The state of her - November 2017
One day I hope the room below will be everyone's favourite room in the house.
It's small yet perfectly formed, and the fact that Nettie was once used to dry nets is the reason for the high ceilings I guess.
Internally, and according to my builder, Stéphane, Nettie is "saine" (healthy) but nevertheless in desperate need of a makeover.
She doesn't appear to have any working fireplaces, but there is evidence of provision for a flue to a woodburner on the ground floor. The internal plaster is lime and the boards appear in good shape. Fireplaces may reveal themselves once the walls are stripped back to remove the old wiring.
I'm planning to install a woodburner on this floor. Something like this model. It should be large enough to make the room super cosy in winter, yet small enough not to obstruct the space.
Furnishing such small rooms will be a challenge - I'll need to make sure that everyone can be seated in comfort, but that the room still "flows".
What I love about this room is the views of the port to the harbour and beyond. The sounds of the quayside and the smells of the sea waft up and fill the space.
The room below will be the bedroom, tucked up into the eaves.
Once the roof has been replaced and insulated, it will be very snug. A Velux window to the back will provide extra light (and sound effects when it rains) - a shower and basin will be set into the back of the room and separated from the sleeping area by a half-wall.
I'll be learning how to lime plaster and mortar in the new year, and my plan is to leave the stones exposed but regrout, applying a breathable treatment to stabilise and protect
Floors will be stripped back, sanded and painted. Area rugs will complete the look.
The room at the top of the house will be a cosy bedroom nestling under the eaves. Right now, its a mess of crumbling lime mortar and exposed roof timbers. Reckon I could hack that old cupboard though - perhaps incorporate the vintage basin on the mid-floor.
Below is the kitchen/loo. Needless to say, the loo will be relocated to the first floor.
The kitchen will be tucked into the rear wall. This is the look I'm aiming for.
While the tiles have a certain retro charm, I'm planning to take them up and install electric underfloor heating - there's little room for a heat pump. This will add approximately 13 cm to the floor level but will make the room incredibly snug.
The electricity supply to the house will need to be increased - accomplishing this will involve much form filling and several failed appointments in my experience.
A real cook's kitchen said nobody ever
The ground floor kitchen/diner will look out over the courtyard below. Once services have been installed, I'll lay "ciment lavé" here - basically concrete that has been washed to reveal the stones within.
I'm planning to build a timber frame around the front of the house to serve as a low pergola. If I can source some fishing nets to provide shade in summer, I'll drape them over. That would be grand and will allow inside/outside eating space.
I'll remove the ugly plastic fencing on the left, and replace with a softwood fence in keeping with the local style. I'll raise it up to around 1.6 metres to allow for privacy, and a planting scheme involving plots and climbers should complement the existing bed and make this a green oasis of calm.
The little shed at the end of the courtyard will be used as an utility room/bike and tool shed.
Needs work. The mouldering foliage in the middle of the bed is lily of the valley. The green stuff nearest the door is as yet unidentified. The large shrub is an Echium (viper's bugloss). These I will keep.
