In my mind was a rustic yet natural finish of sandstone or terracotta.

At over 75 square metres, the cost of of the job with a tile was adding up. My basic choice began at €1500 for tiles plus glue, grout and sealant. The hand cut sandstone look I adored was €120 PER SQUARE METRE!!!!

Budget, as usual was a driver in the decision. As chief procurer of all “decorative” things, it came down to me on both look and costs.

The decision

The decision was made to try painted concrete. As usual with this house project, naivety and enthusiasm along with budget relieving ideas, I had no experience or real knowledge of how to do this so that it was both beautiful and low maintenance.

However, a quick look at Leroy Merlin’s website and learning about cost per square metre, I came up with a cost of €200-300 for all materials needed. In other words, the whole project could be completed for the price of two and a half square metres of my preferred sandstone slabs. Decision made!

The Look

I decided I wanted to try and mimic my much loved stone slabs and also add some featured elements that would look like Persian carpets. Hopefully it would not be too obvious as being only painted concrete.

However, it needed to be tested. Husband was fully on board with the idea although telling him it would be similar paint finish to a Formula One pit garage might also have helped.

Perfecting the idea – the painted concrete pantry test

Firstly, I lugged the four tins of concrete paint down into some old chicken coops we were about to demolish.  Their old concrete floors would be a great place to try out my skill. We bought these first tins at Leroy Merlin.  Here is a link to give you an idea of the colours and prices available. Leroy Merlin range of paints

The Ripolin brand is more expensive than the Luxens but seems to be a better quality.

Armed with various rollers, brushes, rags and sponges, some stencils and rolls of masking tape, I set up the laboratory of concrete painting.

My early attempts eventually had promise but the look on husband’s face showed he needed some more convincing. It may have been the way I was presenting it or the environment I had chosen among the old tangled chicken wire and overgrown brambles we had to climb through to view my test patches.

The pantry was an area that had been used to store fruit and veges over the winter by the previous owners. It also became a temporary tools storage/workshop during the massive kitchen project adjacent.

It was a very rough diamond to start with as you can see in the photos but it had a concrete floor and that was what inspired me to get on and renovate the area. Adjacent to the newly finished kitchen/dining and living area, the timing was perfect.

The Process

Obviously a tidy up was to come first.

We decided that the old freezer left behind by previous owners and move it around as needed.  It was full of our supplies and getting it out was just too hard for a husband and his mildly strong wife.

Then after a quick rendering of the walls, acid cleaning the floors to remove centuries of grease and grime, we had a blank canvas with which to work. Painted concrete tile floor – here we come.

What you need – materials

• a few tiles/stones or printouts of look you want to achieve.  (this helps you emulate the colours). I had bit of old limestone and a few cheap tiles I picked up out of a remnant bin.
• Cement acid wash/de-greaser – we used hydrochloric which we mixed to 5% with water.
• Base colour high intensity traffic concrete paint. Check tin for square metre coverage to judge quantity. Exterior paint is higher wearing but more expensive.  It would depend on the wear area you are painting.
• At least two highlight colours of concrete paint to create your tile look. Only small tins needed as you will not need as much as the base coat.
• If wanting to create more colour options but not the expense of whole tins, buy paint tint tubes – much cheaper and gives you plenty of options to mix your own contrasts.
• A tin of top coat if you wish to seal it – optional and again based upon intensity of traffic to area. The hardware stores do recommend it.
• Masking tape for “grout” areas.  Obviously the thinner the tape the more realistic the grout.  Unfortunately 14mm is the thinnest I can find here in France – I would love thinner and trying to cut the rolls down proved a disaster for us.

Tip:  If your masking tape tears as you unroll it, microwave it for 20 seconds. 

• Large roller and edge brush for the base coat.
• Sea sponges – different textures and densities produce differing patterns.
• Touch up thin brush for any grout touch ups later
• Cardboard or sturdy stencil of your tile shape
• Stencils and contrast colours for any more decorative elements such as a mat or carpet or decorative edging.
• Rags and paper towel to smudge with.
• Rubber gloves as the sponging is a messy business.

