A TINY
​HOUSE IN NORMANDY
  • Home
  • About
  • History of Lonlay l'Abbaye
  • Blog
  • Wonderful things to do near Lonlay l'Abbaye
  • Before and After Pictures
  • Village Life -Contact/Subscribe

a tiny house in normandy blog

A Plan for Parquet

2/21/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
Les Raboteurs de Parquet (The Floor Scrapers) by Caillebotte
Hardwood flooring is known as "parquet" in French. Our family is quite partial to hardwood flooring, as it is nice to walk on, easy to keep clean, and makes a room feel warm and authentic. We would like to have flooring similar in color to the stripped floor in Caillebotte's painting above. Looks like oak to me. Art historians believe that this was actually the floor of Caillebotte's own studio in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.

You may remember from an earlier post that we were trying to find a solution for the structure of the underfloor on the entry level (rez-de-chaussée) of our tiny house. Ideally, the solution would be one that would allow us to have wood floors on top. Wood does need to be protected from humidity though.

Many conservationists who restore old houses caution against the use of materials that block humidity all across the ground level, due to the danger of forcing damp out to the thick stone walls where it can cause damage by freezing or encouraging mold. While these conservationists seem very certain about what materials you should not use while laying an underfloor, they are less helpful about telling you what works. Ultimately, it seemed that unless one had the room to lay a complex series of underpinnings, one's only solution would be a lime-based underfloor that could only take tile on top.

As I had my heart set on wood flooring, our builder Jim has come up with a solution for a suspended wooden floor similar to the original we had to replace. Rather than fill in the "vide sanitaire" or ventilated space under the floor, we will retain that original structure. Jim and Nicola will use some modern building materials to support and insulate the floor while still letting the stone walls "breathe."

​As I understand it, they will be laying concrete pontoons that will support the layers of underfloor, insulation and wood. There will be ample ventilation through and around the concrete pontoons, and an air gap between the concrete and the stone walls, so as not to trap moisture underneath, but allow it to evaporate up into the house and dissipate.
Picture
This is how Nicola described the steps to me in Jim's diagram:

​"Schema
 
 1  15 cm gap from internal walls all the way round perimeter at dirt ground floor level
 
 2  Concrete pontoons / joists   20cm wide 30 cm depth made by wooden shuttering & pouring in concrete, each pontoon will have  minimum 2 airvents made by  5cm aeration  PVC tubes & be reinforced with metal at each corner
 
 3 Damp proof membrane laid on top only of the concrete
 
 4 Wooden joists  leaving 3 cm gap between interior walls & joists
 
 5 On top of Joists lay contiboard
 
 6 Chevrons laid at a distance of 40 cm
 
 7 Insulation filled in between the 40 cm gaps then floorboards laid on top
 
 8 Metal rail & plasterboard with insulation filled in between rail section, not touching the internal or external walls allowing airgap, built on the floorboards
 
AIR VENTS to be kept open from outside"
Picture
And my next question will be: "Is there a way to make these air vents more attractive without blocking them?" 
4 Comments

OLD WINDOWS VS. NEW WINDOWS

2/15/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
One of the toughest decisions to make when renovating is whether or not to replace original windows. In the picture above, our house is on the right. We are not sure how old our windows are, but they are probably from before WW II. Our next door neighbor's home appears to have new windows, probably double-glazed from the way the sun is reflecting on them. A number of the other houses around our square seem to have replacement windows as well.

There are several benefits to new windows, principally that they will better insulate a home, keeping out drafts and keeping in heat, so energy bills may be reduced. Double paned windows will also keep out street noise. This can be a major benefit in a city with lots of traffic or noisy tourists like Paris, but noise reduction hardly seems necessary in a peaceful village like Lonlay l'Abbaye.

In any event, Joseph and I like to look out at street life wherever we find ourselves. Hearing a town or city waking up around you motivates you to pour that coffee and get going. When you see people bustling about, you can tell how cold it is outside, whether or not you need a jacket, whether or not it seems to be a holiday of some sort, and what kind of deliveries are being made fresh to the nearby shops. And there is the endless charm of seeing and hearing parents and children together, funny dogs with their owners, or couples in love, both young and old.

