Excellent and timely, we've had 3 houses fall down in this area (Aude) because of using cement render. The "theory" is that the moisture raises naturally up into the wall (no damp course) and then evaporates, creating maybe a rudimentary fridge, certainly some level of cooling. When you prevent the evaporation it's believed that the clay fines get weakened and eventually the rubble wall looses structural integrity. One of the areas noted is that they would use, back in the day, a mortar with a very high proportion of chalk to install the series of roof tiles built out under the eves, the more the layers the more prosperous the house was though to be, and then had to pay taxes accordingly. This band around the top of the house was taking on moisture and evaporating creating a cold band right at the top of the house. I'll be pointing lots of would be house builders and restorers to your channel . thanks and good luck. Oh and the more tech detail the better.
That's fascinating. My background is as a conservation architect in the UK, so I am not very knowledgeable about traditional building construction in the sound of France.
We did some experiments in this area back in the UK, we had on site an old stone barn, and we built a modern steel shed of exactly the same size next to it, they checked the R value of the stone building and then adjusted the insulation on the new one to give an identical value. Over an 18 month period the Barn was always 8-10 % cooler and when we did tests with some heating the barn was substantially warmer - mainly we thought due to the thermal mass. I don't know why the barn was cooler though.
I moved to France 7 years ago buying a modern architectural house in a small village. My wife is French so not exactly foreigners or my wife isn't. We live around 15 mins drive from the very large city of Niort. I think integration depends on your personality. I am the only English person ever to live in my village so I was told by the Marie. But my life has become very rich and I have many friends here. In fact I have played boule for my village team since I arrived. I see a France that many English people will never see, a very traditionally family based life with unwritten protocols in plenty. My advise to anyone who wants to live in France is simple embrace France and France will embrace you. Great Video Roger thanks for sharing your home and it's restoration ,very interesting.
My brother lived in Annemasse for 7 yrs. I visited often and I met so many wonderful people who were very family oriented. I only make judgments based on my own experiences not someone else's opinions. Vive La France!
What a good idea to do these videos, sympathetically restoring these traditionally constructed buildings, pre 1919 buildings were constructed using lime based products, building such as these need to breath
Congratulations to Your new old House! Douarnenez is one of the most beautiful places for sailing in Brittany I know. With Chasse- Marée and Port Rhu just round the corner! Lucky man!
Thanks Roger. Now I understand my home a lot better. Built in the early 60's in a similar fashion to yours and only 23k away. We are very happy to have anchored here for the last 12 years.
I moved to a tiny village in Old France 17 yrs ago. I am finding your video really interesting to watch. I had done various houses up in the UK and found an old granite house which had happily been future proofed by an architect. I look forward to seeing what you do, thank you for sharing.
I bought a stone house, up a mountain in the middle of nowhere, in Portugal. 5 years later I realise that life would have been a trifle (extra large size) easier, if I had bought a house in a large village or town. I'm battling with the cement as well (why do they do it)? Funnily enough my son has built his own eco-house in the UK. Re-cycled foamed glass under the floor, wood fibre board, sprayed hemp-crete and hemp-crete block insulation form the walls, re-cycled pulped paper insulate the roof space. Lime plaster and mortar everywhere. He only uses the central heating once a year to test that it's still working! I'm looking forward to watching how you progress and also seeing if I can incorporate some of your ideas, in my house. Your films are tranquilly marvellous!
I had been watching your charming videos primarily because of the dinghy sailing, but now I find out your a preservationist as well! I too am a sailor, albeit of a different sort, bigger boats, sea going, and I have made my living these past fifty years restoring old houses here in the states. I am following your trials and tribulations of restoring your old house with much interest. My wife and I are considering moving to Japan to do the same thing, as there are many abandoned farm houses in her native town crying out for a new life. I have focused on restoration, rather than building new , for obvious reasons, as there is a finite amount of land and resources if we as a species are to co exist with our tiny little planet. The hard part of the restoration process is the understanding that it may actually cost more in time and material than building new. This is of course is because you have to undo years of neglect and remudlling while preserving the essence of the existing structure.I am following your progress with great interest, and applaud your thoughtful approach to restoring your home.
You are quite right about the economics. I suspect I will not lose money on this build, but I doubt I will make any either (were I to sell the house when finished) and my own time is unpaid of course.
As a fellow architect (and sailor), I applaud your efforts to restore this lovely building. And I completely agree with your strategy to address the building science of the exterior walls and roof. These wonderful old stone buildings want to breath. Sail-on!
Well a Carpenter and Joiner by trade and a Chartered Construction Manager by profession, with an interest in pre 1919 tradition construction, the problems associated with using OPC, Upvc Windows and doors cause me a lot of problems,
Wanna be dinghy cruiser/finish carpenter and long time subscriber here, I enjoyed the building project and hope you will grace us with more. Congrats on that lovely house.
As an old still active farmer from western Canada who built his own house himself, I found your vlog extremely interesting, and learned a great deal. (Was really shocked, though, when you chose oriented strand board: it may be strong, but it will be a heavy weight on your roof, and full of one to three types of glue. Some of that glue will slowly gas off over the years and perhaps not too good for one's lungs. Also, of the four types of OSB, google says one type is not great with moisture.) Your detailed explanations are perfect for an interesting video. Keep up the good work, and cheers to your carpenter as well.
