The Countdown 10, 9, 8, 7....

The countdown of our apartment renovation is in its final stages. The place is coming together. Walls torn down, lead pipes removed, electricity rewired, radiator pipes changed, the bathroom completely refurbished, the floors leveled and replaced, the walls painted... 

It has been a ton of work. Mind-boggling amount of work. 

My husband is NOT a handyman, nor is this his line of work, and yet he has been a superman! Impressive, handsomely strong and has not grumbled. Super sexy I must add.

I have been the Gopher (Go For Girl). I have learned many new French words regarding hardware. Don't know if I will use them again. But I have loved go for-ing this, that and the other. I have discovered our neighborhood in a new way by being the Gopher Girl.

 

Fireworks and champagne that is how we are going to celebrate.

Regis the boss. The Man who knows how to do every thing (cooks and loves the brocante too) and is fazed by nothing, he amazes me everyday. Calm, reflective, open to new ideas, creative, hardworking and fast, real fast, scary fast.

There is nothing he cannot do.

The project has had its hiccups (lead pipes) it has had its surprises (electricity not grounded, old building with clay pipes...) had its set backs: Uneven floors and the metal security front door that wouldn't shut properly... Regis takes it in stride, calls on his Gopher Girl and gets his team cracking. 

He works with flip flops and no safety gear. Crazy scary, and nothing I can say will change his work habits.

I have learned several new slang words. It cracks him up when I utter them in the most appropriate moments. My favorite one of his is: "Un Grand Malade," which is "You're Sick!"

 

 

Tomorrow we start on the kitchen! I am so excited. The kitchen is something I can bite my teeth into. 

What I have learned in this renovation experience is that rarely does anything go smoothly, a hiccup or bump in the road often appears. I guess when you are working in an apartment building that dates back a couple hundred years, and has materials that are sometimes older than that you can expect the unexpected. 

The kitchen should go smoothly, the pipes, electricity, gas, water, etc. is completed. But who knows, maybe a cake will appear in the oven!

 

 

One of the words I have learned is, "Plinthe" which means, "baseboards". I painted 30 of them today.

If you would like to see what floor we are using click here: Arten Pecan.

Paint color for cupboard: Luxen Mammouth.

Window and door hardware: Languedoc / Nevers

More details to come.

 

 

Comments

[g]

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL....so wonderfully happy for you-I think the learning takes place in the hiccups and that is where the blood sweat tears make it your hearts joy-your heart's content-- growth- like getting to know the new space intimately-you have to know her quirks as well as her beauty....ENJOY YOUR KITCHEN -the heart of any home!

[martina]

I like that little built in cabinet with door. What room is it in? Maybe you need to serve wine from the Languedoc region to celebrate when all of the hardware is put in.

[Peg]

So exciting and the kitchen thrills me too! Can't wait to see what will happen next?

[Marilyn]

Wonderful! I know it will be spectacular!

[Lora]

I also can't wait to see the finished product!

[Carol]

Oh my, everything is coming together SO beautifully!!!

It's been such fun to watch you and the crew prevail against so many obstacles! So many memories are being stored.

Thanks,for sharing the experience with us.

[Ed in Willows]

I have really enjoyed following this project.

[LauraInSeattle]

Oh la la!! C'est magnifique! I love it so far! The flooring is fabulous..

[monika]

It's so exciting!!!

I can't wait to see the final reveal -- it will be utterly gorgeous!

I will miss your workmen, especially Régis. You will need to renovate something else, and soon :-)

[XiijnTEXAS FRANCOPHILE]

The neighborhood is going to miss the "GOPHER" when the project is complete!

[Jeannie]

Soon the "Corey fun" begins! I have enjoyed the process from afar and it looks fabulous!

[Ana]

Old buildings are full of magic and mystery, yours is even more special because you have added the next layer to its history for another Gopher to explore in a couple of hundred years. When it is complete I will come and bake you a cake. Cannot wait to see the next instalment. Ana

[Jody]

Can't wait for the full reveal! It's been so much fun following your restoration journey.

[Kiki]

Corey, LOVE the intro with that fleeting foot.... and the fireworks!!! mustn't forget the cool champagne - santé!
what a joy to share the beauty of the re-do w/o the worries, sweat and labour :) Wish our transformations had been in the capable hands of your friend Regis; we had some serious hick-ups with messy 'artisans' and paid a high price until we had the right man for evry job (makes it much, much more expensive too to have a top man for every single job instead of being able to hand over the project to ONE person who knows what he's doing). I hope you made Regis a marriage proposal!!! :))))
Love the Gopher Girl expression, feel often like that too.... how are the French calling that???? I used to say: Je suis la 'vas-y' Kiki
Nice floors in light grey, the kitchen unit colour is a bit dark for my taste but then I'm a sucker for much light anyway. With all the 'achats' you made at LM; you'll probably be able to furnish another flat at 10% off with the fidelity card. Oh my, we will all breathe a heavy breather when the whole project is finished; you are a bunch of HEROES in mho.
I can see you all sitting in the new-&-fresh smelling kitchen around the table with champagne flutes and something really, really nice to dig into.... finished the take-away pizza, the shop-bought sandwiches,the freezer-stuff from Picard (well, I don't know)!!! What a job this was :)
Much love and BRAVO to all of you including the non-handyman FH - I couldn't even think of my Hero Husband helping along. But he would play the piano while everybody is working.... lol

[jeanie]

I am quite sure your plinthe look wonderful -- and so does the apartment! Bravo -- what an accomplishment so far, and what a journey!

[Claire]

Love the paint color!

Huge work....so refreshing, a "can do" Frenchman!

[Andrea]

Thanks for sharing this adventure. I love everything you've chosen. I could feel myself turning that knob to open a cabinet to find the Nutella.

[Brenda, Walker, LA]

Not a stranger to reno's, I would say that is impressive speed! and Yes! It is super sexy when a man gets it right, isn't it? :o) I'm very happy for your Paris Apartment Adventure! God Bless!

[Rebecca from the pacific northwest]

I'm reading these backwards, so it's a classic moment to read in this one that the kitchen should be a piece of cake with no problems, having just read the following two days' posts that things went awry and you were just too tired. Hindsight is always clearer...