This week will be a pretty short blog although that’s not because we have been idle!
I mentioned last week that we are starting the year with a new project which was giving our couples’ gîte, Gite Hayloft, a bit of TLC, and this has been the focus of our major efforts.
When we arrived in 2015, we stripped Hayloft back to bare walls in the bathroom and kitchen but we didn’t have the time to do so in the living area although we knew that some of the woodwork was damp and starting to suffer. While we were able to make things good it was always a temporary measure – albeit that was 10 years ago!
It took us a couple of years to dry the building out properly with heat, dehumidifiers and actually using it.
Also, up until October last year, Hayloft had an ugly roof covered with concrete tiles. We don’t know when the roof dated from but, in the last couple of years it had started to spring the odd leak during heavy downpours (and we get them sometimes!)
Those leaks had caused some staining on a couple of areas of the ceiling and it was evident that there was a more major leak next to the chimney which had not only discoloured the ceiling but the beam was starting to look like it was rotting as it was cracking through the paint.
Having had the concrete roof tiles removed and replaced with slate last autumn not only does the roof look better but, more importantly, it has cured the leaks and the wood has now dried.
This week has been spent scraping off a lot of old paint that was no longer adhered to the wall and stripping out all the skirting board. Some of the skirting had become fairly rotten and, even where it was still solid, we intend to replace it all with new.
I spent the longest time cutting out the rotten beam by the chimney which, as feared, was more extensive than initially thought but I managed to cut back to solid wood.
Once cut out, I was able top treat the remaining wood against further rot and replace with a new, solid, timber. I have covered this with plasterboard which I will fill around the edges and eventually paint so you won’t be able to see the repair.
The intention is to do all the preparation required throughout Hayloft before we re-paint every surface.
Today, being a dry Sunday, we went on one of our dog walks and returned to the north coast just beyond Plouguerneau facing the lighthouse on the Île Vierge. We parked in a location we had past before on a previous walk but today we headed west and walked the coast around the town of Lilia.
It, like so much of the Brittany coastline, is a very attractive part of the world to walk and the water is so clear it could pass for the Caribbean (although sadly our photos don’t always show it). The waters are obviously ideal for oyster farming as there are large expanses of oyster frames near the Île Wrach’h and an oyster bar overlooking the beach near Kastell Ac’h which was the ideal spot for a post-walk drink!
Hayloft will continue to be the focus of my efforts next week and hopefully there will be more to be shown!
Salut.