Step one: The base coat 

After all surfaces were spic and span, the first coat of Pierre (stone) coloured concrete paint was applied using a medium density roller and a smaller foam roller into the corners.  

The base colour/coat needs to dry for 24 hours.

Our concrete stains and wear shone through so we decided on two coats of the base colour.

Step Two – The masking tape to create your tiles

The laying down of the masking tape is important as it forms your tiles once painted over and a removed.

Ruling lines and measuring would have taken me ages, so I made a cardboard template of the size of “tile” I wanted. I decided on a 20cm x 40cm size.

I began my first tile at the furthest corner (as if a cut tile). This gave me a starting point to work backwards from.

Whatever your pattern, I suggest you start at the furthest end and work towards your entrance/exit area.

With a bit of contrasting coloured chalk and using my cardboard template, I laid down long diagonal strips (horizontal) directly along the edge of the template. Then I ruled lines for where each tile would finish (vertical).

Long lines of masking tape soon filled half the room and I went back to then divide each portion into its individual tiles.  You can see this in the photo below.

Laying down the painters/masking tape to form your tiles.

This photo shows the first areas of “tile” masked up and the contrasting edging I decided to do as the walls were far from straight.

I also had a play with masking up other shapes and feature areas as a rehearsal for the terrace. Photos below.

Working on the diagonal was much easier for me than trying to get straight lines across the room which would be more obvious if slightly our of alignment.

I also decided to make a light coloured border around the room to disguise the crooked old stone walls. By running this as a straight line and simply leaving the base coat exposed, it tricked the eye into seeing only straight lines.

Creating the tiles – trompe l’oeil

Now came the fun part – creating the tiles!

I decided I wanted a stone/travertine look after experimenting with terracotta tile, marble and other possible effects. My limited artistic ability and the time element involved all came together to help make this decision

After much trial and error in the old chook pen, I found using a sea sponge was the best and easiest way.

I used four different colours of concrete paint; light grey, taupe, cream and a pale yellow.  I dolloped a quantity of each colour paint on old ice-cream container lids.  Any plastic surface with a lip would do.

Then dipping the sponge in a colour, I started to dab it around. Alternating colours with each dob as I worked tile by tile around the room. I wanted to make sure that some “tiles would be darker/lighter than others to give a more natural look of “real stone” tiles. Different pressures of dabs and smudges will obviously create different texture looks.

Stand back and review your work regularly!

A good trick is to keep standing up and stepping back to see how your tiles are evolving. If too dark or too patchy simply layer on some more colour or smudge it more as you go.

REMEMBER: make sure you build up your paint up and over the masking tape or you will not get a definitive line of “grout” when you reveal your finished area.

Allow to dry 24 hours.  Then gently peel away all your masking tape to reveal your masterpiece.

Do any “grout” touch up with your base colour as needed with a fine brush.

Stencil features

I also played with stencils to create a door mat effect at the door using stronger colours of red, white, ochre and navy blue. At one stage I had thought I would do an brick style floor and played with other shapes under the soon to be installed wine racks.

At this point I learnt a lot about concrete paint and stencils. It is sticky stuff that forms a skin very quickly. The paint ruined my stencils and the concrete paint even in small quantities on my stencil sponge had a habit of bleeding. It was at this point that I knew a different method was going to be needed if I was not going to blow the budget buying the many very expensive concrete/floor stencils available.

I have compiled a large reference library of these stencils on my Pinterest page since this project and have a few ideas of where I can attack next, especially with smoother surfaces.  I have a wood floor upstairs that is crying out for some magic.  Stay tuned.  Here are some of my saved inspirations. Painted carpets Pinterest

The finished pantry

We added a nonslip top coat especially for painted concrete to the finished area. Although it said matt finish on the tin, it proved glossier than I would have liked.  However, I hardly notice this anymore.

Note the fun I had painting the old freezer with home-made blackboard paint for frozen food stock control. I always forget what’s in the freezer. This has helped enormously.

