We are excited, the construction is starting again!
The masons re-opened the site last week and started again to build where they had stopped just before the winter. They continued the stone work on the two pillars of the large bay window on the South West facade and are getting ready to continue erecting the South East wall, close to the road.
We poured a layer of small gravel (red volcanic stone) on top of the terrasse to protect the concrete from dents and chips that building stones and other heavy equipment may cause.
The beams and joists between the first and second floor are all installed. One can start to see on the pictures the layout of the entrance hall, the bedroom, the staircase and the mezzanine.
The challenge will be to ensure all the wood is carefully protected while the masons continue to work on the walls.
The construction of the walls around the 2nd floor is now well underway. The area above the dining room is almost done and the walls have reached the level at which the beams and joists for the second floor will come to rest on the walls.
Sadly, we have come to conclusion that there will not be enough time before the cold weather settles to finish the stonework and install the roof. We have made the decision to continue the stonework all the way to the level of the 2nd floor ceiling and then we will stop all work until next Spring. We will need to cover the top of all the walls with plastic tarps to prevent water from penetrating inside the stone walls and creating cracks. All the beams and joists from the first floor will also need to be carefully protected so the snow does not damage them.
As of last week, we have switched from a 100{86faa949d09500cfb2fb8be01edc8582822a5980221f039bd4bbebd1d0646763} lime-based cement to a 80{86faa949d09500cfb2fb8be01edc8582822a5980221f039bd4bbebd1d0646763} lime-based cement which requires less time to cure and can cure at lower temperatures.
We hope that the masons will be able to continue their work for another month but we it will all depend on the weather.
The stone walls around the ground floor are almost finished.
It’s now August in France which means that our contractors will be off on vacation for the next three weeks just like the rest of the country.
The work will start again on the 23rd and soon after the carpenter will start bringing the beams and joists for the first floor.
The picture below shows the South West and East walls of the dining room with the door leading onto the front courtyard.
The big South West wall with the three large bay windows has been slower to build because of the tall concrete and stone pillars which separate the bay windows. Each time there is an opening, it takes longer to choose and lay the right stones which will make the frame around the opening. The stones have to be square on one corner and of a specific depth so the window frame can rest as flat as possible behind the stones.
This is the stone laying crew. They have done an amazing job so far. The local residents as well as passers-by have commented on how old and authentic the stonework looks.
