Renovation Plans

The 2nd Floor is the area that has changed the most in the renovation, mainly because it required lots of renovation to make it usable and therefore allowed most scope for creativity. Many ideas, designs and options were thrown around before the floorplan below was finally agreed upon. Many of the changes did not become apparent until quite a lot of the "de-construction" work had taken place, and the final design was only agreed upon in February 2014 when I went to France for 3 weeks to help Nico with some major design decisions. I thank Nico for his patience, flexibility and creativity in coming up with several great ideas for the 2nd Floor and for bearing with me as I searched for a design which ignited me.

The overall guiding principle for the 2nd Floor was that it should be able to function as a stand-alone lock-up apartment, for our use when we were living in the house or for anyone else who would be running the B&B when we were not there. From a re-sale point of view, it offers an on-site self-contained apartment for anyone wanting to run a B&B on the floors below. Another option could be that the entire 2nd Floor could be rented out as a self-contained apartment for any guests wanting to visit the region for an extended period.

Bedrooms 5 and 5a (now called Bedroom 6) have not changed much, except that Bedroom 6 could also function as a Living/Entertainment Room for anyone sleeping in Bedroom 5. The room adjoining Bedroom 5 will be converted into an ensuite, very similar to Ensuite 1 directly below it. The Storage Room off the Foyer was completely demolished to open up a large contiguous space with the adjoining Loft. The Toilet room was also completely demolished, and later rebuilt with slightly different wall placement. A new Kitchenette area will be built in the space previously occupied by the Storage Room and part of the Loft, with half-height walls separating it from the Loft. The old skylights in the Loft were replaced with modern energy-efficient skylights, and an existing skylight above the old storage room was replaced with a new skylight above the Kitchenette. Another skylight in the attic was moved slightly and placed above the stairwell, which had its ceiling removed to open it up to the skylight. Therefore, while the Rue Gambetta side of the 2nd Floor has no windows, as such, it is flooded with natural light from the various skylights. The roof space above the Loft and Kitchenette will be insulated with recycled-paper insulation boards, and then lined with timber panelling.

One of the major architectural changes in the design of the 2nd Floor came about when the water-damaged ceiling above the Foyer and Bedrooms was removed. Suddenly, the structural timbers in the roof became apparent. It was decided to make them a major feature of the renovated 2nd Floor. This then led onto the idea of a Mezzanine floor above Bedroom 6, looking down over the Kitchenette, and connected to the Loft by a landing and steps running up the western wall over the kitchenette cabinets. This Mezzanine would also contain a pull-out double bed for emergency sleeping space.

The old "maid's quarters" in the north-east corner of the floor will be converted into a Laundry/Shower room, for the use of any people sleeping in Bedroom 6, on the Mezzanine floor or in the Loft room.

The final feature of the 2nd Floor came into the design process when looking out of the window in the "maid's quarters" and down the Lightwell. This was a spectacular view, and was one that we wanted to somehow keep. We also needed to put a replacement roof over the Lightwell to keep the rain and pigeons out of this space once the asbestos roof over the old ground floor Laundry had been removed (partly for safety reasons). This was done by putting a glass roof over the top of the Lightwell and a triangular window in the space between the new roof and the top of the eastern wall of the Lightwell. The "maid's quarters" window was converted into a door, which led out to a glass floor in the Lightwell at about the level of the 2nd Floor - a seating space that also allowed the light from the glass roof to penetrate to the floor of the Lightwell two storeys below.

2nd FLOOR - NEW

Bedroom 5, the main bedroom on the 2nd Floor is much the same size and shape as Bedroom 1 on the 1st Floor. As such, it will be furnished in a similar style, although there will be no need for the table and chairs given that Bedroom 6 will often serve the function of a Sitting Room.

Bedroom 6 will have a convertible sofa-bed, so that it can either be a Sitting Room or another Bedroom. It will also have table and chairs and a flat-screen TV.

The Kitchenette will be a major addition to the 2nd Floor, given that this floor will essentially be a self-contained apartment. This area will contain a dining table, stove, microwave oven, fridges, sink and dishwasher. The stairs up to the Mezzanine area will go up the wall on the western side of the room, to a landing platform above the wall cabinets in the Kitchenette.

The Mezzanine area above Bedroom 6, will be a sitting/reading area, with a double-bed that slides into a recess on the back wall. Access to the attic area above Bedroom 5 (containing the VMC ventilation unit) will be from the Mezzanine area. The Mezzanine will have a birds-eye view over the Kitchenette and the Loft beyond.

The Loft area will be a flexible space with large open areas for chairs, sofas, tables etc. It could also be used for activities such as table tennis, a music room or an art class room. Temporary bedding could be set up to accommodate occasional guests. Extensive shelving and cupboards will line the wall of the low-headroom area on the Rue Gambetta frontage. The substantial timber beams will provide an architectural feature, supplemented by new large-dimension timber posts on the corners of the kitchenette half-walls.

The architectural statement made by the old (and new) timber beams will best be appreciated from the western end of the Loft area, looking up over the Kitchenette half-walls. The triangle formed by the timber beams will be complemented by a triangular window above the entry door looking into the stairwell and up to the stairwell skylight.

The entry door from the stairwell will be converted from the existing double-doors to a wide lockable single door opening outward into the stairwell (because of the limited space in the transverse corridor immediately inside the doorway).  Above the entry door, the triangular window will be visible from the stairwell, offering hints of the structural timbers inside the room.

At the eastern end of the Loft area, a door leads into the current "maid's quarters" room. The northern side of this area will be walled off into a separated shower room (for guests sleeping in Bedroom 6, in the Loft area or in the Mezzanine area), together with Laundry facilities for the self-contained apartment.

The current Lightwell space is open to the sky at the roof level. With the removal of the temporary roofing above the ground floor level of the Lightwell, a new glass roof will be installed at the roof level and the open area on the eastern wall will be closed in with a large "triangular" glass window, to provide a good view over the rooftops to the main town area of Moissac. Underneath this roofed area, a new "room" will be created at the 2nd Floor level, access to which will be gained through a door in the space now occupied by the window in the "maid's quarters".

A flight of 6 steps will give access to a floorspace constructed with a metal grill flooring (since replaced with a glass floor). This area can be used to look at the view of Moissac through the new "triangular" window, to lie in the winter sun under the new glass roof, or to look through the metal grill (glass) floor to the Lightwell area below. The view from underneath the metal grill (glass) flooring, shows the window into the Lightwell from the Stairwell, the metal grill cage surrounding the access steps, the metal grill (glass) floor and the glass roof above. Imagining and designing these spaces was only possible with the use of the 3D modelling software.

The view down the Lightwell through the metal grill (glass) floor is dramatic, to say the least.