Our Own Odysseys: A French Restoration

The house looked pretty rough before starting.

The idea was a restoration not a renovation as much as possible so as to retain the character of the old house, I hear it was considered for using in a period film but the houses next door had been too modernised!

It was a very small place to work and with no outside space at all everything could get very messy!

Tiles as close to the origonal were used, sourced from a factory that had been making them the same way for the last 300 years or so.

Tiles as close to the origonal were used, sourced from a factory that had been making them the same way for the last 300 years or so.

The interior doors needed replaceing as many were missing, new doors were made by Seth in the original French style, he has since made some for us and for a bach in the Coromandal.

This door led down to the 'cave' or cellar.

However the stairs were my project, raking out the old lime and loose stones and replacing the stones with new lime, very satisfying!

I'm not one for heights but here I am up the ladder in France poking plaster into gaps in the stonework