Works

We undertook the restoration of the stone walls in the dining room downstairs. This involved removing the outer plaster walls, using a jackhammer to bring out the original stones beneath, then doing the same to the ceiling's wooden beams (oak and poplar), then using a powerful electric sander to polish them.

The artisans responsible for the work were: Emmanuel "Manu" Montoro, mason extraordinaire and jackhammer artist; Arnaud Molini, electrician and local rugby champion; (& partner-in-electricity Stephane Montoro, Manu's cousin).

Same Wall opposite direction, a floor-to-ceiling vaulted niche was placed where a cupboard stood. (Note electric cable to be hidden between stones for future spotlights). Manu built the arching vault. Shelves were installed by local artisan Charlie; the wood was eventually tinted to match the beams.

After the restauration of the dining room walls had begun, the kitchen, however, was still closet-sized. The walls to the right and left of the door (you can still see the door frame standing) have been knocked down; now Manu needs to find a way to support the wall above, as well as the large beam to the right that now rests on nothing. Manu is putting the temporary supports in place; you can see that the plaster ceiling has been removed, restoring the beams beneath; the space to the right (with the hole at the end) is where the sink and appliances will go. Success: the door frame is gone. New beams (made of ancient oak) now stand on the left side of the opening and on top (lintel); to the right, two new diagonal supports have been erected. A counter (also made of ancient oak) links the two diagonal beams; the open space at the bottom will be filled-in with stones and masonry to match the wall. Stone steps were built to access the now-opened up kitchen space.

After much delay, work finally begins on Mom's house. She will move to the ground floor apartment, which is being completely renovated; we're also having the roof partially redone, and demolisahing the former attic to turn it into a spacious 3rd floor apartment with mezzanine.

The Artesans of Chalabre (Gabriel Chevalley, Christian Drouin, Emmanuel Montoro, Stephane Montoro and Michael Padet) are on the job. After all the work was completed, Mom was at last able to move into her own place in August 2008...