Am sitting here, past midnight, trying to make a list of bathroom things - taps, sinks, shower trays, loos - for four bathrooms, and a loo. this whole project is insane, really. I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't even know how much money we've spent so far, or how much more we are about to spend. Just tons and tons and tons. And tons. And then some more. And how can a shower enclosure possibly cost 1500 euros?
My first list was a silly mixture of quality stuff and the cheapest you could imagine. I mean, who cares what a shower tray looks like? I gave it to the plumber this afternoon and this afternoon he came round here to tell me that I was mad getting this cheap crap, that I would regret it and that the pleasure of saving a few sous would be quickly reversed when things started to crack and need to be replaced. So I've sat here for the last two hours ploughing my way through catalogues once again - smarter ones this time, so generally less depressing, but still fucking dull - and making lists of toilet fittings. This is definitely the downside of renovations.
But we got a great quote from a kitchen guy who's going to custom make an island on an IKEA skeleton. The rest of the kitchen is IKEA with custom worktops. It's boring to read about but surprisingly fun to think about.
Took MIL to see the house. She was quite taken aback, I think by the size mostly. She really couldn't speak. I don't really know what she thought.
About Me
- Natasha
- This is the story of a hapless English woman undertaking the renovation of a large almost entirely wrecked nineteenth century house in a suburb of Paris. Difficult to say how the story will end - tragedy or comedy? Time will tell.
5 comments:
don't skimp on infrastructure! totally agree with your dude who told you not to do so--that's the stuff that will hold everything together. every day, after workers leave, re-measure everything. go over it all with blueprints in hand, making sure everything is in the right place, as often it isn't. get the best plumbing/electrical stuff you can. the decorative things--tiles, paint, etc--isn't nearly as important as what lies underneath and all the hardware that keeps it together. interesting, MIL reduced to silence. courage, mon amie, courage!!
Well this morning she called me (a propos of the fact that I was trying to point out to her that if she bought tickets to Les Miserables from the theatre in London she would save 105 euros as against buying them from an agency in France) an imperialist. So I guess the main problem isn't really the house.
*!!*?!!*****
an imperialist? have you taken over france for england? what the hell? she's NUTS.
when will it all be done?
I'm planning a trip to paris this fall.
I seem to say that every year
i know it's pesach but the internet doesn't keep kosher for passover--where are you?
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