View through to the kitchen

Getting closer to being finished.

This will be a bar, it already has a beer on it!

This is the door into the master bedroom. They have managed to keep the feature wall in the hallway.

This is the stack for the large fireplace in the white house. I think we'll be able to turn it into a feature in the attic conversion

The attic of the farmhouse. Kevin came around to discuss our options for converting it into another bedroom, living room and bathroom. We will open up the window at one end and turn it into patio doors looking over the fields. Stairs will go up the outside so that it is a self contained appartment.

View from the white house attic - we will be expanding this opening to be a set of double patio doors

Cyclamen are everywhere

The underfloor heating pipes in the baunderie

The kitchen plastering looks fantastic.

The atttic of the little house that we are planning to convert.

The master bedroom and bathroom walking into the second bedroom.

The hall from the kitchen through to the bedrooms.

Here's a tour of the salon and kitchen.

The window has finally had the glass fitted.

The master bedroom has now been plasterboarded out completely

I just ordered all of the furniture from www.indigofurniture.co.uk

Here is what we have bought: -
1 Chunky top table (10ft x4ft)
12 Straight back shabby diners
2 Chunky arm sofas-shabby
1 Three'er coffee table
2 Shabby tubs
1 Double bookcase (2 extra shelves)
1 Plank lowboy
1 Plank mirror
1 Gun cupboard (or games cupboard)
1 Windsor bed (Four Poster - SuperKing) + 1 Coniston mattress
2 Plank bedside
2 Single wardrobes
2 Slimboy
1 Plank Mirror
2 Tall shabby stools
2 Loft beds (Lowfoot) + 2 Coniston mattress
2 Skinny drawer bedside
1 Loft bed (LIME) + 1 Coniston mattress
2 Skinny drawer bedside (LIME)
1 Dressing table (LIME)
1 Cheval Mirror (LIME)
1 Single wardrobe (LIME)

Another view of the plastered kitchen wall. All we need now is the tiles to go down on the floor before the kitchen fitters arrive with the kitchen and Rayburn.

The kitchen wall has been plastered - It's been done since last week and is almost dry. It will stay in this traditional finish.

Floor after 10 days of drying.

Space left for the shower..

The hallway. you can see the distributors for the heating.

Kitchen floor down. They poured liquid concrete into the entire barn so that it self levelled.

More floor.

More floor - this is actually dry.. the tilers are measuring the humidity in the floor to see when they can start tiling.

The concrete floor is layed over the underfloor heating pipes!!

Anthony has found a crazy environmentally friendly hot tub. He will get to build the swimming pond - this may be a little too far! Quite like the idea though so not ruling it out completely yet.

This is the fountain in Bergerac old town. Anthony's plan is to have something similar in the driveway which will be the first thing you see when you drive up to the property. I need to find some stone masons that can sell us some local, shaped stone.

We are going to put a window in the garden wall with a table in front of it. This will be looking out over the orchard and the window will be framed with traditional stone like the windows of the little house and the barn. We can use the table for potting or put a bbq beside it so that we can cook and eat in the garden.

Our veg garden to be! (we will be using gravel for the pathways, hopefully can get this done at the same time as the drive). I want the wall to be normal brick rendered in a traditional style. We talked about getting it made with traditional stone but it will be covered up with plants anyway and rendering a normal wall will be much cheaper.

Here are the details of the driveway - just have to find someone to build it for us now.

Anthony came round on Friday night - here is his design for the driveway

Master bedroom pipes are down. I think that the rightmost pipe might be squashed as there is a wall going there.... Need to talk to Didier.

Master bathroom pipes down

Hallway in progress

unfloor heating mats layed out in the second bedroom

One of the control points for the underfloor heating. This is in the second bedroom

The second en-suite shower room

Heating pipes down in the corridor to the master bedroom

Activity in the kitchen

The concrete floor WILL go down next week. There has been a flurry of activity after the August break

Lucy found a great shop on the internet up in Derby that sells furniture made from reclaimed oak. I think we will end up furnishing the entire barn with it. This will be the master bed! It's called Indigo Furniture and is here http://www.indigofurniture.co.uk/index.php

The internal partition walls are up now for the master and second bedroom en-suites. This is the shower drain and water pipes for the master bedroom shower.

