Château de Montmagner - @ourfrenchrenovation - Our French Renovation, The Good LIfe

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My wife and I had both tried Lime / Chaux Mortaring with varying success. Mandy's attempt was more than acceptable, however mine lacked all merit.

Château de Montmagner had set up a course offering to teach people how to render properly. Lesa had been taught by skilled professionals from English Heritage. Lesa and Ted were perfect teachers for this type of course. Lesa in particular was a mind of information.

Since going on this course, we have walked past dozens of house and viewed numerous tutorial videos. We've noticed evidence of stages and tricks that have been done badly or missed completely. There were so many subtle tricks, that wouldn't come across very well in a tutorial video, that Lesa's keen eye spotted immediately and helped us correct.

We thoroughly believe that many professionals; that had rendered countless houses; would have picked up more tips and tricks from this course. There was something to learn for everyone at all levels.

The reward of getting to work on a 700 year old Château was truly amazing. To think that my work may still exist in several hundred years time is beyond belief. Artisans, on these buildings, often get amazing views, fresh air and true pleasure in their work. Whereas, I rode a desk in a stuffy office for 35 years.

It is such as shame that skills like these are slowly dying out, but having done just 3 days you can understand why professionals charge €100 per square meter. It is unbelievably back breaking hard work. On top of which you'd have scaffolding hire, cherry pickers etc. However, if you were to go the DIY route, materials are relatively cheap and you'd save a fortune.

We now have to chisel years of cement off the fascia of our house and hopefully our damp and insect infestation problems will magically disappear. It could be months of work, but definitely worth the effort. There would be a massive negative investment in paying a professional to restore the outside of our house, but for us to go the DIY route is both financially and emotionally rewarding.

Hopefully, one day, we'll get a chance to return to Château de Montmagner and help Ted and Lesa out once again. They are truly great hosts. We loved every second.



#chateaudemontmagner