Friday, May 26, 2017

Keeping You In The Loo

The Toilets in Cottage - A History - Part 2


Cottage has a very simple floor plan: a kitchen/dining room and a living-room downstairs, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a loo upstairs.

Cottage est une petite maison toute simple: une cuisine/salle à manger et un salon en bas et deux chambres, une salle de bain et des toilettes à l'étage.

But the upstairs used to be only an attic for cereal storage and it has been slowly transformed into a liveable space. As rooms were added one after an other, it created quite a complicated mess as you can see on the floor plan I tried to draw for you. Don't think I didn't know how to use the website by seeing the crazy floors... I was trying to show you what the reality of Cottage was when I found him. The black squares indicate where the roof windows where.

Mais l'étage n'était au départ qu'un grenier à céréales et il a été transformé petit à petit en espace habitable. Les pièces ont été ajoutées les unes après les autres, ce qui a créé un bazar un peu compliqué comme vous pouvez le voir sur le plan que j'ai essayé de dessiner pour vous. Les différentes couleurs au sol essaient de reproduire les différents sols qu'il y avait quand j'ai acheté Cottage. Les rectangles noirs indiquent où étaient situées les fenêtres de toit.



Above is the project I had in order to truly separate the toilets from my bedroom. Since all the rooms are linked together, it also reveals a few other things... But I'm also keeping some projects secret!

Ci-dessus un petit aperçu des projets que j'avais pour l'étage, dans le but entre autres de clairement séparer les toilettes de la chambre.


I'm not an architect and when I redesigned the upstairs, I was terrified most of all by the tiny room that is the loo. I was worried that after the roof had been insulated, we wouldn't have enough height to stand up or that the room wouldn't be deep enough to open the door fully...


Je ne suis pas architecte et la pièce qui me faisait faire le plus de souci était la plus petite, les toilettes. Je me demandais si, une fois l'isolation rajoutée sous le toit, on pourrait se lever sans s'assommer... si on pourrait ouvrir la porte en plein ou si la profondeur de la pièce serait insuffisante...


 I shouldn't have worried that much as the door opens perfectly and so far no one has been knocked out by bumping his head on the slanted roof... In case you're wondering, the loo is behind the wooden door, not the glass one!


Je n'aurais pas dû tant m'inquiéter. La porte ouvre parfaitement et passe au millimètre sous le plafond en pente à cause duquel personne jusqu'à présent ne s'est assommé...


On the above picture, please admire two of my genius idea : first, using cheap pine wood for the floor to hide the phonic insulation that was added on the loo floor... since the loo happen to be right above the kitchen... Then, keeping the heating pipe in front of the drywall rather than behind it as is usual in order to have some warmth in the room in winter!

Dans la photo ci-dessus, vous pouvez admirer deux de mes idées de génie... D'abord, j'ai utilisé du plancher en pin pas cher pour le sol, ce qui cache une bonne couche d'isolation phonique car les toilettes sont juste au dessus de la cuisine... Ensuite, j'ai exigé que les tuyaux de chauffage, habituellement cachés derrière le placo, soient laissés apparents afin qu'ils aident à tempérer la pièce l'hiver.


After the huge turmoil that had been the upstairs insulation, I decided to take break for one year. The only thing that I did  was buying a Venetian blind for the window and managing to attach it to said window.




Après l'énorme chaos qu'avait été l'isolation de l'étage, j'ai fait une pause dans la rénovation de la maison pendant un an. La seule petite chose que j'ai réalisée pendant ce temps a été d'acheter et de fixer un store vénitien pour la fenêtre.


Now I was very disappointed when I got those blinds. I had ordered them white (it's the Little WHITE house after all) and if the blind itself is white, the rails and handle are very GREY. This plus the yellow pine the window is made of didn't really make my heart sing. But then it's only the loo, I could live with it, right?


Je dois avouer que j'ai été très déçue lorsque j'ai reçu ma commande. J'avais choisi un store blanc et si les lamelles sont bien blanches, les rails et la poignée sont GRIS. Ce gris contre le pin bien verni de la fenêtre ne me plaisait vraiment pas... Mais, bon, ce ne sont que les toilettes, j'allais bien supporter ce clash dans ma déco, non ?


That was until one day, I came back home one Wednesday afternoon totally pissed after a colleague that had made me really mad... First thing I did, of course, was pet the cats, feed them and then I went to the loo and suddenly I couldn't stand that yellow pine and grey metal... The paint can went out of the shed were they had been hiding for a year!


J'ai effectivement supporté ça jusqu'à un fameux mercredi où un de mes collègues m'a mise hors de moi. Je suis rentrée au Cottage dans l'après-midi, furieuse. J'ai d'abord caressé et nourri les chats, je suis montée aux toilettes et là, c'en était trop, il fallait que je fasse un sort à ce pin jaune et à ce gris !!! J'ai ressorti les pots de peinture qui m'attendaient sagement dans l'atelier depuis un an.


