an all you can eat Chinese buffet. Looking forward to a more relaxed weekend.
First stage
Finished
Happy with the finished result and we need to get 1 plasterboard scribed against the wall and up for Wilfrid to sort out another circuit of power points. As it has been a full on week we rewarded ourselves with an all you can eat Chinese buffet. Looking forward to a more relaxed weekend.
A bit later with this update than I expected to be. Meant to post on Tuesday and then yesterday, but forgot to take pictures of where we were up to.
Wilfrid came by on Tuesday and had a look around at all the changes and couldn’t understand why we have gone to so much trouble everywhere to place a Formica top on a table in the bathroom! Hopefully it was just because our “handmade oak table top” was covered in plaster dust that he didn’t recognise what it was. With him suitably chastised he wired up 3 plugs chatted and said see you this afternoon or tomorrow but hasn’t showed up again yet. Might also have something to do with the fact that cargeekswife is not allowing anyone to drive on her nice white gravel driveway as with all the rain and the fact that you have to drive over a muddy patch before you get to it means tracks of dirt are left. My car has a nice coating of gravel on its tyres after I took the dog out for a run! Sooner it is all finished and gravelled up to the road the better.
Back to progress inside now. On the back 2 bedrooms I am almost there. Plaster boarding on 3 of 4 walls done. The last wall has had the stud work put up and the support for the VMC pipe so it runs in a nice straight line extracting the moisture from the bathroom.
We are a little tight on space for the landing light switch so had to hack out some of the stud to get it in.
In the middle bedroom cargeekswife has scribed and put up a board against the stone wall and another over the beam. Intricate horrible work. Would love 4 straight walls and a flat ceiling in every room but it would be boring.
The bathroom table is coming along and should be varnished tomorrow and then put together allowing me to do my measurements for the plumbing and then putting the last wall boards up in there.
Got a new toy in Lidl for 4€ and to screw in hard to reach places it has most definitely paid for itself.
Wilfrid came by on Tuesday and had a look around at all the changes and couldn’t understand why we have gone to so much trouble everywhere to place a Formica top on a table in the bathroom! Hopefully it was just because our “handmade oak table top” was covered in plaster dust that he didn’t recognise what it was. With him suitably chastised he wired up 3 plugs chatted and said see you this afternoon or tomorrow but hasn’t showed up again yet. Might also have something to do with the fact that cargeekswife is not allowing anyone to drive on her nice white gravel driveway as with all the rain and the fact that you have to drive over a muddy patch before you get to it means tracks of dirt are left. My car has a nice coating of gravel on its tyres after I took the dog out for a run! Sooner it is all finished and gravelled up to the road the better.
Back to progress inside now. On the back 2 bedrooms I am almost there. Plaster boarding on 3 of 4 walls done. The last wall has had the stud work put up and the support for the VMC pipe so it runs in a nice straight line extracting the moisture from the bathroom.
We are a little tight on space for the landing light switch so had to hack out some of the stud to get it in.
In the middle bedroom cargeekswife has scribed and put up a board against the stone wall and another over the beam. Intricate horrible work. Would love 4 straight walls and a flat ceiling in every room but it would be boring.
The bathroom table is coming along and should be varnished tomorrow and then put together allowing me to do my measurements for the plumbing and then putting the last wall boards up in there.
Got a new toy in Lidl for 4€ and to screw in hard to reach places it has most definitely paid for itself.
Very little progress this week. I am suffering from a nose and throat infection so feeling weak and struggling to lift plasterboards. Not a feeling I am used to and is messing with my goal of getting the last 8 plasterboards cut and installed. At the end of last week though I managed to finish off the 2 bedrooms with the exception of the board that the air-con units are mounted to.
I have the last piece for the bathroom wall ready to install, just waiting for the table the sink sits on to be finished. I have cut 2 pieces for the bathroom ceiling and they were both wrong so called it quits until I am better.
Turned our attention to a bit of weeding instead. Not sure there are many places where you have to weed with a 5ft breaker bar to get to the roots. 2 truckloads of weeds so far and that is barely scratching the surface.
