Our Project - The house
The kitchen.
When we bought the house, the living area was split into two parts that were used for living and cooking. There was a bed in the extension that also contained a rusty water heater.
We immediately knew that this extension would become our kitchen and we started working on it quickly. We empty and clean it. Also we treat the ceiling and completely replace the electric wiring. When new water drains have been installed and the water heater has been replaced and moved, we can  put plaster board on the ceiling and wooden laths on the walls. Three wall are painted blue; the fourth becomes white. We leave the original tiles on the floor.

Now we can install the kitchen furniture that we bought in Holland. French kitchens are not really our style.
The living.
As already said, the living area was separated into two parts. We remove the door and half of the wall, creating an opening of about three meters. On top of the separation wall is a heavy oak beam ("poutre") that carries the first floor. We do not hide this beam, but the other beams (the so called French ceiling) are covered with plaster board. Of course we treat all wood before covering it and replace all wiring.

Tiles are put on the floor and most walls are covered with plaster board. One wall gets laths and is painted green.

Because the water heater is now hanging in the living area, we build a cupboard around it.
Also the electricity meter gets its cabinet.

The original passage between living an bathroom is closed. In front of the living we make a new  passage to go to our (temporary) bedroom and bathroom.
Outside - windows and doors.
The outer doors are in very bad shape. We have everything replaced and choose for light: much glass. We also choose for space and have the doors opened to the outside. At the back of the house we put back a door that had been replace by a window.
When the doors and windows have been installed they can be painted. Where possible we put shutters.

Outside we put planking at the back door, in front of the house we make a porch. It is described in more details in a next chapter of  Our Project .