Just the other day I was thinking it was time for a new Roger Barnes video. I expected sailing, but I am very satisfied with this one. In fact, I have enjoyed building a boat more than I have enjoyed sailing it. I once wanted to be an architect, I briefly studied naval architecture by correspondence with McNaughton, I have done a lot of comparatively minor home renovation, and I am quite the environmentalist passionate about making houses more environmentally benign. I also love old stuff, especially things like stone houses, the like of which we have almost none here in the western United States. And then you get into the technical details, which speaks to the part of me that was a professional physical scientist for decades. So this video is an unexpected thrill!
I found this episode a wonderful deviation from the water world. I live in a colonial New England town in the USA and have been in building renovations and inspections for 50 years. Often when I start explaining ventilation, condensation, air and moisture movement, my clients look at me like I'm a witch doctor...which I am not! Very well explained. Thank you.
Very informative, common sense (bit of a rare commodity these days) and such a good vibe. Inspirational! Thank you! You made a big difference today. 💪❤️🙏
This is why I really like your channel! Congratulations on this wonderful project. You have certainly accomplished quite alot up to this point! Job well done! 🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸
You have the most interesting life!! You sure know how to squeeze everything out of it!! Sailing , a beautiful house and country and a great profession to boot! Thanks for sharing all this! I always look forward to your videos! I know your house will be amazing!
Really interesting video Roger. Fascinating, an ambitious project but with such a clear rationale and explanation. Greatly enjoyed as always. Thank you 👍
So much work and so much time. Thank goodness we moved to Canada from the UK and my hubby can, so much easier in wooden homes, do any renovation . Thx so much for video. Good wishes.
As the son of an architect and a strong out-of-the-current-box thinker, I applaud your ideas. I used to live in Finland, where much modern housing incorporated this controlled living inside of a plastic bag logic. My former boss had such an apartment and her kids had lots of allergy problems, so they moved into a modern log-built house and the problems basically vanished. Log houses breath, and so do stone houses built in the old way. I'm looking forward to the next episode 🙂.
Houses don‘t breath, even not with controlled ventilation. It‘s amazing that people who should know better are talking about breathing. What permeable walls do is to exchange humidity with the surrounding air in both directions. So, iif the sin is shining and the wall becomes warm outside (warmer thsn inside) the humidity penetrstes from the outside to the inside. Usually in winter time it‘s vice versa. Therefote, in a well constructrd building you‘ll never have wet walls, dump and mold, because these processes canvel themself out. Cool stuff but most people know about it anymore nir understand the physics behind it. It‘s a shame for the profession.
I believe allowing the walls to 'breath' comes at a cost of staining. I have a stone house with stone walls as you describe. The outside has a lime render , all in good condition. The interior stone hasn't been covered and you can see the discolouration up to a metre from the stone flags. I think today we are less tolerant of damp and minor visible traces it leaves. As the French have never used DPC's then other ways have been found to keep the damp out, dry lining being the favourite. I fully endorse living in a small town or village, use the bar and local businesses and be prepared to wait a while before you get accepted. It's worked for us.
Excellent Roger, thank you. As a Church of England priest, I've had (and unofficially still do have) some responsibility for Victorian churches, and your insights into insulation and damp are highly relevant, especially when modern reordering is proposed. I await future episodes eagerly.
Very interesting Roger. I look forward to seeing more of these type of videos. I like the approach your taking and the materials chosen. Definitely better than plastic bags!
Very wise counsel! We are restoring our house in London applying the same principles. Five years work so far and two more to go! Training workmen to follow old techniques takes dedication.
God bless you Roger for bringing us lovely this video. When I was young and newly married to my French wife in the early '80s, we spent a summer vacation in Douarnenez. Camping near the beach, fishing off the cliffs and enjoying the Wooden Boat Festival. My wife's sister did export business with the local fisherman in salted fish, so I was able to get out on the water and enjoy the Bay of Douarnenez. My fondest memory was a sitting with locals in a pub called Le Pourquoi Pas, listing the musicians singing in their local Celtic language. We've retired in France now and even though I'm American, we too bought an old Chateau in the country side of the Vienne and living the farming life. But I still dream of living near the ocean and we are now looking seriously at Brittany. Wishing you all the best.
Salut Rodger. Love the video and looking forward to the build series. My wife is French, I'm Irish and we've just settled in correze for the winter where we can search for a permanent home from. I really like the way you explain the building process in an easy to understand way. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the series.
Your videos are a great source of inspiration for those who love boats and sailing but live far from the sea. I wish you success in your new renovation project. This is the lovely old house and I'm sure that you will done it well.
I have lived in the languedoc since 2008. My boat is in Marseillan and I live in the foothills of the Caroux. My house is 16th century. I love it, a magnificent feat of engineering. Thanks for your post, its so important to upgrade these old homes properly.
