Rest and Recuperation
Firstly, I must apologise for the infrequency of my recent posting.
I’ve been away in France for a little ‘R and R’ staying in a barn conversion in Normandy (can’t stay away from the bloody things).
The place we stay at now has four barns converted for holiday accommodation. We stayed in the first conversion at the farm more or less exactly two years ago and since then three more have followed.
What I find interesting is that whilst there are many similarities in the buildings and the climate between here and South Wales and in essence the conversions are similar in design approach, the building regulations obviously differ greatly. These buildings have nothing like the (expensive) levels of roof & wall insulation or high specification windows and doors that we use. Now I don’t know if there are different standards for temporary holiday accommodation in France or other factors at play here, but anyway it makes you think…
Perhaps we have something to teach the French…? Or is that the other way around…do we over-specify?
Put another way, where should we draw the line between energy efficiency, pragmatism and cost? That line seems to be drawn differently in different countries.
If you enjoyed that post, then read these...
Building Progress ~ November 2008 on December 3rd, 2008
So apparently stoves are like hens teeth these days, demand for them has rocketed in line with spiralling fuel bills.
Corner bath? on November 25th, 2008
The bath I bought doesn't quite fit into the bathroom if it's place along the same wall as the shower.
The case for coal on November 6th, 2008
Now here's a conundrum...
First the facts:
The barn lies just outside of the South Wales Coal Field.
Our heating system will comprise of solar thermal water heating...
Items 'ordinarily' incorporated in a building on November 11th, 2008
Having spent much time pawing over VAT documentation in preparation for my VAT reclaim I discovered that the HM Revenue & Customs definition of items...
Attention to detail... October 2008 update on October 21st, 2008
You can't beat a good list - this is the current position:
In Progress
Flooring and tiling We've bought slate wall tiles for both bathrooms and will...
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