Sept 29 2011

Patrice our window guy taking measurements

Today we signed the paperwork binding us to our contractor and to the window company.  Our windows have been ordered and will be installed probably the 2^nd week of November.  I just hope we have the ok from the Marie to make any changes to the outside of the Ruin.  We were informed this week it would take 2 months instead of 1 month to ok the redo since we are in the Historical part of Alignan.

Jerry and I finished the demo of the bathroom tiles and shower.  After knocking all of it down and stacking up the tiles we hauled it all down two flights of stairs and out the back to the garage for Jerry and Jake to haul off to the dechetterie!  I don’t know how we are going to get the shower pan down….it is REALLY Heavy! 

I continued to pull the wall paper off the stairwell but I couldn’t get it all off……as I said before ….Vertically challenged!  The view the photo shows is from the very top of the stairwell looking down one level to the landing between the 1st and 2nd floors.   

While Jerry and Jake were running back and forth to the dechetterie I was fighting rust on a couple of things I found.  I used a wire brush attached to the drill and that action knocked most of the rust off.  I brought the cast iron pot home to wash and “season”.  I tried using the rust remover Jerry bought but I thought you put it on wait 2 minutes and wash it off along with the rust.  Boy was I wrong!  You paint it on, wait til it dries then you paint over it.  Wonder if I can buy Naval Jelly in France?      

28 Sept 2011

The start of the market

Jerry and I went to the market in Clermont.  It is a wonderful market, bigger than the one in Pezenas and according to our friends more like a traditional French market.  Their food section is certainly larger than the one in Pezenas and they also have a larger assortment of “soft” goods…..everything from toys and books, cookware and fingernail polish to fine leather goods and lingerie.  Today we bought crossants, tomatoes, onions and olives from the food market and I bought……….a new leather purse! 

The flower shop

After we returned to Pezenas and had a little lunch we headed over to the Ruin to get set up for more demolition.  I have a small amount of wallpaper to get off the walls in the staircase and we are starting to take the only bath in the house apart….tiles, toilet, sink and shower.  Plumber will be there soon and the demo has to be done so he will know where we want the new fittings installed.  Jerry has hammered off two walls of tile and half of the shower surround is off.  Tomorrow will be my turn at the tiles.

Tunes along the promenade  

Today I got as much of the remaining wallpaper off the staircase wall as I could reach.  My being vertically challenged is certainly getting in my way on this job.  I can’t figure out how we are going to set up scaffolds on the stairs!  I will let Jerry engineer that I suppose.

Tomatoes

We met with a contractor at 16:30 and after going over his devis one more time…….We hired him!  His name is David and he is from Alignan.  He came highly recommended and Jerry has seen his work so he was satisfied he could do our job.  The best part is ……he can start in about 15 days!   He laughed when I did the Happy Dance right in front of him!  LOL 

A New Purse and a Contractor hired…..pretty good day all the way around!

My new purse!

27 Sept 2011

We didn’t work at the house at all today.  Jerry had us making a mad dash around BricoMan for what he call essentials, ie, a cordless drill, a shop vac, an assortment of drills, an assessment of a shower pan for a shower and a corner tub, a quick look at tiles for the bath we should be demo-ing right now, masks, rust remover, steel wool, a utility lamp, sand paper, an extension cord you can plug several things in at the same time ..… Oh! And a tool box! 

The sack

the apron

After a hamburger at the Ouick he drops  me and Jake off at Pezenas and races over to Beziers to see a man about a car.  The man speaks no English and Jerry stutters thru a smattering of French…I just couldn’t go watch.  A couple of hours pass, Jerry rushes in and when I ask him about the car he mutters it was clean and low miles and looked like it hadn’t been wrecked but, well you set your standards…… then he was rushing out the door to meet an artisanat the ruin about a possible problem with the roof over one of the rooms.  He isn’t back yet and it is 18:20.  The artisan speaks no English and Jerry stutters thru a smattering of French……..Thank goodness Alison was going to be there to help translate.  The trouble with that is she doesn’t get “contractor lingo”….Lord, what a circus that is …I had better have lots of ICE made up….Jerry is probably going to need a couple of Black Jacks before he goes to bed!  Oh Oh!  Jerry just returned with a devis in hand, a request for a gin and tonic and he is sitting on the terrace smoking a big cigar and sipping his gin and tonic..HUMMMMMM  Do I ask him anything or not......

