Last Week's Works

The plumber has been here the last week, electricity has started to flow (experimentally), walls have been insulated, plasterboard fitted, demolition done and furniture "built".

Where to start?

The plumber arrived Monday, and got down to some serious thinking. Of course this meant we had to change our answers to questions like "where will the washing machine go" and "do you want a handbasin in the toilet" from "over there somewhere" and "probably" to something less nebulous. Still, we came through that undamaged, and week later we are still happy with our answers (we think), so we didn't do too badly.

The hot water ballon and laundry tub.
Susan is really pleased with the tub!

This is where all our hot and cold water branches off.
All this will be hidden behind (above) the ceiling

We have a water filter to reduce the calcaire level.
All our water (even for the garden) will be filtered

Once the pipework was installed in the bathroom we had to fit the insulation and close the walls, which was a relatively painless job, and would have been totally painless if I hadn't dropped a sheet of board, breaking off a corner. Tomorrow Patrick arrives to put the bandes on the plasterboard joints and paper the ceiling (a plain white glass paper, which will just look like plaster), then we can start painting the walls and cleaning, sanding and coating the floor. Then the plumber can fit the toilet, shower and wash basin.

The bathroom lined with plasterboard. The cardboard on
the floor is me working out exactly where the shower will go

Yesterday afternoon we fitted a light switch and lightbulbs to the wiring for the bathroom lights, just to make sure we had wired it right. We flicked a switch, and Lo! A light! That was exciting, but of course only temporary, as we have to remove the switch and bulbs while the plasterboard joints are taped.

The furniture we "built" was two flatpacks of bathroom furniture we bought at BricoDepot. Amazingly, we had all the pieces, it all went together properly, everything fitted, and I have nothing left over. What's more, the doors close properly!

As well as doing all this, I have been looking for a stainless steel exhaust system for a 1953 Citroën Traction Avant, which has been frustrating. Monsieur Musseau is worried that Célestine is sounding a bit antisocial, and we have decided rather than replacing the exhaust with an authentic (but rust prone) system, we will go for stainless steel, which should last 10 years. We know there are people who make such an item, but at the moment we can't find them.

All this has meant we are both a bit tired and brain frazzled, but the progress that is happening before our eyes is making it all worthwhile

Simon