Dan, such a huge difference when you talk us though the building process, it makes for far more informative content and puts the focus on the project at hand. People otherwise get distracted by speculation into your personal life, which could get annoying. You do a great job. and your dedication is off the charts. Progress on both the cottage as well as the chateau are gripping to follow and I believe you are deserving of our attention for all the right reasons - your work ethic, creative decisions and unbelievable courage. Rock-on Dan! (the music is also kinda great)
Dan. A brilliant vlog. You make way too many things look easy. The effect you are going for looks great and totally in keeping with the house. Well done
You did a really good job of making the transition from the rendered part of the wall to the pointed part of the wall look organic. It just blends together and looks fantastic. 🧡
Lovely vlog, thankyou x Just one tip; when you are pointing - a pointing trowel helps. When the muck has just gone off - you don't brush it off. You 'churn' it with a rough hand brush. That involves banging in the muck to get the air pockets out and seats it correctly. It's a flicking banging motion. It also gives a good finish.
You’re doing a great job Dan. Could you give us a tour of the house and the outbuildings and barn and studio to see where you’re up to now? A before and after maybe?
I enjoy seeing you create an extension on the family home. You say you are not patient, but you preserver and that is more important. Little by little, it is getting there.
Love when you talk us through the process. More relatable for those of us who love the ‘how to’ of building. You have an artistic eye when pointing stone walls. The pantry at Lalande was spectacular and this addition is also looking great with partial stone reveal!
💖👑👑💖🎬🎥📽👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼I have been watching Dan for years and l always feel chilled out when l watch him work .l am so happy he has got his very own chateau which is a Beautiful Building .One good thing is he can put on suits with the bed rooms .The floors are amazing how thay are still there and are just Beautiful. This Chateau will have his blood swear and Tears in it but also a whole lot of LOVE from DAN AND HIS FAMILY AND ALL OF US FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD .💖😊💖👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I do remember him doing this in the kitchen .Great Job Dan keep up the great work we all love to watch and have your back with love and positivity 😊
I'll be 68 this summer and have no plans to do anything like this, but I enjoy watching you, Dan. It seems a bit like meditation in motion, and the results are simply lovely. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, from a subscriber in Michigan USA ❤🙏
You have a new wheelbarrow! Love watching you point a wall. You're so concerned how it looks when you are done. Always looks great. You have had a lot of practice for your Chateau.
Oh Dan! I really like the "how to" thing! You're good at it and it's entertaining and informative. I doubt I'll ever get a chance to do this but I so enjoy dreaming about fixing up my own little cottage somewhere! Thanks for the nice break in my day!
I needed this video 30 years ago - no videos back for this then even for VCR - if I asked about lime putty mortar or how to mix a lime/sand mortar in my area - people just looked at me like I was from outer space. A lot has changed since then . . but I need the knowledge back then. Oh, well, better late than never. . .
Dan, you have come along way from where we first saw you pointing! Your video here today shows how far your confidence level has grown. You do have a knack and a good eye for design in your working in it. Next thing you know we’ll be seeing you as a presenter on Master Class! Keep up the good work!
Awesome to learn from you! You make it look easy, I know from experience it is not! Just accept it, you are an artist in all that has your attention. Thanks so much for taking us along 😊
Brilliant. Thank you for sharing. Now I know how to point a stone wall. Amazing. Looks like you having a great time getting back into it all. Looking forward to seeing the rood completed with the oak beams and extension/overhang. Very exciting
Adding lots of experience to your resume. When you add all that experience to your Chateau you will be steps ahead of other Chateau owners. You and Billy just seem to know how to do the work needed to renovate a cottage, Chateau and Convent!!! You got a new wheel barrel, looking good!!! See ya tomarra!!!!
Lesa from chateu de Montmagner is self taught and has lime mortered many of the walls inside of the chateau and has recently started on the Piggeries which she and Ted are converting into their own personal dwelling. She's so good at it she even did her friends internal walls in exchange for items that would benefit the flooring of the piggeries.
This is a great tutorial Dan. The wall looks so very good, you do amazing stone work. Great job! It has been very interesting, love watching you work hard. lol All the best!
