More demolition and more discussion...

It has been too hot to do any blockwork, up to 40 degrees in the shade. The blocks are actually too hot to hold!  So they have got on with knocking through into the house. We were astounded that they could wield sledgehammers when we were sheltering in the shade. The hole they are making joins the dining are to the kitchen. The big piece of shuttering is the pillar that will hold the corner of the new roof. On the right is the circular cardboard shuttering for another circular pillar. This will support the other corner of the roof.

We were there for the site meeting. The windows people, the roofer and the "zinguier" who does all the zinc hips and channels joined us and the architects to look at how progress should be made from now on. As suspected, with August shutdown looming the roofer will not start till September.

 The nearest on the left is the zinguier. On the near right is the roofer. The four behind are the architect, one of the window people, the builder and the other from the window company. The demolished wall behind the roofer is from the kitchen into the dining area. The same hole as in the top picture, from the other side.

OK, so I've been away for a bit...

Actually we have been in Northern Spain, near Bilbao celebrating Maureen's X0th birthday. (X is thefirst number you can divide by 1, 2, and 3).
Whilst we were away they got on  a bit.

It's all getting a bit difficult to explain now but the window on the first floor above the window on the ground floor will be the window to my den, with a glass door out onto the bedroom balcony. The next one is actually taken from the bedroom balcony looking through the bedroom window.

The far end will be the window into the dining area and the gap on the left just past the scaffolding will be the the french doors from the kitchen/dining room onto the barbecue balcony.
We have a site meeting Tuesday to see what can be done before the end of July. Why then? 'Cos France closes for August. Hey-ho.

They don't hang about!

Today they started on the walls of the first floor, and got on very well. We were originally going to build in terracotta blocks but the price was too high. The objective is to have a house with the minimum energy consumption so any green objectives in the build had to be balanced against our age. Currently, for instance, the cost of photovoltaic cells are unlikely to ever be recouped by someone of our age, but solar heating is.  Anyway, the picture below shows where our bedroom extension will be along with the french doors onto the balcony.
 As you can see it is a glorious day, although the thought of doing block work when it is over 32 degrees in the shade (and there's no shade there) doesn't appeal.
The second picture is from downstairs. The kitchen is being extended towards the road as well as into the extension. For the former part to be done they need to put a reinforcing beam under what will be the new wall. The cutting out for that was done today too.

A lot of tidying up.

They've done a lot of clearing today. The windows that were on the ground floor of the house have been filled in. Bren and I went over to go on the new first floor. The picture shows her standing in what will be the dining area of the kitchen/dining room. The weather is all a bit grey. That's how it is today, really steamy. A good thunderstorm would clear it well. See you Monday.

I've just realised it's only 2 months...

...since they really started. It barely seems possible that all this has been done in eight weeks. There is a bit of a lull at the moment whilst the first floor screed thoroughly dries. Not as big a lull as there will be in August when all work will stop for the summer holiday.  The problem is what stage we will be at by then. Tradesmen will not want to start something that doesn't have a natural break. For instance, the roofing people won't want to be half-way through come the big shut-down. Hey-ho.

The next stage..

Or, as they would say in France, the first stage. "La première étage" is the first floor. The ground floor is the rez de chaussée - roadway level, if you like.
Not a fascinating photo today, more a record of events. The screed for the first floor was laid. The balcony outside what will be the kitchen/dining room is lower because it is over the bathroom downstairs and needs an insulation layer. As Bren took the photo it was in RAW format. The conversion program I have is legit but not registered, it therefore leaves a watermark. I'll get Bren to convert in future.

Only a day later...

Just as they are getting into top gear, everything stops. For those of you who are interested, today is Pentecost, so tomorrow is a Bank Holiday. Having got over the three bank holidays in May, off we go again.

Anyway they have blocked out all the first floor bar a few cuts that they will do Tuesday and then the first floor concrete screed will go down Wednesday. The picture above is of me at the front door of the apartment. The nearest window is into the bathroom. The photo below is taken from the bedroom alongside the bathroom looking over towards the kitchen area.

The last photo is only for those of strong constitution. Taken from the kitchen area it looks towards the bathroom corner where someone appears to be taking a shower.

And two weeks later...

The ground floor is walled out and the first floor balcony is supported prior to the reinforced concrete going down. The black pipes are steel pillars with concrete inside and their steel reinforcements linked to the ground floor and the balcony. The following two pictures were taken at 14.00 and 17.00. The first floor concrete beams are in ready fro the blocks tomorrow. No hanging about here!