Wealden Times | WT183 | May 2017 | Restoration & New Build supplement inside

Renovation
Project:
The House
in France
Jay Cross,
Cross Builders
Why do your customers ask you to renovate holiday homes in France? “Many of
our English customers have used French builders in the past but there were reports
of problems ‘in translation’ and major projects were sometimes left incomplete.
One customer had instructed French builders to renew her roof. A few months
later, the roof had sprung a leak and brought down two elaborate lime and
horsehair period ceilings. We repaired the roof and re-plastered the ceilings but
discovered that the French builders had forgotten to install a breather membrane.
Our customers prefer to use our services because we send photos and regular
updates by email so they can make informed decisions about priority repairs.
Because we use French materials such as Sable blanc and local Châtaigne
(chestnut timber) our customers know that their home is being renovated
with appropriate materials so it will look correct and authentic.”
What do customers like about your services? “We restored a 17th century
country cottage on the edge of a forest and stripped the beams back to reveal
their true colour. Wild bees had made their home in the ceiling of one of the
bedrooms and the scent of the forest honey had permeated the timber with its
sweet fragrance. The bedroom has a natural honey scent and we used beeswax
to enrich the timber beams so our renovation work did not detract or alter
the natural fragrance of the bedroom. Our customers like the way we work in
sympathy with the original features to really make the most of a character home.”
What has been your proudest moment? “In 2015 we were awarded STEM
accreditation from KCC. This means that we have a sustainable approach to
building and renovating homes so there is far less reliance on burning fossil
fuels to keep the home warm. Professor Jane Rendell introduced us to a Frenchmade
reflective quilt product which was originally designed to keep wealthy
villa owners’ homes cool in summer. We have been using the same product in
the UK to keep draughty and cold homes warm and reduce heating bills. We
now encourage homeowners to consider installing Thermaline when they are
embarking on renovations. This product feels warm to the touch and re-lines
unsightly uneven interior walls, making them warmer, smoother and drier.”
What types of properties do you renovate? “Over the past few years we
have repaired tiny cottages with stone roofs in the Dordogne, restored a lovely
apricot-coloured villa near St Jean de Luz in the South West of France, a
former 1930s hotel near Carcassonne and re-roofed a retirement property – a
huge remote country farmhouse in Brittany. All sorts of holiday homes in
different parts of France, from the North right down to the Mediterranean.
Is language a barrier? “Two members of staff are now fluent French
speakers so there is no problem in going to the local builders’ merchants
and ordering sacks of plaster and timber. Our new trainee is learning
French and I have been having French lessons every Saturday in Canterbury
with Fabienne – a French teacher who lives permanently in the UK.”
01303 211805 cross-builders.co.uk
19 wealdentimes.co.uk