Yes, It's been interesting to learn about this technique, to see how you solved the 'estheticity' of this Wallrendering. And for a change more relaxing to watch then the Roof-bit! Your way down towards the blue door looks so very nice now, I can just imagine some plants left and right. Also I take a sec. to say, Please be more realistic when you do 'Stuff' on the roof! After all, and first of all, you are a Dad with 2 lovely Boys that need their Dad to be healthy! Sorry for sounding a bit Maternal but .... we 'Watchers' to want the Best for your Family cause over the years we All have become to like you much!
Absolutely love the explanations as you are videotaping!!!! It’s so helpful to understand what your doing and what’s going on. ❤️❤️❤️👍🏼. From Wilmington, North Carolina. USA
Always interesting because I have never seen historic building being brought back to like in my neck of the woods. You have taken on so much work, it's amazing you have the patience for it all.
Thanks for the tutorial it’s encouraging and makes its less intimidating to tackle these jobs and for not leaving out helpful details it is a work of art
Fluffy and sticky describes cotton candy, not sure about the rendering mixture though!😂 I believe you also showed us how to do that at Stephanie's Chateau when you were doing the pantry/hallway while she was gone.🥀🥀
I’ve always loved how you care about the way to care and point so the stones stand out and history remains just like you did on other projects on this cottage and at Stephanie’s château. You are an amazing man in all the things you undertake. Well done Dan, really enjoyed hearing you walk through the process. No matter what never boring. Take care and see you tomorrow.❤❤❤
Nice one Dan - lovely job. I have a wall to do in our house in the Dordogne so appreciate the lesson to follow by rewatching the vlog when I come to do it in the Summer.
Dan you show more patience than anyone in what you have achieved over the years, and in daily life! Sandi x PS I do hope you got your 'new' car fixed....
I don't know if I will ever make that stone wall around my garden that I daydream about, BUT you have removed a lot of the mystery around mortar pointing and made me think that it IS something I could do myself one day.
The wall is gorgeous! Thank you for explaining all the steps. Very interesting. Like you Patience is not one of my better virtues. I would’ve had the toothbrush if they’re scraping immediately. Lol thank goodness I didn’t do it.😂 thank you so much. 💜🤗🤟🏻😎🇺🇸
Dan, thanks, I've a chimney to repair this summer and couldn't wrap my head around the consistency and how to go about it after applying the 1st coat. You've shown me exactly what to do.
Good Thursday morning from the SF Bay Area. I love watching these processes even though I am unlikely to ever do any of them. However, some of these things can be applied to smaller crafting projects or gardens which I can do. Lovely work.
Thanks for this, Dan - our piggery needs some attention this year and this is our training video! We have a very similar schist type stone and need to do it ourselves.
This was really interesting! I hope you do more videos like this where you teach us something new. I bought my first house recently so I'm even more interested in DIY home projects/building.
Dan you make doing these projects seem so easy. I actually would love to do something like that to a short retaining wall out in my backyard. But I do love watching this type of projects. Well done Dan. Carry on.
It's your wall and you're not being asked to paint the Sistine Chapel for posterity. Think of fluffy cake icing for texture when you're mixing. A proper flat trowel like Dan uses will let you push mortar into the cracks and smooth any flat surface finish. Keep you busy over a warm and dry weekend nearer the summer. Have a glass of something nice chilling, ready to celebrate when it's done.
If you decide to do an exterior wall you should use a 'sharp' sand for pointing - for good bonding. Use a pointing trowel and then 'churn' with a stiff hand brush when it has just gone off.. ie not quite hardened. Depending on the weather I leave overnight and do this the next morning. If its drying quickly you can churn just after you finish a section. Its important to do this step to knock out any air pockets and create a surface that mitigates cracking. If you have large holes then push stone or slate into the mortar as you go. You can also add some horsehair. The fine sand Dan is using is usually used in the recipe for the third coat of lime - the top coat of lime plaster but is fine in interiors.
152 comments two hours after posting, that shows how much we find your vlogs interesting Dan. I like this partial look of exposed stone very French. Here in US we call it rustic. Well done good pointers.
