View from the back of the property.  At the foot of this hill is a small stream and tons of trees. This was taken just before we started the restoration of the Grange.

2000 - The Beginning

This is where our adventure began.  After purchasing the property, we started with four very old walls assured the Grange would be ready to rent in 6 months!  We knew it would be longer so we put the opening July 2001 to give us plenty of time to be ready.

May 2001 - The Floor

One year later!  The floor is poured. September 2001 we had the beginnings of a floor and ...  So much for the plans to have it ready for vacation by July 2001!

November 2001 - The new roof

The roof is done and the interior is in the works.  Within the next few weeks the windows and doors should have been installed.  According to our schedule, the interior walls, plumbing, and electrical should have been done by mid-January.  As you can see, once again we have had to reschedule the opening.

January 2002

The opening for the French doors to the patio was punched through.  As soon as the doors were in place the old overhang was to be dismantled and the new patio would go in. Gee, can you guess what happened now?

The first of the large bedroom windows is visible next to the scaffolding.  All the windows were supposed to be in by now!

We hoped that as soon as the windows were in, the interior walls would be started as well as the plumbing and electrical rough-ins.  We would have had photos of all of that if it had been done!

February 2002

The door and window opening are cut and by March they were all supposed to be in place.  Better late than never.  'It will be done next month' our typical refrain.

March 2002

The French door leading from the large bedroom out to the front patio was installed.  The main door will look similar but on a much grander scale.  It will be installed in April, we hope, as soon as they finish driving the trucks with materials through the opening!

March 2002

A few days after this picture was taken, the cement on the sides of the pool was finished.

You can see how wonderful the view is from here.

Wow, progress. 

March 2002

The mason is building the block wall which will separate the great room from the bedrooms.  You can see the old beam found on the property which has been set in place as the lintel over the hall door opening  The craftsmanship shown as they meld the old stone walls with the new masonry is extraordinary.

May 2002

Things seem to be moving along quickly now?  It is exciting to see since all this was supposed to be done in 2001.  The bedrooms are all tiled (below), the plumbing is roughed out as is the electrical. 

The boxes in the background are the floor tiles that will go in next.

May 2002

The tile is wonderful and was installed quickly in a diamond pattern with small accent tiles.

One of our treasures was a wine cellar with old wine barrels under the house (but alas, no wine).  We took the smallest one (on top in photo at far left) and cleaned and waxed it.  Now, it has become a charming end table in the great room.  With a small floor tile as a trivet, it is perfect!

The larger barrels are being used as the beginnings of the landscaping out front.

June 2002

It is hard to believe how much has been done in such a short time, relatively speaking.  There are still some major items to come including the grand fireplace, but it is now an inviting, comfortable home.  When you look back at the first photos of the floor going in, it is an amazing transformation.  To the right is the dining room and the kitchen.  To our utter amazement, the kitchen was installed in just one day!

The front of the grange still needs the portico and a walkway, not our improvised pier (we used tile pallets to make a temporary walkway).

Above is a symbol carved in a stone that is part of the dormitory wall.  After doing some research, we discovered it is from the  medieval times and was used by stone masons to ensure good luck. 

June 2002

Here are 2 of the 5 bedrooms ready for company.  See later photos for the final look of the rooms.  This has been the fun part.  Picking colors, painting, decorating, adding artwork and furniture.  Now this is why we came to France!  Shopping!

June 2002

The five bedrooms have been finished.  Each has an en suite bathroom.  Two have showers and two have tubs with showers.  The dormitory has both a tub and a shower.  Each bedroom is named after a river in this area of France.   

July 2002

The pool is finished. The tile surround should be finished later this year.  Things in France are a bit different than the U.S., they use natural salt instead of chlorine to keep the pool sanitized.  The best things about no chlorine is no eye irritation or smell.  We swam several times before we headed home and it was great.

July 2002

This is the side terrace off the great room.  The patio walls are being installed and then plants will be added.  It has magnificent views of the valley and is in the shade all afternoon.  This is a great place to sit and relax with a glass of wine before dinner.  Just steps from the kitchen, you can keep your eye on things while enjoying the outdoors.  One afternoon this summer, we were delighted to see a deer.

October 2002

In this king sized bedroom, the walls were finished in the traditional French way, hand plastered and then pigmented wax, not paint, was applied.  This method gives a richer color to the walls.

The next step is finding the right art work for each room and adding the finishing touches.

Not shown is the seating area and en suite bathroom.

November 2002

There are two seating areas in the great room.  One by the fireplace, an ideal spot for napping or reading, and one perfect catching up on international news or just chatting.

The great room also has a game table, stereo and book shelves with a wide variety of videos, tour books, French history books and just some great novels to suit most tastes. 

April 2003

One of the last things to finish up is the baseboard.  If you mix too much concrete, you have to work through the night to use it all!

The baseboards are all done and the place looks great.  Now just the pool surround and tile on the patio remain to be finished.

April 2003

We really know how to show people a good time.  Friends came to vacation and we put them to work.  Of course, we did give them time to rest whenever possible!

April 2003

September 2005

Michaelangelo she isn't but there was no scaffolding.

In the French tradition, each room is painted a different color.