​This sense of joy and connection to others who are joined with you in the daily life of a town, this gentle chaos of variety, is what Impressionists like Renoir and Pisarro captured so well in 19th century Paris:

​
Picture
Picture
​So, I like windows, and I like that connection to the outside. I especially love old French windows with that quaint knob that pulls the metal bar from the frame and allows you to open the windows wide. Could you imagine these paintings being made without large French windows to let in the light?

Romanticizing old style windows is one thing, you might say. Do you want to have drafts and spend extra money wasting heat? Well, no. The fact is, however, that only about 15% of heat loss is through windows. Less if they are fairly well caulked and fitted. Much more is lost through a non-insulated roof or floor, and I'm sure our builders will remedy that. 
Picture
Older windows are often made of hardwood like chestnut that is just not available anymore. Properly treated and cared for, they will last a very long time. And they have character. Something you just can't say about the new windows.

Many new windows are made of PVC plastic. They may be energy efficient in holding in heat, but they are not "green." Preserving existing windows is more environmentally friendly, especially when you consider that most PVC windows will have to be replaced every 25 years or so. Unlike the old wooden windows, they cannot be repaired.

Yes, new windows will function perfectly and can be airtight. But do old buildings really want to be airtight? From what I have read, the answer is no. They were designed to pull in fresh air from outside, circulate it and feed the fire burning for cooking and warmth. So if there are some little drafts around the closures, that's ok with me.
Picture
Of course, sometimes an old door or window is just too far gone. This door to our side street is in very poor condition, especially at the bottom where water damage has caused decay. We are going to see if perhaps the bottom of the door can be replaced, because we love the light that comes in from the wide glass panels. The door really functions as a window as well, as does the kitchen door below that opens onto the square.
Picture
In the end, it's not really just about the windows. It's about history too. There is something immensely touching about the thought that a time traveling soldier from World War II would still recognize the square he liberated in 1944, and that we can look out through the same windows as those who celebrated that moment, and all the moments in the life of this very special village.
Picture
Picture
Thanks to website http://www.worldwar2-photofinder.com/city/basse-normandy/listing/lonlay-labbaye-place-jules-levee/ for their classic photo.
1 Comment

WWII and KITCHENETTE

2/7/2016

3 Comments

 
Picture
Above is a detail of a photo taken of Lonlay l'Abbaye just after WW II. The big arrow is pointing at our house on the square. So we know the basic structure survived the war. But after our full demolition, our builder Jim was laughing yesterday that the inside looks as if it was hit by a bomb! (See Demolition pictures on the Before and After section of this website).

 Well, after probably more than a hundred years, no doubt it needs a refresh inside in 2016. (You can see the bigger postwar photo of the whole village on the History of Lonlay L'Abbaye page of this website).

Jim has created a new plan for the main floor of the house that sounds very promising. Instead of many layers of stone and screed, building up a solid floor, we will be going back to something more akin to a suspended wooden floor over airspace, which is how we found the floor originally. Only this time, it will be insulated as well. More on that later, but in the meanwhile, I've been diverting myself by thinking about the kitchen.

Picture
So here is our "bombed out" kitchen, suitably displayed in black & white. It's a small room, and still will be, even if we build the new living room wall a bit further out. Maybe 8 square meters. I'd like to have white cabinets, with our basic appliances beneath, and room near the front door for at least a small table. I'm not much of a cook, but we need to be able to prepare some decent meals here, especially on all those holidays when the surrounding restaurants will be closed.

Because the kitchen is so small, I was thinking it might be suitably fitted out like the "kitchenettes" or "coin cuisines" (corner kitchens) of tiny Paris apartments. We have seen some ingenious combinations that allow for most of the essentials in a very small space. In fact, some are entirely self-contained, with connections to the electrics and plumbing. 

One company that makes very enticing self-contained "kitchenettes" is the Culshaw Company in Lancashire, UK. As these are custom-made, they are rather expensive, but very handsome. They come with a built-in sink, stovetop and mini fridge. I'm tempted, but will need to have a bit more space than that provided by the "Fearnley Petite Kitchenette." Love the functionality, however, and the look. This is definitely the style of kitchen we would like, only with lighter marble and a stove for roasting. http://www.culshaw.co/kitchenettes.html
Picture
Would love to hear your suggestions for our (eventual) tiny kitchen. Thanks!
3 Comments

    ellen a.

    Rêveuse

    Archives

    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2020
    November 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    July 2018
    May 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly