How lucky am I that you are as enthusiastic about the renovation of our Paris apartment as I am. Thank you! How lucky you are that you are not covered in dust and dirt, and can watch at a distance. I am not working… just watching too, but the dust and dirt, know no bounds.
The photo above is part of the bathroom.
The Pink Arrow: Shows the black and white 1980s linoleum flooring. It looks far prettier in this photo then it does in real life. I thought about buying black and white tiles, but I already bought grey stone tiles. I cannot imagine having the workers carrying them downstairs, taking them back, and bringng up the other tiles. So the 1980s linoleum flooring is not going to happen.
The Green Arrow: When the wall tiles where taken off we found the original old plaster painting, which goes around the entire bathroom and is about about five feet high.
Even with the knick marks, from chiseling off the 1980s tiles, it was appealing. I especially liked how it looked against the black and white checked floor. Many of you asked if we were going to keep it. But given that I bought the grey stones tiles, let alone the shower tiles etc… and given how long it would take to restore the wall, making it easier to manage, we decided that some things can be changed and others cannot. Had I known what I know now it could have been done differently. Though one never knew until it was torn open.
The Red Arrow shows the PVC plastic piping, that we are using to replace the clay piping (terre cuite) that was there. The clay piping was encased in the (Yellow Arrows) 18th century stone wall and snuggled under the supporting beams. It was a delicate work to remove the old piping and replace it with new piping.
The main pipe that goes down to the basement and then the main sewer drain is in iron.
Yellow Arrow: Months ago I found the 19th century hand carved marble holy water font at a brocante that happens twice a year in Barjac (Links on my blog are high-lighted words. If you click on any of the high-lighted words it will take you to another site/page to explain, or show you more.)
The marble holy water font weighs more than me, and it looks so good! Just goes to show me it is all about packaging.
(The Red Arrow: Under the plaster walls are the eighteen century walls. Large beams in criss-cross pattern, then stone and mortar filled and attached with small boards.)
Brother Mat asked to see female construction workers.
Dear Bro Mat, You really want to see me?
(Removing rubble, the only pure plaster wall in the apartment. Came down opening the two little rooms into one large room.)
I thought we would have a chute that the workers could dump the debris into. But the sidewalk/street below is too narrow for a dumpster. I feel for these guys!
The Pink Arrow: A few weeks after I found the marble font, I found a column at Truffaut, a chain garden shop in France. It was the perfect size, shape, patina and it was solid enough to hold the marble font. Yesterday, one of the workers cut it as it was too high to use as a column for the holy water font to be transformed into a sink. And you won't believe what happened… he cut the column too short! He felt badly about it… I don't know what we will do to render the problem. It is what it is… either we use it as is: Too short, or ditch it, or find a solution. I was sad a little, but it wasn't worth getting upset over.
The walls unfortunately, will be covered with sheet rock. Gasp!
The cast iron radiators will be repainted. There are five in the apartment. We will replace the one in the bathroom. The copper piping and wiring was removed (and recycled) to make room for new copper piping and wiring.
The golden box is full of cookies from the Aux Fruits d'Eden, an Algerian bakery a block away from the apartment. Ramadan started this week. Sammy is French Algerian. Because he is Muslim he is fasting from sunrise to sunset. No food, no water, from four in the morning until ten thirty-ish in the evening for a month. I gave him a box of homemade pastries to take back to the hotel and feast on after dinner… 10:30 in the evening! We do not eat nor drink in the apartment, none of us, due to Sammy's faith. Imagine construction work, in the summer and fasting? He never complains and always smiles.
The Random Winners (please email with your address so I can send you a nail.)
Thank you for the delightful and interesting comments! You my dear readers make the blog more interesting when you leave a comment. Thank you!
1) Cindy Fazio
2) Rae.lange@maac.com
3) Linda H.
4) Tina
5) Dawn Fleming
6) Sandy Austin
7) Patti Lloyd wrote:
"A hunk that loves the Brocante? I don't suppose he cooks too?" Guess what he does! He owned a restaurant in Marseille that is how we met him twenty five years ago."
8) Wanda Decker
9) Marlis
10) Peggy Braswell
11) Michele Waits is the winner of the larger nail.
12) Will be nailed to the apartment wall as a reminder of this post and project.
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