Architecte numéro deux

Not having any experience of renovating a house or using an architect meant that I wasn't sure how smoothly this process usually went. However I knew that changing architects mid-project was going to add some lengthy delays to the renovation as he wanted to do his own measurements and create some new floor plans with his own software (understandably). The architect was again recommended by the local builder and I felt happier working on a fixed fee basis. The builder offered to manage the renovation once I had planning permission, so I would only have to pay the architect for phase 2 (getting it through planning).

The architect started by making some updates to the existing internal plan, which included:

• A new entrance area with storage cupboards for shoes/jackets

• A larger toilet next to the utility room/kitchen which made room for extra kitchen workspace on the outside of this

• Updating the large sliding doors onto the terrace from 3 sliding glass doors on each side, to two sliding doors on each side

• Separating out the dressing area in the master bedroom into its own area

• A new layout for bedrooms 2 & 3 (the middle bedrooms)

• New skylights - one above the kitchen and one above the corridor

• New window sizes

As I had time between the change of architects, I decided to get some drawings done of how I imagined the external house to look once completed (I used the website Fiver), as I thought knowing what I wanted would save the architect time once he started working on the exterior design. For a couple of hundred dollars, I was really impressed with the level of detail that came back and I really liked the new shaped roof over the bedrooms at the back of the house.

Considering I would only be adding on a small extension to the far bedroom and a carport at the front of the house I assumed there wouldn't be any issues with the planning side of things, however the consultant architect at the Mairie (who advises on any changes before they are submitted to planning) did come back with some restrictions about the shape of the roof, the colour of the windows and the colour of the house itself.

It had never crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to choose the colour of the house or windows, however it seemed the Mairie had strong views about how the houses in the town should look. At first I couldn't understand why, however as I spent more time in the town and in the natural surroundings I started to understand the reasoning behind the colour scheme: natural tones that blend into the landscape and keep with the traditional feel of the town. I could choose a sandy tone for the house and a blue/green shade for the windows and shutters.

This whole process did change the way I began to view the house as my original intention was to modernise it externally and internally, but over time I slowly began to appreciate the rustic look in keeping with the surroundings. I decided to get on board and keep the outside totally rustic, and I knew I would be able to modernise the inside as much as I wanted and tie in the traditional features.

I still don't agree with the restrictions to the roof (the feedback from the consultant architect was that the roof must be made up of 2 slopes only so the roof all had to face the same direction), but there wasn't much I could do about that. As the architect had already started the exterior design based on the drawings I had showed him, this caused a few more months of delays before the plans were finally finished.

After the initial disappointment about the restrictions, I ended up being really pleased with how the final plans turned out. Looking back on those original drawings, I don't think the style of the house would have fit in with the rural environment quite like the traditional french style does.

Final plans: car port to be added

Final plans: left bedroom to be extended to allow for en-suite