The Devils of Loudun

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Sofa
2008-06-01 12:22:00
Since we ended up not buying the sofa we wanted at Ikea (after we discovered that it was actually pretty horrible compared to the photo on the website and the fact that the delivery cost more than the actual sofa...), we've been trying to decide what to do about getting one for the living room. Alex's response to this is "we'll just pick one up at an emmaus/brocante/vide grenier", at which point I remind him that a) I always end up going to those places by myself and that b) I wouldn't be able to get it into or onto the car even if I did find one and c) I still haven 't seen one that would be acceptable. So I pushed for the back-up plan which was to borrow Alex's parent's couch (which I think they did got at an emmaus so I think that's where Alex gets that idea). After much persuasion and threatening to buy a 100 euro futon from La Redoute, we moved the couch into the living room.This was no easy task. We had to get it down two flights of stairs, then into the street, and t...
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No Leaks
2008-05-21 11:58:00
Ta da! No leaks.(Ignore the tiny bit of sanding and filling needed around the edges.)
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Painting
2008-05-21 11:42:00
We cracked open the paint and the reviews are mixed. We love it in the kitchen and the bathroom. I like it in the hallyway but Alex doesn't.Alex likes it in the bedroom (sort of) and I don't.We mind end up using to the paint the bedroom cupboards, even though we wanted to keep the original blue-green color, but you can only buy so much French paint before you feel like you are throwing money down the drain.
More About: Painting

Planting Stones and (Un)finished Jobs
2008-05-08 15:46:00
We made a little border for the plants that run along side the edge of the house. Because it hardly gets any sun we aren't going to invest in any more plants there since they probably won't make it. Instead we are thinking about putting down wood-chips. But it's still up for debate. It might not look like much but considering it used to look like this (see below), it's pretty big improvement.Also, Alex finally tackled the blocks that were on top of the garden wall. He had taken one or two down last fall and then decided to pretend they weren't there since it was a very, very frustrating job. Everytime he tried to crack them and take them down, parts of the wall would start coming off. However, he finally got them off today and there are only a couple stones that need fixing. I can't find a 'before' shot because all our old photos are on my old hard-drive, which is still at the computer hospital in intensive care.
More About: Jobs , Planting , Stones

Painting and Roof Window
2008-05-06 09:17:00
Alex put in the roof window, which was sort of exciting, especially when he went on the roof and I almost had a heart attack. It's rained twice since then and nothing has leaked but we're still waiting before we start fixing the ceiling.Also we've put the first coat of yellow paint on in the kitchen. It's made it feel much warmer. We were afraid that the kitchen always seemed a bit dark and the fact that the cupboards were previously painted dark brown didn't help. The yellow has definitely lightened everything up. Everything still needs the trim painted but paint is ridiculously expensive in France so we're stalling until we are sure about which colors we want. We might just end up painting the trim in the off-white cream that we are painting most of the walls.
More About: Painting , Roof , Window

Moved In
2008-05-01 23:25:00
Yes, you read the title correctly. We have moved in. It's all very exciting. The thrill wore off about two days ago for me and Alex finally had a bad day today. However, not because of the house but rather because of the incessant rain and the fact that all of France has shut down for two days and that's not very helpful considering we are in desperate need of sand, vines, milk, and garden trellis. OK, desperate may be a slight exaggeration. but its still a nuisance.The rain is bittersweet. The grey gloom that covers Loudun is making me want to pull the duvet cover over my head until July, but if it's raining it means Alex can't go on the roof and work on the window we are installing in the small bedroom. I don't want him on the roof. Ever. I don't care how great the window will look. However, apparently the sun arrives this weekend and he's determined to get up there and give me a heart attack.Anyway, back to the moving in. It was sort of impromptu. Alex declared about two w...

