Thursday 4 August 2011

The Séchoir.

Early work on our newly acquired tobacco barn involves nailing down errant exterior boards, removing bits and bobs of wood, and generally tidying up. It's amazing how long it takes just to remove all the wires that were used for the suspending of the tobacco.

And the dress code for this type of work? You need a silly hat with a serviette tucked into the back of it, something with Felix the Cat on it, and of course a pair of half-mast trousers.... It's hot out there!

Some day soon we'll have to start the tedious process of applying for planning permission. Here are Wills and Kellogg trying to decide exactly where the bathroom will go.

Most of the interior design has already been dictated by the building's own 'morphology', but the rest will become a loft-style, open-space, dance-floor, chill-out, I HAVE made my bed, no I'm NOT going shopping, super-chic, barn-conversion (hopefully).

Since taking these two pix, Kellogg has treated most of the wood on the top picture facade with a dark stain, and the horrible metal pole above the opening has been removed (with great difficulty). So, things advance. Maybe only as slowly as a wet week in Barnsley, but they do advance.
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23 comments:

  1. Is this going to be partly guest accommodation? The timber looks great.

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  2. Hello:
    What a fantastic project and really exciting too. Is it, we wonder, difficult in France to obtain planning permission to convert barns, such as yours, to residential use? It is, apparently, less easy than it was in the UK.

    And is this to be a long term project, or something which, when permission is obtained, will be done as quickly as possible?

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  3. H. The process is quite long and typically bureaucratic. Long term project I think, we are converting just half the building and keeping the other half as barn.

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  4. SH. The idea at the moment is for Wills and Kellogg to make a summer apartment, with general large-space party accommodation below

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  5. Gosh it looks great old and loved and worn,I am glad you are no going super chic lol

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  6. Looks great. I would love to convert an old barn here, but I think I've missed the bandwagon.

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  7. John's probably got an old coop for you to renovate Tom. Probably get a couple of hundred grand for it in London.

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  8. That's the price of a garage!

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  9. What a fantastic space Cro...and yes, organic not super chic..far better!

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  10. Was that long pole what the door slid on?

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  11. Exactly that MBJ. It no longer served its purpose, and had to go!

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  12. i would KILL for that barn
    without a second thought

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  14. Made a typo on my previous comment - sorry! I love that wooden building - all the best with your project Cro!

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  15. what a great project! but if you are banking on a Barnsley week...it will definitely take for EVER...

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  16. What a wonderful project to capture the imagination. My hubby's into restoring old vehicles, so he'd love to have that kind of space.

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  17. I would kill John for that barn without a second thought.

    Then I would take 1/3 of it for our new tiny house, 1/6 for my soap making shop, 1/6 fr a writing studio and 1/3 for all our critters.

    New homestead. Done.

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  18. Looks like a lot of hard work, but you can already see it shaping up very nicely. Another big project you've taken on!

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  19. To me it looks like an intimidating project... But it will be worth the effort. Hope you can keep some of its character and woodwork visible. For when do you think I can plan my visit to Dordogne? I'd love to see all the abris and caves again after listening to the last part of the Jean Auel books *lol*

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  20. yeah and Wills did nothing he Didn't bother to remove the interior shed, clean everything, remove all the wires, treat all the wood with termite killer, fix most of the damaged boards outside, paint them and put together an architectural plan, plumb in the water, dig a trench for the water pip. No but he does have a silly hat!

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