What goes in is chalked on and the family is under threat of death if they don’t wipe off what they have removed! It makes shopping a breeze and makes me feel organized – a bonus for anyone in renovation disarray.

Now for the terrace project…

So much learnt, it was time to take on the real painted concrete project that the pantry was a test for.  You can see the process and results here…Painted concrete Part 2 terrace

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Today’s excitement (and budget draw down) was the delivery of another machinery piece to our collection, a garden chipper.

France has banned bonfires. Fines of €450 for burning off your garden refuse is not something in our budget. Knowing this earlier, we would not have piled our trimmings and cuttings in huge stacks around the place for a burn this autumn.

I will mourn the loss of our annual fire ritual for some time however the new chipper will certainly replace some of the fun.

The relief of the truck driver when Husband explained he had tractor with forks to lift it off the truck was priceless.  It weights over 110 kilograms and is another example of having the right machinery to make life easier.

Our 400+ square metre home, two hectares of land and lakes/ponds all needed major attention, similarly the right tools to do the job.

Avoiding injuries

We were careful from the outset to reduce the risk of breaking ourselves. Hernias, bad knees and backs, and general “this can kill you” stuff is an everyday risk during such a project.

The scoping of said toys, I mean tools, became husbands job to define, price and procure. I however, reserved the right to name them all, as pets were not yet on the priority list.

Equipment essentials – budget recommendations from the very start

As we left our temporary home in the UAE to head to France, we did a quick shopping trip to Dragon Mart. The idea was to sort out some basic well priced décor or household items to be squeezed into our already groaning shipping container.

I looked at sensible aesthetic things that could be wedged in the almost full cartons but the reality of future and priority debates quickly became apparent.

The end result was a 0.75 ton palette truck, a very clever sack barrow and an articulated saw.

Husband was right (again) and these have proved invaluable in so many ways over the years, they even unloaded the said container when it arrived here.

We highly recommend both lifting/transport equipment from day one for any renovation, large or small, or even just to own to assist with everyday life; let alone renovation.

The sack barrow proves invaluable at the local wine annual wine sales.

Like all good multi-purpose tools, our collection has come in handy in ways we could never have imagined.

Initial budget hit – The works’ vehicle – very important!

Buying a sensible car sounds like stating the bleeding obvious. However, we have been surprised by the DIY-ers who chose glamour/image over practicality.

The vehicle must be both for transport of stuff as well as a family wagon. Above all it helps to be the right height for lifting out equipment and materials.

Furthermore it must be strong enough to tow a reasonable trailer whilst still allowing for wife to be transported in her best clothes without shedding tears.

Your main vehicle will do many miles here in France as procurement trips can take you all over the country or further. We buy all our house paint in Austria but that is another story.

Certainly make sure your partner is also comfortable, plus a navigation system to get you where you need to go without family debates.

We also chose 4×4 which was also a good decision.

Elementary you say? We were shocked to meet a DIY couple whose main car was a Fiat 500 convertible. They thought it was both economical and sensible. They can’t transport a ladder let alone a load of cement sacks or flat pack furniture. Perhaps a blessing in the city, but delivery costs in France for materials add up quickly.

The big boys “toys” budget – €50,000

Machinery rental and delivery costs, plus the inconvenience of not having it when you actually need it, will take its toll on any large renovation project and budget.

So many new friends here envy our (husband’s) foresight on machinery and tools purchasing.  After-all, you can sell your capital items when they are no longer needed.

Furthermore, the avoidance of some physical toll of tackling many tasks manually makes for a happier time of it.

It would seem that many look at the price of the house and then add their guesstimate of renovation costs without taking in equipment as a basic necessity. Many we have met regret it.

Husband set aside €50,000 for capital machinery items. Right again! The following is an overview of how he spent it and on what plus a few tips for additional items you will need.

As a part of our overall budget spend, machinery was never an afterthought. Here is a master budget and costs. DIY Reno Budgets – the basics to begin

Our capital budget machinery list

STORMY – THE TRACTOR.

Pre-ordered and arriving only days after us was our tractor. Husband undertook significant research over some months. This included machine sizes and dimensions.