Dan, such a huge difference when you talk us though the building process, it makes for far more informative content and puts the focus on the project at hand. People otherwise get distracted by speculation into your personal life, which could get annoying. You do a great job. and your dedication is off the charts. Progress on both the cottage as well as the chateau are gripping to follow and I believe you are deserving of our attention for all the right reasons - your work ethic, creative decisions and unbelievable courage. Rock-on Dan! (the music is also kinda great)
I admire your dedication to creating an old building look old again but is more stable than before. Well done 👍🏻
Dan. A brilliant vlog. You make way too many things look easy. The effect you are going for looks great and totally in keeping with the house. Well done
You did a really good job of making the transition from the rendered part of the wall to the pointed part of the wall look organic. It just blends together and looks fantastic. 🧡
Lovely vlog, thankyou x Just one tip; when you are pointing - a pointing trowel helps. When the muck has just gone off - you don't brush it off. You 'churn' it with a rough hand brush. That involves banging in the muck to get the air pockets out and seats it correctly. It's a flicking banging motion. It also gives a good finish.
Finally a video that explains the whole process. Thank you!
You’re doing a great job Dan. Could you give us a tour of the house and the outbuildings and barn and studio to see where you’re up to now? A before and after maybe?
it's all there in past blogs...befores and afters. 🤩
I enjoy seeing you create an extension on the family home. You say you are not patient, but you preserver and that is more important. Little by little, it is getting there.
Love when you talk us through the process. More relatable for those of us who love the ‘how to’ of building. You have an artistic eye when pointing stone walls. The pantry at Lalande was spectacular and this addition is also looking great with partial stone reveal!
💖👑👑💖🎬🎥📽👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼I have been watching Dan for years and l always feel chilled out when l watch him work .l am so happy he has got his very own chateau which is a Beautiful Building .One good thing is he can put on suits with the bed rooms .The floors are amazing how thay are still there and are just Beautiful. This Chateau will have his blood swear and Tears in it but also a whole lot of LOVE from DAN AND HIS FAMILY AND ALL OF US FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD .💖😊💖👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 I do remember him doing this in the kitchen .Great Job Dan keep up the great work we all love to watch and have your back with love and positivity 😊
Dan...your art school training is evident in pointing work. Nice job!
I'll be 68 this summer and have no plans to do anything like this, but I enjoy watching you, Dan. It seems a bit like meditation in motion, and the results are simply lovely. Thanks for sharing your experience with us, from a subscriber in Michigan USA ❤🙏
You have a new wheelbarrow! Love watching you point a wall. You're so concerned how it looks when you are done. Always looks great. You have had a lot of practice for your Chateau.
hope you washout the barrow after each use . or do you intend making it an art installation?
Oh Dan! I really like the "how to" thing! You're good at it and it's entertaining and informative. I doubt I'll ever get a chance to do this but I so enjoy dreaming about fixing up my own little cottage somewhere! Thanks for the nice break in my day!
Thank you, Dan, you explained this really clearly and the results are impressive!
Love the lesson on traditional way to point the wall Dan the pointing man. See yer tomorrow xx
I needed this video 30 years ago - no videos back for this then even for VCR - if I asked about lime putty mortar or how to mix a lime/sand mortar in my area - people just looked at me like I was from outer space. A lot has changed since then . . but I need the knowledge back then. Oh, well, better late than never. . .
wow Dan that wall just pops, great work as always, thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the pointing class, Dan. Looks great!!
Dan, you have come along way from where we first saw you pointing! Your video here today shows how far your confidence level has grown. You do have a knack and a good eye for design in your working in it. Next thing you know we’ll be seeing you as a presenter on Master Class! Keep up the good work!
Awesome to learn from you! You make it look easy, I know from experience it is not! Just accept it, you are an artist in all that has your attention. Thanks so much for taking us along 😊
Good job to do on a rainy day. It's really coming along. See you
tomorrow!!!!!!
Brilliant. Thank you for sharing. Now I know how to point a stone wall. Amazing. Looks like you having a great time getting back into it all. Looking forward to seeing the rood completed with the oak beams and extension/overhang. Very exciting
the vision, talent and patience of a true artist.
Adding lots of experience to your resume. When you add all that experience to your Chateau you will be steps ahead of other Chateau owners. You and Billy just seem to know how to do the work needed to renovate a cottage, Chateau and Convent!!! You got a new wheel barrel, looking good!!! See ya tomarra!!!!
Lesa from chateu de Montmagner is self taught and has lime mortered many of the walls inside of the chateau and has recently started on the Piggeries which she and Ted are converting into their own personal dwelling. She's so good at it she even did her friends internal walls in exchange for items that would benefit the flooring of the piggeries.