I have the last piece for the bathroom wall ready to install, just waiting for the table the sink sits on to be finished. I have cut 2 pieces for the bathroom ceiling and they were both wrong so called it quits until I am better.
Turned our attention to a bit of weeding instead. Not sure there are many places where you have to weed with a 5ft breaker bar to get to the roots. 2 truckloads of weeds so far and that is barely scratching the surface.
Very little visible progress this week. I have got the other side of the buildings plumbing all cut and ready to seal up once I have finished moving the water heater in and out.
We have found a bargain this week. Another set of gates that span 5m along with 19m of metal railings for the princely sum of 50€ the lot. They need a bit of work to get them gleaming and a little cutting and welding but overall they are perfect for this place. Hopefully will collect it next week and get some photos up.
Last thing that is very exciting if you are a 3 year old, we have bought a new toilet seat that has a smaller seat built in so Millie can use it without falling in. Plus side for me is when it is up it stays up! Magooagain it is now safe to use.
A reminder to anyone in the vicinity that we will be having another meeting on the 26th here. Hope some of you can make it as really enjoyed the last one.
We have found a bargain this week. Another set of gates that span 5m along with 19m of metal railings for the princely sum of 50€ the lot. They need a bit of work to get them gleaming and a little cutting and welding but overall they are perfect for this place. Hopefully will collect it next week and get some photos up.
Last thing that is very exciting if you are a 3 year old, we have bought a new toilet seat that has a smaller seat built in so Millie can use it without falling in. Plus side for me is when it is up it stays up! Magooagain it is now safe to use.
A reminder to anyone in the vicinity that we will be having another meeting on the 26th here. Hope some of you can make it as really enjoyed the last one.
Had a great evening last night meeting friends in Saint Jean D’Angely to enjoy the Fête de la Musique while drinking beer. Millie had a great time dancing on the edge of the stage. Not sure the bands playing are used to 3 year old groupies.
On the renovation front, cargeekswife has finished another bathroom table so the plumbing has now been done for the second ensuite. With this now sorted I have been able to plasterboard the bedroom behind. I am left with one small section today that needs cut-outs done for the main support beam.
We have done a trial fit of the final bathroom table and only had to make one additional cut to get it to fit in the corner. This should be ready next week for getting the height for the waste pipe and completing all the plumbing upstairs except for the water heaters which I now have all the parts to complete. We are still on the lookout for the last tap for the bathroom.
The driveway has had the concrete plinth laid between the posts and can’t be driven over for 3 weeks so we are back to using our original entrance that has a wall making it a 3 metre gap to squeeze through. I will keep using the field in the Ranger as its turning circle is not really up to tight manoeuvres.
Today is due to hit 32°C so what better day to cut the field in readiness for our Sunday Service this weekend. Looking like it should be a dry day this month and Wilfrid the electrician is coming. Hope some people can make it but will be avoiding using the bread oven while my singed hair recovers.
On the renovation front, cargeekswife has finished another bathroom table so the plumbing has now been done for the second ensuite. With this now sorted I have been able to plasterboard the bedroom behind. I am left with one small section today that needs cut-outs done for the main support beam.
We have done a trial fit of the final bathroom table and only had to make one additional cut to get it to fit in the corner. This should be ready next week for getting the height for the waste pipe and completing all the plumbing upstairs except for the water heaters which I now have all the parts to complete. We are still on the lookout for the last tap for the bathroom.
The driveway has had the concrete plinth laid between the posts and can’t be driven over for 3 weeks so we are back to using our original entrance that has a wall making it a 3 metre gap to squeeze through. I will keep using the field in the Ranger as its turning circle is not really up to tight manoeuvres.
Today is due to hit 32°C so what better day to cut the field in readiness for our Sunday Service this weekend. Looking like it should be a dry day this month and Wilfrid the electrician is coming. Hope some people can make it but will be avoiding using the bread oven while my singed hair recovers.
paulwirral said:
It's nice to see a few other people that are as daft as I am doing projects in France . It looks like you've broken the back of the renovation and from previous experience every little thing you do will make a noticeable difference and give a lot of satisfaction , just keep ticking the jobs off the list .
