Celebrating 1 Year!

This weekend marked an anniversary. I am celebrating 1 year in my new though old restoration home. As Novembers darkness descends, there is need for brightness. So rather than review at the change of the new year, I am going to shed light on the changes this year has brought on this anniversary.

So much has changed in the past year, not just the house but a new job too, alongside taking care of my Pumpjack & Piddlewick business. It just goes to show, at least to me, that achievements can be made at any point in life.

The Basics

You can read about the purchase and beginnings of my wee medieval manor here (<Link) if you haven’t already started following this adventure. Essentially my house is habitable, just. There is running cold water, a toilet and electricity. Though of note, the wiring itself in the house is too old to use. A series of extension leads run from a box my electrician put in situ until work could commence on the electrics.

I am quite comfortable, even with only the basics. Its rather like glamping. And I am lucky that with my new job as a wine tour guide, I travel and stay away a good portion of the week. This gives me access to showers and laundry. On the few and varied days I am home its medieval style hygiene, and my hair dressers for a shampoo massage treat.

Room by Room

Nothing in France happens fast. You get used to it (but be prepared if you ever decide to move here). In a way this is rather nice as it causes less stress if you have no anticipated deadlines but rather can go with the flow. Also, due to my work schedule and being away so much, it’s easier to focus on one project at a time. So I am working on one room at a time. Sort of. Depending on when overstretched artisans are available as well, so there is and will be some overlap.

With only four rooms it is fairly easy to determine usages. Classically it would be Kitchen, Living, Bedroom, Bathroom. Except, as my house is a medieval linear layout (one room leads in to the next), I have decided to have each of the rooms be multi-functional. Kitchen/Dining, Bedroom/Living, Bedroom/Office, Room I have no idea what to do with but currently is great for storage, and I am turning a ‘droit a passage’* into en eventual bathroom.

*(A ‘droit a passage’ is a ‘right of passage’, a corridor if you will. Mine leads from the front of my house into the neighbours house. Except I own it as its under my roof. It’s one of those really weird old French village house things. Eventually it will be blocked off to form a narrow room, and door opened into my house to become an en-suite bathroom.)

The Eventual Kitchen

My eventual kitchen is my first project. When I bought the house this room was simply the first room you came into. Part entry way, part… I have no idea what. It originally had a wood stove in it. Maybe it was a little living area. Or maybe it was originally a kitchen, except there is no running water in this room.

I started with this room as many other areas stem off the needs here, so it made sense to begin here. My electrician has now wired the room and I have sockets and lights. He has also put in the electricity for the eventual hot water heater. One of those needs as my plumber couldn’t start until this was done. Now I await my plumber to put in and hook up a sink in my kitchen, as well as the hot water tank. But as plumbers are in high demand, I have no idea when this will be. I’d like to think, hope maybe by spring. In the meantime it gives me plenty of time to complete the kitchen layout.

Kitchen Furniture

I am now on to the kitchen ‘furniture’. Countertop layout has been designed, location of little fridge noted, as well as sink. Apple crates purchased and in the process of treatment and sanding, ready to become storage and a fold down dining room café nook. Wooden wine boxes are being collected on my journeys to become drawers.

I have picked out the oak for my countertop and next week will pick up and haul home. Then it has to be cut to size, as its to be an L shaped countertop. I ran into a snag in that the slab is a little too small for what I need in length. So came up with the solution of a 60cm square piece that will fit in the corner, covered in copper. This will be able to lift off, and underneath will be an eventual top loading small freezer. A good solution to kitchen corners I saw a year ago whilst watching tiny house videos.

Too Much Furniture

I’ve been collecting ideas for most of the past year and more. And it would seem I’ve been collecting furniture too. I moved into my new home with a folding vintage army bed, of the iron variety, and a regency sofa of gold patterned Ciselé velvet. There were additional pieces already in situ, left behind by the previous owner, including two tables, some chairs and two storage armoires. Since then a sofa bed and fold out chair bed have been added for those quests and house sitters who brave staying at my home.

All these pieces alone do not constitute much in the scheme of my 4 room house. However as really only one room is currently habitable, especially in colder months, it has become quite crowded. I hasten to add that not all the pieces are in this one room. They are shifted around as needed, and season dictates. But I will certainly be happy to get more rooms done and pieces can move to other rooms. Or I may even discover some no longer even suit the space. The real trick now is not buying more until a room is done. Tricky indeed.

Up Next

After the eventual kitchen, or perhaps alongside, will be my eventual office/bedroom. I have to strip the walls of an old dado rail and any other hardware dotted about. Then paint. In the meantime layout for the electrics has to be designed and passed on to my electrician so he can give me a quote and begin the work.

This room should be fairly quick in its basic needs. There are no built in units, so once the electrics are done the room is essentially ready. Except. There is the old sink in one corner to be removed, my current source of running water. It can’t come out though until the new sink in the eventual kitchen gets put in. Rather like building a house of cards, with one layer dependant on another. But slowly, slowly things are getting done.

Still To Do

I am sure you are wondering if there is much more to do, and the answer is OMG heck ya! Five years at least worth. A new eventual roof over one portion of the house, taking the opportunity to raise it a little and open the rooms up to the ceiling. A terrace in place of the current lean to in the garden, so I can walk out from my bedroom/living room straight on to it and enjoy my morning cup of coffee out in the sun. And there are the multiple windows and doors to replace. Then the converting of my cellar cave into an eventual studio (for my old age but maybe rent out in the meantime) apartment. Enclosing underneath the terrace into a summer kitchen…

But before these, that droit a passage has to be converted into an en-suite bathroom. Foremost, a shower needs to go in. The tricky part that is delaying is actually multi-part : build the room, plumber availability, and lack of mains drains. That latter is the biggie. The goal posts keep moving. I’ve been told 2025, but this is France. I am not holding my breath. Rather, remember how I said about collecting ideas? My plan for bother eventual kitchen sink and eventual shower is the water to flow down into a holding tank in my cellar/cave. I can then use this water for the garden (making certain to use biodegradable soap).

The Garden

And I should make mention of the garden in celebrating 1 year. More work has gone into this area than the house in fact these past 12 months as I haven’t had to rely on any one else to be available. It was cleared of all weeds, perennial fruit plants and trees were planted around its edge, hugelkultur raised beds put in and vegetable seeds sown. A permanent pergola is planned for over the veg area so those climbers have something to climb easily. (This years trellis tunnel sort of fell apart due to the flimsiness not being up to the load of the sheer quantity of beans I grew.)

There is still a corner to clear of rubbish and turn into the new and improved Cafe du Canard. My special place for working on blog posts, writing letters and dreaming up new ideas. It’s part way there, mostly cleared, with parasol in situ. I am on the search for bricks to lay down, creating a patio base. And am prowling for old fashioned wrought iron garden table and chairs.

Celebrating 1 year

It’s always good to look back over a year, particularly in larger long term projects. So often it can feel like little to nothing has happened. Looking back has made me realise so much has actually happened, and keeps hope and inspiration alive.

These next few months will be quieter on the guiding front, but at the same time weather will hinder here and there. Still, with so many things to do, it is just a question of sitting down nearer the heater when it is too cold and undertaking something simpler. Or maybe nothing at all to do with the house restoration. After all, a girl has to have some hobbies.

More

If you have enjoyed my update, there is more to read about my restoration home and garden in my sites Restoration Findings, a few of which are linked above and below.

If you enjoy my writings, consider nourishing Pumpjack & Piddlewick.

Or if all else, take a browse of My Shop, where you will find a number of vintage and antique finds I just wish I had room for in my wee house. Here’s a sample…

Simply click on an image to see more.