Getting to be an expert on this pointing thing. Looking good with the fluffy consistency. See ya tomorrow 😍😘
Looks really awesome,,must be very satisfying seeing the stones pop out after brushing. Great job, as usual! You got it Dan!
Nice job Dan! The wall looks beautiful!
Love partially exposed stone or brick. Great job, Dan!
Its looking beautiful, Danling. I do like to hear you say, "it just takes a bit of time and patience."💗
This is a great tutorial Dan. The wall looks so very good, you do amazing stone work. Great job! It has been very interesting, love watching you work hard. lol All the best!
Yes, It's been interesting to learn about this technique, to see how you solved the 'estheticity' of this Wallrendering. And for a change more relaxing to watch then the Roof-bit! Your way down towards the blue door looks so very nice now, I can just imagine some plants left and right. Also I take a sec. to say, Please be more realistic when you do 'Stuff' on the roof! After all, and first of all, you are a Dad with 2 lovely Boys that need their Dad to be healthy! Sorry for sounding a bit Maternal but .... we 'Watchers' to want the Best for your Family cause over the years we All have become to like you much!
Dan, I love that you take us along, but not only that, I've learned from you how to point & do limestone walls, Thank You ..
Looks amazing Dan...love watching you transform these old buildings into something beautiful to look at.
Absolutely love the explanations as you are videotaping!!!! It’s so helpful to understand what your doing and what’s going on. ❤️❤️❤️👍🏼.
From Wilmington, North Carolina. USA
Always interesting because I have never seen historic building being brought back to like in my neck of the woods. You have taken on so much work, it's amazing you have the patience for it all.
Thanks for the tutorial it’s encouraging and makes its less intimidating to tackle these jobs and for not leaving out helpful details it is a work of art
Great lesson Dan and love the beautiful look that you have achieved. You are very artistic!
It so beautiful, I'm sure that it's not easy, but it looks enjoyable enough and it's always beautiful when you finish it. Great job.
You are a perfectionist at heart and it shows in the finished product Dan. Well done 💕🇦🇺
Love a good tutorial! Hoping for lots more from the chateau.
Let’s go with fluffy and sticky - sounds good to me. Love your vlogs mate. Wall looks great. Hugs from Australia
Fluffy and sticky describes cotton candy, not sure about the rendering mixture though!😂 I believe you also showed us how to do that at Stephanie's Chateau when you were doing the pantry/hallway while she was gone.🥀🥀
I’ve always loved how you care about the way to care and point so the stones stand out and history remains just like you did on other projects on this cottage and at Stephanie’s château.
You are an amazing man in all the things you undertake. Well done Dan, really enjoyed hearing you walk through the process. No matter what never boring.
Take care and see you tomorrow.❤❤❤
❤ so true
Sounds like it's a good thing you got that roof tiled!
Reminds me of the beautiful kitchen wall you did. The finish looks lovely.
Great instructional video. I just need a cute little old cottage to try this technique. 🤣
Nice one Dan - lovely job. I have a wall to do in our house in the Dordogne so appreciate the lesson to follow by rewatching the vlog when I come to do it in the Summer.
Thank you Dan.
I love this detailed tutorial on just how you approached fixing this wall.
I love that wall...wonderfully done.
Dan I love the description "fluffy and sticky" chef and diy all rolled into one😊😊
Well done ,Dan,
You never give tutorial style videos, and you are quite good at it
Love it! I’m currently in a military quarter but one day I will find somewhere to try this out!
Gosh, this has been like watching cement dry...boom boom. The wall looks great Dan.
Wow! Loved the wall. Good work, beautiful!
Really is beautiful, love the natural look, be safe stay healthy enjoy your day
Dan you have so much patience- but it’s so worth it!! 🎉
I’m ready to tackle a stone wall (if I had one😂) after watching excellent tutorials by you and Tracey 🎉
The wall looks beautiful ❤
Amazing transformation! Well done Dan🙏❤️
Dan you show more patience than anyone in what you have achieved over the years, and in daily life! Sandi x PS I do hope you got your 'new' car fixed....
I'd say you are very patient Dan! That looks great 😊
Very interesting and looks great. See you tomorrow!!
Love what your doing Dan, but favourite is still the job you did in the kitchen as a whole❣️
Great stuff Dan! You are creating works of art in these walls, I too love the rustic look of the stone walls.👏👌🥰
I can’t help but admire your tenacity. And the fact that all
Comes out fantastic!!! What a treasure you are!!!