You sir… are a compelling “raconteur”. Enjoyed this tremendously because I’ve renovated two homes here in Atlantic Canada where winters are a tad colder than those along the coast of Brittany. 😂 You’ve purchased a most interesting property which is clearly benefiting from your expertise. Will be interesting to follow as your project unfolds. Glad you decided to chronicle this restoration/refurbishment. My ancestors are originally from the Poitou/Bretagne area of France. They crossed the pond in the 1720s/1730s or thereabouts. L’expression de mes salutations les plus cordiales. Merci à vous. Cheers 🥂 👍🇨🇦
Thanks Roger, I'll enjoy this series. As someone who chose the French countryside as home I will argue it also has benefits. A big barn in which to build boats, peace and quiet, pool to cool off in, more outbuildings to store boats and motorbikes in. All features it would be hard to get in town. We have also resisted any urge to document our life and projects here for youtube. Having defended our decision, I also fully appreciate the attractions of a place near the harbour in Douarnenez. Within 300 metres of the beach one way, similar to the port the other and 500 metres from the Port Musee. I remember visiting the build of one of those wooden boats at the boat yard just up the Boulevard de Général de Gaulle. A great place with a thriving maritime tradition. Entirely approve of the steps you're taking to renovate your home, good to see someone with genuine professional expertise tackle this sort of project.
Lovely old house Roger. Your strategy to repair and insulate is excellent and will be effective . It may be expensive , but a very worth while project. Very much looking forward to any updates .
Sir. That was fascinating, educational and enjoyable. Thank you for putting the effort into the making and the sharing of it. As much that I am no sailor, I also am nothing of an architect nor builder, but in both cases, your telling of it all puts me there, helps me to experience, to understand a little, and to enjoy. I thank you. Cheers, sir.
Good for you Roger. Save the planet by keeping your old things intact and in good order. A heater burning in the sitting room with cold air allowed to flow in will gradually absorb the moisture. Limewash and a slate damp course kept my ancient mud house dry and rigid.
I moved to France 44years ago, the first five years, I spent in the country in the south west of France! After the collapse of my marriage, my new partner wanted to live in Paris, so we moved, well, I've lived in and around Paris for nearly 40 years, I don't speak English often, as I've really adapted to the French culture! All the best, Matthew
Hello Roger, I've just discovered you on RUclips. I'm a retired Master Carpenter (specialising in Period, Historic, & Ecclesiastical Building Conservation) and Construction Professional from England, now living in the south of Spain, your video is not over theoretical at all, you use plain language and describe things in a way most will understand and find interesting, I certainly did, your narrative has the perfect balance. Your boating videos too are captivating.
What you're saying about the breathability of products makes so much sense. Also the use of the OSB boards for the roof & loft is inspirational. Looks great as a finish.
I subscribed for the sailing but thoroughly enjoyed the current theme. From what I've read, traditional building materials & techniques require that walls are allowed to breath. Your take on how to achieve this whilst increasing energy efficiency was fascinating. Thanks.
Roger! You never fail to entertain me. I'm so jealous. I want to move to France so bad. Also, your new home is going to be so great. I learned so much from your explanation. I agree with your approach completely after hearing your inciteful view. Thank you, keep up the great work.
I have a "French connection". Looking forward to seeing the rest of your videos. Restorations have always fascinated me. I have worked in the building industry and currently assist a friend Renovating people's homes.
Hi Roger, from Ken in South Australia. I have been a subscriber and admirer of your sailing adventures for a few years now and thoroughly appreciate your whole approach and philosophy toward life in general. This current offering seems to me a logical extension of pretty much everything I have come to expect from your hand. Thanks for your contribution to making my life that much better. And yes I do mess about in boats, preferably wooden ones. Cheers for now, Ken.
Here in Western Australia we have boats with a similar shaped hull. They were fishing boats, big capacity for the catch but once the boat is healing the wetted area of the hull reduces rapidly making they very fast with a full load. First back to port got the best price for their fish.
Roger, thank you so much for your insights on remodeling. I’m sure that this will help others deal with these problems. This looks like a wonderful project and place for you.
We briefly visited Dourarnenz in June. Towns we visited in Brittany that size (and smaller) were lovely - beautiful houses, town centers, wonderful food, beautiful ports, and friendly people. I am very much looking forward to this new series of videos. We are hoping to do something similar in a few years.
Roger Im a sailor who works on houses(in the US) for my work. You’ve combined two of my interests! I have to repair alot of homes that develop moisture problems from the inside out, I enjoy watching your solutions.
A perfect balance so far Roger. Just a suggestion if I may - When I restored my old finca in Spain I was persuaded to fit underfloor heating as the floors had to be ripped out anyway. It was the best decision ever as the winters can be quite long, cold and damp. I am a mean old bugger and I just get the system to tick-over in the winter months which keeps the floors warm but certainly not hot - great in the bathroom. Good luck with the project and please keep us posted.
Bienvenue en France, Roger That is a lovely house, and I share your point of view about the choice of a town instead of an isolated mansion. This house is lovely; good luck with the renovation!
Great video Rodger. You have given me a lot of ideas for my cottage in rural North Northumberland, damp is a major problem because of the type of construction. I have already opened up the old fire place (where the kitchen range was and replaced it with a log/solid fuel burner unit which also heats my water and radiators. They had smashed the range combustion chamber area and replaced it with a LPG boiler and a gas fire in front sometime in the 70's., the pipework was reconnected to my new (second hand recycled )boiler and I now heat the whole cottage by just keeping on my fire. I wholeheartedly agree with you that buildings need to breath. Insulation is my next challenge. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge. Cheers
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing this; I've been yearning to move to France for ages and have looked at thousands of places but your simple advice to move to a small town has got me thinking!I'm looking forward to the next episode 😊
Thank you, Roger. I’ve enjoyed your architecture content in the past, and I appreciate you sharing your personal space as an example. I’ve been learning about building with natural materials in several different locations and climates, and your approach today is so similar with an old house and new nature-based materials.
Very interesting and worthwhile project. My wife and I are in Douarnenez today 19th September and have just seen the boat you showed being launched. As an owner of a Grp yacht in chichester I can only marvel at the fabulous French wooden boats - what I call proper boats! I find myself fascinated with all the little and not so little French ports.
Enjoyed the video with nice clear explanations of the proposed works. I have just started using lime mortar to do some repairs to old stables. That is the easy part, removing the old cement mortar was the fun bit.
Thanks for sharing Roger! Looks fantastic, and I love the sympathetic approach to achieving a warm, energy efficient home in a beautiful old town house. I look forward to future videos on this project. In terms of your question - yes please to more theoretical information about dealing with old properties and creating homes for the future - there isn't enough information out there!
Excellent video and so informative. i am surprised you didnt have your friend mary chipping all the old plaster off the walls and throwing the rubble out.
Best of luck with your exciting project. Yes, lime and sand, lime and sand, lime and sand. Chucking hemp into the mix for interior renders also works quite well for insulation. After 23 years of doing this sort of thing (La Drome), thankfully, the energy and enthusiasm to get my small yawl on the water, or to head to the hills, remains intact. Wishing you likewise. PS; I enjoy living slightly away from things, just outside town - best of both worlds.
Thank you Roger, I really like your building philosophy , in not using an impermiable membrain in the house, thereby alowing it to breath. My home is owned by a housing assosiation, and a few years ago they took off my roof and cut down the chimney stack, then capped it off in the loft area. They then replaced the roof with modern materials. This has resusted in a very damp house because now the poor thing can't breath and im becoming unwell with Arthritis. I also enjoy your lovely boat and would love to own one just like it. However, I'm quite a bit older than you ( I'm retired from working)and fear my boating is going to stay limited to the plywood canoe I build in 2020. I am presently making a sail for this though , so soon I'll be sailing in the lake district and lochs of Scotland. Your friend, Steve Wilson
`I did it in Dorset 30 years ago, and made few mistakes, but not many. Now I'm going to learn from you. It looks like you have found a way to combine all your loves in one place - boats, architecture and France. Bon chance, mon ami!
Great video Roger. It's a refreshing change to watch a restoration undertaken by someone who knows what he's doing. All too often we watch for months of trial and error to be disappointed with an ugly finish. I feel confident that your project will be beautiful. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
While my mother grew up in a stone house (2ft thick blocks) in Dunedin NZ, most homes here are built with timber throughout; so this video with its insight into yet another building technique made an interesting change from your usual sailing videos .
Couldn't agree more about location....we have a small comfortable apartment (originally required some renovation) with a lsrge terrace and amazing sea view erght in the heart of an old Provence town....beautiful Provencal Market, 4 Supermarkets, Cafes, Restaurants galore, shops, buses (cheap) & train station to go further but we feel in the heart of French life daily and it's great.!
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Excellent and timely, we've had 3 houses fall down in this area (Aude) because of using cement render. The "theory" is that the moisture raises naturally up into the wall (no damp course) and then evaporates, creating maybe a rudimentary fridge, certainly some level of cooling. When you prevent the evaporation it's believed that the clay fines get weakened and eventually the rubble wall looses structural integrity. One of the areas noted is that they would use, back in the day, a mortar with a very high proportion of chalk to install the series of roof tiles built out under the eves, the more the layers the more prosperous the house was though to be, and then had to pay taxes accordingly. This band around the top of the house was taking on moisture and evaporating creating a cold band right at the top of the house. I'll be pointing lots of would be house builders and restorers to your channel . thanks and good luck. Oh and the more tech detail the better.
That's fascinating. My background is as a conservation architect in the UK, so I am not very knowledgeable about traditional building construction in the sound of France.
We did some experiments in this area back in the UK, we had on site an old stone barn, and we built a modern steel shed of exactly the same size next to it, they checked the R value of the stone building and then adjusted the insulation on the new one to give an identical value. Over an 18 month period the Barn was always 8-10 % cooler and when we did tests with some heating the barn was substantially warmer - mainly we thought due to the thermal mass. I don't know why the barn was cooler though.
I moved to France 7 years ago buying a modern architectural house in a small village. My wife is French so not exactly foreigners or my wife isn't. We live around 15 mins drive from the very large city of Niort. I think integration depends on your personality. I am the only English person ever to live in my village so I was told by the Marie. But my life has become very rich and I have many friends here. In fact I have played boule for my village team since I arrived. I see a France that many English people will never see, a very traditionally family based life with unwritten protocols in plenty. My advise to anyone who wants to live in France is simple embrace France and France will embrace you. Great Video Roger thanks for sharing your home and it's restoration ,very interesting.
couldnt agree more … NW Finistère
Je suis l’anglais, soupçonné d’être 51 % breton
Hear! Hear! Bravo!
Not in the south where i have lived for 11 years horrible people
@@Arfabiscuit
Why did you stay 11 years?
My brother lived in Annemasse for 7 yrs. I visited often and I met so many wonderful people who were very family oriented. I only make judgments based on my own experiences not someone else's opinions. Vive La France!