ring, ring...
2008-04-23 10:37:00
France Telecom came and installed our phone line yesterday, which was very exciting, although I have some doubts as to what my money is paying for. A couple of points before I get started:- it's up to the owner of the house to make sure there is a hole in the walls to feed the phone wire through.- it's also your responsibility to make sure they can get the wire from the main public box to your property (ie over any garden walls etc).- they charge 50 euros more for any wire over the 30 metres standard length.- they charge you 52 euros for the technician to come out and install the phone line if there has never been any line in your house.So basically you have to do all the hard work yourself. I think that's ok, except what if you are really old or completely incompetent, then you have to pay a handy man on top of the installation costs to come and drill through lots of walls for you. OR if you live out in the middle of nowhere (like my dad does) and France Telecom basically refuse...
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Roof Window Authorized
2008-04-13 11:21:00
We received a letter from the marie's office telling us that we had the all clear to put in our window, however there is a two month waiting period from the time we submitted our application that allows people (neighbors, mean people, etc) to basically protest against the work. After the two months, it's written in stone. I doubt that anyone is going to get annoyed so we are going ahead with the work next week!PS Any other expats totally freaking out about the exchange rate?
More About: Roof , Window

Declaration Prealable Submitted
2008-03-31 23:28:00
We submitted our declaration prealable (previously called declaration de travaux). The application was for the roof window we want to put in the small bedroom. There is no natural light and we can't really bring ourselves to call it a bedroom until there is a window in there.I had been dreading doing the application because you have to provide duplicate copies of a 6 page form, photos of before and after shots of the work, maps, and schematic drawings of before and after. Basically alot of time was required on Photoshop.We had to submit three copies of our application instead of the standard two because we are in the vicinity of an historical monument. This also means that we have to wait two months to hear back from la marie instead of the standard one month.Before filling in the application, I asked around the expats we know in the area to find out what their experiences had been regarding planning permission and declaration applications. All of them came back saying that their m...
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Updates and Flashbacks
2008-03-31 23:09:00
This time last year: working on the floor! "Dreary rainy day. A is finishing prep work on the floor for tomorrow's final pour and I'm sitting inside playing with B. Can't wait for tomorrow to be over...." Wow, that seems like so long ago.***********It's been over a month since I last posted. I do have the excise of our computer breaking down and having to wait for our new one to come from the USA (courtesy of my lovely mother). Frustraginlyg, all the photos of the house renovation is on the hard disc, which I pray HP can recover. For the while, we are relying on the blog to reminise on how far we have come.The house is slowly coming along. We went on a well-deserved holiday and a mini-house hunting break. We're scouting out Burgundy for our next buy. Burgundy is so different from this area, it's hard to get used to it, but it is more familiar to me and I'm anxious to get there. And I'm anxious to get the house done.But back to the renovation.The lime wash that we spent so...
More About: Updates , Flashbacks

Making Progress...
2008-02-13 11:53:00
We've finally gotten to the stage where the days are filled with endless little jobs, not huge, ridiculously tiring jobs. Alex has spent the last ten days plastering, sanding, hammering, tiling and re-tiling, grouting, cleaning, and more cleaning.Even though when we first bought the house we spent the first few weeks cleaning (taking wallpaper, rotten wood, old furniture), there still seems to be alot of cleaning work. For example we only just got the old rotten mattress that was lying up stairs. bed is still waiting....The photos aren't that interesting - mainly of the stair-well, which is now completely ready for lime-washing, as are the upstairs and downstairs beams.The above photo is actually underneath the stairs, which actually need a fair amount of work. It had to be re-pointed, sealed for damp , and alot of the wood had to be secured. It used to be a little closet (with a broken door hanging of its hinges...).Also, we finally opened up the upstairs fireplace and found tha...
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Back Door to Garden Part 2
2008-01-31 12:45:00
Here are some photos of Alex's lovely stone work, before it got covered up with plaster.Putting in the step was probably the hardest part since we had to find pieces of tuffeau that fit properly.The temperature has dropped again and Alex is having to plaster in 0 C weather. Which is really the opposite of fun:
More About: Garden , Back , Part , Door

Back Door to Garden Part 1
2008-01-31 12:32:00
So Alex decided to make an enormous hole in the side of the house, which was slightly horrific but it turned out great!We originally intended to have a glass door but as it turns out it was way too expensive so we gave in an bought a solid wood one. It doesn't actually make the stairwell that much darker though, since it was previously painted dark gray. More photos to come.
More About: Garden , Back , Part , Door

A little rant...
2008-01-20 12:25:00
I try hard not to let French stereotypes fill my head whenever I have a bad interaction with a French person. I'm part French, I lived in Paris for years and loved it, there are aspects of French culture I adore and I want my daughter to learn French and have France be a part of her life.However, there are moments when I really have to bite my lip and control myself from not buying a ticket back to the UK. Moments like yesterday, when I had to call SNCF to cancel my TGV ticket. Cancelling a TGV ticket over the phone takes about 2.4 minutes. It requires minimal information. Yet yesterday's phone call was anything but smooth.I called and the woman on the other end told me my reference number was wrong (and it was - I was in the wrong there). But my computer wasn't up and running, I had to get the ticket cancelled before the train actually left, and I know that they can look up your reference with your last name and train time. Also, I had given her the information for my daughter'...
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Living Room Floor
2008-01-18 12:49:00
Before ChristmasAfter Christmas (really hard to get a full shot of the room)I realize that I've fallen horribly behind on updating the blog. However, we've all been sick in some form or another since Christmas, which I feel is a good enough excuse. We have been getting alot done though.We started the parquet living room floor before Christmas and left about a third to finish when we went on vacation. We came back 10 days later to find that the wood had expanded and buckled in some parts, which meant Alex had to spend a day fixing up those areas. But it's finally done and we just have to shine it.Overall, considering how much effort it took, next time we might think twice and just go for carpet...
More About: Living , Living Room , Room , Floor

When We Should Be Working...
2007-12-10 10:01:00
...we're actually browsing Ikea looking for things to decorate the house with. As I've mentioned before, I love Ikea but Alex has some justified reservations about it. However, they have some great items that are affordable and considering that time is of the essence, it's the easier choice than driving around, going to 'brocantes' and antique sales. And now that the end is in sight, it seems less ludicrous to actually be picking out furniture.A few of our choices:Main bedroom bed - Noresund 139 eurosSmall bedroom - Meldal 79 eurosLiving Room Couch - Fothult 199 eurosTable - Norden 149 euros
More About: Working

Making of the Ceiling Support Part 2
2007-12-07 19:48:00
Ta da!
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Making of the Ceiling Support Part 1
2007-12-07 19:37:00
Way too complicated to explain how it was made. So pictures will have to suffice.Can you tell we're tired?
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Riots in Paris
2007-11-26 09:43:00
First the strikes and now rioting...
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Fire
2007-11-18 15:15:00
The wood stove, poile á bois, is officially installed. We plan on testing it out on Tuesday morning. Considering the temperature here has dropped significantly in the past week, we are really looking forward to seeing some flames in there.
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Thank You Mr Edison!
2007-11-18 15:04:00
EDF came on Thursday, spent a total of 7.4 minutes in the house and now we have an actual electrical current running through the house! A larger part of the weekend was spent turning on and off lights, plugging power tools into sockets in each room and generally rejoicing that this part of the house is finally over.
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Cabbage
2007-11-12 16:00:00
Bit of a side note from house blogging - I love that they plant cabbage in the flower beds in Loudun.
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We passed!!
2007-11-12 09:06:00
We passed the Consuel!! It was one of the worst 45 minutes of my life but we passed.Our inspector was a very nice man, in his late 50s. He was pretty shocked at how the house looked when he first walked in, which was not a good sign but I think he warmed to us. The baby was awake and being very smiley and he kept commenting on her, so I figured she charmed him a bit.What he checked:- The tableau: the first thing he did was inspect the 'tableau'. He visually inspected the outside of the 'tableau' and the 'coffret de communication'. Then he unscrewed the cover of the 'tableau' and had a good look. He said that we hadn't divided up the circuits on two of the 'disjoncteurs' but technically it was within the rules so it passed. He then gave us a little lecture on why it's important to spread out the circuits.- Next he hooked up a line from the 'tableau' earth 'barrette' and walked around the house checking the earth continuity on every plug and the oven burners.- He measu...

