4 Nov 2011

What is left of chimney in Sejour

discovered door that will become a niche 

Propping up the kitchen ceiling

chipping away at icky plaster

"Hot Mess" in the Foyer

"*%# Metal Rails..where's the lumber!"

"soft" timber from bathroom floor 

Good Grief!  What a Day!!  At the Ruin this morning it looked like Grand Central Station!  David and his crew were there working when Jerry and I arrived at 8:00AM.  Kevin, the electrician, showed up about 9:00 to go over the placement of every electrical outlet, switch, extractor, light, and whatever else we needed him to do.  Poor David was trying to work around us standing in his way…he finally asked us to “Move It”! in his very pleasant French!   In the middle of our conversation with Kevin, Paul, the Plumber, showed up.  Jerry wandered off with him to firm up what he was to do when he comes back.  We now have to get a “demi” tub, a toilet and a vanity for the new bathroom.  He will set the shower, tub, toilet and vanity in both the baths when he comes back….after David finishes this round of work.  Paul left promising to be back when David was out.   Kevin left about 10:45 promising to come back Monday, Tuesday at the latest.  Wendy and John, a pair of our friends from Tourbes, showed up about 11:00 with their clim (“climatisation” can you say HVAC?) man.  We need a devis.  Evan and his helper speak no English so Wendy and John came to translate.  Right in the middle of all their musing about where to hang the clim units and where to put the inside wall units, Daniel, the cabinet guy, came to measure the kitchen.  When he saw the walls stripped all the way back to the stone and dirt I thought he was going to faint!  He started jabbering in French and David was trying to explain how the walls would be finished and David just kept shaking his head no.  Needless to say I was getting worried.  We have already paid for the cabinets you see….  David’s helper, I can’t remember his name, came over and tried to tell me what they were saying which didn’t make me feel any better since I had already gotten the jest of the conversation.  Daniel wouldn’t do anything until the wall was finished even though David was telling him the measurements we gave the cabinet store would be correct.  We had told David how wide and long the finished wall had to be and he said there would be no problem.  I finally went to find Wendy to help translate and sure enough Daniel wouldn’t do a thing until the walls were finished.  In the end, David will call Daniel when the walls are fini…..about 1 month if all goes well.  Finally, the electrician, the plumber, the cabinet man, our friends and the clim guy left…..David’s helper grinned at me and asked “Whiskey?”  I started laughing and said “Oui!!”  At the same time all this muttering, planning and wringing of hands was going on David’s crew of Merry Men were building my niche, demolishing the icky stuff off the walls and ceiling in the Foyer and David was repairing the bathroom floor and shoring up the kitchen ceiling. Jerry and I wandered upstairs to try to work on our little projects but by 2:30 we were wrapping up and saying “bon weekend” to David and his crew.  David said he would return on Lundi and they may finish up this stage of their work.  Kevin told Jerry it would take him 3 weeks to get everything done and the plumber can finish up as soon as David is through with this stage of the work, my cabinets are due December 12, 13, 14 or 15 and I have no idea if we are even going to use the clim guy or just get some type of wall heaters.  So the plumber will be finished and the builder will be finished and the electrician will be finished and the chambers should be finished by 15 December. Will we make it into the Ruin by 17 December……stay tuned! 

Kitchen ceiling all propped up