How could this amazing channel get any better? Renovation and building science! Looking forward to this series, thanks so much Roger.
What a good idea to do these videos, sympathetically restoring these traditionally constructed buildings, pre 1919 buildings were constructed using lime based products, building such as these need to breath
Congratulations to Your new old House! Douarnenez is one of the most beautiful places for sailing in Brittany I know. With Chasse- Marée and Port Rhu just round the corner!
Lucky man!
So well presented. Timely for my wife and me as we just purchased an early 20th century stone cottage in Manche and are retiring there. Thank you.
Thanks Roger. Now I understand my home a lot better. Built in the early 60's in a similar fashion to yours and only 23k away. We are very happy to have anchored here for the last 12 years.
This is like a phd in restoring old houses. Thank you master. Watching, learning, and storing the info for a future time :)
I moved to a tiny village in Old France 17 yrs ago. I am finding your video really interesting to watch. I had done various houses up in the UK and found an old granite house which had happily been future proofed by an architect. I look forward to seeing what you do, thank you for sharing.
Man I’ve been waiting forever for a tour of your house. She’s just lovely. 🎉
No sailing in this vid, this was fun to watch. Thanx.
I bought a stone house, up a mountain in the middle of nowhere, in Portugal. 5 years later I realise that life would have been a trifle (extra large size) easier, if I had bought a house in a large village or town. I'm battling with the cement as well (why do they do it)? Funnily enough my son has built his own eco-house in the UK. Re-cycled foamed glass under the floor, wood fibre board, sprayed hemp-crete and hemp-crete block insulation form the walls, re-cycled pulped paper insulate the roof space. Lime plaster and mortar everywhere. He only uses the central heating once a year to test that it's still working! I'm looking forward to watching how you progress and also seeing if I can incorporate some of your ideas, in my house. Your films are tranquilly marvellous!
We get to see this architecture through the eyes of an architect. This series is a wonderful idea. Thanks so much.
I had been watching your charming videos primarily because of the dinghy sailing, but now I find out your a preservationist as well! I too am a sailor, albeit of a different sort, bigger boats, sea going, and I have made my living these past fifty years restoring old houses here in the states. I am following your trials and tribulations of restoring your old house with much interest. My wife and I are considering moving to Japan to do the same thing, as there are many abandoned farm houses in her native town crying out for a new life. I have focused on restoration, rather than building new , for obvious reasons, as there is a finite amount of land and resources if we as a species are to co exist with our tiny little planet. The hard part of the restoration process is the understanding that it may actually cost more in time and material than building new. This is of course is because you have to undo years of neglect and remudlling while preserving the essence of the existing structure.I am following your progress with great interest, and applaud your thoughtful approach to restoring your home.
You are quite right about the economics. I suspect I will not lose money on this build, but I doubt I will make any either (were I to sell the house when finished) and my own time is unpaid of course.
As a fellow architect (and sailor), I applaud your efforts to restore this lovely building. And I completely agree with your strategy to address the building science of the exterior walls and roof. These wonderful old stone buildings want to breath. Sail-on!
Another Architect and Sailor here too. Great job Roger
Well a Carpenter and Joiner by trade and a Chartered Construction Manager by profession, with an interest in pre 1919 tradition construction, the problems associated with using OPC, Upvc Windows and doors cause me a lot of problems,
Wanna be dinghy cruiser/finish carpenter and long time subscriber here, I enjoyed the building project and hope you will grace us with more. Congrats on that lovely house.
Insulating from the inside is a bad idea, far less thermal mass inside the insulated space.
@honumoorea873 yes,but when there's no option to insulate outside.....
As an old still active farmer from western Canada who built his own house himself, I found your vlog extremely interesting, and learned a great deal. (Was really shocked, though, when you chose oriented strand board: it may be strong, but it will be a heavy weight on your roof, and full of one to three types of glue. Some of that glue will slowly gas off over the years and perhaps not too good for one's lungs. Also, of the four types of OSB, google says one type is not great with moisture.) Your detailed explanations are perfect for an interesting video. Keep up the good work, and cheers to your carpenter as well.
Great video, a realistic view of moving to France and the work that can come with it.
Lovely house. You will restore it to a beautiful home.
Just the other day I was thinking it was time for a new Roger Barnes video. I expected sailing, but I am very satisfied with this one. In fact, I have enjoyed building a boat more than I have enjoyed sailing it. I once wanted to be an architect, I briefly studied naval architecture by correspondence with McNaughton, I have done a lot of comparatively minor home renovation, and I am quite the environmentalist passionate about making houses more environmentally benign. I also love old stuff, especially things like stone houses, the like of which we have almost none here in the western United States. And then you get into the technical details, which speaks to the part of me that was a professional physical scientist for decades. So this video is an unexpected thrill!
I found this episode a wonderful deviation from the water world. I live in a colonial New England town in the USA and have been in building renovations and inspections for 50 years. Often when I start explaining ventilation, condensation, air and moisture movement, my clients look at me like I'm a witch doctor...which I am not! Very well explained. Thank you.
Very informative, common sense (bit of a rare commodity these days) and such a good vibe. Inspirational! Thank you! You made a big difference today. 💪❤️🙏
This is why I really like your channel! Congratulations on this wonderful project. You have certainly accomplished quite alot up to this point! Job well done! 🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸🎩🇺🇸
As a remodeling contractor in the US, I found this very informative.
Thanks Roger!
Enjoyed this video. Fascinating.
I love your commentary and insights.
The music, narration, pacing, cinematography - everything is just excellent.
You have the most interesting life!! You sure know how to squeeze everything out of it!! Sailing , a beautiful house and country and a great profession to boot! Thanks for sharing all this! I always look forward to your videos! I know your house will be amazing!
Really interesting video Roger. Fascinating, an ambitious project but with such a clear rationale and explanation. Greatly enjoyed as always. Thank you 👍
Great video, just as good as your dinghy cruising videos., Can't wait to see more episodes.
I am here for the renovation process, the more details the better!
So much work and so much time. Thank goodness we moved to Canada from the UK and my hubby can, so much easier in wooden homes, do any renovation . Thx so much for video. Good wishes.
As the son of an architect and a strong out-of-the-current-box thinker, I applaud your ideas. I used to live in Finland, where much modern housing incorporated this controlled living inside of a plastic bag logic. My former boss had such an apartment and her kids had lots of allergy problems, so they moved into a modern log-built house and the problems basically vanished. Log houses breath, and so do stone houses built in the old way. I'm looking forward to the next episode 🙂.
Houses don‘t breath, even not with controlled ventilation. It‘s amazing that people who should know better are talking about breathing. What permeable walls do is to exchange humidity with the surrounding air in both directions. So, iif the sin is shining and the wall becomes warm outside (warmer thsn inside) the humidity penetrstes from the outside to the inside. Usually in winter time it‘s vice versa. Therefote, in a well constructrd building you‘ll never have wet walls, dump and mold, because these processes canvel themself out. Cool stuff but most people know about it anymore nir understand the physics behind it. It‘s a shame for the profession.
I believe allowing the walls to 'breath' comes at a cost of staining. I have a stone house with stone walls as you describe. The outside has a lime render , all in good condition. The interior stone hasn't been covered and you can see the discolouration up to a metre from the stone flags.
I think today we are less tolerant of damp and minor visible traces it leaves.
As the French have never used DPC's then other ways have been found to keep the damp out, dry lining being the favourite.
I fully endorse living in a small town or village, use the bar and local businesses and be prepared to wait a while before you get accepted. It's worked for us.
Wonderful. I love your very English thoroughness. Welcome to France! (I'm French). Bonne continuation!
Excellent Roger, thank you. As a Church of England priest, I've had (and unofficially still do have) some responsibility for Victorian churches, and your insights into insulation and damp are highly relevant, especially when modern reordering is proposed. I await future episodes eagerly.
Thanks for the island of calm and soothing vibe i get from all of your videos.
Super roger great to see solutions to damp old houses worth restoring, far more character too, look forward to seeing the progress
Very interesting Roger. I look forward to seeing more of these type of videos. I like the approach your taking and the materials chosen. Definitely better than plastic bags!
i knew you were a special person when i started watching your sailing videos. this new avenue just reinforces my opinion. great content!
Very wise counsel! We are restoring our house in London applying the same principles. Five years work so far and two more to go! Training workmen to follow old techniques takes dedication.
As a french used to our "traditional" techniques, I'm glad to see a new way of restauration for our old beautiful houses.
God bless you Roger for bringing us lovely this video. When I was young and newly married to my French wife in the early '80s, we spent a summer vacation in Douarnenez. Camping near the beach, fishing off the cliffs and enjoying the Wooden Boat Festival. My wife's sister did export business with the local fisherman in salted fish, so I was able to get out on the water and enjoy the Bay of Douarnenez. My fondest memory was a sitting with locals in a pub called Le Pourquoi Pas, listing the musicians singing in their local Celtic language. We've retired in France now and even though I'm American, we too bought an old Chateau in the country side of the Vienne and living the farming life. But I still dream of living near the ocean and we are now looking seriously at Brittany. Wishing you all the best.
Salut Rodger. Love the video and looking forward to the build series. My wife is French, I'm Irish and we've just settled in correze for the winter where we can search for a permanent home from. I really like the way you explain the building process in an easy to understand way. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the series.
So interesting….loved every minute….well done….it will be so comfortable and cosy when done…
Sure you are busy with your house Roger. Would love a video. Adds peace to our lives. Many Happy returns.
Your videos are a great source of inspiration for those who love boats and sailing but live far from the sea. I wish you success in your new renovation project. This is the lovely old house and I'm sure that you will done it well.
I have lived in the languedoc since 2008. My boat is in Marseillan and I live in the foothills of the Caroux. My house is 16th century. I love it, a magnificent feat of engineering. Thanks for your post, its so important to upgrade these old homes properly.
You sir… are a compelling “raconteur”. Enjoyed this tremendously because I’ve renovated two homes here in Atlantic Canada where winters are a tad colder than those along the coast of Brittany. 😂
You’ve purchased a most interesting property which is clearly benefiting from your expertise. Will be interesting to follow as your project unfolds. Glad you decided to chronicle this restoration/refurbishment.
My ancestors are originally from the Poitou/Bretagne area of France. They crossed the pond in the 1720s/1730s or thereabouts.
L’expression de mes salutations les plus cordiales. Merci à vous.