He studied which size of machines require separate licensing/permits etc. and also what can squeeze into small situations such as down paths or under verandas.

Stormy’s roles as a fork lift, general garden work, mowing lawns and much more required it to be easily maneuvered.

Finally he chose a new 4WD 25hp Dong Feng with a back actor (digger thing with multiple buckets) and front loader with 4 in 1 bucket, adjustable forks and a large mower attachment for the back.

Husband also wisely had it delivered with turf tyres, which cause minimal damage to lawns and surrounding areas, especially in damp conditions.

In hindsight, we perhaps should have included a flail arm and log splitter in the deal. However,  we have managed without them. Husband has since created many labour saving elements and accessories but I will cover these in later posts.

Total cost delivered from UK to SW France €16,500. This was several thousand euros cheaper than purchasing the exact same brand and model here in France.

MAC – THE RIDE-ON MOWER.

Purchased new at Brico-Marché locally on a special offer, our 107cm wide ride-on has been marvellous, and for more than just it’s mowing.  It’s amazing how much more these things can do especially when the optional trailer is purchased.

Again Husband has designed his own accessories for the trailer and I will post pictures of these eventually.

We recommend buying both the mower and trailer from the very start if you have the need of a ride-on.  If not, look at a small motorized trailer anyway.  The mower was approximately €1,500 and the trailer accessory an additional €240 and worth every centime.

DOUG – THE DIGGER.

Although this was added to the toy box a little later, purchasing him earlier would have saved on our initial equipment hire costs.

Drainage, trenching, tree removal, stone and rock relocation, lifting, gravel and materials movement are renovation basics. He has handled most with ease.

Again, husband surprised me by purchasing quite a small model and again, he was right.  Doug manages most of the jobs whilst able to fit in tight places. With the multiple buckets also purchased this toy has fulfilled many tasks that would have required hired help and/or machinery.

A good second-hand one with low hours was searched for and collected from Toulouse. Doug is a pre-used 2.2 ton Komatsu with various buckets approx €13,000

DELORES – THE DUMPER.

Once again this “must-have” was scoped back on the size of what I had envisaged and once again, you guessed it, husband was right.

I love her and the many tasks she has helped with. Added to that the fact that I can drive her thanks to the hydro-static drive.  She lifts her skip to over 2.0 metres (it is already a metre off the ground) and tilts at any height for dumping. Second hand ex-rental purchase €6,500.

Husband has customized some palettes to make platforms and she becomes a mobile scaffold as shown in the photo above.

TRAILOR (NO NAME YET)

We initially had our sights on a larger one but that would have required significant additional paperwork and registration (a carte gris).

We decided to fore-go the tipping aspect in favour of a simplified (less expensive) version.

After five years we sometimes regret this however our trailer with an all up weight 750 kilo capacity has paid for itself in a very short time.  The French made “remorque” was purchased locally for around €1,000  on special offer and has proven sturdy and easy to use.

LIST OF OTHER KEY TOOLS TO BUDGET FROM DAY ONE

• Heavy duty electric/rock breaker.
• Basic medium quality drills (and if tools battery driven – get all that use the same batteries such as Ryobi +One). Cheap tools from Aldi or LIDL generally do not last or cope with the jobs undertaken.
• A good mobile scaffolding which is light to erect and move around. This is invaluable inside and out. Ours extends up to 3.4m with ground brace attachments and was purchased from Castorama for around €600.
• A good concrete mixer – size is important. Hot tip: bolt it to a palette and then you it can be moved with your tractor forks.  Most of our equipment is now set up this way.
• A variety of ladders – for both inside and out work and I suggest you label them that way. Risks of indoor stuff becoming covered in concrete and building muck are high. At least one ladder should extend to reach your guttering.
• A compressor for any render removal with a sandblaster if you are going to strip beams/structure or clean up stone features.
• Chainsaws -one traditional and an extendable one. Many of the extendable versions come with multi attachments such as hedge trimmer and strimmer.
• Industrial wet and dry vacuum cleaner dedicated solely for the renovation works. This ensures your internal vacuum cleaner does not migrate to the barn or workshop.
• Palettes – source some initially and then don’t throw any away as they are invaluable for storing all your materials and sorting them for storage.
• We have a variety of garden tools but I will cover these separately.

