Hopefully very shortly we’ll be sharing some of the final proposed plans and within 4 months we are hoping to have a yes or a no to them. However we have been warned that at the moment in the recession the planning authority seem to be generating work for themselves as its very quiet and people are having plans returned for further clarification, it seems even “Eurocrats” are having to justify their jobs.. That said Charlotte is very clued in and i’m feeling more relaxed about the whole thing already..

In another stroke of good fortune today while driving back from Never we drove past a house local to us that has EXACTLY the same barn door windows and dormer seatings as we have had in our plans… We were advised previously that these are not in keeping with the area and we’d have trouble, however we can now prove 100% that they are. It must have seemed strange us stopping outside a house to photograph it, but don’t worry we did knock to ask the owners about it but alas they weren’t in, we’ll be going back.

Below are a few images just to give you an idea of what we’d like our barn opening and dormer windows to look like.

Today was a good day for the renovation… Time for a Leffe to celebrate i think

This was a hard exercise to go through so when we started to look ahead to see how would two adults a few kids and a dog live in the house things became easier, we became more practical about where we wanted bedrooms, bathrooms.  From here we went down a planning route which ultimately has clashed with what is deemed as “French Enough” and not in keeping with the area.

There seems to be a fine line between wanting to move design forward as we see it and using lots of natural light to a somewhat invisible tipping point where this is not “French Enough” and is rejected out of hand.

We’ve posted the below render before, and while taking advice from the CAUE we’ve been told the house looks too “Alpine” and specifically the changing of the pitch of the roof of the side house is not acceptable.  So while this wasn’t a major shock to have scorn poured on the initial plans what did strike me was a lack of understanding as to why we would want to do things and the outbuilding is a great example.

The outbuilding as is, is not useable for anything except storing maybe cattle feed.  The roof is too low, the walls are falling down and it has zero foundations.  Taking the chance to increase the height and change the pitch to match the house seemed logical.  Changing the pitch meant that we could actually use the new roof space as a storage/dressing area in the master bedroom, while creating a utility & entrance room downstairs, which ultimately meant we could move the kitchen door so you didn’t walk directly in from the muddy drive into the kitchen.

This just isn’t going to happen.. The pitch of the roof isn’t allowed to be changed however we may be able to heighten it.  The reason we were told for the reject was “This was un-French, and when we come to sell the French wouldn’t get it”.. REALLY? Wouldn’t get the extra space and practicality it offers, but OK deep breath and think about fighing the battles that actually need fighting.

Where things start to become sticky is when plans start to suggest the internal layout of the space.  Now the CAUE may well just be being over helpful but coming from a small 1 bedroom flat in London all my life I want to create open spaces for family and friends to gather.  For this reason I found it amazing that the CAUE architect arbitrarily chopped 12ft off the lounge, move the front door and created a hall way that had no natural light.  Why would you do this? The house is dark right now and the idea of windows is to open this up not to darken it down..  Is to have space & natural light “un-French”?

While we are talking about light, gone are the skylights in the new bathroom and with the internal changes gone are the dormers windows altogether and this is where I think that looking at plans without explanation can be cold, harsh and ultimately wrong.

The below image shows a quick bastardization of the work done by the contact at the CAUE so please forgive the roughness.  The top one is his “suggested” design and our compromise is the bottom and here is my explanation as to why this should be more than OK.

Ground floor Windows
The on to the right of the front door the window isn’t actually an addition it’s actually restoration of one that was there.  Sometime ago it seems to have been blocked up and we’ve since been using it as a HiFi cupboard (see image) but unless you talked to us about this you’d just assume we were adding a window.  That said it does need another window in there, the light in the kitchen is poor and this would really help.

Bathroom Windows
Seems simple enough, for light and ventilation.

Dormer Windows
Both our neighbours have these so it is indeed in keeping with the area.  The dormers would be in two new bedrooms allowing light and views.  The dormer on the far left is actually in the 1st bedroom where we could move our children too when they are old enough to not sleep in our room so they ahve their own room but are close enough to us for anything. Again without knowing this logic I don’t get why it would just be OK to move the bedrooms to opposite ends of the house.

Ground Floor Right Door
This needs to go! The suggestion of making this into a window to me is bizarre.  The window would be at ground level and maybe it’s the Londoner in me but this is just not secure.  Take into consideration this is where you park the car and you’ll get no use or light out of it.  Closing the door and adding a window that is away from the car port and at a decent level to allow in light seems a natural way to go.

Lean to / External stairs
So this is where I can see some difference of opinion and will be the easiest area to compromise on.  The external stairs were put back on the suggested plans with the explanation of  ”this would help with heavy furniture”.. Unfortunately nothing here as lost in translation and this seems to be pure opinion as to function.

The stairs are a later addition to the house.  They are made with poured concrete and is definitely not an original feature, they are also coming away from the house and the ivy, moss and water that pour down the gap are damaging that corner of the house, so it has to go.  Also for me again I see this as a security risk having a set of stairs leading directly to what we wanted to change into a glass widows to allow more light into the top floor.  Luckily for me no permission is needed to remove the stairs and these WILL be going.