Living Room Walls Plastered
2007-11-07 20:54:00
We have actually been getting work done. First the baby was sick, then Alex was sick and now I'm sick. But Alex refused to stop plastering the living room through the first two days of his cold. He finally stopped for a few days and finished this weekend. This photo doesn't show at all how much bigger the room looks but it's all I managed to take.We did up using the Lutece 2000L, which I swear I've posted about before and obviously put under a random category because now I can't find it. Alex raved about it the entire time he was using it. The bag says 2 hours to dry and it actually takes 2 hours!
More About: Living , Living Room , Room , Stere , Aster

We have a date!
2007-11-07 20:51:00
We sent off the form on the 26th of October and today we got a nice little letter through the door informing us that Mr Inspector will be coming around on this Monday, at 8:15am! I'm incredibly relieved because frankly I didn't that our 'tableau' would pass. I was sure that they were going to call us up and inform us that such and such was all wrong. And after spending two days drawing up the stupid little diagram to go with the application, this news would have really made me cry. So, the letter made my day. Of course, now we are frantically trying to make sure everything is finished for Monday.

Outside Light
2007-10-28 10:47:00
Alex installed the outside light finally. We had been hesitating to put it up because we weren't sure of which sort of installation box we needed to use but the electrician said that it didn't actually need one, as long as it was the right grade lamp for outside use. So up it went. This is the only outside lighting we're having. Technically, to pass the Consuel (arg), all main entrances have to have lighting with motion censors on them. However, we are only putting on the back door because the front door has a public light directly across the street and there is no way the town hall was going to give us planning permission to put our own light above the door. I looked around town and couldn't seen anyone who had their own light, so I didn't even bother calling.
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Earth Resistance
2007-10-24 22:47:00
I called an electrician last week, actually I called several but only one could make it this week. They said they would call back in the beginning of the week to make an appointment. Wednesday rolled around so I called this morning to see if I was on their schedule to be told by the receptionist that they were 'archi-deborder' (super busy) and no, they hadn't forgotten about me. Two minutes on hold and then she informed me they were coming today at 1:30...So someone showed up this afternoon and quickly measured the earth stake's resistance. 19 ohms, which is great because it has to be under 50 to pass the Consuel. I casually asked if he would take a look at our 'tableau' since the earth reading took about 5 minutes and I was going to be charged for a minimum of 30 minutes. He said he couldn't see any mistakes and reiterated a few points I already knew, such as earthing the bathroom pipes etc. I paid him 56 euros.The next step is to draw up a diagram of the house and then send...
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Living Room Fireplace
2007-10-18 18:15:00
Alex took off the white panelling today and we realized that the stove can now actually go all the way back. But we might not put it all the way back because if we have the stove sitting slightly forward, more heat comes out into the room.
More About: Living , Living Room , Room , Fireplace

Mulit-Fuel Stove
2007-10-18 13:36:00
We finally bought the wood stove. It's technically multi-fuel because it can also burn coal. We got the Castilla for 399 euros. Originally we saw it on the Castorama website but they didn't have any in stock and when I called they were incredibly unhelpful and said it would take between 6 to 8 weeks for it to arrive in store. Hmm, slightly too long. I did a Google search and found that a couple places stocked it, including Weldom, which is right in town. They did have one on display and I convinced them to let us take that one instead of waiting two weeks for them to order another one for us. Burning wood, it puts out 9.5kw (coal does 16kw). 9.5kw is enough to heat about 230 meter squared and considering the house is only around 90 meters squared, it should keep us pretty toasty.We are taking off the white panels on the fireplace, that you can see in the photo. The stove won't fit all the way in but will be about half-way back. Surprisingly enough, we couldn't find any stoves th...
More About: Fuel

106 euros for a form! Only in France.
2007-10-16 20:35:00
I spent some time on the Consuel website trying to figure out if I was being an idiot or if this was a case of French bureaucracy. On the site they have information about which form to use and how much you need to pay for the inspection. That all seems simple enough. But then I couldn't quite figure out how to actually get the form. There is a PDF form that can only be described as a form-request form (do you see where I'm going with this?) but on it there is a section where you indicate in what form and how much you are paying. But I haven't actually received anything so why would be sending them money. Also, there is a online-form but it has no information regarding what you are ordering so I decide to call up.The FAQ page says that if you want a form you need to make your request in writing. Why? I don't know. I finally call the Consuel and this is how the conversation goes:"Hi, I'm trying to find out how to get a form sent to me. I see on your site that I have to make a req...
More About: France , Form , Euros , Franc