Cheers 🥂 👍🇨🇦
these videos is why i dont watch tv anymore fantastic and very lucky thanks roger
Excellent work Roger. Timely, and a much needed insight into effective insulation processes in old stone buildings.
Thanks Roger, I'll enjoy this series.
As someone who chose the French countryside as home I will argue it also has benefits. A big barn in which to build boats, peace and quiet, pool to cool off in, more outbuildings to store boats and motorbikes in. All features it would be hard to get in town. We have also resisted any urge to document our life and projects here for youtube.
Having defended our decision, I also fully appreciate the attractions of a place near the harbour in Douarnenez. Within 300 metres of the beach one way, similar to the port the other and 500 metres from the Port Musee. I remember visiting the build of one of those wooden boats at the boat yard just up the Boulevard de Général de Gaulle. A great place with a thriving maritime tradition.
Entirely approve of the steps you're taking to renovate your home, good to see someone with genuine professional expertise tackle this sort of project.
Lovely old house Roger.
Your strategy to repair and insulate is excellent and will be effective .
It may be expensive , but a very worth while project.
Very much looking forward to any updates .
This is fascinating and wonderful. Thank you for sharing this remodel adventure. Love all the details you provided.
Sir. That was fascinating, educational and enjoyable. Thank you for putting the effort into the making and the sharing of it. As much that I am no sailor, I also am nothing of an architect nor builder, but in both cases, your telling of it all puts me there, helps me to experience, to understand a little, and to enjoy. I thank you. Cheers, sir.
i am not a sailor . i very much enjoyed this vid on renovations of your house very clear information. i will follow your progress.
Looking forward to the next installment of the house renovation project....from another Englishman in an old stone house at the other end of Brittany!
Beautiful project and setting. Quite an adventure. Your technical explanations were excellent. Thank you for sharing.
Good for you Roger. Save the planet by keeping your old things intact and in good order. A heater burning in the sitting room with cold air allowed to flow in will gradually absorb the moisture. Limewash and a slate damp course kept my ancient mud house dry and rigid.
Fascinating Roger. I love this first video showing your temporary escape from sailing.
I moved to France 44years ago, the first five years, I spent in the country in the south west of France! After the collapse of my marriage, my new partner wanted to live in Paris, so we moved, well, I've lived in and around Paris for nearly 40 years, I don't speak English often, as I've really adapted to the French culture! All the best, Matthew
Hello Roger, I've just discovered you on RUclips. I'm a retired Master Carpenter (specialising in Period, Historic, & Ecclesiastical Building Conservation) and Construction Professional from England, now living in the south of Spain, your video is not over theoretical at all, you use plain language and describe things in a way most will understand and find interesting, I certainly did, your narrative has the perfect balance. Your boating videos too are captivating.
How much did you buy this property for and how much will you have to spend on the property to make it habitable?
What you're saying about the breathability of products makes so much sense. Also the use of the OSB boards for the roof & loft is inspirational. Looks great as a finish.
I subscribed for the sailing but thoroughly enjoyed the current theme. From what I've read, traditional building materials & techniques require that walls are allowed to breath. Your take on how to achieve this whilst increasing energy efficiency was fascinating. Thanks.
Roger! You never fail to entertain me. I'm so jealous. I want to move to France so bad. Also, your new home is going to be so great. I learned so much from your explanation. I agree with your approach completely after hearing your inciteful view. Thank you, keep up the great work.
I have a "French connection". Looking forward to seeing the rest of your videos. Restorations have always fascinated me. I have worked in the building industry and currently assist a friend Renovating people's homes.
Hi Roger, from Ken in South Australia. I have been a subscriber and admirer of your sailing adventures for a few years now and thoroughly appreciate your whole approach and philosophy toward life in general. This current offering seems to me a logical extension of pretty much everything I have come to expect from your hand. Thanks for your contribution to making my life that much better. And yes I do mess about in boats, preferably wooden ones. Cheers for now, Ken.
The ship they launched looks beautiful,, good old fashioned craftsmanship
Here in Western Australia we have boats with a similar shaped hull.
They were fishing boats, big capacity for the catch but once the boat is healing the wetted area of the hull reduces rapidly making they very fast with a full load.
First back to port got the best price for their fish.
As a building scientist and sailor in Canada, I am really looking forward to watching this project progress. Your plan seems quite sound to me.
Thanks Roger. Pleased to hear your plans to go with sensible methods to reduce your carbon footprint mate.
Roger, thank you so much for your insights on remodeling. I’m sure that this will help others deal with these problems. This looks like a wonderful project and place for you.
Excellent! I almost prefer this line of enquiry (or lecture) to the sailing . Very interesting.
Great video Roger as someone living in an old farm house it is very revealing.
We briefly visited Dourarnenz in June. Towns we visited in Brittany that size (and smaller) were lovely - beautiful houses, town centers, wonderful food, beautiful ports, and friendly people. I am very much looking forward to this new series of videos. We are hoping to do something similar in a few years.
Roger Im a sailor who works on houses(in the US) for my work. You’ve combined two of my interests! I have to repair alot of homes that develop moisture problems from the inside out, I enjoy watching your solutions.
