The demolition stage

The travel restrictions over Christmas meant that mum and I had to change the date of our trip (quel dommage) and wait until the end of January before visiting the house again. I could see how the work was progressing on the webcam and Anthony sent me some photos of the house (or more accurately, the rubble) from his visit there at the beginning of January, but I couldn't wait to get there again to see for myself.

Finally the end of January arrived, the borders opened and we were able to meet Anthony at the house, along with his wife Sally and son Christopher, who have both been helping him with work in the garden. Walking into the house for the first time since the demolition began was both exciting and a little daunting. Anthony had already walked me round during a FaceTime call on his previous visit so I knew what to expect - without that I think it would have been much more of a shock! The demolition stage is now almost complete. It's been a huge surprise to me how quickly the builders have achieved this. Every day the house looks different, the new shape forming from the old.

All that exists now are the external walls, two internal walls, the roof, a concrete floor and three columns (two in the main room and one in between bedrooms 2 and 3). The concrete engineer drawings originally showed that a steel beam would be needed across the width of the house to support the weight of the roof once the two columns in the main room are removed (they are being removed as this is where the new kitchen will be located). However once the builders exposed the structure it became clear that a concrete beam already exists above the two columns, so this may be sufficient. If so, two new concrete columns will still be created within the external walls to support the existing concrete beam.

Now that the internal walls between bedrooms 2 and 3 have been removed the space looks very different, and it's easier to imagine the new layout there. The extension has begun on bedroom 4 so this space has changed significantly too. All of the floors for these bedrooms and bathrooms have been raised to match the main part of the house, meaning there will no longer be the need for the steps down between them.

The new window and door spaces are in the process of being created (which will let the maximum amount of light into the house as possible), and the concrete has been poured for the new carport at the front of the house which means the new shape for that is now visible too. The builders have managed to keep the cypress tree in the middle of the carport which will be a lovely feature once it's finished. The mairie insisted I give the cypress tree a big haircut when they checked my garden for fire hazards (which is why it no longer has the pointed top it's famous for) - un peu curieux because there are many more trees in my garden just as tall that weren't mentioned but perhaps it's because it's so close to the house.

I'd like to keep as many of the existing trees around the house as possible, so while we were there we pruned all those directly touching the house so that the render can be added behind them (I hope). The wisteria has been successfully tied back from the house and should be happy enough in its new position until the new windows have been cut behind it and the rendering finished. While tying the wisteria back we realised it's located exactly where the new window opening will be, so the plan is to separate the two thick trunks at the bottom to frame the window - which actually turned out to be a lovely option. Although it was a bit of an effort to tie it all back I think it will make a huge difference at the end of the project, adding colour along the whole length of the house and tying the house to the garden.

All of the blocks on the terrace at the back of the house are in the process of being removed, ready to be replaced by travertine tiles (that will make it possible to walk outside without the threat of twisting an ankle). Anthony suggested keeping the original blocks to use for restoring the garden walls later on, so the builders are going to move them all next to the garage for the future. The plan is to rebuild the walls to make the wilder part of the garden tiered so that it's easier to access certain parts - a job for much later on.

When Anthony agreed to manage the project I wasn't expecting him to help with the garden too, but each time he has been to the house for a meeting he has taken Sally and Christopher along and they have spent a day or two clearing the garden while on site. It has made such a huge difference - the grass has returned now that the thick layer of mulch has been removed, and it looks beautiful.

Anthony, Sally, Christopher, mum and I made the most of our visit by continuing to clear the garden while we were there. We worked on clearing the slope to the right of the house and Christopher cleared the side of the road leading up to the house, which had become so overgrown that branches had become tangled in the phone lines and the trees hung over the road (no word from the mairie about this luckily!). We created a huge bonfire, which took mum and I a couple of days to put out as there was so much to burn. Sally was lucky to keep her hair at one point, as the ash landed on her head and Christopher had to remove it quickly as it was still alight - I often wonder if Anthony knew what he was getting himself (and his whole family) into when he agreed to take on the project!

During our visit, Anthony and I visited a local shop that repairs swimming pools and I signed a quote for the work to start once the current tiles around the pool have been removed. It makes sense to do the pool at the same time as the renovation as the new travertine tiles can then be laid around the pool once it's been fixed. The pool company will be fitting a new resin structure inside the existing one, pressure testing all of the existing pipes, adding a new filtration system and a new salt water system.

It felt like another productive visit and I'm glad I've been able to see the house at this stage of the build. I will be visiting again at the beginning of March with dad to start looking for kitchens, and at the rate the builders are working I'm expecting the house to look very different again.