Now the compromise
The suggested rebuild of the lean-to and pitch change of the roof is not in keeping and makes the look “alpine” in design is the opinion of the man at the CAUE, now he used to work in planning so should know what will and will not go through.  So OK I’m not overly precious about this, it would have been ideal to create more space but if this is a sticking point given the other spaces we are creating then I can accept this. Unfortunately it could be easier to remove it completely than to make use of it.  Currently it’s in a state and is falling down in-fact we’ve done a few posts on removing the roof and taking down the wall.  Again it’s under the size I need to have permission to remove so if it does become a hassle then it’s going, however we feel personally it is really a part of the house we do want to keep it.. The jury is out on this at present.

Conclusion
This is anything but concluded! Design is such a personal issue and it’s hard to strike a balance between allowing design to move forward and yet keep the integrity of the area so there isn’t something that stands out like a sore thumb.  So while for instance i’ll agree that the roof pitch change may be too much, I’ll not agree that putting in windows to allow more natural light in (thus reducing the need for lighting and reducing it’s energy bill) is a step to far, there has to be a balance struck between 21st century living, technologies and environmental concerns with that of keeping an old stone building just as old cold stone building.

I guess what I’m getting at is before we pruchased it, it was sitting there rotting like it was doing. While we don’t expect to be able to be outrageous with it, it has surely got to be better restored, lived in and come compromise has to be reached to the benefit of everyone.

So it’s now time to go back with some suggested revisions so they’ll be more news on this shortly we hope.  In the mean time below is the evolution of the plans, from where we were, to what we’d hoped for to where are are now today… WOW how plans change

1. Learning – I love to learn about everything and
2. Food/ cooking. I LOVE food.

I love food more than most things and I love fresh ingredients. You probably don’t know how much of a keen  gardener and cook I am too… probably because currently we live in South-East London and we have no real garden to speak of – but that doesn’t stop me thinking about it.

Unfortunately our garden in London doesn’t get any sunlight. I think it’s north facing and therefore trying to grow anything is near impossible.  Two years ago I bought some grow bags and planted some tomatoes in them. I bought 2 different varieties (bull tomatoes and gardeners delight) to see how they’d fare with my green fingers – they didn’t work out so well.

The lack of sunlight was a problem and so my love of gardening was squashed at an early stage. Still, I haven’t let this stop me but my love of food spurs me on. To be able to have to best and freshest ingredients for my meals is such a incentive! – and I also want to know everything that goes into it.

In France we have a garden which is about 140 ft x 100ft and I have plans. I want to make our garden in the same image as the house – self-sustainable and eco friendly. I am planning to grow our own fruit (to some extent), vegetables and herbs.  Therefore I am collating as much information as I can about: organic growing; location of plants; rotation; sowing; composting; soil etc…  I want the garden to be able to provide a good amount of our food on a daily basis.

Did I tell you that my food God is Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall? I think he is living my dream. I find him inspirational and motivational. I believe that living off our Land is invaluable to the way Lee and I want to live our lives. I’m not sure I could eat all the food stuffs he does but kudos to him for going the whole hog (pun intended).  He did a couple of series (Spring & Autumn) where he goes through the life of his small holding (not so small now) with his sheep and pigs and all his fruit and veg. I remember watching him pull a carrot from the ground and washing it off under his outside tap, eating it and then exclaiming that it was a extremely tasty carrot! The pleasure on his face from eating this carrot made me want to learn everything he did about food. If you didn’t manage to catch these series you can download them on iTunes and watch them again and again.

He also has some incredible books on Fish,  Meat and others about his small holding.
I recommend them ALL.

When we were out at our house last week (April 09) I spent some time designing what the garden will look like. It then gives me plenty of time to think it all through and start planning and learning and investigating. I plan to dedicate part of our French Renovation blog to my investigations and learning and help educate not only me but our readers too. This project isn’t just about building a house, its about building a way of life that we simply can’t get here in London. It is no longer enough buying organic food from Ocado (although I do LOVE ocado) or from Abel & Cole (supporting our local suppliers) and supporting other businesses – its about supporting ourselves and eventually passing on our teachings to our children.

So first things first, this is a rough picture of what the garden is going to look like (this is a rough sketch and the dimensions are wrong).

The basic principles of the design include:

3x 2m2 raised garden beds (to start off with – this might grow as I learn more and require more space)
A chicken coup for fresh chicken (yes, that’s right – fresh chicken) and fresh organic eggs
a greenhouse for housing seedlings – and safe guarding them from our strong winds (we are on top of a hill after all)
The reason I’ve chosen raised garden beds is because ground is very very muddy and raising the beds means I can add my own soil and compost.

As for the chicken coup – every small holding has to have chickens!! We would have sheep and pigs but alas currently we don’t have enough space. We might buy a cow and get our neighbour (the cow farmer) to look after it though. Ideally I would like to buy a whole dead sheep and cut it up myself and store it in the chest freezer in the utility room (sounds so dodgy!) like MFG (My food God) does…. but that’ll come with time.