the cloth with the loop in the top corner

I decided to post photos of the initialed apron, and whatever that other initialed cloth is.  Also, thought you might like to see what holds a stone house and a wooden door together.  You can’t just attach a hinge you know.  The metal items were retrieved when Jerry took the doors off that odd space that is going to be a bookcase.  Oh, yeah and the mystery of the “bedezos” is solved…they are tile snippers!  HA!



the snippers

Don’t know if we will work tomorrow since we both want to go to the Clermont market…..it is a GOOD one!    

Blue Monday....

26 Sept 2011

candle stick, oil lamps & u just name it 

After a much needed rest over the weekend Jerry and I were busy “tearing things up” again today. We decided to get the grenier (attic) in order since at some point in time there will be two bedrooms and at least one bath up there. With the plumber coming soon we had to get the space cleared out so he could run the pipes, drains and whatever else plumbers do to the proposed salle de bain. Jerry gave me instructions on where to clean out and then he and Jake took a walk in the village. He was posting signs trying to sell the wine wagons, sprayer, iron, etc, etc. that we can’t dispose of. I was happily anticipating finding another treasure when something alive slipped out of the attic and into the pile of bags I was filling up with debris. Jerry and Jake found me on the first floor waiting for them to “go first” into the grenier and see what that sneaky thing was I saw. They found nothing but dust balls, dirt, spider webs and stacks and stacks of wood. Jerry filled the bags, I handed him empty ones and Jake supervised the entire job. We now have everything out of the back grenier that we intended to clean out (lots of wood taken to the dechetterie and lots more wood to take to the dechetterie). Apparently they threw no wood away because they used it to heat the house. We did find a couple of “treasures”. Jerry found a walking stick, which was useful for him after he demolished the defunct chimney that was in the grenier…all the wood is gone but the floor is now filled with chimney debris! Tomorrow we haul off stone….down three flights of stairs! I found a small silver candle stick, a small tin ware bowl with a lid, two old oil lamps and something else that has to do with filling wine bottles I think. It is now in a large, homemade, wooden thing that is sort of like an old fashioned bread bowl but it is rectangular. I also found another apron…this one made of a canvas like material and a bag made of the same material. I have found what appears to be a huge pot holder made of the canvas stuff and what intrigues me is they have all been initialed in cross stitch! I am trying to figure out how to get the wine and dirt stains out of them but they may have to just be stained…

Demo Jerry

Grenier Rubbish

We also had a visit from a “cousin” of the Fabre’s, the former owners of the Ruin. She was familiar with the house and wanted to see it again. Jerry and I are always glad to show our Ruin to anyone who wants to see it so in she came. Nicole speaks no English but that didn’t stop her from telling us all about the house. Jerry and I got some of what she was saying but a lot of it just went in one ear and out the other without registering any sort of recognition. She was very excited about the house being renovated and asked us our plans for the house. We tried in our very best French to explain what we were going to be doing to put it back in shape and she happily told us what her vision of the “Grand Maison” was. It was an entertaining half hour and she asked for our phone number, was terribly disappointed we were staying in Pezenas during la renovation (“Pezenas is tres small, nothing to do as opposed to Beziers” where she lives) kissed me goodbye and headed off with her long suffering husband in tow. I can not imagine talking to Nicole over a phone line……  

Roller Skates!