You make everything look easy and effortless. I'm sure that is far from reality.😊
I don't know if I will ever make that stone wall around my garden that I daydream about, BUT you have removed a lot of the mystery around mortar pointing and made me think that it IS something I could do myself one day.
Easily
The wall is gorgeous! Thank you for explaining all the steps. Very interesting. Like you Patience is not one of my better virtues. I would’ve had the toothbrush if they’re scraping immediately. Lol thank goodness I didn’t do it.😂 thank you so much. 💜🤗🤟🏻😎🇺🇸
Thanks for the lesson in rendering. It may come in handy as I work on my property in the south of France. Cheers!
You are doing a great job on the house addition, can't wait to see the house finished. Hugs, Kathy 🇺🇸
It’s going to look so amazing when it’s done I can’t wait either 😍🏠
Dan, thanks, I've a chimney to repair this summer and couldn't wrap my head around the consistency and how to go about it after applying the 1st coat. You've shown me exactly what to do.
Dan, thank you for the lesson. It's looking so great. You are really, really good at this.
Cheers
It's stunning -- beautiful work, Dan.
Yes, we like it, Dan! Your respect for old buildings comes thru:)
Good Thursday morning from the SF Bay Area. I love watching these processes even though I am unlikely to ever do any of them. However, some of these things can be applied to smaller crafting projects or gardens which I can do. Lovely work.
The wall looks amazing! You are learning many skills that will be useful at your Chateau.
Everything you do is interesting, Dan.
Well, if there is ever a time in my life I need to do stone work I will know how to do it. Thanks Dan the man.
Thanks for this, Dan - our piggery needs some attention this year and this is our training video! We have a very similar schist type stone and need to do it ourselves.
I have no intention of pointing a wall...but it's charming to sit on the patio and watch. :)
So therapeutic.seeing the end result.its like vely
This was really interesting! I hope you do more videos like this where you teach us something new. I bought my first house recently so I'm even more interested in DIY home projects/building.
Closer to the next step. Liked that you left the rain in the sound track. See ya tomorrow.
Thanks Dan. I’ve been wanting to see this process for some time now. I plan to do my badly needed barn this summer. This has been a big help.
Dan you make doing these projects seem so easy. I actually would love to do something like that to a short retaining wall out in my backyard. But I do love watching this type of projects. Well done Dan. Carry on.
It's your wall and you're not being asked to paint the Sistine Chapel for posterity. Think of fluffy cake icing for texture when you're mixing. A proper flat trowel like Dan uses will let you push mortar into the cracks and smooth any flat surface finish. Keep you busy over a warm and dry weekend nearer the summer. Have a glass of something nice chilling, ready to celebrate when it's done.
If you decide to do an exterior wall you should use a 'sharp' sand for pointing - for good bonding. Use a pointing trowel and then 'churn' with a stiff hand brush when it has just gone off.. ie not quite hardened. Depending on the weather I leave overnight and do this the next morning. If its drying quickly you can churn just after you finish a section. Its important to do this step to knock out any air pockets and create a surface that mitigates cracking. If you have large holes then push stone or slate into the mortar as you go. You can also add some horsehair. The fine sand Dan is using is usually used in the recipe for the third coat of lime - the top coat of lime plaster but is fine in interiors.
152 comments two hours after posting, that shows how much we find your vlogs interesting Dan. I like this partial look of exposed stone very French. Here in US we call it rustic. Well done good pointers.
Looking good.. you have the patience of a saint, bless you. I don’t think I could do it. Glad I’m not in charge!
Your wall looks really good, very professional Job.
Oh, new wheelbarrow! You finally wore the other one out?
That looks really nice and neat. Amazing how a few hours work can make a real difference.
It makes sense to me Dan on mortar mix. Love the one white ear from mixing. You're such a creative, you man. Nothing is going to stop you, Dan!
I am fascinated by this work and you are a great teacher.
The wall looks smashing!😁
Thank you! I have saved this so I might refer back to it once I have found my project to the south!
Interesting process. Yes I can see having patience is key. Looks fabulous
It’s a handsome wall as are you a handsome handyman.
Great job Dan and I’ll see you tomorrow 👍😀👍
Thanks for the tutorial! I’ve been wanting to try this, and you explained it very clearly.
I am so glad you did not cover all the wall. It's gorgeous!