It was only a small project that I did earlier this year. But somehow it put me back into gear. After a year of renovation break, I was happy to take care of Cottage once more. That little project gave me the energy to sand the loo walls, to prim them... and maybe to paint them... Which is a surprise for an other post!


Ce n'est qu'un petit projet que j'ai réalisé plus tôt dans l'année. Mais finalement, cela m'a remis le pied à l'étrier. J'étais contente de m'occuper à nouveau de Cottage. Ce petit travail m'a donné envie de poncer les murs des toilettes (enfin, quand je dis "envie" pour le ponçage, c'est un peu exagéré...), de les sous-coucher et peut-être même de les peindre.... ce qui est une surprise pour un autre article !


See you next time,

A la prochaine fois,

Hasta la proxima,


PS1: You'll excuse the quality of the pictures. If I'm very happy to have a window in the loo now, so much light makes for crappy pictures.

PS 1 : Désolée pour la mauvaise qualité des photos. Si je suis ravie d'avoir maintenant une fenêtre dans les toiletes, tant de lumière ne plaît pas à mon appareil photo.

PS2: You'll also excuse the fact that I'm not very present on the blog or on yours lately. But what's going on right now is: very sick cat, many fake exams to grade, surgery for said cat planned, sick uncle, many school meetings, tears shed over yound children being killed, feeling more British than ever,  crew coming for next big project at Cottage arriving next week - yes, same week as cat surgery, yeah! - more hours to do at school for fake oral exams - mom visiting her own mom and me taking care of my dad meanwhile - hours to drive to pick up the perfect piece of furniture Cottage needs... Please don't think I believe all those things are equal, I know some are more important than others: I'm just mimicking the mess my head is... Because in real life, even when big emotionnal events strike you, the small things of life still keep you busy...

PS 2 : Vous excuserez mon absence en ce moment sur ce blog et sur les vôtres. Voilà un petit aperçu de ce qui traverse mon cerveau en ce moment : un chat très malade, des copies de brevet blanc à corriger, un rendez-vous pris pour opérer le chat, des réunions à n'en plus finir au collège, une équipe d'ouvriers qui débarque dans quelques jours pour le prochain gros projet au Cottage, oui, la même semaine que l'opération du chat, une maman partie rendre visite à sa propre maman qui vieillit et nous inquiète, des heures sup qui s'accumulent pour préparer les élèves au brevet, des trajets en voiture pour dénicher LE meuble dont Cottage a besoin... Oui, je vous ai tout mis dans le désordre, non pas que je ne sache pas que certains événements sont plus importants que les autres, mais dans ma tête, en ce moment tout s'accumule car même quand des choses graves se présentent dans la vie, les petits tracas quotidiens ne s'en vont pas pour autant...

32 comments:

  1. Little daily hassles tend to add up to a very big headache. It's all looking good, so try to relax!

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  2. Dear, dear Magali,

    First of all, you solved un gros problème....a tiny LOO! It looks great and I love the concept of having a separate room for the toilet. Cottage looks marvelous.

    Like you, I am in the middle of grading some final exams and then moving on to take more assessments for my middle school kids. But in the midst of these daily routines, the heartbreak of these horrific events DOES muddle one's head. I just keep wondering WHY WHY WHY.

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  3. looks nice with the paint and the window - you are terribly busy and still blog :) so that is very nice, end of the school term is busy - soon you will have your summer break

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  4. You've made the most of a challenging situation Magali.

    What's happening in the world is beyond sad. It just doesn't make sense :(.

    xxx

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  5. I enjoy following along on your journey of transforming your Little White House. Looking forward to your next post.

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  6. Like you, when I'm stressed I do some of my best DIY! It's a good way to work it off. Love what you've done in the Loo, great to have the window, and I'm loveing the floor. I would ask for hints for the "big surprise" but you give awful hints, never easy! Can't wait. Cottage is still evolving and I've loved every minute. Yes, your plate sounds full, an old saying here, "when it rains it pours" so take things one day at a time. Summer break will be here before you know it!

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  7. petite pièce (mais pas cagibi) si lumineuse !! le parquet est tout joli... je vous souhaite le meilleur pour franchir les obstacles qui se dressent devant vous et retrouver la sérénité - monique59

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  8. You certainly have your challenges, but you always work wonders.

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  9. It's exciting to see the changes you are making to your sweet cottage! Same here, life is busy, busy, busy!! I hate that I haven't been present in blogland, and try to catch up when I can. Have a great weekend!

