Work begins to replace my roof Monday. I’m not sure if I’m excited about it or not because the new boiler system hasn’t been put in place and that was, I thought, the first step given that the chimney can’t be closed off until it is. I stated that to the roofing contractor long ago so it is now up to him to get the boiler man here and get it done.
If you’ve read Peter Mayle’s books (his most famous was “A Year in Provence”) you will remember that his biggest complaint was getting contractors to do work. The work ethic here is different. People don’t live to work. They work to live. It’s not a bad philosophy, but they do things in their own time and it can be very frustrating.
I’ve been waiting for seven months to get a decision and a quote on the boiler system. It took over a year to get a quote for the deck replacement, and even then one contractor never got back to me. (None of the three boiler men have yet!) And it took four months to get the roof quote. And even then he forgot to get it to me.
I’ll be glad when it is all over.
So posted here is the notice distributed to everyone on my street today that the street will be closed and parking prohibited next week while they get it done. The wheels are in motion and I will just have to hope it all comes together.
UPDATE MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020: The contractor showed up with his crew bright and early at 8 AM and they are mad at work removing the tiles and tearing down the leaking chimney. And there is some good news. The first is that my friends Bernard and Gayle came by yesterday to take a look at the existing fireplace to come up with a plan to implement storage space. That sent me to Ikea and LeRoy Merlin (the French equivalent of Home Depot) in Toulouse to pick out storage units that he (Bernard) will build in. I am so grateful! They are on order and I can pick them up in two weeks.
The second piece of good news is that the contractor took charge and got a well-reputed local heating specialist to come over this morning and take a look at the boiler system. He agreed it needs to be replaced as it is a fire hazard and will come to do it the end of the month. Fingers crossed but things are definitely moving forward in a good way. Amen!
I love watching renovations. I hope you post pictures as things progress.
Thanks, Kate! My next post will feature the work done last week on the roof, chimney and fireplace. I will update as we move along as there are a few more projects to go….