Drove down to the chalet this weekend with the intention of getting the electrics in the salon finished.
As I left I stopped at Bauhaus to pick up a toilet bowl as my DIY shop in France doesn't seem to want to sell me just the bowl.
I arrived on Friday evening at about 10:00 pm to a cold, cold chalet.The only warm place was the hot room, at least that works. Since I replaced the heater a couple of weeks ago (maybe I didn't blog that weekend?) The heater has been on to keep the hot room just above freezing and stop the mains water from freezing. Not sure how much work the heater had to do as its not been too cold but the hot room was hot so I was pleased it was all working.
Filled the hot water tank and switched on the radiator in the bedroom when the house is plunged into darkness. The trip has gone. Out side to switch it on after remembering to switch something off first.
Turns out that underfloor heating came on and that plus hot water hot room heater and radiator is too much! OK I turn off the hot room heater and the underfloor heating. No way do I want the electrics to cut out during the night, it will be cold enough as it is without having to go to the bottom of the drive and push the reset button in the wee small hours!
Saturday morning and I wake after a pretty good night although I am wearing a huge amount of clothes and I have a huge thick duvet. It was OK.
Unloading the car is the first thing. More paint and the toilet! I hope this fits. OK try later.
Shopping! down to Vourons and pick up some stuff, they still don't have any 6mm wire for the hob so that will have to wait. Get some food and back to the chalet.
Where are the tools? the tools have gone. Quickly realize Rob must have taken them down to his farm. Well I suppose they are actually his tools so, you know, he can actually use them, I suppose. (be nice if he put them back though ;-)
Drive down to the farm find the keys but the keys don't open the tool shed. Remember where the secret keys are kept and drive back to the chalet get the keys and drive back to the farm. Open the tool shed and find the drill and a couple of other things. Drive back to the chalet. Realize that Rob has taken all the bits for the drill and have to drive back to the farm open it all up dig about and can only find a couple of drill bits including the chisel.
Fine, after some swearing and a quick rethink I figure I can do what I need with what I have, so back to the chalet and on with the show!
Break a channel for lots of cables. After the electricians visit I know I need telephone and TV in the saloon this is the socket to supply them. The telephone and TV will come through the floor in the entrance up the wall and through into this socket. Below the entrance they will have to go through the shower room and along on the ceiling basically following the water. Not happy about exposed wiring or conduit but not much choice.
After a bit of breaking I can pull the cables through the last section of gaine and wire up the second from last plug. I put the insulation down and glue in the chipboard floor panel.
I need to put the flooring down soon so I need to deal with the floor squeaks a couple of big bolts through the floor and into the concrete should top it moving. It seems to work but there are a couple of risks,
1 - While drilling these bolts into the floor I will drill through an electric cable (not funny and not easy to fix!)
2 - If the floor is fixed down what happens if the floor expands/contracts as a "floating" floor should ?
Well putting these aside for now the bolts seem to work.
Lunch time and while waiting for my lunch to warm up I fix the wooden panel on the end of the kitchen as well as the strip which covers the transition from tile to laminate. Its horrible and does not fit very well. I will probably have to stick it down or something.
After lunch the wooden panelling behind the red sofa. cover up all that concrete. I need a light switch and a plug socket built in.
Screw batons to the wall, run a few cables, add an empty gaine for the telephone socket in the dining room. tongue and groove across the concrete all very nice.
I just need some edging to go around the edges and it will be finished.
I plan on filling a few gaps with expanding foam and then painting over it with my porridge paint. So out comes the foam and a quick spray later the few gaps are mostly filled in. Until ten minutes later when the foam filling the biggest gap expands a bit too much and pushes itself out of the gap and down the wall and all over the floor! Yeuch. It is horrible stuff. But I know enough to leave it until tomorrow when it has set before trying to clean it up as it will just make more mess while it is still sticky.
So that evening I mix up a batch of porridge and slap it on the two remaining walls in the entrance after finishing off the timber surrounds to the door and window.
The expanding foam cleaned up pretty well but there will be a lot of sanding to do to get it all off the woodwork
Sunday morning and I wake to find 2 inches of snow has fallen overnight. I hope this is not going to stop me getting home. Before I left on Friday I had grabbed to snow chains just in case but I was relieved I did not actually have to use them, by the time I left most of the snow on the drive had melted although the snow on the grass was still there. I wonder how long it will last?
I need to leave at 12 so I clear up the saloon and try to make it ready for next week end when I hope Rob and I can get the underfloor heating in and the floor laid.