Basic stuff to add to day one purchase/arrival list

I am adding some basic stuff below that should arrive with you. The purchase costs of these can add up. Don’t ignore these basics as they are essential.

• Add a significant sum for work gloves and safety glasses. Buy good quality as cheap ones do not survive or simply hurt. We seem to need new ones every other month.

I suggest you write your name on them or they are quickly adopted by your significant other or temporary workers. 

Good leather work gloves €20 per pair.  I estimate we have spent around €1000 so far.

• Buy builders grade apparel for the job – good work boots with steel toe caps.  The right kit puts you in the right frame of mind as well as the various safety elements in them. Allow for both winter and summer sets.

It is easier to sort them come wash day and once again reduce wife’s tears.

• Husband has a hard hat that looks like a baseball cap purchased from Brico Depot.

It has saved many bruises clambering around a work site.

• Drop tarpaulins and indoor outdoor carpet pieces become invaluable. Giant poly bags and trestle tables also fulfill multiple roles. Protection of all surfaces means any space can become a work space without causing unnecessary damage.
• We have several very huge sacks with handles for the fork lifts – they can make life easy. These are available at any hardware place that sells gravel and sand by the scoop.
• A good first aid kit x 3. Have them handy around your home and site with one by the bed. Basic advice but worth the investment.  Top up a good store bought one with:
  1. burn creams, insect bite ointments, Voltarol or other muscle stress balms, tea tree or other good multi purpose antiseptics and balms.
  2. plasters of every size and configuration.
  3. Bath salts to soak away the aches such as Radox.  If you are flusher with funds and excitement than we were – add sauna to initial must-have list.
  4. Find a good pharmacist at home – they can recommend additional items to add such as heat/cold packs.

Get a tetanus injection!

Random stuff

Here are a few random budget and renovation survival tips.

No matter what size of house you buy, the cost per square metre will generally be the same. Please do not make the mistake, as so many do and buy a huge old chateaux you think you could renovate for a modest budget.

We have witnessed so many optimists run out of money and/or inspiration. It is tragic for those involved and for those having to watch it happen.

Take on a project that is a manageable size in every way – not the least being able to achieve your vision with the monies you have.

Divide your project into bite sized pieces and prioritize.

Give yourself a realistic timeline. Above all, DO have deadlines and/or target dates by project to aim for and celebrate.

Celebrate everything and often – it helps.

Our last other tip – 

Lastly, if you are buying in France, the amount you spend on your project does not mean that your much loved slaved-over home will increase in value by what you have spent and more. IT WILL NOT.

To set your renovation budget…..

Set yourself a total budget based on the price of homes around you that are already at the stage you envision yours to be. Then, deduct what you paid for the house (and costs) and the difference quite simply should be your maximum renovation budget.

That is of course unless you want to gift all expenditures over that amount to the next owners.

Above all, enjoy the actual renovation project – put on those new gloves and get on with it.

I am off to help Doug, Stormy, Delores and Husband fell some dead trees around our boundary before Floc o’clock* (apero hour).

Be inspired!

*Floc is a Gascon aperativ derived from fresh wine and white armagnac. Served in a low wide glass it is the starter drink of choice here in the Gers.  It is sweet, sticky and simply delicious. Here is a good article http://www.thesommelierchef.com/article/get-floc-out

The post Renovation Budget often ignored appeared first on Our French DIY & more.

Once the euphoria subsided and the countdown to moving began, the tough task of creating an actual budget to renovate became a priority.

We had created a final budget number we were prepared to spend on our house both on the purchase and cost of renovation and decoration at the beginning of our search.

When we viewed a house that was missing what had on our “must-have list”, we would take into account our guesstimate for adding the mandatory new life elements.

Getting an idea of what large elements cost before you begin a serious house-hunt is a must. Hopefully, the actual costs of ours below will help.

