First fit Plumbing complete

21 Oct 2011

the first fit

This past week has been productive but not very exciting.  Paul, our plumber, finished the “first fit” of the plumbing.  In other words, all the lines are there, they just are not hooked up yet…..except for the new “throne”.  It is a “temporary set” until we can get the floor in the bathroom fixed and retiled. We have a new "cumulus" (hot water heater) and all new pipes. we have stubbed out for three additional bathrooms: one for a toilet and wash basin on the ground floor (which had none), two for the other chambre which will serve the chambre and lounge on that side of the house as well as the terrace when we get around to finishing it. and three, another bath for the attic level which will be another chambre if need be.

an individual warmer?

After the plumber left I cleaned up the debris he left and straightened up the garage.  I swept, and swept and swept and ….. you get the picture.  If I swept that garage everyday for the next 50 years I don’t think all the dirt would be out.  I did find a few more treasures.  I am not sure what some of them are but as soon as I have time I will try to find out!

A small press for what?

Guess workers are the same everywhere

Da Boss

 We have enough stuff for a trip to the déchetterie but we can’t pull a vehicle into the garage.  The Dept of Herault is putting in a new water line for the village and the line runs in the street behind our Ruin.  The street has been closed for a week.  In watching the workers on and off all week Jerry and I have determined they are like a lot of workers in the States.  There is a Boss that stands around, a couple of guys who work really hard and a couple of guys who drive the equipment.  The only difference between the States and here is at lunch time the workers sit on the edge of the ditch and drink Rose wine with their lunch!  We are hopeful the water line will be finished sometime next week.

New Water pipe for the Village

Jerry is still puzzling how to use the metal rails (2 X 4s) for the closet build out.  He returned from Bricoman and said he had bought the wrong kind of drywall.  Apparently you can buy “wall board with insulation” and the boards fit together…..well, we haven’t figured that out yet!  The closet is still in the drawing board stage while we try to sort out the different building mediums here.  He did buy a new cabinet for his meager tool supply and a prefab shower bottom.  Since bringing the shower receiver home we now know where the shower and toilet will go in the new bathroom.

Jerry putting on the putty 

Sanding the walls smooth

Jerry puttied and sanded the closet and bathroom and I painted the sous couche on.  It is now ready for painting, tiling and building out. 

floor tile selection for existing bath

One afternoon we quit early to check out a couple of Tile showrooms.  After visiting three we finally found tile that we both like and that will look "period" to the house.  Everything else we have found has been very modern looking.  The other problem was finding something that would look ok with the tile in the bedroom ... it is red terra cotta looking tile.  We are replacing those awful white "hospital" tiles.  They are not original to the house.

Jake---DA BOSS!

One of the things I did this week was try out the beauty salon in the Village.  I dropped by and tried to get a rendezvous for Wednesday but that didn’t work out.  I asked if she had an opening for “tomorrow”.  She turned the page and said “Oui, onze”.  I said ok and left thinking I had an appointment for 11:00 am Thursday.  On Thursday I showed up on time and my name wasn’t in the book.  I must have looked very disappointed because she sat me down at the shampoo bowl and I waited while she cut two heads of hair and the other stylist finished up with her customer.  She asked me (in French) basically did I just want a haircut, I said Oui.  I tried to tell her how I wanted it and she said Ok and we began.  She tried to talk to me and I tried to respond in French.  We agreed French was difficult.  As we talked she cut my hair…….and it is perfect!  I am so happy that little shop is just down the street from us.  I made it back to the ruin and told Jerry my tale of woe about not being in the book and he asked me what day she wrote my name down on.  I said Vendredi.  He said “no wonder she couldn’t find your name…Vendredi is Friday and today is Jeudi, Thursday!”  I was so embarrassed but I went back to tell her my mistake so she could free up that appointment time.  She was so very nice…told me “No problem”.     Now, if I can just learn French faster all will be well. 

 

I don't think I have posted here the photos of the new "hooptie" So far it is working really for a 10 year old car. Lots of space, we can lay the seats down and haul a submarine back there.

 We did find our first problems however. The first time I turned on the wipers, the one on the drivers side just seemed to disintegrate before my eyes with a strip of rubber flopping around. And about 6 days after we got it, the hydraulic pistons that help open and keep the rear hatch open failed. In two days, you had to have one of us hold it up while the other loaded/unloaded.