Done!
In case you don’t remember….
this is the before. taken right after we had windows put in.
This was taken this morning:
A little different.
The balcony is finished, a light installed above the door
And, of course, a bit of trim:
Lest you think that light was easy – remember, he had to drill the hole for the wire through 24″ thick stone blocks. (23.5″ (60cm) actually, I just measured)
On to the next project…..
To get started I spend the weekend rearranging the boxes in the barn, for the 87th time. I unpacked about half of what was left (If stuff has been packed away for 3 years and not missed – does that mean one doesn’t need it?
I opened the rest, inspected, labelled and lined them up against the back wall of the barn. It’s Christmas decorations, my books, and the rest mon mari’s
Mon mari hauled lots and lots of bits of (his) crap away.
He’s making room so he can build a room.
These are the bricks.
This is the beginning of his first brick wall:
The room will be for storing things that can’t freeze – like wintering geraniums, paint, wintering squashes and wine. This is France; we need a cave (wine cellar).
With insulation, it should be able to be heated with a light bulb…. It does freeze here, but not often, and usually no lower than -5C (23F)
Unlike our actual cellar (complete with bones and other unmentionables) I would actually be willing to go into this room, to get a butternut squash, say, for dinner.
The recipe, Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs, has been updated, nutrition information added, and re-posted here: Shrimp with garlic & Herbs.
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Looks great Katie – a beautiful job well done! Love the shrimp too!
The shrimp looks great. The house looks A-MA-ZING!!!!!
I like the trim – does the arrow indicate a particular direction or is it purely decorative?
The cellar sounds like something you need, and this shrimp dish sounds like something I need.
Wow, this has been some major job (proof is the excellent documentation). Your husband could make a fortune in the States owing to our dearth of competent DIY talent among the renovation crowd.
“If stuff has been packed away for 3 years and not missed – does that mean one doesn’t need it?” We know a guy who has 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20-year boxes. He prioritizes his stuff by how long he thinks he’ll need to keep it. He seals up the boxes — and after 1, 2, 5 or whatever year, if he hasn’t opened that box once, he throws it away unopened.
Wow Tiki…I don’t know if I could throw away stuff without at least giving it a look over. But maybe I should try…a couple of years ago I opened a box that had been following me around internationally for about 15 years and found it full of old sand filled elastic-less swimsuits from a former life in Hawaii. If I ever move again, I may adopt your friend’s method of labelling boxes…
You two with your projects are an inspiration !
Wow What a transformation Katie ,it looks great. We have been doing a similar renovation on a much smaller scale in the Gard region, now all thats left is one bedroom to paint and the cellar to finish,in this heat we are dripping,it will be worth it.
How is the puppy training going,I do miss my old girl but with toing and froing between UK and France its difficult to fit in the pet passport, Iwill definitely be getting another dog, maybe when we move here permanently.Good luck with the rest of your project and keep churning out the recipes, and keep us entertained with your blogs.:)) Elaine (Glassy Elaine)
My husband is always wanting steak and grilled shrimp, so this recipe does come in handy. Looks delicious.
Congrats on your home improvement so far-the after photo is awesome. have a great day.
House looks great. Amazing to follow the progress (and I would have put that wine cellar in faster!!!)
Ina, it is nice to have the outside done.
Cindy, thanks – on both counts ;-))
Zoomie, purely decorative…. mon mari likes the little touches LOL
Val, we DO need the new cellar…. so much better than the underground one.
TikiPundit, now to get the inside finished. I love that system! I’d have to look, first though which kind of defeats it LOL
Meredith, I can’t tell you how many of those swimsuits I’ve thrown away…..
manningroad, thanks…. it’s also tiring….
Thanks, Elaine…. can’t wait until we have so little left to do…. It will be awhile. Puppy training is going 2 steps forward, 1 back ;-)) And thanks for the kind words…..
Thanks, Tina… I’d be happy with steak and shrimp all the time myself…. My wallet, not so much….
Dave, I nagged to no avail…. better late than never. Thanks!