Fixing a Hole

If only the rest could be that simple.

After discovering the leaking cornice problem, we call half a dozen roof-repairing enterprises in Brussels. We were told no can do, at least for the next few months.

So we call Andrzej.

Andrzej comes the next day. We discuss what needs to be done. This is a very short conversation, for Andrzej speaks the language of roofs, but mainly in Polish. We speak neither the language of roofs, nor Polish.

We hand over keys to our house.

(The Beatles, 1967)

 

Two weeks later, we exchange the keys for cash.

Lo and behold, the roofing has been replaced and re-sealed, and the mullion-on-a-thread removed.

How he did this, given the size of the window and state of the roof, and with this below, I dare not imagine…

I think we’ll be calling on Andrzej again.

Stripped

(Rolling Stones, 1995)

The leaky cornice is now in hand: our new friend André is going to do some provisional fixing to make sure the water goes down the drainpipe, rather than seep into the wall, and to remove any bits which risk falling off of their own accord.

 

This will also mean that the walls can start to dry out. Which, judging by the various species of mould developing on the wall of the main bathroom – the floor below - is probably not a bad thing.

To help this process along, we have stripped off the wettest parts of the plaster to expose the brick walls underneath and let them dry out.

And while in emergency plaster removing mode, we also pulled down the pieces of plaster which were beginning to crumble off the ceiling above the staircase, making climbing the stairs just a bit too exciting. Yes, fixing the roof is the first thing to be done once the works finally start.

Meanwhile, the power drill ninja was making friends with his new Christmas present, and taking down the kitchen units in the back bedroom.

So that was our Saturday. So much more fun than the January sales...

Old House Renovation Surprise # 1

It was just a matter of time really.

Actually this one should not have been such a surprise – it was evident from the first picture we took of the façade. Can you spot it?

Well we missed it (I’m rather ashamed to say, given the number of Spot the Difference puzzles I did as a child with Granny). Instead, it was not until our neighbour on the right pointed out, first by a registered letter (hidden amidst the christmas cards, which was nice), and then in a more amicable meeting, that the cornice was leaking like a sponge and water was seeping through to the brickwork underneath, and into the neighbours’ house. Apparently it’s been doing it for years, as he had asked the old man who lived in the house before to fix it (though judging from the house’s state of neglect, the old man was beyond caring).

Take another look at right of the corniche (cornice, the white bit where the roof sticks out). Notice how there is a support missing on the right?

On closer investigation (thanks to some extreme photography) it does indeed look pretty, erm, wet. The modillon (wooden block under the cornice) seems to be hanging on a thread.

And that would of course explain the wetness in the room in that corner (the guest bathroom to-be). (See the hole in the wall, known as a "trou de boulin", which was intended for scaffolding. You can see the four of them in the photo of the facade above).

In a sense it's no big deal, as we’d figured we’d have to repair the corniche anyway and deal with all the damp problems. But shouldn't we also take some immediate measures to prevent chunks of rotten wood falling on to passers-by below? And to stem the tide of wetness into the neighbour’s (and our own) walls?

Time to consult the experts.

New year, new plans

So here we are, 2011. The year in which Things Will Happen. Though to be fair on 2010, despite a few slow spells in the middle, it did make a decent effort at a sprint finish.

Let me take you back to the 23rd December, the day of the Great Snow. Before heading off into the snow for Christmas, we also met with the architects to see the new plans and… get this for administrative efficiency, with the Commune’s planning department to discuss the renovation (more on that another day).

So, without further ado, I give you the new plans.

To recap, we had agreed to keep the kitchen on the upper ground floor, next to the sitting room, rather than on the garden level. Something like this in fact. Taddah!

The kitchen keeps the same 4 metre ceiling height as the other reception rooms (in case of a visiting BFG, you never know), which means that the roof terrace above is accessible from the back bedroom/dressing room.

But this leaves a few questions: how to configure the kitchen to ensure access to the garden? and can we fit in a WC on the ground floor? In fact we have three options:

Option A: slice a section off the left side kitchen for a WC and pantry. There is no access to the garden from the kitchen here, but steps could be added from the back window. Here we keep the existing staircase down to the lower ground.

Option B: slice off the left hand side of the kitchen for an internal staircase that leads directly to the garden. It then goes down another few steps to the garden room underneath the kitchen, and the wine cellar. Here, the existing staircase down to the lower ground become a bit de trop, so they’d be taken out and the space used for storage (or a guest WC).

Option C: Keep the very large kitchen, and have external steps into the garden.

What do you think? We've made up our minds, with a few tweaks, but will save that for another day.

The other feature we are quite excited about it the floor-to ceiling bookshelf in the middle sitting room, and a little internal window that looks out from the landing. In fact from there you’ll also be able to look down into the kitchen through another internal window at the back. See, in the top centre of the picture, you can just see the staircase peeking through?

Above that, things become more simple:

First floor – master bedroom at the front of the house with an en-suite bathroom (deliberately not separating the rooms to preserve the pretty ceiling mouldings): Second floor – two more rooms and a bathroom.

So, 2011, bring it on!