Looking from the master bedroom down the new corridor, towards the rest of the house.

The new internal wall on the right that now forms the corridor into the master bedroom.

The new internal wall seperating the en-suite from the master bedroom

They have moved the tiles into the second bedroom.

They are sealing the walls around where the liquid concrete will go down.

More matting - waiting to be laid. Don't know where the people who are supposed to be laying it are...

The matting for the underfloor heating pipes going down.

Here's the plan for the garden from Anthony, our master garden designer! He has found a heritage nursery that can provide tradional french plants and trees for the garden.


Entrance (area ‘a’ on outline plan)

This area will be a formal and practical space acting as both a traditional courtyard space and car parking area. (also possible use as petanque pitch)
This area will be surfaced with compacted self-binding gravel, the gravel will be chosen to match the façade of the barn.
A formal, circular water feature will be built, using the local stone, to act as a centrepiece / focal point.

planting :
- Lavender border planted in front of house
- large planters (local stone) evenly spaced along front of barn containing uniform, ornamental
planting


Walled Potager (b)

This area will be enclosed within newly constructed walls and the existing hedgerow. Raised timber beds will be built to form a traditional vegetable garden, a gateway will connect this area to the orchard.

planting :
- Blackthorn (Sloe) bushes planted through the existing hedgerow
- Vegetable beds : use of local and heritage varieties


Natural swimming pond (c)

A natural swimming pond (size to be determined) will be built behind the orchard area. This will include a swimming zone and a plant regeneration zone. Marginal pond plants will be used to soften the edge of the pond. Suitable young trees and shrubs will be used to create shade and privacy.

Natural arbour /outdoor dining area (d)

The existing trees will be pruned and trained to create a natural arbour which will be used as a
shady outdoor dining area. Roses and other scented climbers will be planted to grow through
the tree framework. The ground will be covered with a bark mulch.


Rear of barn / woodland area (e)

A formal gravel garden area will be created adjacent to the rear of the barn. This will link
the patio area to both the outdoor kitchen and the planned swimming pool.
(possible use of stepping stones to create paths)

A shady ‘woodland’ area will be created by thinning out some of the unsuitable trees and
underplanting with suitable shade tolerant plants.

Two low curving stone walls will be built to separate this area from the more informal and
wilder sections of the garden.

planting :
- various herbs grown in pots adjacent to both the kitchen door and the outdoor kitchen area
- a border of lavender planted to separate gravel area from the shady area.
- suitable shrubs and perennials planted in shady area.

Informal planting (f)

This area will be planted with drifts of large perennials and grasses. This will create an informal
area of colour and movement, needing minimal maintenance, that will link the formal areas
at rear of the barn with the wilder meadow /pond area.


Wildflower meadow with pond (g)

This area will be sown with various wildflower and grass seed to create a natural wildflower
meadow.
An informal wildlife-friendly pond will be situated towards the rear of the meadow area.
A seating platform will be built extending over the pond. The view from the platform will
look out over the meadow towards the barn. A suitable tree (willow) will be planted to create
shade.
A mixture of marginal pond plants and grasses will be planted to merge the pond into the meadow area. Various shrubs will be planted through this area to ensure winter interest.
Gaps in the existing hedgerow will be filled and new hedgerow will be planted to enclose the end
of the meadow.


Miscellaneous works

- a path will be created to link the various areas and focal points. The path will meander through the
property, at times formal, at others less so.

- the orchard will be slightly thinned out and other suitable fruit trees added.

- if feasible, the well adjacent to the farm house will be reinstated and suitable damp-loving
plants planted in the area