Raising the roof

I visited the house again at the end of September - I love seeing what's been done each time I visit, and every time I get the same excited feeling that it’s closer and closer to completion!

The builders have been focusing mainly on the roof for the last several weeks and things have been moving at quite a speed after their long summer break. The roof over le salon is being raised to ensure there's enough room for the aircon/heating ducts. However, the way the builders have been constructing this has been causing Anthony some concern for a while; their design means the wood supporting the ridge tiles wouldn’t be supported by the wall (because of the location of the chimney) so the weight of the roof would rest on the rafters. After not being able to come to a resolution with the builder himself about this issue, Anthony instructed a building inspector for a second opinion.

A meeting was arranged on site and the building inspector agreed with Anthony that the framework the builders used to construct the roof was not sufficient, and would need to be removed and replaced by a different structure. This is obviously very frustrating for everyone involved. However, I would much prefer to know this now rather than have issues caused by the roof later on. It’s not that the structure would necessarily have been unsafe, but there’s the possibility it could move (due to it not being supported in the most optimal way) and potentially create cracks in the walls later on.

After some further discussions, the builder agreed to contact Point P (a company specialising in building materials) who instructed a carpentry expert to take measurements and draw up plans for how the roof should be constructed. This is a free service as long as we then order the building materials from them. Both Anthony and I can’t understand why the builder didn’t do this to begin with as he is not a roofing expert himself.

This change in direction means more money for the new beams that will be used to construct the roof and a months delay to the build (the time it takes for the beams to be delivered). During my visit, the builder agreed to remove some items from his original quote for the roof and prepare a new quote. As the original quote didn’t include the beams, and these made up the majority of the new quote, I signed it knowing I would be future-proofing any problems (and I also didn’t want work to stop). The new beams were ordered the same day. I was pleased to be on site with Anthony for that discussion as it’s much easier to have those types of conversations in person rather than by email.

In the meantime, we agreed work could continue in the bedrooms (as this part of the house is not affected by the roof change) and in the garden. Last week, all of the stones were removed from the terrace in preparation for the new travertine tiles to be laid. This is going to have a huge impact on how the garden feels, as the old stones were so uneven they were verging on dangerous.

As work in the garden has progressed quicker than expected, the plumber wasn’t able to make it to the house in time to install the conduits for water and electricity before the concrete was poured on the terrace, so Anthony made a quick dash there to install them himself. He also added a small conduit in the olive tree for future lights which I love the idea of.

The rusty tank that has been an eyesore in the garden has finally been removed! This was a gesture of good will from the builders after the discussions about the roof. The rusty tank caused many issues with the watering system when I first bought the house so I’m very pleased it has gone!

Progress in the bedrooms is really coming along. Most of the sliding doors have now been installed and work has begun on building the wall between bedrooms 2 and 3. I’m thinking of raising the height of the ceiling in bedroom 4 as the extension has created such a lovely space in there.

The fireplace and wood store have been created, and the doorway to bedroom 1 has been opened up.

Even though there has been frustration and delays caused by the roof, in general I'm really pleased with the work that’s been done and how the house is looking.

I hope the rain holds off long enough for the roof to be completed in the next month or so! We’re still on track for completion by early Spring, which makes me very happy.