We’ve Only Just Begun…

The crew started on Tuesday and by Friday, we had no windows, no bathrooms, no  kitchen, no radiators, no wallpaper, no carpet, no heater, and no baseboards. Yeah, progress!!!

The same view of the kitchen from the last post (now without the wall and doorway).

The same view of the kitchen from the last post (now without the wall and doorway).

Wallpaper in old houses tell a tale. Toile in the kitchen, with 70's crap on top.

Wallpaper in old houses tell a tale. Toile in the kitchen, with 70’s crap on top.

We found the foss! No wonder the water company couldn't find it, it was buried under the princess bathtub! And check out those tiles from Pompeii.

We found the foss! No wonder the water company couldn’t find it, it was buried under the princess bathtub! And check out those tiles from Pompeii.

My naked little office.

My naked little office.

Bathroom #2 going, going, gone.

Bathroom #2 going, going, gone.

We went to the ‘carriere’ (aka the quarry) this week to order the stone for our floors in the main rooms. They are out of stock, so will be cutting the stone especially for us. We have ordered a 4-size Opus pattern (classic French), in an ancient rusticated finish which will be delivered in about 4 weeks. Still need to provide some details about the new doors, as they can customize the doorway stones to provide a small lip to fit into the door sweep for rain deflection. It is SO amazing working directly with the quarry and the owner is incredibly helpful. I find it hard to believe that a company who provides the world with such an amazing product has the time to help with our little project (they provide all the stone tables for Ralph Lauren stores). But I’ll take it while I can get it.

Our carrière, Les Carrières de Bontemps, in Limeyrat.

Our carrière, Les Carrières de Bontemps, in Limeyrat.

The stone for our floors.

The stone for our floors.

Had a pow-wow with the plumber to see how we were going to replace the waste pipes and rerun the radiator and water pipes for our new design. All is well and the guys will start making trenches in the floors tomorrow. The guy who is installing our new septic tank also was there for the mind-meld. Now we have a plan and can proceed with some “test digging” to find out if our plot is earth or stone. Cross your fingers for earth…

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Hilarious madness at the house today. The Portuguese builder was “discussing” the plumbing layout with the French plumber in French. We’re standing around trying to follow the YELLING (that’s simply how they communicate). Our realtor shows up and wants a tour of the changes. My phone is ringing with a buyer of some bookshelves who is trying to coordinate delivery details. I’m trying to give those details to the builder, so he can have the guys get them out of our way. The gardener wants to know where to transplant the hydrangeas. The plumber is asking me exactly where to put the toilet. And the sink. What type of tile are we using on the floor? Two guys are scraping wallpaper. Another guy is hammering at the bathroom floor tile. Finally, I had to step outside and just BREATHE. Theo said it was like The Tower of Babylon being built, with Portuguese, French, British English, Moroccan Arabic, and American English. Yikes! But we’re gettin’ ‘er done!

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4 Responses to We’ve Only Just Begun…

  1. Paul says:

    Who are you kidding, you’re in your glory with all this demolition, planning, and construction. Of course we all know in the end it will be absolutely amazing.

    Don’t want to jinx you but I’m amazed that you got your contractors to engage so quickly and cooperatively. That’s what I get for watching romantic comedy movies about Americans restoring houses in Italy or France.

    Best,
    Paul

  2. thecindy@mail.com says:

    I AM truly in my glory. But Mr. Loevenich’s outstanding negotiation techniques and his impatience with slow moving contractors has put the fear in all of them! Ha!

  3. Lucy Harendza says:

    Awesome, Cindy, and how exciting! If ANYONE can handle the melee, it would be YOU!! And, this is the fun part for you. I read every word with wonder, delight, and a bit of envy.

    Keep it coming!

    -Lucy
    PS Love love love the stone flooring color.

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      We’re really stoked about the stone flooring. It’s super rough and ancient looking. Many folks are putting down the very inexpensive Turkish travertine and ‘calling’ it stone, but the look simply isn’t the same. We feel this is going to give us a beautiful base on which to build…

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