The rebuild begins

As the Eurostar was cancelled in January due to the pandemic, we managed to rebook our tickets for this month. I wanted to try out an alternative way of getting to the house and see how long it takes door to door without flying. After three trains, two taxis and a 45 minute drive from Saint-Raphaël to Plan-de-la-Tour, it took about 14 hours in total (although it felt longer on the way out compared to the way back with the hour change). Even though it was a long journey it was a great alternative to flying and a relaxing way to see the french countryside.

At the house, progress has been quite slow since the last visit, however the rebuild has started. The pillars and concrete beam on the car port are up and the new space makes the front of the house feel very different when coming in through the front gates.

The concrete pillars and beam for the terrace at the back of the house have also been built, which create a higher roof that lets more light into the house.

According to the builder, the priority at the moment is the roof over bedroom no.1 so that there is a dry space to store the windows when they are delivered. This section of the roof is almost complete, with just the final layer of roof tiles to be added. Even though progress has been quite slow, the quality of the work is really high. Anthony showed me that each tile along the edge of the roof has been laid individually with lots of care so that they are all perfectly aligned.

Beams have been added over the main section of the house for the new roof pitch, which lifts the space to allow for the air conditioning/heating system to be installed.

The walls on the extension of bedroom 4 have been built, concrete around the new doors in bedrooms 3 and 4 has been added and some of the door and window sills are now in place.

In the garden, Chris spent some time cutting everything back again to keep it looking tidy. Anthony estimates it will take around 8 hours once a month to maintain the garden going forward.

Statev (the builder) has acknowledged progress has been slow as a couple of the builders had to go back home to Bulgaria. Some new builders are due to start in a couple of weeks and Statev has promised the building work will be back on schedule then.

The main purpose of our trip to the house this time was to visit the two kitchen companies I'd met with on my previous visit. Both companies presented a detailed design and quote, however the second company had the kitchen doors I prefer and a higher quality finish. I arranged another meeting with the second company to try and lower the price as it came in over budget. During that meeting we discussed ways this could be achieved, including changing the drawer units to cupboards and removing the full size splashback etc. and I'm now waiting for the new quote and updated design.

Assuming the quote comes back ok, the colours I've chosen are grey/green shaker style doors with a white worktop. The style is modern with a traditional touch which matches the traditional exterior and more modern interior of the house.

Another successful trip with lots of progress made on the kitchen. As usual, I can't wait to go back next time!