Chamonix studio renovation - build thread
Discussion
I plotted out the bathroom in a bit more detail yesterday. At 1.2x1.9m it was already a very small bathroom, but my challenge to myself was to make it feel more spacious despite now including a toilet. The plan is to make it a wetroom, so that I can keep the shower area open rather than rigidly break the room into two spaces. The shower will be 800mm wide (because narrow showers suck balls). The only drawback is that I need to raise the floor to run the shower waste pipe. It'll be quite a challenge to save as much height as possible. At 6'4" I think I'll be very close to the ceiling.
Plan view
I'll be putting in a false wall to conceal the cistern. This should line up flush with the mirrored cabinet which I'm also going to build into the wall. I'll build shelves into the space above the cistern and a raised shelf below the counter for laundry baskets, just to keep it away from any excess shower water. The hunt is on for a shower screen that isn't too wide (700mm ideally) and has discrete fixings to avoid creating a barrier in the room.
Elevation of counter and WC wall
Plan view
I'll be putting in a false wall to conceal the cistern. This should line up flush with the mirrored cabinet which I'm also going to build into the wall. I'll build shelves into the space above the cistern and a raised shelf below the counter for laundry baskets, just to keep it away from any excess shower water. The hunt is on for a shower screen that isn't too wide (700mm ideally) and has discrete fixings to avoid creating a barrier in the room.
Elevation of counter and WC wall
Day 24
Got the appliances installed and the handles on all of the doors (except the dishwasher, which needs a router, and the washing machine, which needs a 35mm spade). Starting to look like a real kitchen now.
Monday afternoon was a shopping session, gathering supplies for the bathroom. Concrete blocks, mortar and tiles were the heaviest items. The wagon was so loaded the rear view mirror was looking at the floor and it was popping wheelies, even while parked. It was interesting driving that back up the mountain.
Got the appliances installed and the handles on all of the doors (except the dishwasher, which needs a router, and the washing machine, which needs a 35mm spade). Starting to look like a real kitchen now.
Monday afternoon was a shopping session, gathering supplies for the bathroom. Concrete blocks, mortar and tiles were the heaviest items. The wagon was so loaded the rear view mirror was looking at the floor and it was popping wheelies, even while parked. It was interesting driving that back up the mountain.
Day 25
Maurice is off this week so I've got some extra help in for a few days. Nick is in for filling, sanding and painting. He's chipper; happy doing jobs that don't require the use of a hammer or wrecking bar; and doesn't smell of dead things. Also, I don't think he's called me a soft southern künt once. It's made a refreshing change.
I stripped the wallpaper in the bathroom, including the ceiling. Then got myself braced for more channelling. Not sure if I've mentioned but I love channelling. Having killed the previous two disc cutters I've got myself a new one. The most powerful I could find.
What are the odds!? The picture doesn't show it very well but a piece of rebar has fallen exactly in the line I'm channelling in the ceiling. Son of a b
h.
Hopefully that's the last of the channelling.
Getting my mis-en-place set up for the wetroom sub-floor. Drain is levelled. Plumbing channel mapped out. Blocks in place. Channels for lighting. Fence bottom-right for the self-levelling compound.
Tomorrow I'll be setting the drain and the blocks with mortar, trying to get everything as level as possible. The thermal insulating boards for the UFH go down. Then it's made watertight. Underfloor heating goes in. Then self-levelling compound all over. Then a fence goes in for the shower area and everywhere else gets another 10mm of SLC. I'll make some wedges to help set a gradient in the shower area and then everything gets tiled.
I've also managed to find a supplier in France for vermiculite boards to line the fireplace and a supplier who'll cut fire glass to size for a decent price. It's coming together.
Maurice is off this week so I've got some extra help in for a few days. Nick is in for filling, sanding and painting. He's chipper; happy doing jobs that don't require the use of a hammer or wrecking bar; and doesn't smell of dead things. Also, I don't think he's called me a soft southern künt once. It's made a refreshing change.
I stripped the wallpaper in the bathroom, including the ceiling. Then got myself braced for more channelling. Not sure if I've mentioned but I love channelling. Having killed the previous two disc cutters I've got myself a new one. The most powerful I could find.
What are the odds!? The picture doesn't show it very well but a piece of rebar has fallen exactly in the line I'm channelling in the ceiling. Son of a b
h.Hopefully that's the last of the channelling.
Getting my mis-en-place set up for the wetroom sub-floor. Drain is levelled. Plumbing channel mapped out. Blocks in place. Channels for lighting. Fence bottom-right for the self-levelling compound.
