End of Stage 4!

Well, we have been working right 'up to the edge' of the Stage 4 schedule .... working both Saturday and Sunday. But what a great overall result! The fireplace has been finished off, with the 'big bit' being the beam  -  which we collected from the sawmill on Friday. It is a 3 metre long, oak beam - weighing about 200 kilos, so lifting it up to sit on the stone columns either side of the fireplace was quite tricky ... but here it is!

Then it has been a question of finishing off the detailing around the fireplace and beam:

And the final touches of painting have been completed, with a certain dog providing quality assurance:

The overall area is now fully ready to have the floor tiles laid in a couple of weeks time; and the next Stage, running from the start of December, will complete the fitting of the interior french door, the 'finishing woodwork' (skirting, door architraves and liners etc), the electric sockets and lighting and other 'bits and pieces'. If all this goes without a hitch  -  and it should, compared to what has been achieved to date ('touch wood' ... there's enough of it ...) - then we will have the whole development ready for Christmas, with the only major job of the wood stove installation to be completed in the early New Year. Really terrific progress and David qualifies for 'constructeur de l'année'! 

..... à bientôt ...