A perfect balance so far Roger. Just a suggestion if I may - When I restored my old finca in Spain I was persuaded to fit underfloor heating as the floors had to be ripped out anyway. It was the best decision ever as the winters can be quite long, cold and damp. I am a mean old bugger and I just get the system to tick-over in the winter months which keeps the floors warm but certainly not hot - great in the bathroom. Good luck with the project and please keep us posted.
Thanks Roger, your project is fascinating
Bienvenue en France, Roger
That is a lovely house, and I share your point of view about the choice of a town instead of an isolated mansion. This house is lovely; good luck with the renovation!
Great video Rodger. You have given me a lot of ideas for my cottage in rural North Northumberland, damp is a major problem because of the type of construction. I have already opened up the old fire place (where the kitchen range was and replaced it with a log/solid fuel burner unit which also heats my water and radiators. They had smashed the range combustion chamber area and replaced it with a LPG boiler and a gas fire in front sometime in the 70's., the pipework was reconnected to my new (second hand recycled )boiler and I now heat the whole cottage by just keeping on my fire. I wholeheartedly agree with you that buildings need to breath. Insulation is my next challenge. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge. Cheers
Thanks Roger, I love your explanation for breathable materials.
And what a great place to be!
More please :)
Merci pour cette belle et intéressante vidéo. Welcome to France, Roger, enjoy Douarnenez, one of my favorite places in Brittany!
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing this; I've been yearning to move to France for ages and have looked at thousands of places but your simple advice to move to a small town has got me thinking!I'm looking forward to the next episode 😊
Thank you, Roger. I’ve enjoyed your architecture content in the past, and I appreciate you sharing your personal space as an example. I’ve been learning about building with natural materials in several different locations and climates, and your approach today is so similar with an old house and new nature-based materials.
Very interesting and worthwhile project. My wife and I are in Douarnenez today 19th September and have just seen the boat you showed being launched. As an owner of a Grp yacht in chichester I can only marvel at the fabulous French wooden boats - what I call proper boats! I find myself fascinated with all the little and not so little French ports.
This is a brilliant idea for a series Roger. Really looking forward to it. Thank you.
Enjoyed the video with nice clear explanations of the proposed works. I have just started using lime mortar to do some repairs to old stables. That is the easy part, removing the old cement mortar was the fun bit.
Much, much better than your average "escape to ..." videos. Thanks
Roger, thank you! So very entertaining and educational.
Thanks for sharing Roger! Looks fantastic, and I love the sympathetic approach to achieving a warm, energy efficient home in a beautiful old town house. I look forward to future videos on this project. In terms of your question - yes please to more theoretical information about dealing with old properties and creating homes for the future - there isn't enough information out there!
Excellent video and so informative. i am surprised you didnt have your friend mary chipping all the old plaster off the walls and throwing the rubble out.
Really interesting. Thanks for another great video
Very interesting and educational,thanks Roger,all the best for all ongoing pursuits,cheers.
Best of luck with your exciting project. Yes, lime and sand, lime and sand, lime and sand. Chucking hemp into the mix for interior renders also works quite well for insulation. After 23 years of doing this sort of thing (La Drome), thankfully, the energy and enthusiasm to get my small yawl on the water, or to head to the hills, remains intact. Wishing you likewise. PS; I enjoy living slightly away from things, just outside town - best of both worlds.
What a lovely surprise finding those windows. Let there be light.
So interesting, thanks for sharing your journey. Looking forward to more vids. Hi from Ontario, Canada.
Thank you Roger,
I really like your building philosophy , in not using an impermiable membrain in the house, thereby alowing it to breath. My home is owned by a housing assosiation, and a few years ago they took off my roof and cut down the chimney stack, then capped it off in the loft area. They then replaced the roof with modern materials. This has resusted in a very damp house because now the poor thing can't breath and im becoming unwell with Arthritis.
I also enjoy your lovely boat and would love to own one just like it. However, I'm quite a bit older than you ( I'm retired from working)and fear my boating is going to stay limited to the plywood canoe I build in 2020. I am presently making a sail for this though , so soon I'll be sailing in the lake district and lochs of Scotland.
Your friend,
Steve Wilson
What a nice little house! And what a huge amount of work 😀
`I did it in Dorset 30 years ago, and made few mistakes, but not many. Now I'm going to learn from you.
It looks like you have found a way to combine all your loves in one place - boats, architecture and France. Bon chance, mon ami!
Great video Roger. It's a refreshing change to watch a restoration undertaken by someone who knows what he's doing. All too often we watch for months of trial and error to be disappointed with an ugly finish. I feel confident that your project will be beautiful. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
i think this series is a great idea and l'm really looking forward to the future episodes.
Very nice place Roger. Look forward to seeing the progress.
A lovely and very interesting change to your channel…I approve! Looking forward to more.
Great stuff!!! I love boats and love architecture.Goes together well. Love to hear your thoughts.
While my mother grew up in a stone house (2ft thick blocks) in Dunedin NZ, most homes here are built with timber throughout; so this video with its insight into yet another building technique made an interesting change from your usual sailing videos .
Couldn't agree more about location....we have a small comfortable apartment (originally required some renovation) with a lsrge terrace and amazing sea view erght in the heart of an old Provence town....beautiful Provencal Market, 4 Supermarkets, Cafes, Restaurants galore, shops, buses (cheap) & train station to go further but we feel in the heart of French life daily and it's great.!