Tomorrow I'll be setting the drain and the blocks with mortar, trying to get everything as level as possible. The thermal insulating boards for the UFH go down. Then it's made watertight. Underfloor heating goes in. Then self-levelling compound all over. Then a fence goes in for the shower area and everywhere else gets another 10mm of SLC. I'll make some wedges to help set a gradient in the shower area and then everything gets tiled.
I've also managed to find a supplier in France for vermiculite boards to line the fireplace and a supplier who'll cut fire glass to size for a decent price. It's coming together.
Silent1 said:
Seriously impressed Darren, if this comes out even 50% as good as your house it will be stunning!
Very kind of you to say. I'm optimistic having been given a bit more opportunity to design the layout of this one.That has reminded me though; we're looking to rent our Bermondsey place out for Christmas, NY and Q1 and would much rather it was a friend of a friend, or fellow PHer. A deal can be done privately, but you can check the place out here if anybody is interested.
1-bedroom apartment next to Bermondsey Street. 2nd bedroom converted to a comfortable office space. Huge roof terrace. Amazing location for City or Canary Wharf.
Day 26
It's the point of no return with the wetroom. The pipework is glued and the drain is set in mortar and levelled. I've started laying the blocks too but got caught out by how little mortar you get out of a bag. I'm going to need a much bigger supply.
The moment of truth.
Awesome. It looks like I can do plumbing. Just enough of a drop to make it work but no more, as I can't afford to lose much height.
Nick (aka Michel Roux Junior) is giving the walls and ceiling a first coat.
It's the point of no return with the wetroom. The pipework is glued and the drain is set in mortar and levelled. I've started laying the blocks too but got caught out by how little mortar you get out of a bag. I'm going to need a much bigger supply.
The moment of truth.
Awesome. It looks like I can do plumbing. Just enough of a drop to make it work but no more, as I can't afford to lose much height.
Nick (aka Michel Roux Junior) is giving the walls and ceiling a first coat.
5potTurbo said:
Looks great, Gruffy...as does your London pad!
One question, when you say the the drain's level, surely you want some drop on the shower drain pipe for the water to run away, unless I misunderstood?
When I say level, I mean all four corners of the drain itself are level. My plan is to add a layer of self-levelling compound all over, then fence off the shower area and add another 10mm outside this. The gradient inside will be formed during tiling, with some wedges to help out.One question, when you say the the drain's level, surely you want some drop on the shower drain pipe for the water to run away, unless I misunderstood?
The place looks so much better with a lick of paint. It's amazing how it transforms a building site into something resembling a home.
While I'm waiting for mortar to dry in the wetroom I'm having my first go at a bit of tiling. Not too bad. I've broken 3 so far, but I'm getting the hang of it.
I also had a bit of a result on this evening's supply run. While searching for a big bag of mortar I found refractory cement, which I need for building the fireplace, along with refractory silicon/mastic. I've also been told where I can find aerated blocks for constructing the wall it'll be formed in.
While I'm waiting for mortar to dry in the wetroom I'm having my first go at a bit of tiling. Not too bad. I've broken 3 so far, but I'm getting the hang of it.
I also had a bit of a result on this evening's supply run. While searching for a big bag of mortar I found refractory cement, which I need for building the fireplace, along with refractory silicon/mastic. I've also been told where I can find aerated blocks for constructing the wall it'll be formed in.
Day 27
Beautiful autumnal sunrise this morning. Winter is brewing though. -6°C forecast for the weekend and a good helping of snow.
Michel Roux Jr got on with painting the double-height part of the ceiling this morning.
I started the day mortaring in the blocks to build up the bathroom floor. Now I'm waiting on this shipment from zee Germans - the tracking status is 'Falsche adresse' and the künts aren't responding to my enquiries. WTF happened to German efficiency?
So I move on to finish the kitchen tiling. We'd neglected to leave some space behind the socket to help the surround sit up against the tiles, but my solution was to pack it out evenly with some tiling spacers. It seems to have done the trick. After the pic I trimmed the protruding bits off with a stanley.
Kitchen tiling almost complete but PITA residence rules stop play just before I could finish. The wet saw is a bit too noisy to get away with after the witching hour. It shouldn't take me more than 30 minutes to finish this in the morning.
Beautiful autumnal sunrise this morning. Winter is brewing though. -6°C forecast for the weekend and a good helping of snow.
Michel Roux Jr got on with painting the double-height part of the ceiling this morning.
I started the day mortaring in the blocks to build up the bathroom floor. Now I'm waiting on this shipment from zee Germans - the tracking status is 'Falsche adresse' and the künts aren't responding to my enquiries. WTF happened to German efficiency?