 A little more of the garage was cleared so we could store the wainscoting from the salle de manger and the sejours.  In the clearing we found more junk (imagine that) and a pair of skates, a big white corning  ware bowl and two paring knives.  I also looked thru the stuff we found the first day and there was an cast iron cooking pot that would be used over an open fire.  It is terribly rusted and I need someone to tell me how to clear up the rust.  The pot is in excellent condition except for the rust!    

My Rusty cooking pot

Tomorrow we clean out the grenier (again) and start the demolition on the bathroom.  Wonder if we will find another walking stick…I will probably need one by the end of the day!

Jerry and his walking stick

 

23 Sept 2011
We have electricity and we have no wallpaper in the chambers!  ‘nuff said!

 It’s Friday, Baby!!!!!

22 Sept 2011

Jerry and I spent the better part of the morning going room to room getting info together for the electrician.  He wanted us to give him a 3 d home design layout of the house room by room showing where the electric plugs will be, what kind of lighting will be in each room and the layout of the kitchen.   Thank goodness Jerry is handy with computer programs.  We finally came to some decisions and marked them all down with detailed instructions.  This is France and the electrician is Irish so we will probably need another piece of paper!  LOL

We were invited over to the home of some new friends today.  They are trying to sell their village house and are doing some “staging” to help sell their house.  They have two very comfy chairs and she wondered if we would like to have them.  After seeing and sitting in the chairs we paid her on the spot and will pickup the chairs tomorrow or Saturday.  Our one big complaint of being here is we miss our comfy chairs back in the states!

I forgot to mention that Allison and Richard bought us a big offering of grapes, home grown tomatoes and a couple of figs.  The grapes are very sweet and juicy.  I can't remember having any that taste like them in the US.  The tomatoes are wonderful and we haven't eaten the figs yet.  I asked Jerry this morning how many grapes we could eat before our tummy started to hurt...they are better than lays potato chips and like lay's chips you can't eat just one!!    

On our way back from Allison and Richard’s house we stopped at the “Café” (the tavern) and had a refreshment.  Then it was back to clearing the garage and that dadgum wallpaper.  I am doing the Happy Dance because I finished the pink chambre.  What is left on the walls will be plastered over!  Tomorrow I finish the blue chambre and I am fini with the damn wallpaper!!!  WOOHOOT!!

Jerry found three “treasures” today.  Well, two treasures and one interesting historical item…he found an old advertisement temperature thermometer, another basket and THE OUTHOUSE DOOR!  (I told you they threw nothing away…I’m afraid we will find the outhouse before long).

After that "find" we called it a day.  Exciting day tomorrow…..the electric company comes and we may have electricity tomorrow…

21 Sept 2011

Jerry and I spent yesterday clearing out and hauling off the debris from the kitchen demolition.  After that little job was complete Jerry continued hauling off the sulfer/potassium bags in the garage.  There were about 20-25 bags left and there were several large plastic bedons full of chemicals.  Once again he filled the Haz mat bin.  The aggregate bin was pretty full as well!

I continued on with the boring wallpaper removal.  If we ever do this again, I refuse to be in charge of wall paper removal!

I finally abandoned the wallpaper for the garage and filled a few trash bags with icky trash.  I swear, the folks who owned this house and the vineyard operation never threw away anything!  Hundreds of empty chemical bags, bedons, oil cans and jugs, tools (broken and in good shape), you name it I bet we have found it.   I found another "treasure"!  It is a chocolate box.  I don't know if the chocolate was the "sweetheart" kind or the "cooking"  kind.  I also found a pretty kitchen tin.  Everyday something new turns up!

We called it a day about 3 since it was our anniversary and we were going to Pizza night with friends.  Jerry had to meet with a contractor and his English translator at 5:00 so he could get information on the job and present us a devis.  He is the last one we are waiting for.  Decisions will be coming soon!  