Good luck with the grass cutting , I've just got back home from 5 weeks down in France and it's rained a lot recently to say the least !
I think there are loads of daft people about just a few take it a step too far like us!Good luck with the grass cutting , I've just got back home from 5 weeks down in France and it's rained a lot recently to say the least !
Grass cutting went well thanks to our first proper dry period.
2 updates in a week. Yesterday we went to collect 2 gates to span a 5m gap and 19m of railings for the princely sum of 50€. As it is a matching set our old gate that we bought some time ago is to be cut smaller to fill the gap on the other entrance.
Wilfrid connected up the downstairs air-con unit yesterday so if it gets too hot we can go and work in there with that churning away. His parting shot was can I get the other 2 mounting stones up on the outside walls so he can do the outside lights. That has been my job this morning and now completed.
Cargeekswife has been working on shutters for the barn and finishing off the last bathroom table and the one she is making for the bathroom in our house.
This afternoon we are off for a 2 hour drive to collect some stairs for our house and then 2 hours back. Hoping we don’t see any rain to keep them dry. Then the weekend can start. Have cancelled the meet here on Sunday as most people have visitors so a lazy Sunday morning in store for us.
Wilfrid connected up the downstairs air-con unit yesterday so if it gets too hot we can go and work in there with that churning away. His parting shot was can I get the other 2 mounting stones up on the outside walls so he can do the outside lights. That has been my job this morning and now completed.
Cargeekswife has been working on shutters for the barn and finishing off the last bathroom table and the one she is making for the bathroom in our house.
This afternoon we are off for a 2 hour drive to collect some stairs for our house and then 2 hours back. Hoping we don’t see any rain to keep them dry. Then the weekend can start. Have cancelled the meet here on Sunday as most people have visitors so a lazy Sunday morning in store for us.
The stairs were collected with very little incident! The only problem we did have was due to borrowing a wholly unsuitable box trailer that we strapped the stairs to and about 12 miles from home we hit a bumpy section of road that broke one of the stringers that was hanging off the back. Loosened all the ratchet straps off and shunted it forward 10cms so the snapped element wasn’t dangling in mid-air! They are now safely stowed away in our garage.
Monday morning was taken up by shopping and getting some more plumbing supplies, plus returning a load of stuff to them that we bought a year ago and haven’t used! Then Monday afternoon I spent the whole time putting up 2 bits of plasterboard. One was to fit around 2 beams and the other was the bathroom ceiling. We had also ordered a pull-cord switch from the UK for the bathroom light that I fitted to the ceiling board. Last week I took the measurements and angles for this piece of board so it would slot into place easily. This would have worked perfectly except I didn’t make the 3rd cut so it didn’t fit as it had 3cms too much on one corner. This is very difficult to see when it is behind you and the board is resting on your head!
After 2 failed attempts at filing a small amount off I was a little peeved. At this point I noticed a pencil mark near the corner and the lightbulb went off that I hadn’t cut it all. Cut made and board was up 5 minutes later. New switch is wired in and awaiting Wilfrid to shake his head and say he is not happy with it!
With that out of the way it was on to plumbing up the water heaters and all the manifolds joints needed to be connected properly. To make access easier at the back I was going to pull one of the heaters out but while getting ready to do it I noticed that Wilfrid had already wired them in. So the past couple of days I have been lying on my back to get overflows and mains water connected and flowing to the correct areas. I am leaving it tomorrow and will test its water-tightness on Friday for the first few connections, but as we have no taps connected I shall leave the rest. Or perhaps I shall wait a little longer to test.
Monday morning was taken up by shopping and getting some more plumbing supplies, plus returning a load of stuff to them that we bought a year ago and haven’t used! Then Monday afternoon I spent the whole time putting up 2 bits of plasterboard. One was to fit around 2 beams and the other was the bathroom ceiling. We had also ordered a pull-cord switch from the UK for the bathroom light that I fitted to the ceiling board. Last week I took the measurements and angles for this piece of board so it would slot into place easily. This would have worked perfectly except I didn’t make the 3rd cut so it didn’t fit as it had 3cms too much on one corner. This is very difficult to see when it is behind you and the board is resting on your head!
