Work has begun!

After all this time, we can finally say: "Yes, work has begun!"

True, the outcome so far is somewhat underwhelming. Still, these are significant and necessary steps before the actual restoration work can begin.

What has happened is that workers have been digging and ripping, in and around the house, in preparation for the more creative work to begin. So, floors are being dug down and levelled in various areas of the ground floor, and ceilings have been ripped to expose beams and other structural elements.

Of course, it is also at this stage that surprises - good and bad - can come to light.

But reports so far are positive and there are no major setbacks. Beams that have been exposed appear to be sound. At the same time, it looks like the rock base is higher than expected under the dining room and, as a result, there will likely be a couple of steps between the dining room and the kitchen while initial plans had both rooms on the same level; we can probably live with that.

The crew kindly sent a few photos (click on photo to enlarge):

Part of the old stone elements removed temporarily from the side of the kitchen fireplace, to be reinstalled in time.

Exposed dining room ceiling, beams and upstairs flooring underside.

The fireplace in the small room off the kitchen. A pleasant surprise?
Behind the "modern" wood and brick exterior, an older, more rustic stone fireplace has been revealed.

Site meeting

Late last month, we met with the architect and the contractors at Gaulejac. This was the initial site meeting where we had a chance to meet the people who are going to do the work for us. Hands were shaken, contracts were signed and stamped, terms were confirmed and agreed upon, as was the work calendar.

In spite of the -4 C temperature, spirits were high.

The day after the site meeting ...

Work is starting in January or possibly later this month, with an estimated completion time of mid-September.

Next trip will probably be in February, for the first inspection. By then, most of the tearing down (floors and parts of the roof frame) and digging (drainage and waterproofing of the foundations) should be done.

We have asked everyone to contribute photos as often as they can to help us document future postsings.

Read all about it in the Globe & Mail

No doubt, this story from the travel section of today's Globe and Mail will draw a few more tourists to the area. They're all welcome, I'm sure. There's plenty of hiking trails, chateaux and quiet streets, as well as truffle, foie gras and Bergerac wine for everybody.

Dean Jobb writes:

"There's an old story that God ordered one of his saints to cover France with châteaux like this. Exhausted after laying out Versailles, Fontainebleau and other sprawling royal palaces, the saint knocked off early and dumped the rest here, in the Périgord. It's a charming explanation for the hundreds of castles that dot this laid-back region of southern France, a few hours' drive inland from Bordeaux, where visitors can tour a prehistoric cave, stand on medieval ramparts and float down the meandering Dordogne River – all in one day."

The Dordogne River at La Roque-Gageac

Not just a "charming explanation". An amazing feat, even for a deity, when you consider that the region's medieval forts predate the chateaux of the Loire Valley by a few hundred years. But then again, time does seem to stand still in the Dordogne.

Read more from "Explore the Frenchman's paradise"

Final plans

Click to enlarge.

To answer the question everyone is asking: no, work has not yet begun on the ground.

But on paper, things are looking very good. For instance, above is the sketch of the South side of the property, as it will appear post-restoration. Note, the covered area on the left. Located directly outside the kitchen, it will make a fine spot where we can sit and dine while enjoying a lovely view of the valley, down below and to the East.

We had a very productive trip, late April early May. And the period since then has seen some progress, too. Briefly:

• We had three in-depth meetings with the architect during which we ironed out the last wrinkles and signed off on the plans:

The South wall. Note the covered patio described above. (Click to enlarge)

The West elevation (i.e. the house, seen from inside the courtyard).

Note the dormer windows, and the terraced yard.

Interesting also to compare with the earlier sketch posted in December. (Click to enlarge)

•  We visited many suppliers and are now very close to selecting materials, appliances, doors and windows.
• Flooring will likely be as follows: chestnut in most rooms and on the stairs; stone in the kitchen; and tiles in the bathrooms.

 Other areas where progress is being made:

• The building permit application is in.
• Applications are being processed for water and power to be reconnected at the site in time for the work to start.
• We're going back for a week at the end of June, to ensure that everything is on track for work to begin in the Fall.

New floor plans

We received the revised floor plans this week.

The stairs now follow a more conventional design, with the first step roughly in the middle of the foyer and in line with the front door, leading to the first flight up to a half landing against the back wall. They take up more space than in the original plans, but the living room is still a good size at more than 20 m2.

Also, the guest bathroom is now located in the West end of the barn, as we had suggested. It will require a new doorway through the barn stone wall, and a couple of steps down from the guest bedroom, which is now more spacious, in spite of the extra volume taken up by the upper half flight of stairs.

We still have a few revisions and ideas that we want to explore. So, we're taking a few days to review them, taking notes with changes, requests and suggestions that we'll return next week for the architect to incorporate into the next, and quite possibly final, version. It's getting very close to sign-off.

The next step will be the development of the engineering plans, followed by the production by the architect of an itemized program listing every board, length of pipe and door knob, as well as labour, that will be required to make all this a reality.

Our next trip there is still planned for April.