Here is another post that outlines the purchasing must-have list we used to get to this point. Tips to assist buying property in France

Consequently, we added these costs (or in some cases try to negotiate a reduction) to the sale price.  If the total of existing and building works needed was beyond our budget, we moved on.

For us, the planning and dreaming at each property viewed was half the fun.

Certainly, most of the houses viewed required an over active imagination, a thick pair of rose coloured glasses and a strong shot of courage to find their potential.  A “menu de jour” lunch beforehand also helped.

Our Project scope

“It seems a lifetime ago that we fell in love with the renovation potential of our new home here in SW France.”

It became obvious very quickly that as DIY renovation novices we were the only ones that could see or feel the true potential of our new found home.

We chose to ignore the visible flinches as people viewed it for the first time, whether onsite or via the excited emailed photos we sent to family and friends. We have learnt to control the same nervous ticks when viewing friends’ renovation dreams in their raw state.

However, from the start we stuck to our guiding budget and the maximum number we knew was not silly to spend.  In other words, we did not want to over capitalize.

Because we fell in love with our new home, we could see her inner beauty waiting to emerge.

The transformation only needed removing the weather stained grey render (crepi), relocating the unsightly external wiring and plumbing and the replacing the peeling cracked windows and exterior woodwork.

Whilst the the budget line was in place from day one the YouTube tutorials bookmarks was an ever changing mark.

Man shed heaven

The huge stone barn (man shed) was what actually clinched the purchase deal for Husband. He denies this of course.

“Man cave” envy expressed by male friends regularly confirmed my suspicions. Husband grows several centimetres when glowing green eyes view it for the first time. This continues today as the workshop upgrades and machinery collection continues to fill and improve the space.

However, for a DIY project of this scale we knew that a good sized workshop and a machinery and materials storage area were essential.

Invisible spending

Budget reality was a must at all times and had to include not only the costs as outlined below for the project parts but also the logistics of achieving it. Beautifying of our house was to come very late in the renovation process.

We knew all of this on our first visit to our house. The to-do list was significant and our “must-haves” list had many gaps to be filled.

Certainly, most of the initial projects needing attention would largely be invisible after the big bucks had been spent and before any dreams of a pool or gite/guest wing could be realized. Let alone the beautifying process.

The to-do list at purchase

Because the major works needed were detailed in the property settlement report provided by the Notaire, we had no illusions about the task/s ahead.

The comprehensive offer/purchase document is required by Law in France and must be undertaken by the vendor and provided to the buyer.

The report includes expert opinions on all the basic utilities, the energy rating, pests, lead and asbestos. Furthermore, it covers surrounding area anomalies/threats and even seismic activity.

DIY vs Contractors?

Our first step was to define our works versus those that needed professional help.

We then sorted the big jobs that needed certification or were beyond our strength or (yet to be acquired via YouTube) skill set. Then prioritized according to sensible order of works schedule.

Removing walls, pulling ceiling, floors and structure apart came first.  As did any external digging and major works to allow for septic, new mains water and sinking of power underground.

From there we could begin to install utilities and begin putting the house back together.

Top of mind was always the balance of budget savings versus importance of technical installations.

Neither of our past lives brought the necessary skill sets needed for complex building works. Nor did we yet have a grasp on the local language – something one might think is a must before taking on such a life change in a foreign country.

A warning:  do not assume that English speaking builders are better or easier to use. A lesson learnt the hard way!

The purchase contract mandates

The daunting “to-do” report in our purchase contract largely needed qualified trades-people.

French systems for electrics differ from those of our home countries and English standard systems will not be well received from the Electrics suppliers such as EDF.

Our work orders included all utilities and waste systems which did not meet any of the minimum standards and/or were dangerous. There was also lead paint, asbestos but luckily NO pests.

Apparently in France new building standards are only applied at the time of sale of a property which are then applied to the new owners. Beware!

Our costs for the big ticket utility upgrades

The amounts below are our actual costs for the mandatory works.

We had estimated these before purchasing without any real understanding of costs in France. During the house search process we grilled real estate agents and through this came up with an average based on their estimates.