And of course no garden is complete without a greenhouse. For me this is a vital and important ingredient in any garden (unless you have an alternative way of growing your seedlings). I have fond memories of my grandfather’s greenhouse in Kent and how it was always warm and full of tiny sprouting, living things. I loved the smell of the soil and the scent of the new seedlings.

Ok so that’s the context and an insight into where I’m coming from. More shortly…

A judicial review would have tied up planning for a decade and the proposed solution was to drop the house by 1 to 2 meters (up to 6ft), remove windows and change balconies. These changes would have been catastrophic.

While the guy had planning permission and agreed heights and designs etc etc some critical aspects were not written down and when challenged by a neighbour the planning permission was revoked and that’s when the troubles started.

3 years later and the house is almost finished but the guys dream has been shattered and his desire to live his dream that he had for 20 years is destroyed.

There are two lessons here which both I believe are as important as each other.

Lesson 1 – Neighbours!

Those next door to you or those around the corner from you. You have to take into account neighbours.

I’ve entitled the post “The importance of good neighbours” but it could easily be entitled :
“The importance of being a good neighbour”.

We have a set of neighbours called Sid & Liz who are amazing. They have welcomed up with open arms, they have helped us every step of the way and are a fantastic inspiration to what we’d like to achieve.  It’s not just the big things like planning advice, electricity and water connection they help us with but it’s the small things that are simply lifesaving.

With this in mind this is why you MUST MUST MUST develop or renovate with those around you in mind. We know we’ll be making some noise and sooner or later they’ll be some inconvenience and at this point you need people on your side.

Renovate or develop with those around you in mind. Work to enhance and add to where you are, after all you/we have decided this is where we want to spend the rest of our lives and those around you have the same idea so keep that in mind with everything you do.

Lesson 2 – Get everything in writing

With all property development there are rules and rules need to be followed.
When things are agreed make sure you have them in writing and stick to what has been agreed.  These rules are there for a reason mainly to protect everyone’s quality of life so stick to what has been agreed.

We are in the middle of getting plans drawn up, these plans will go through changes, edits, improvements and no doubt setbacks.  It’s to minimize these set backs that we are being meticulous about making sure these plans show the house before and after the renovation and that whatever we want to do is clearly shown on the plans what we will be submitting to the planning authorities

GRAND DESIGNS UPDATE
I found a link to the episode I was talking about above, please take time to give it a read.
Chilterns Water Mill: The Story

We’ve watched in stunned silence at the way some people have run their renovations, with all the good will in the world and enthusiasm failing to plan has cost people £1000’s or even worse their dream houses.

Project management can be done in many ways of course and using many programs however when it comes to a being Mac user your options initially seem limited. I’m used to using Microsoft Project, it’s extremely powerful, very easy to pickup and of course bloody expensive.

None of that helps me in the Mac user world, and I was starting to worry about not having a Mac version of MS Project.

Let me introduce you to Merlin 2.0
Merlin was super easy for me to get my head around. If Microsoft were to make MS Project for the Mac then surely this would be the outcome of that venture.

The ability to easily input tasks, assign dates to them with critical start and end points and well as very easy task linking ( so you know that item C cannot start until B is complete ) gives you a very clear and quick overview of your critical items on these paths.

Gant charts are a very clean and important way to show you what is happening when and what the impact will be if something clips. The ability to put in critical “End By” dates helps you keep track of your timescales.

A few things I found easier to do in Merlin than in the other packages was assign HOURS to tasks rather than full says or a % of a day. For instance I know the screed in the bathroom should take 3 hours to set and to be able to add “3 Hours” in the time window rather than say 65% of a working day ( normally 8 hours ) was nice. I want to get on with planning – since I’m not Charlie Epps.

Other things that I’m used to that seem overly complex in the other apps I tried was assigning costs to a resource. If I have a plasterer coming in at €150 a day I can put that in the planner again his time and get a report of the estimated or the project maximum costs. Very nice.

Below is a sample snapshot of the Gant chart function that they all do and to be honest this is what I find the most useful function in all these programs.

Fill the items out, see the plan and then print if off in A1/2 or 3 and have it on the wall. This not only focuses me but it also keeps my contractors’ minds on how much time they have set for the work.

Alternatives
By no means is Merlin the only package out there, in fact on the Mac you seems very spoilt for choice and it comes down to personal preference. Merlin is certainly not the cheapest software at $225 out there but I felt it was by far the best of the bunch and while Omniplan was cheaper at $140 but it’s a boxed product that you can’t buy online so as a European user I’m crippled. It appears that I was wrong and have since found a webstore for Omniplan. You can get it HERE

There are also a lot of online programs and my favourite would be Basecamp from the guys at 37Signals, but the total online nature of the program limited the choice since we need to be able to use it offline in the house. If only it used GoogleGears to do some sort of offline mode then we’d switch in a heart beat.

Sharing Plans
As with most of the things we are going to try and do on this renovation we’ll be sharing items with you. We are in the process of creating the relevant plans for the small “tarting up” renovation for March & Aprils and we’ll post those plans online for you to download and examine for yourself.

Links
You can get a trial copy of Merlin HERE