THE FIRST COTTAGE - part 1

This cottage was actually originally a grain store. The cottages were built into a hillside, as is common in this area of France, so much of the ground floor was taken up by a cave. Granite steps led from the doorway to the first floor. The cottage was the last part of the farmstead to be built and was in the best condition internally. Because the ground floor wasn't suitable for conversion, our plans for a two bedroom cottage centred around conversion of the first floor

The first floor area was completely clear so we had a blank canvas to work with, however we did decide that as the grenier (attic) was too small for conversion then we should remove it altogether to increase the feeling of space. We also needed to incorporate the two large main beams into the design as they were a major feature of the cottage. The conversion was also going to be difficult because there weren't a lot of original features to work with, so we would have to invent some along the way and make the whole thing look "right".

We never remove more than we absolutely need to, every piece you remove from a property like this takes away a little bit of the heart of it. We have seen some beautiful conversions it the area, from the outside they look fantastic. Inside, sadly, you could be in a modern suburban Paris house, we even know someone who covered in a Limousin fireplace - sacrilege! Of course it's much easier, faster and often cheaper to cover up walls with plasterboard etc. than to renovate what is already there, but nowhere near as attractive or satisfying.

We started out with a good clearout! The greniers in many old buildings like this have floorboards which groan under the weight of "tuf", a volcanic dust which was used as insulation and compacts over time. It's not unusual to find over a foot in depth of this material spread over the attic space. The sheer weight often distorts the joists between the main beams. In this cottage, fortunately, there was very little, presumably because it was used as a grain store.

The oak floor had been heavily attacked by woodworm and although one half of the floor could be saved, sadly the rest had to go, and be replaced with new pine flooring. It was during this process that I had my first accident - I fell through the beams!




Still nursing a heavily bandaged leg and some pretty sore "wedding tackle" we started work on the ceiling in the living area. As this was going to extend from the eaves up to the ridge, then it's obviously wise to complete this work before removing the grenier. Most of the roof timberwork was fairly recent and had evidently been replaced when the roof tiles were renewed in the 1980's. However, they were re-treated with Xylophene to protect against any attack from woodworm. Woodworm is rampant in this area of France and it really is essential to treat everything - existing and new. Although all new structural timberwork is treated when you buy it, it's a wise move to give it another dose. Xylophene is relatively cheap, but also pretty unpleasant to use - always wear a mask. I normally spray it on using a paraffin spray attachment which gives a good healthy jet and soaks the wood without too much overspray.

In the case of the first cottage, we didn't use the modern metal hangars and rails for the ceiling structure, although this is advisable. The timberwork was in good condiition and level, so after insulating between, we attached the plasterboard directly to the chevrons. In this case we were only using 100mm insulation, as the cottage was only for summer use. If you are intending to convert a property for all year use then the minimum you should use is 200mm.