20 Sept 2011

I am beginning to wonder if all the wall paper will ever come off.  At some time in the past a layer of wallpaper was glued to the plaster wall….then a couple of more layers of wall paper were added over time.  Between layers someone did not take all the original wall paper off (probably like me they couldn’t get it off) so they plastered over it.  Now that plaster has become crumbly in places exposing the ragged edges of wallpaper.   I told Jerry we were going to do a mini plaster of one of the walls in the pink chamber.  Since my eyes were rolling around in my head and my hair was standing straight up when I told him that little bit of advice to him he agreed…lol 

Jerry, on the other hand, is having great success with the big hammer and pry bar.  He has completely demolished the room that was the kitchen.  All the ugly 1970’s tile is gone, the pitiful counter is gone and the wall is back to its original place.  What a pile of rubbish to gather up and haul off!

An artisan came today to get information for a devis (estimate) on the repairs to the house.  He was recommended by friends in Tourbes who have seen his work.  He is a young man who apparently went to University to learn how to repair vieilles maisons, anciens châteaux, and  d'autres structures anciennes.  The ground floor and one room on the 2^nd level need a lot of work.    He was completely undaunted and said the entire project would take about 2 weeks.  The electrician will be able to come in and do his work between week one and two of the project  so all the electical wires downstairs will be hidden in the new wall.  I am happy about that fact because I didn’t want the electrical wires exposed on the walls and ceilings.  We are anxiously awaiting his devis.  I think Jerry has two other devis outstanding so we wil be making a decision soon. 

The devis on the windows will all be in on Friday so we will be making a decision on windows soon as well.  We have to wait until the Marie gives us permission for the changes to the windows.  We are replacing the old wooden windows with PVC windows.  The old windows are lovely but they couldn’t be repaired because of the rot that had occurred over the years and they are not very energy efficient.  We don’t think we will have a problem with the OK from the Marie since all our neighbors have replaced their windows with PVC and one has replaced her shutters with aluminum.  We won’t do that!  Jerry will be  remaking or repairing the shutters (as soon as we have electricity).  We will be using the original hardware on the shutters too.

Anyway the project strolls along !!!     

Day 10

19 Sept 2011

reopened door to future terrace

“Demolition Man” was at it again today.  He removed doors and the interior of an odd space in one of the chambers.  The space will eventually be a bookcase.  I kept wondering if there was plaster or something falling off the wall on the other side of the wall……where a neighbor lives!  After he finished that he wandered into the back room of that “suite” of rooms and took out a door that had been rocked up and sealed.  I just knew the entire room was going to collapse in from the banging ….but it didn’t and I now have two doors that will open onto the terrace…..when we get around to removing the roof, putting in waterproofing and new floors….in about 2 years!  Right now the two doors open onto the attic where hay and grain was stored……MESSY!

future bookcase

I spent the day peeling very small pieces of wallpaper off the wall.  The paper is stuck tight and even the wall paper remover isn’t helping much.  Maybe I will be finished with it by the end of the week.

I also got a tour of one of the town houses in Alignan.  Our new friends, Allison and Richard, invited us over to see their house.  It is actually two houses that are now one and they were built in the 1700’s.  It is very well done and I am totally envious of their 3 terraces!!!

Jake is getting used to all the hammering and banging that is going on.  He stayed tres tranquil all day today.

Quit work today at 3:30.  Had to come home and clean up..going to Tourbes for aperitifs.  I just love working "French" hours!  LOL

Day 9

18 Sept 2011

This says it all.  How we spent Sunday…..

Day 8

Refreshments from our neighbor

17 Sept 2011

Taking today off !  Going to the market in Pezenas.  We also have to go to the grocery store !  We have nothing to cook or eat.  The grocery stores close  about 7 :00pm so we haven’t been able to stock up…just buy a little as we go along.  We are also meeting a plumber at the ruin and hopefully he can get right to work ! 

Thank Goodness for the WEEKEND!

   As a side note …. While we were waiting for the plumber our next door neighbor came over with a bottle of wine, and opener and two glasses.  He saw were having a snack (fried falafel balls from the market) and he thought we needed something to drink with them I guess.    

