A New Roof for the little Cottage

The first house to be renovated is the 16th century cottage.  It sits at the back of the whole plot and has its own private entrance from the road, so it can be screened off from the rest of the buildings and be rented as a finished holiday unit.

The most important task is to renew the roof before the winter weather causes any problems to the structure, which is still dry at the moment with no hint of that damp smell usually found in older properties.  However we want to tread carefully, conserving all the features we can and re-using as much of the original materials as possible - so progress is likely to be slow.

We need to break through the roof first, to be able to strip the old clay tiles...

Opening up the attic space reveals the beautiful wooden structure inside; the original ring beam and rafters, all solid oak, joined with original wooden pegs... 

Most of the original chestnut battens are sagging now with the weight of the original clay tiles, and will have to be replaced.  All the clay tiles need to be checked, moss removed and stacked for re-use where possible, whilst the chestnut will join the growing stack of firewood to see us through the winter.

When all the tiles have been removed, we can concentrate on building the structure of the dormers, and the velux windows at the rear.  We are keeping all the new windows and doors in proportion to the original structure, an important factor when we visited the Architectural Heritage department in Perigueux as part of our planning process.

Although it is now end August and the temperatures are in the high 30s, making each day on the roof an interesting challenge, it still feels good to start the process of covering the cottage again...

By laying the battens 12 inches apart on the way up, Nick is able to walk up them still, and then fill back in, to 4 inches apart, on the way back down...

And finally the battening is complete, and the cottage is at least weatherproof if we have any summer storms - although we have not had rain for 8 weeks.

We manage to save half of the original clay tiles, and source another 4000 reclaimed tiles, so having taken a welcome break collecting the tiles in the air-conditioned car and trailer - it is time to re-lay them..

There is still time within the process to ensure we replicate the craftsmanship that was on the original building though.  The original roof had a tiled vent, common to the houses of the Perigourdine region... 

So Nick creates a new decorative ventilation structure from wood we reclaim from inside the house, using the design motif we have seen on a number of the houses in the local villages....

We also use burr oak we have found in the house, to make beautiful facades for the new dormers...

The chimney also needs rebuilding to bring it up to current building regulations, and to ensure a good draw for the woodburner we will install in the fireplace...

And finally at the end of October we finish re-laying all 8000 old clay tiles....

And as November starts, we have only the ridge tiles to finish.  Some creative adaptations to the JCB to extend its reach, allow us to lay the hip and top ridge tiles...

And literally as we lay the last two ridge tiles, the raindrops start to patter down.... the first rain in the last 12 weeks.  It is only a shower, but as we put the tools away and close up the cottage, there is an overwhelming sense of pride in having completed the first stage of the renovation, and ensuring the little cottage is snug and dry for the coming winter.