After 2 failed attempts at filing a small amount off I was a little peeved. At this point I noticed a pencil mark near the corner and the lightbulb went off that I hadn’t cut it all. Cut made and board was up 5 minutes later. New switch is wired in and awaiting Wilfrid to shake his head and say he is not happy with it!
With that out of the way it was on to plumbing up the water heaters and all the manifolds joints needed to be connected properly. To make access easier at the back I was going to pull one of the heaters out but while getting ready to do it I noticed that Wilfrid had already wired them in. So the past couple of days I have been lying on my back to get overflows and mains water connected and flowing to the correct areas. I am leaving it tomorrow and will test its water-tightness on Friday for the first few connections, but as we have no taps connected I shall leave the rest. Or perhaps I shall wait a little longer to test.
So far I have not switched the water on to test my plumbing but will be next week as need to get it done before it holds up other progress as I am running out of other work that doesn’t involve it.
On Saturday evening I was just heading out the back door with the dog when I saw a goat and what looked like a lions main in the long grass at the end of our field. The dog spotted this at the same time as me and went over to investigate. Fortunately for the dog it wasn’t a line but a small pony. He promptly rounded them up and herded them over to me. So I was presented with a pony and a goat with no bridle and not a clue what to do with them. So in any situation like that I called the wife outside!
They are a friend of ours that had been let out from their field and bridle and collar removed by someone and luckily had found their way to us which is about ½ mile away. Now the landlord of their field is a bit of an ass so we now have them living in our field. Result for me as I now only have half the field to mow in future!
Now on to this week’s work. I started out boxing in the VMC “elephant trunk” that starts half way along the hallway. The decision was taken for continuity sake to just box the whole length of the hallway. I attached battens to the beam all the way along and then started working out the angle for the other side as it was to be pitched. I cut my first piece of wood and then ran into the snag of not having screws the right length to secure it to the wall. Plan B was decided by me of just attaching ceiling rails all the way along. Much quicker and easier, just a shame I went to all the bother of setting up the table saw to cut wood at the correct angle.
With the supports both sides setup I could go ahead and cut my plaster board and attach it. In relative terms I was motoring along until I came to the 2nd support beam where my space between that and the rail didn’t leave enough room for me to push the plasterboard through. With 2 choices of either removing all the boards and raising their position or chiselling out some of the beam I took the 2nd option.
Once past this point we had not boarded all the way up so I put the last 2 boards in place and completed the boxing in.
Back now to my water heaters. They are going to be behind a couple of Persian shutters to differentiate between that and bedroom doors. The only problem is they weigh a hell of a lot more than doors so I would not get away with mounting them on the metal framing system. Time to find and collect some proper framing wood. With this collected along with bolts to secure it to the stone wall I started my working out and cutting the 2 uprights. Starting on the right hand side I marked on the wood where I could drill into full stones and then drilled the wood. With the wood as a template against the wall I then drilled the holes for the bolts. Once enlarged to the correct size I commenced with the easy job of smacking them into the wall through the wood. Having drilled all the holes at the same time it was very strange that the back ones lined up perfectly but the front ones were about half a cm to low.
A couple more holes were done with the wood bolted firmly in place and now I had a very solidly mounted support for the shutter. The other side went without a hitch and the ceiling too. I did have to make a cut out on this side though for the plumbing manifold.
With this in place I decided to scribe a piece of plasterboard for the ceiling where it will join the stone wall. This is the last piece of stone wall that hasn’t been re-pointed. I mixed a small amount up and did this very final bit of lime render in the barn. So glad to see the back of it and managed to complete it without burning myself.
With this dry I could now scribe the plasterboard and then with that mounted our elephant trunk is only visible behind where the Persian shutters will be.