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  10. Bon écoute, moi tout ce qui concerne cottage me plait bien et je trouve que tu te débrouilles très bien en quelques mois, oui parce que même si cottage est plus beau maintenant, ce n'est rien comparé à ce qu'il sera lorsque tu y auras mis tes idées et je sais combien elles sont nombreuses
    Je n'ai plus qu'à te souhaiter bon courage pour les semaines à venir, je sais combien ce doit être usant et fatiguant, tu auras au moins un peu de temps à consacrer à ton petit chez toi et en faire un endroit qui t'appartient
    Courage et force sont deux mots qui s'accordent parfaitement et qui te correspondent
    @ tout bientôt

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  11. Love the window in the loo! Natural light in any room is always a big plus. There is so much going on in your life -- little by little, bit by bit thing will be accomplished. Don't forget to take care of yourself!

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    1. Thanks a lot, Rhonda... I'm trying to take care of things one at a time, but my head is so busy that yesterday I drove to the wrong school!
      Magali

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  12. It looks good! but this post made me feel tired just thinking of all the work you had to do to get to this point!!! Enjoy the weekend :)

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  13. I think that getting "pissed"is an extremely good idea to paint the loo. And for another pun, you forgot the P in keeping us in the loo. Oh eell, it amused me. You are very busy. And I always like reading, and seeing, what you are up to.best wishes for the upcoming surgery.

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    1. Thanks, Nancy. I brought the cat back home tonight and now I'm supposed to let him rest... But he doesn't want to!!!

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  14. I really like the decisions you made in the bathroom. It took a long time, but it was important to get it right! I'm sorry about your kitty, and the extra family responsibilities on top of work. Our Jack died last month. He was the senior Flame Pointe Siamese that we adopted. At least we were able to give him a couple of good years. I hope your kitty has a speedy recovery. xoxo Su

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  15. Magali, you're one busy lady, so much on your mind. Stress from work ( fake exams? ), family concerns, kitty surgery and the terrible loss of children and women in Manchester.
    I hope the project turns out well and Mr. Cottage will be even more a beautiful and serene sanctuary for you.
    Take care, Kathleen in Az

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    1. The project is going well so far, it's on hold for a while as the cat just had surgery and workers are coming for an other project tomorrow at Cottage.

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  16. So sorry about kitty - will pray that he will be okay after the surgery.

    I like what you did to Cottage's and I am sure he does too. Great paint job. Just relax, you can only do so much, take a deep breath and relax.

    So sorry about the children, so much unhappiness in this world.

    Take care my friend,

    Mary

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  17. Hopefully everything will be fine at the end.. your cat will get well soon.. I'm keeping my finger cross.. at the end all good will happen.. hugs..

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  18. Hi.....i must say..that loo has come a long way..so..how long do you suppose it'll be picking out the perfect white to paint it..i hope school is over soon..my grans are counting down the days now..they have 2 weeks to go..have fun with your dad..kiss the cat an tell him i hope he's feeling better soon..an that goes for you too.!!
    Have a nice weekend.

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  19. I just love everything you do to Cottage. Your upstairs is going to look so good. The picture of the door cut out around the toilet made me laugh! I hope your kitty is doing well. You have fake exams and apparently we have "fake" news here in the US according to our new president!

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  20. Coucou belle Dame. Tu en arriveras au bout de cette rénovation, mais ne te presse pas car il faut toujours avoir des projets à réaliser sinon...
    J'espère que Monsieur Chat ira vite mieux...tous mes vœux de prompt rétablissement.3
    Plein de bonnes choses. Bises. Babette

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  21. mi querida Magali despues de varios dias sin internet por fin ya puedo disfrutar de tenerlo y sobre todo de ver tu Blog. la ventana te quedo muy bien y me hiciste reir con esa puerta cortada,siento mucho saber de tu familiar enfermo y lo mismo de la operacion de tu gatito espero que todo salga bien. Tus projectos te sirven para despejar tu mente aunque sea por un rato y gracias por dedicar un momento para nosotros con tu Blog. Hasta la proxima...nelly

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    1. Gracias, Nelly por sus buenos deseos. El gato fue operado ayer y hoy está obviamente en el dolor ... Me quedo con él tanto como puedo ...

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  22. Hey, Magali - apologies for my neglect. Very amused to read the tale of your loo and would like to observe that I am, of course, always impressed by your genius ideas! I should add that we seem to use our attic room for surreal storage.

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  23. The skylight is exactly what the loo needed. Well done!

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  24. Bathroom renovations always have more going on than we expect. Especially if it's the only bathroom. Jo @ Let's Face the Music

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  25. So secretive! I am anxiously awaiting the grand reveal.

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  26. Everything seems to happen to at once, doesn't it? I'm just catching up on your posts, as I've had a lot going on here, too. The skylight in the loo is a great addition!

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