So I move on to finish the kitchen tiling. We'd neglected to leave some space behind the socket to help the surround sit up against the tiles, but my solution was to pack it out evenly with some tiling spacers. It seems to have done the trick. After the pic I trimmed the protruding bits off with a stanley.
Kitchen tiling almost complete but PITA residence rules stop play just before I could finish. The wet saw is a bit too noisy to get away with after the witching hour. It shouldn't take me more than 30 minutes to finish this in the morning.
Everything you've heard about French paint is absolutely true. My god, the stuff is awful. Expensive and awful. I paid €50 for 10L of the best French crap I could find yesterday. I need more paint but I refuse to buy French. It turns out I'm not alone and there's quite a market for UK paint delivery to France. I've gone with KIS-UK who are shipping me 15L of Leyland for €60. They quote 3 working days. Fingers crossed.
In a blaze of completely unfounded arrogance I assumed I'd be immune from the slipping schedules of every building project I've ever seen/read/heard of. The schedule I plucked out of thin air carefully devised before the job began had me wrapping up this weekend. The need to completely rewire the apartment has added quite a bit of unexpected time, but I still think in all honesty I'm two weeks away from completion. I didn't realise the kitchen would take quite so much faffing. The bathroom is also, I suspect, going to take longer than first assumed.
Day 28
Today was a frustrating day. It's Toussaint day in France, which means all the shops are closed and no supplies for me. I finished the kitchen tiling and did a few small jobs, but the single battery I have for the power tools has now died - my accomplice will be bringing the others and the charger back on Monday - and I realised a whole bunch of kit I need to finish off a few other small jobs.
I spent the rest of the working day sanding off a coat of French swill from the walls. Unfortunately my design work is really busy at the moment too so I've spent much more of the day than I'd like fiddling around with animations, voiceovers and soundtracks. I'll be grateful for the steady income stream when the invoice gets paid in a couple of months, but I could really do with more time on the build at the moment.
Tomorrow I'll do a final run to Geneva for the last IKEA items and the bathroom tiling, cabinet and shower screen. Hopefully on the way I'll be able to pick up aerated concrete blocks and some more refractory cement so that I can start building the fireplace.
Absolutely no movement on the bathroom goods I ordered from Germany. I'm chasing and chasing but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. I'll give them a couple more days and then pull the order and look elsewhere - it's getting silly. It's 'tersely worded email to the management' time. Does anybody know the German for "fking useless flap tt"?
Day 28
Today was a frustrating day. It's Toussaint day in France, which means all the shops are closed and no supplies for me. I finished the kitchen tiling and did a few small jobs, but the single battery I have for the power tools has now died - my accomplice will be bringing the others and the charger back on Monday - and I realised a whole bunch of kit I need to finish off a few other small jobs.
I spent the rest of the working day sanding off a coat of French swill from the walls. Unfortunately my design work is really busy at the moment too so I've spent much more of the day than I'd like fiddling around with animations, voiceovers and soundtracks. I'll be grateful for the steady income stream when the invoice gets paid in a couple of months, but I could really do with more time on the build at the moment.
Tomorrow I'll do a final run to Geneva for the last IKEA items and the bathroom tiling, cabinet and shower screen. Hopefully on the way I'll be able to pick up aerated concrete blocks and some more refractory cement so that I can start building the fireplace.
Absolutely no movement on the bathroom goods I ordered from Germany. I'm chasing and chasing but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. I'll give them a couple more days and then pull the order and look elsewhere - it's getting silly. It's 'tersely worded email to the management' time. Does anybody know the German for "f
king useless flap tt"? Edited by Gruffy on Friday 1st November 18:51
Duly noted. Ta.
I've managed to trace that shipment to a local delivery company in Annecy (about an hour and a half's drive). I've shot them an email (it's the weekend) but companies like this never seem to check emails, so it'll be a phone call first thing on Monday. I may recruit a French speaker for this. If they aren't already re-delivering on Monday I'll be driving down there to pick it up as it's starting to really hold the job up now.
In other news: SWMBO isn't faring too well in my absence so I'm now committed to heading back to Blighty on Wednesday 13th. This leaves 7 working days to complete the renovation, at least to a standard that is habitable for the winter season. It's quite frustrating as it means I've had to scale back some of my plans. The first casualty is the built-in shelving in the bedroom. I need to create a low-level boxout to hide the plumbing that's coming through the bathroom wall. I had planned to extend this right to the ceiling and build in more shelving. The trick with living well in small spaces is to have huge amounts of storage, so it's a shame to lose this. The biggest arse about this is that I was planning to fix the upstairs lighting to this. Now that it's gone I'll need to cut another channel into the concrete wall instead. I hate channeling concrete.