"rush hour" in front of the ruin

16 Sept 2011

It is hard to believe we have owned the Ruin for a week!  So much has been accomplished!  The garage is about 1/3 cleaned out, the wainscoting is off the walls in the  salle à manger and the sejours, the wall paper is almost off in the two chambres, all the junk that was in the house has been  swept up, bagged and carried off.    All this has been acomplished while conducting tours of the maison, trying to speak to our new neighbors, villagers and friends, making trips to the Marie, Bricoman and the water dept.  We have had 4 different vendors in to give us quotes on new windows. (We only scheduled 3).   And today the water meter was set and we now have water !  Jerry and I both were holding our breath waiting for water to start gushing from somewhere but we haven’t seen a leak one !!  WooHoo!

ladder hand made from tree trunks 

Jake is becoming more comfortable at the Ruin and he likes to sit out on the front stoop and watch the village life pass by.  The school children walk in front of the house and he gets to talk to them everyday.  The villagers are friendly to him as well.  I think when we finally get all the demolition done and start putting everything back he will be even more comfortable.

Going for drinks with friends…..more tomorrow !

How to flush before water is turned on

15 Sept 2011

salle de séjour demo

Demolition continues today.  Jerry has all the wainscoting off in the salle à manger !  What a mess !  Because of the damp problem all the walls behind the wainscoting is soft and crumbly.  That has to be taken back to the original rock wall.  It is a mixture of concrete and dirt…Whew ! 

I continued with the wall paper demise in the two chambres.  Some of the paper just zips off but on some of the walls it is stuck tight.  It looks like it was glued with glue not wallpaper paste.  Also I have found some older wall paper under the horrible pink paper.  Unfortunately that is where they put the glue so the paper is coming off in bits and pieces and chunks.  It appears to be a bileous yellow color!

Fossil bugs 

After cleaning up the wallpaper mess and sweeping up the dirt, bugs, cement etc we called it a day.  We have plans with friends for a great evening of wine tasting and dinner.

   



Taking a break

14 Sept 2011

Had to be at the Maison early this morning.  The electrician was coming to get a better picture of the job.  Kevin is an Irishman and was recommended by one of our friends here.  After talking with Kevin Jerry is coming to realize he isn’t in Kansas anymore and what he knows about doing electricals doesn’t really apply when you are in France working with their codes on 250 year old houses with walls three feet thick and tile floors your wife won’t let you tear up to run conduit.  Everything has a learning curve…..

We also met with two fenêtres guys  (windows).  We have to replace the fenêtres due to rot, warp and just not being energy efficient.  We had to file papers with the Marie (city hall) to get approval to  change the windows and freshen up the outside and repair some of the masonery on the facade.  We have to wait 30 days to get approval or not..whatever they decide. However, we did want to get the bids for how much the windows will cost so we will be ready when the time comes.

I have nearly all the wallpaper off in the two bedrooms.  Since I am vertically challenged i still have the top 1/3 of the room to finish in one room and in the pink room I have to have chemical help…for me and the wallpaper…LOL.  Just kidding about the chemical help for me.  Need something to get the paper off the wall.  The last wallpaper was glued to the paper under the present wallpaper……not just wallpaper glue but glue !  Can’t get it off and I am afraid I will damage the plaster wall under all the glue, paper, etc if I keep digging at it.  Going to BricoMan tomorrow to get supplies……was supposed to go today but was total sidetracted by everything else happening.

the wainscoting waiting to be numbered

Jerry and Jake made 6 or 7 runs to the déchetterie.  He completely filled the Haz Mat bin.  Since we still have stuff in the garage that was used on grape vines back when but isn’t anymore because everyone has gone organic, he decided to wait a week before he goes back !  

