Outside Loo Floor base gone!

It proved hard work, but 2 days effort has resulted in the old Outside Loo Floor being removed and neaely  a cubic metre of stone and concrete being taken out.
My Parkside pneumatic hammer came im really handy. As with most things experience and the right tools make the job easier, but nevertheless it was hard work and tiring.  
You will see a pile of granite stone which is about 1/2 of that excavated, as the rest has been taken to the front of the house to continue the renovation of the old dry stone wall, that hopefully Jacques  will continue!

So now onto removing the passage floor that I suspect is mostly concrete.  This will allow the preparation of the the new Garden Room Floor, once of course the external walls foundation is completed.

New Windows and Doors

Renovation work on the house opposite our Grange is progressing well and I had the new Windows and Front Door installed today and all looking good. Now I need to strips, paint and rehang the shutters this summer after other tasks on my schedule are done!

Garden Room Plans

On 1st June 2018 we submitted a Delclaration Prealable to provide an outline of the plans for the Garden Room to form a key part of the renovation of La Maison Grise-No8 and added to the existing extension previously used as the Boiler Room and planned to be converted to a Utility Room at the back of the house, as shown.

As the new extension will be below 20sqm there is no approval required, but the Marie needs to be informed to avoid issues.

Here below are some of the key plans as a part of the submission.

If all goes well, I plan to do the foundations and sub floor during this summer  and then the Window Framing and Roof .

Renovation Progress May 2018

I returned to Colondannes for 10 days in early May 2018 and continued to make good progress, ahead of another planned visit during early June, when the new Windows are due to be installed.  The following were the tasks completed:

• Plot Dimensions – In advance of submitting the Declaration Prelalble to the Marie covering the new Garden Room, the Architect requested I confirm the dimensions as below:

• Garden Room Lowest Height - In anticipation of the Garden Room construction I needed to confirm the lowest level of the current Utility Room, which in 2450mm from the current ground level and 3200 to the highest cross beam near the rear wall.  This confirms sufficient head room and that with a low 400mm wall it will allow rear windows of about 1500mm height.

• Garden Room Internals – Measurements suggests a Depth of 2800 and width of 4150.  This will allow 6 rear Glazed Panels of 1500x500, with vertical support of 100mm and supports of 200mm. with the Barn Wall or 1000mm forming a part of the east side the will be space for a Glazed Panel of 500mm and Door of 800mm

• Peg Out Garden Room – As a part of this exercise I dug down to the Fosse and confirmed that the Water/Toilet Waste Inlet was outside the Foundations Line, but the Concrete Shoulder of the Fosse would run under the line. Further investigate and a visit from Frappat confirmed that it would be possible to create Lintel Bridge and run the Toilet Waste under the Floor to this inlet.
• Remove Outside Loo Wall & Floor – The wall removal was very straight forward, but the Concrete Floor is another matter and challenge.  I have determined that a Hydraulic Hammer needs to be hired to take on this heavy duty task during my June visit.

This needs to be completed to allow a 100mm hole in the back wall into the new downstairs loo for the Toilet Waste

• Partition Wood Spray – Having completed all the partition structures I sprayed all the door and wooden frames to protect everything, in addition to the ceiling beams that were treated last year.

• Kitchen Utility Room Door Opening – As planned, Martin Sprague came to create the opening for a door through the 500mm rear wall and install the 3 Pre-stressed Lintels.  We removed an unbelievable amount of stone and a little rubble.  Martin made good the wall and I installed the new door. The stone removed was used to repair the external driveway wall that my neighbour Jacque did within 3 days of being told the stone was available.  Great Result!

•  Hang New Doors to Bedroom 3 and Loft – Having added to the door frames to enlarge for the new thicker doors, I hung both and adjusted the Bed3 door to fit and still need to finish the adjustment to the Loft Door and the frame that is slightly larger than the door width.

• Planned Tasks for June Visit

I.        Remove Utility Window

II.       Fill Landing Window Edge

III.      Check Fosse Vent Pipe

IV.      Dig Out Guttering Drain

V.       Remove Outside Loo Floor

VI.      Adams Fitting New Windows

VII.     Stairs-Loft Partitioning with Plasterboard

VIII.    Channel Walls for Electrics

IX.      Drill Pipe and Cable HOLES in Partition

X.       Adjust Loft Door

XI.      Kitchen Waste Water Pipe HOLE-100mm

XII.     Toilet Waste HOLE- 40mm

Renovation Progress Spring 2018

During the Spring 2018 and the cold weather I spent and very productive 9 weeks in Colondannes and on the house, getting more completed that originally planned and including:

• Velux Sun Tunnel Installed by Mick Elkins that proved easier him than it would of for me.  So we now have the Sun Tunnel Windowed installed in the rear of the roof, ready to shine daylight through into the new Bathroom ceiling, once all installed.  The amount of light into the loft suggests that this is going to be successful.  Having removed the ceiling subsequently, I have now made the tunnel hole in the loft floor in the right position to illuminate the central area of what will be the bathroom.
• Removed Ceiling Plaster and Lathe from Bedroom 3, Bathroom and all of Downstairs and finished what I started in November 2017 in Bedrooms 1 & 2
• Sprayed all of the Ceiling Beams and wooden floor boards now exposed by the removal of the ceilings
• Re-position the Kitchen Stove Flue before constructing the downstairs Partition Wall, as this Flue needed to be moved out 5cm to provide full clearance of the new wall and plasterboard.  This proved easier than expected and went well
  

• Remodel Landing Window to reduce the lower height and block up to match the exterior level of the small window in Bedroom 2.  This was Nick’s suggestion to enable the proposed new roof of the Garden Room to be the same height of the existing Boiler Room that will be the new Utility Room.
•  New Windows Measurement were taken by Francis of SAS Adams, as well as a new front door and an order was placed for the supply and fitting of all the windows. These will be supplied, double glazed and pre painted. It is be a while as they are very busy, but that is no problem and the new door will wait until the downstairs floor has been skimmed level all over.

Partition Framing in wood was completed as follows:

Bedroom 2 Door

Bedroom 2 Back

Bathroom Door to Bed 3

Bathroom Back Wall

Downstairs Loo Door

Bathroom Main Door

Bathroom from Stairs

Kitchen Exterior Side Wall

Bedroom 1 Front

Bedroom 3 Door to Bathroom

• 

  Downstairs Loo Floor

  
  

Downstairs Loo Floor

• Downstairs LOO Floor was installed and I used the same boards as in Bedroom 2 that proved to be excellent quality and produced a good result.This is also insulated underneath

Downstairs Loo Door

Bathroom Layout Plan

• Bathroom Layout Plan was determined with a view to maximise the space, and so the services are  restricted to the back and barn walls and the toilet waste is in the corner and drops to the downstairs loo and then out to the fosse in the back garden.

New Post Box

• New Post Box was created as a bit of distraction work when other work was completed each day.  This was created with Breeze Blocks and then rendered, initially with Cement and then to create a fine finish render cement, so I could have not used the cement render.  You learn as you go!  Not sure yet if I should paint it?

This will now be easier for the van to drive up and drop the post in and allow us to plan for a gate further up the drive in the future.

• Planned Tasks for May Visit

1.   Hang Bedroom 3 and Loft Doors

2.   Plastering estimate

3.   Utility door knock through

4.   Fit utility kitchen door

5.   Knock down Outside Loo Wall

6.   Remove Outside Loo Floor

7.   Remove Windows

8.   Stairs-Loft Partitioning