The bathroom must be finished. As must the fireplace. The rest is small jobs, but lots of them. I'll be getting Maurice back tomorrow and I'm also asking Michel Roux Jr to help from Tuesday onwards. I'm almost £1,000 under budget at the moment so I can afford to throw some money at this extra labour.
Yesterday was the toughest day of the whole project. I did my (almost) final run to IKEA to pick up the wardrobes, mattress, missing kitchen stuff and lots of household items (crockery, glasses, cookware etc). I didn't twig that it was a bank holiday weekend. Four really heavy trolley loads and a 45 minute queue at the checkouts. I had to make three trips and queue each time. The place was heaving and I had to wait 20 minutes to speak to somebody about out of stock clothes rails for the wardrobe, then another 25 minutes in the warehouse finding out that while I'd been there they'd run out of shelves for the wardrobes. I'm not sure what sort of idiot is running stock control so poorly that they can run out of something as common as wardrobe shelves on a Saturday afternoon!? It looks like I'll need to come back for some things in December.
Everything weighed a bloody tonne too, so I definitely got a workout loading the minibus up. The last thing to go in was the mattress, only it was too big to fit into the now-packed bus. I took it back and asked for delivery, getting most of the way through the process until they realised it was a French address. It turns out IKEA Geneva doesn't delivery to France. It's a bit messed up, because the nearest French IKEA to me is Lyon, which is another hour further away than Geneva. So, mattress refunded and I'll try and get something locally with an empty minibus.
After that ordeal I just made it to another big hardware store for bathroom tiling, cabinet and shower screen. Frustratingly the shower screen is a two-week delay (I'm coming back in ten days) so I've ordered it and will have to pick it up when I'm back just before Christmas.
I'll take some end-of-phase photos for the thread but unfortunately the final photos will have to wait until Christmas/NY and I've been able to get the last bits of work done.
I've managed to trace that shipment to a local delivery company in Annecy (about an hour and a half's drive). I've shot them an email (it's the weekend) but companies like this never seem to check emails, so it'll be a phone call first thing on Monday. I may recruit a French speaker for this. If they aren't already re-delivering on Monday I'll be driving down there to pick it up as it's starting to really hold the job up now.
In other news: SWMBO isn't faring too well in my absence so I'm now committed to heading back to Blighty on Wednesday 13th. This leaves 7 working days to complete the renovation, at least to a standard that is habitable for the winter season. It's quite frustrating as it means I've had to scale back some of my plans. The first casualty is the built-in shelving in the bedroom. I need to create a low-level boxout to hide the plumbing that's coming through the bathroom wall. I had planned to extend this right to the ceiling and build in more shelving. The trick with living well in small spaces is to have huge amounts of storage, so it's a shame to lose this. The biggest arse about this is that I was planning to fix the upstairs lighting to this. Now that it's gone I'll need to cut another channel into the concrete wall instead. I hate channeling concrete.
The bathroom must be finished. As must the fireplace. The rest is small jobs, but lots of them. I'll be getting Maurice back tomorrow and I'm also asking Michel Roux Jr to help from Tuesday onwards. I'm almost £1,000 under budget at the moment so I can afford to throw some money at this extra labour.
Yesterday was the toughest day of the whole project. I did my (almost) final run to IKEA to pick up the wardrobes, mattress, missing kitchen stuff and lots of household items (crockery, glasses, cookware etc). I didn't twig that it was a bank holiday weekend. Four really heavy trolley loads and a 45 minute queue at the checkouts. I had to make three trips and queue each time. The place was heaving and I had to wait 20 minutes to speak to somebody about out of stock clothes rails for the wardrobe, then another 25 minutes in the warehouse finding out that while I'd been there they'd run out of shelves for the wardrobes. I'm not sure what sort of idiot is running stock control so poorly that they can run out of something as common as wardrobe shelves on a Saturday afternoon!? It looks like I'll need to come back for some things in December.
Everything weighed a bloody tonne too, so I definitely got a workout loading the minibus up. The last thing to go in was the mattress, only it was too big to fit into the now-packed bus. I took it back and asked for delivery, getting most of the way through the process until they realised it was a French address. It turns out IKEA Geneva doesn't delivery to France. It's a bit messed up, because the nearest French IKEA to me is Lyon, which is another hour further away than Geneva. So, mattress refunded and I'll try and get something locally with an empty minibus.
After that ordeal I just made it to another big hardware store for bathroom tiling, cabinet and shower screen. Frustratingly the shower screen is a two-week delay (I'm coming back in ten days) so I've ordered it and will have to pick it up when I'm back just before Christmas.
I'll take some end-of-phase photos for the thread but unfortunately the final photos will have to wait until Christmas/NY and I've been able to get the last bits of work done.
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