wainscoting coming off

After the runs to the déchetterie Jerry decided to take the wainscoting off the walls in what will be the salle à manger.  It had to be removed anyway since we have a problem caused by rising damp (don’t ask).  The wall behind the wainscoting has to be replaced with limestone plaster and somesort of rising damp treatment so the damp won’t rise again….(don’t ask).  Tomorrow we will number the wainscoting pieces so we will know where they go and take them to the garage to get ready to refinish!  Then we will remove the wainscoting in the foyer and what will be the salle de séjour.  After all the wainscoting is removed we will chip off the cement that was used above the trim in an effort to fix the damage by the rising damp…but all that did was make the damp rise higher and cause more problems.  The way it will be repaired will allow the house to breathe and the damp not be trapped in the walls. 

rising damp damage

I suppose Jake is getting used to the hussle bussle.  He spent the day either riding in the car with Jerry or sitting on the street outside our front door.  The street is pedestrian only so he became acquainted with neighors, strangers and any other random person who wandered by. He was very good today….didn’t wander off at all.  Wonder how long that will last ?  I guess he learned his lesson about running up and down three flights of stairs all day !  LOL

more rising damp damage

We quit about 15:45 today ….had to rest and get cleaned up because we meet our buds at the pub for a glass of wine.  Made it home and fixed dinner and am turning in now…..Hard work was done today !!!  More demolition tomorrow !       

13 Sept 2011

Demolition Mama

We had to be at the house at 10:00 this morning.  The récupérateurs were coming back to discuss the sale  of the vineyard wagons……they didn’t show up !  However, our friend, Robert, showed up with his spare car. He offered it for us to use to haul away stuff.  He then stayed to help sort the stuff.  He even got the pottie to work without the water being turned on !    Robert is a GOOD Friend !!  Jerry and Robert loaded the little red car up but the déchetterie trip will have to wait until tomorrow…..it is closed on Tuesdays !



Foyer Wallpaper

I started pulling the wallpaper off in one of the bedrooms today.  Some of it came off in large pieces like it goes on the wall.  The rest of it came off in smaller chunks and itsy bitsy pieces.  I have about one third of the room  de-papered.   Going to BricoMan tomorrow to get wall paper remover!  Robert suggested vinegar and water and I had to remind him we did not have water yet !!!

wallpaper and border in 1st bedroom

Jerry made a trip to a local domaine to see if the vineyard owner would be interested in the wagons or maybe he knew of someone who would be interested.  The fella came over for a look and  told Jerry he should have taken the récupérateurs offer !  Apparently the wagons are older than they look and were used when the grapes were hand picked.  The grapes aren’t hand picked so much anymore so he couldn’t use the wagons and didn’t know who would need them.  Guess Jerry will call the récupérateurs tomorrow and see if they are still interested. 

wallpaper in 2nd bedroom

One new neighbor (he was moving in today) and another villager stopped by to meet us and see the ruin.  Then the vineyard fella and his wife came by and they wanted a tour of the maison.  All the while I was peeling wallpaper off the wall.  I am hopeful I will have it all off that one bedroom tomorrow and then…….I can start on the other bedroom !

After Robert left Jerry spent time sanding the walls in the foyer.  They need to be ready for the replaster person and the electrician…….if we every hire one !!

1st petit-déjeuner 

Jake resting in front of the ruin

Finally made it home…..tried to stop at the pub in Alignan for a glass of wine but the pub wasn’t open !  We haven’t quite figured out the hours of operation for the pub, the restaurant, and the other village shops.  Some are apparently open until 12:00 noon, then they are closed until they decide to open again.  We just have to get with the program here.  We did find out the boulangerie is open in the mornings and they have great crossants !

A little side note on how Jake is handling all the uproar.  He isn’t liking all the hussle and bussle and the thing he hates the most is the stairs !  By the time he decides to come up with us we are going down so he is constantly going up then right back down two or three levels of stairs !  He gives me a really disgusted look and huffs at me when I ask him how he is doing !  LOL

We are expecting an electrician and two window artisans tomorrow.  We are getting bids on how much the new windows will cost and how much the revised electric job will be. 

 Time to clean up and get some supper on the table…..More fun tomorrow !