Onto a bit more plumbing and finalised the pipes for the bath. Put the bath in place and attached the taps to see how it would look. As the taps are going in the middle of the bath and I assume the tap is designed to go at the end it protrudes a long way into the bath. Neither of us are happy about this so I offered up 3 solutions, A we create a recess and mount the tap in that, B we move the bath out 8m from the wall and have a shelf all the way along or C involves me moving the tap to the end.
A has been quickly dismissed as not possible so B and C are under consideration. B involves the least work for me but I have a feeling C will be the winner.
On Saturday evening I was just heading out the back door with the dog when I saw a goat and what looked like a lions main in the long grass at the end of our field. The dog spotted this at the same time as me and went over to investigate. Fortunately for the dog it wasn’t a line but a small pony. He promptly rounded them up and herded them over to me. So I was presented with a pony and a goat with no bridle and not a clue what to do with them. So in any situation like that I called the wife outside!
They are a friend of ours that had been let out from their field and bridle and collar removed by someone and luckily had found their way to us which is about ½ mile away. Now the landlord of their field is a bit of an ass so we now have them living in our field. Result for me as I now only have half the field to mow in future!
Now on to this week’s work. I started out boxing in the VMC “elephant trunk” that starts half way along the hallway. The decision was taken for continuity sake to just box the whole length of the hallway. I attached battens to the beam all the way along and then started working out the angle for the other side as it was to be pitched. I cut my first piece of wood and then ran into the snag of not having screws the right length to secure it to the wall. Plan B was decided by me of just attaching ceiling rails all the way along. Much quicker and easier, just a shame I went to all the bother of setting up the table saw to cut wood at the correct angle.
With the supports both sides setup I could go ahead and cut my plaster board and attach it. In relative terms I was motoring along until I came to the 2nd support beam where my space between that and the rail didn’t leave enough room for me to push the plasterboard through. With 2 choices of either removing all the boards and raising their position or chiselling out some of the beam I took the 2nd option.
Once past this point we had not boarded all the way up so I put the last 2 boards in place and completed the boxing in.
Back now to my water heaters. They are going to be behind a couple of Persian shutters to differentiate between that and bedroom doors. The only problem is they weigh a hell of a lot more than doors so I would not get away with mounting them on the metal framing system. Time to find and collect some proper framing wood. With this collected along with bolts to secure it to the stone wall I started my working out and cutting the 2 uprights. Starting on the right hand side I marked on the wood where I could drill into full stones and then drilled the wood. With the wood as a template against the wall I then drilled the holes for the bolts. Once enlarged to the correct size I commenced with the easy job of smacking them into the wall through the wood. Having drilled all the holes at the same time it was very strange that the back ones lined up perfectly but the front ones were about half a cm to low.
A couple more holes were done with the wood bolted firmly in place and now I had a very solidly mounted support for the shutter. The other side went without a hitch and the ceiling too. I did have to make a cut out on this side though for the plumbing manifold.
With this in place I decided to scribe a piece of plasterboard for the ceiling where it will join the stone wall. This is the last piece of stone wall that hasn’t been re-pointed. I mixed a small amount up and did this very final bit of lime render in the barn. So glad to see the back of it and managed to complete it without burning myself.
With this dry I could now scribe the plasterboard and then with that mounted our elephant trunk is only visible behind where the Persian shutters will be.
Onto a bit more plumbing and finalised the pipes for the bath. Put the bath in place and attached the taps to see how it would look. As the taps are going in the middle of the bath and I assume the tap is designed to go at the end it protrudes a long way into the bath. Neither of us are happy about this so I offered up 3 solutions, A we create a recess and mount the tap in that, B we move the bath out 8m from the wall and have a shelf all the way along or C involves me moving the tap to the end.
A has been quickly dismissed as not possible so B and C are under consideration. B involves the least work for me but I have a feeling C will be the winner.
Metal backplate is part of a kit that spaces it perfectly. Just used the adapters as came with the tap and anything shorter will mean the chrome trim at the back doesn't fit. I am not a fan of them either but they won't resolve the problem by taking them away. Decision has been made to move them to the end. Another lesson learned!
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