Fireplace day 3

When we arrived home on Tuesday evening after our visit to Cheverny we found that the builders had left the ladder in place so we could climb the scaffolding. Not only did this let us inspect the new chimney (coming on nicely), but it also gave us a new view on our home.

The Chimney on Tuesday evening. The chimney is formed
by the hollow terracotta blocks which are then rendered.
A double skinned metal flue will then be inserted

A birds eyes view of our front garden

Yesterday morning we asked M. Douady how to clean the stonework we have uncovered above the fireplace, and he set to cleaning the stones by chipping away at the faces. This gives us a very antique looking, semi-clean finish.

M. Douady cleaning stonework with an axe

This is how the fireplace looks at the end of Wednesday. The dark block is a new piece of stone M. Douady has painted with a mixture of ash, sand and dust mixed in ordinary water. It was very white compared to what we had before, and once he is finished we should not be able to tell the difference. Tomorrow they start putting the fireplace in. It's a recovered piece from a house the same age as ours, in simple tuffeau (soft limestone).

Outside, the chimney is rendered, and has a couple of courses of brick as a decorative top. Unfortunately it cant be seen at the moment from the street, as the scaffolding is in the way. Maybe I should use the scaffolding to erect our satellite dish before they leave.

Simon