In every case except heating, our cost guidelines were very close to the actual costs incurred.

We set a medium standard to each project. In other words, we were not hoping to turn our ugly duckling into a chateau nor were we looking to cut corners and re-create her to a minimum standard.

New installed utilities and waste management were specified as traditional. If we had decided on new technologies or cutting edge smart home systems, these costs would have increased significantly. As we have always based our time here on up to 15 years, costs were amortized and looked at as “our” return/savings on investment.

The numbers below reflect this decision.

Septic

(fosse septique) sand filter system  €11,500 including ground works, new venting and connections.

Electrics

Total re-wire throughout

Splitting of three phase incoming power

Installation and splitting of power distribution boards

Plus sinking of wiring to house underground and new metre box

Significantly more power and power outlets

TOTAL CIRCA €15,000.

Plumbing

Five bathrooms

Two kitchens

A laundry

Boiler room creation

Plus external watering outlets etc

TOTAL CIRCA € 20,000.

Heating

Refurbishing and moving of existing oil tank

A new Bosch blue flame oil boiler

Summer use electric hot water heater

TOTAL CIRCA €7,000. 

We did not choose solar which may have been a mistake but the costs at that time were exorbitant.

Underfloor heating (lower/ground floor level only)

We decided to refurbish the cast iron radiators on the second floor and laundry/utilities areas and add thermostats.

This budget number is almost impossible for us calculate as we had to remove all floors and excavate, add a damp course and drainage which did not exist.

However, total costs for all of these were in the vicinity of €11,000.

Ceiling Insulation

Ceilings to high thermal standards €6,000 plus VMC (moisture control system)

Contingency budget – utility phase

We were lead to believe that there were no major structural elements needing attention.

However, things such as roof or physical structure that may have evolved as we peeled the layers away were covered by a €25,000 contingency utilities budget. We also had a total number of 10% contingency across the entire project.

I am delighted to report some years on, other than a few additional beams here and there to cope with our house amendments (wall removals or floor strengthening for additional bathrooms) this stayed the case.

The new elements to complete our dream – the “must-haves”

After actual infrastructure and utilities had eaten away at our capital, it was time to draw on the budgets set aside for the additional elements.  It also meant trying to put our house back together again.

NEW WINDOWS

New high spec and finish (no painting required) double glazed PVC windows throughout. >€17,000 for 21 sets of 2m high double french panelled R57 rated.

RENDER REMOVAL

Exposing the stone facades – we initially thought we would do this ourselves but €20,000+ later we are thrilled with the professional job undertaken by skilled stone masons.

To save on costs however, we undertook much of the pre-works ourselves and laboured for the works teams.

INTERIOR STONE REVEAL (Pierre apparante)

After a quick lesson from our neighbour, we purchased pre-mixed bags of lime mortar from Gedimat at €12.50 a bag to create the exposed stone wall features on the interiors.  The hall, fireplaces and laundry were true DIY and apart from the great physical effort of removing old render and plaster and digging out the original mortar, it did not require outside help.  One bag of mortar would complete approximately 2.5 sqm.

SWIMMING POOL

Our initial budget guestimate of €45,000 included an electric cover and terracing. I am thrilled to report that our 11m x 5m concrete pool came in slightly under however some quotes received were more than double.

Beware of companies that think English speakers have bottomless renovation accounts.

GITE/ANNEX

We allowed €100,000 for the 120sqm plus 6mx10m covered terrace including landscaping of the area.  This included husband and I working side by side with the builder who and completed the annex to a shell with basic utilities in place. We completed the kitchen, two bathrooms, tiling and all decorating chores.

We undertook most of the procurement within this budget number.

Key items such as the 5m bi-fold oak doors were imported from the UK. As this was a new build but attached to the house we worked on €1000 per square metre as it shared many house resources. In the end we achieved slightly less than this to full finished specs.

For a free standing gite/guest accommodation we had in our original plan, we estimated a budget of minimum €1500+ /sqm which also included a high percentage of DIY elements and medium quality final finishes.

