After being here for almost three months, we decided it was time to take a road trip. I start feeling a little claustrophobic if I can’t breathe some sea air every once in a while, so we headed to the French coast. It’s an easy 3 hour drive from our village to La Rochelle on the Bay of Biscay. We’ve learned that you can get almost anywhere in rural France without going on the toll roads, so we’ve had our car GPS set on “avoid tolls and highways” since we arrived. Most of the places we go wouldn’t involve a toll road anyway, but even if it were an option, it’s way more fun to take the smaller roads.

We strolled through the picturesque Vieux Port (old harbor) of La Rochelle and meandered the narrow streets of the old town. We found some fun shops and had several great seafood meals. One day we drove out to Île de Ré, an island just off the coast. At first, we were unimpressed with the landscape, but we’d heard the place was so great that we just kept driving, and ended up in the town of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. This was more like it, full of cute little shops selling things like straw bags and hats and expensive clothes. Definitely touristy, but it was fun to explore. We look forward to going back.

House update – Day 36.

Yesterday I met at our house with the électricien (electrician) and the menuisier (door/window/flooring guy). All in French, of course. Our builder and his wife, who are Brits, have been so helpful as translators with the various craftsmen. We’ve been doing this for 3 months already and it’s starting to feel almost normal that we can’t have the simplest conversation with anyone. So today, I stood in the rubble of our house, looking at samples of window frames (which are SO different than what we had in the US), and wood flooring options. Some of the decisions (anything outside or visible from the outside) can’t be made until we get the approval and guidelines from the Bâtiments de France, the agency that governs any changes on exteriors of structures near historic buildings. Since we are so close to the château, we have to do what they say. So, we may not even have a choice on what color our doors, windows, and shutters are painted. It’s frustrating, but in some ways, it may be easier since we won’t have to choose.

Meanwhile, demolition continues. Preparation for the installation of the underfloor heating has begun. We’ll have underfloor heating only on the ground floor, and will use electric radiators on the upper floors.

Upstairs, the sandblasting is done for now, and the beautiful rock walls and beams are fully exposed. Soon we will have to decide which walls will be covered up again (this time in the proper way to prevent moisture damage) and which walls will be “rendered.” There are two options for the rendering, “pierre apparante” and “pierre vue,” which leave stones visible. One reveals more stone than the other, so more decisions ahead.

This wall in the guestroom is the only one in the house with this method of construction, which consists of vertical boards and straw and mud between. We will plaster between the boards, leaving them exposed.

And a pheasant, for good measure.

I wish we could camp out at the house so we don’t miss anything, but we do stop by every day. Today was an exciting one, as they started sandblasting. Everything, really, but mostly walls and beams.

In the picture above, another hidden cupboard was revealed when the plaster was removed. This one is in a perfect spot as it’s right where we were planning to put a TV. This is the same room with the arched doorway.

Upstairs (on what we are trying to remember is considered the 1st floor in Europe, not the 2nd floor – this makes for confusing conversations), in the room that had previously been separated into two spaces, the drywall was removed and a bookcase/cupboard was uncovered. Then the bookcase was removed, and a beautiful arched doorway was revealed. Since this is on the 2nd (oops, 1st) floor, the guys put bars across the opening so the curious Americans don’t fall through the opening to the floor below.

The space beyond the doorway is the upper level of the two-story “cave” that runs along the back of the house. On the ground floor, we will finish off the cave, which currently is quite rustic with dirt floors and cobwebby stone walls. It will become a multi-function space, with a dividing wall separating a small bathroom and laundry room on one end, and a pantry on the other end.

The next step is excavating the floor of the cave. Our builder hopes to lower the floor level by at least 12″/30cm. As it is now, there are three steps up into the cave from the house. He’s hoping to lower the floor so there are only two steps. This will also make a little more headroom in there, as it’s a pretty low ceiling now.

And some news from the nest, we have a brand new baby bird.

So, on we go. Will be back soon with more from the construction zone.

We stop by the house every day to see what’s new. Or maybe I should say to see what’s old. These are the days when everything is changing fast, and we revel in the daily unveiling. Yesterday we were thrilled to see that the workers had removed the wall that closed in the stairs and the entry hall closet. It was an awkward and narrow space before, making the stairway claustrophobic and the closet long and dark.

Now we have to decide how to deal with the open area. We thought of keeping some sort of closet there, but it doesn’t need to take up all that space. Or we may decide to keep it open and bright. There will still be space under the stairs to tuck things like a vacuum.

Moisture is a big problem when rock walls are covered with plaster, which doesn’t allow air to circulate. Taking the plaster off the rock has allowed the rocks to dry out after decades of suffocation. Of course, prolonged wetness causes any wood to rot. Not surprisingly, the now exposed underside of the stairs shows some damage and will need attention, and the stair railing, which had been one-sided against the wall, will have to be replaced.

The outback.

Our house is on a curve in the road, and the backyard area is gigantic. One of the first things we bought was a battery-operated lawnmower. The locals encouraged Bob to get a riding lawnmower but he would have none of that.

In the picture above, you see the house indicated by the red mark. The yellow line indicates our property boundaries. The side of the house sits on the road, with the front of the house facing the grouping of trees in the yard. Those trees, except for the biggest one on the right, will be removed in order to build the annex that will be our master bedroom and bath, which will be built perpendicular to the house. The little metal structures to the left of the house are old chicken coops and rabbit hutches, which will also be removed.

Tomorrow, Monday, is yet another holiday in France, so no progress on the house. Life definitely moves at a slower place here, and that’s not a terrible thing, except when you are eager to move in to a lovely 300 yr old house.