Stonework
After I posted the picture in the previous post, I thought I'd share some more pictures of what we unearthed when we removed the "chaux" (old stucco) from the house's exterior.
The giant stones around the doors and windows are not concrete but are actually a stone called mollasse. I haven't found a translation for mollasse but it resembles a sort of sandstone. It's a very local type of stone that has long since been mined-out in the region so there's no more to be had other than what already exists. Since we have quite a few repairs to make throughout our house, we always scout out local work sites to see if there is any that they want to give away. We have a small stock that will allow our workers to repair some broken parts on the house's exterior. It's good that we planned ahead for this.
On the upper part of the house we decided that we will show about 75 percent of the wall's stonework, including of course the mollasse around the door. The rest will be covered by cement. On the lower level of the house we'll be showing no stones, except the mollasse around the door and window frames. The old, ugly stones on the lower level will simply be cemented over. The stones on the lower level aren't very pretty so it was either a case of redoing them or covering them. We chose option two in the interest of time and money.
The stones on the very front of the house are being left as is for now, simply because we ran out of money. We'll repoint them later, maybe doing the work ourselves.
Here is this silly, squiggly brick arch above the door that we're keeping apparent. I actually thought it was pretty but everyone else (ie Seb and our little work team) hate it. Naturally I won (pouting helps tremendously) and so we're keeping it.
The verdict is still out as to if we should keep the large, stoney parts that you see jutting out showing on the sides of the door here. Its actually one whole jaggedy piece if that makes any sense. The side pieces we're not meant to be apparent and were simply cut that way originally for the ease of transport and placement. We kind of like them and want to show them. The boys working think we're crazy and they really think they should be covered. They said we should "reconsider" it and that they'll gladly do it at the end if we change our minds. Translation: "fools what are you thinking with your redneck taste!...do you know nothing about style!?" Hmm, I s'pose we don't... but we sure do know what we like!
The giant stones around the doors and windows are not concrete but are actually a stone called mollasse. I haven't found a translation for mollasse but it resembles a sort of sandstone. It's a very local type of stone that has long since been mined-out in the region so there's no more to be had other than what already exists. Since we have quite a few repairs to make throughout our house, we always scout out local work sites to see if there is any that they want to give away. We have a small stock that will allow our workers to repair some broken parts on the house's exterior. It's good that we planned ahead for this.
On the upper part of the house we decided that we will show about 75 percent of the wall's stonework, including of course the mollasse around the door. The rest will be covered by cement. On the lower level of the house we'll be showing no stones, except the mollasse around the door and window frames. The old, ugly stones on the lower level will simply be cemented over. The stones on the lower level aren't very pretty so it was either a case of redoing them or covering them. We chose option two in the interest of time and money.
The stones on the very front of the house are being left as is for now, simply because we ran out of money. We'll repoint them later, maybe doing the work ourselves.
Here is this silly, squiggly brick arch above the door that we're keeping apparent. I actually thought it was pretty but everyone else (ie Seb and our little work team) hate it. Naturally I won (pouting helps tremendously) and so we're keeping it.
The verdict is still out as to if we should keep the large, stoney parts that you see jutting out showing on the sides of the door here. Its actually one whole jaggedy piece if that makes any sense. The side pieces we're not meant to be apparent and were simply cut that way originally for the ease of transport and placement. We kind of like them and want to show them. The boys working think we're crazy and they really think they should be covered. They said we should "reconsider" it and that they'll gladly do it at the end if we change our minds. Translation: "fools what are you thinking with your redneck taste!...do you know nothing about style!?" Hmm, I s'pose we don't... but we sure do know what we like!
posted by christine at 4:38 AM
6 Comments:
I've never seen a stone house like that. Is this type of construction common in this area of France? How old is the house? Is that the front door on the second level?
Greg this is a pretty common enough medevial house design: a narrow, long building with two levels often housing two different families and allowing them to keep their animals in a stable at ground level. We still have the stable but now it just houses the old French bicycles I seem to collect!
There were originally two residences but it was long ago combined into one house. We're keeping the original exterior staircase as a tribute to the house's original architecture. So, anyway that red door you saw with the jaggedy mollasse is the entry to the second floor. Our front door is actually one level down and leads into our kitchen.
Your house is so fascinating!
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The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, sportsbook, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures. One of the most famous stonemasons is the famous artist, sculptor, and architect, Michelangelo. The awe-inspiring products of stonemasonry include the Easter Island statues, the Egyptian Pyramids, the Iranian Persepolis, the Greek Parthenon, Stonehenge, and Chartres Cathedral. http://www.enterbet.com
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