REAR TERRACE ADDITION TO GROUND FLOOR

15m x 5m and elevated to include carport underneath outside of cellar areas. Our budget of €20,000 was thought by many to be optimistic but we achieved it only by scoping back some of the finishes.  A post will follow showing how we saved around €5,000 with a few rolls of masking tape, a mad idea and naive enthusiasm.

WINE CELLAR

We deemed this to be a must-have to store all the wine we envisaged tasting and selecting in our area. However this is still on the to-do list as are all cellar areas which are currently used for storage and garden projects. Budget – none allocated

LAKE PONTOON and pier by the lake

Also still on the to-do list along with the tea house/gazebo I dream of. Budget €4,000

ELECTRIC FRONT GATES and stone wall entrance.

Still on the to-do list but for different reasons.  We want to make sure that all major deliveries, tree removal and general landscaping is completed before installing.  It will be done by mid 2019. Budget €5,000 including stone mason assistance.

Tools and machinery budget – husband wisdom

We quickly learnt that machinery rental on major jobs to be done quickly eats into budgets. Hence, Husband took on the scoping and eventual purchase of our own inventory. Here is Husband’s list and the costs of delivering it against an additional budget of €50,000. Renovation Budget often ignored

Our Budget (and actual costs) in review

Our new utilities including heating system and insulation, windows and exterior stone reveal approximately €70,000 which included many small to medium “fixes” along the way.

The new gite/cabana/annex circa €100,000 including furniture and fixtures whilst the pool and its landscaping came in well under the €45,000 allocated.

We had three quotes for pool and annex which differed by over €85,000!  One pool quote was over €80,000 which did not include electrics, plumbing or ground works!

Add to that €17,000 for windows, €20,000 for the new terrace and the many hundreds of materials procurement trips for general hardware, paint, furnishings and the like, we are at the end of our major budget spend.

I have not included the room specific budgets here as these are very specific to each person/team.  However here is a list of those areas we have taken on and completed:

• Turned the 90 sqm attic space into a master bedroom suite with large walk-in wardrobe, ensuite bathroom and adult relax space.
• Fitted out three bathrooms (one original plus creation of two new) in addition to those two included in the gite build price.
• Created a 90 sqm space by removal of walls to make a new open plan kitchen, huge island bench, dining and lounge space.
• New ceilings in most rooms.
• New tile floors in major ground floor areas.
• Renovated all original timber floors, beams architectural features.
• Created large pantry/larder, laundry, utility room.
• Major garden installations including revitalizing of large lake and two ponds, creation of a stream, boardwalk, potager (raised vege garden), white gravel paths and significant plant and tree purchases.
• Then comes the decoration such as curtains, lighting, furniture and the like.

However, the largest budget elements remain those outlined in more detail above.  Many of the room by room projects will be covered off separately in later pages.

In fact the original budget is spent. We now make every new “home improvement”decision based upon how it will enhance our lifestyle. That does not mean it is a sensible investment decision but one we are prepared to absorb..

We still celebrate the areas we managed significant savings and hard grunt. Thousands of euros saved by upcycling, recycling and restoring elements on site. Of course, bargain hunting and learning the where to buy had a huge impact on our overall spend.

Finally, whilst the infrastructure upgrade costs were significant, we purchased this house at a very good price.  Our end result is a habitable space over 400 square metres including the two bedroom/two bathroom guest house, a large swimming pool, landscaped grounds and fully furnished throughout.  We love it.

The final cost of this house is less than those we had viewed in a “completed” state during our house hunt. Ultimately this was the challenge we set for ourselves.

In other words, we have a achieved a house of our dreams, fulfilled a lifelong ambition to create one and all for less than those we viewed on our search with same specifications.

But …. most of all it has been fun. We hope the info above helps guide you to your dream and the satisfaction of living it.

This post assumes you are at the beginning. 

Specific project by project costs are included in other posts. Whilst the numbers outlined below are our actual ones, they are obviously specific to us.

This is our Legal disclaimer about it being appropriate to our project and as a guideline only for you

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