This barn is my next project. I’m thinking of keeping the side wall as is; demolishing the existing garage door and making two, neither of which is as hideous as the one Stuart left me with; repointing that wall; and sealing the whole thing up before the pigeons destroy it.
Not so long ago, I was delighted to welcome a pigeon. Caring mom, spindly little baby, so cute. MM kept telling me to get rid of that thing but I refused. Eventually, in their own time, they cleared out. That’s when I found out what a mess pigeons can leave, or thought I had. Now I know they were just getting started.
As you can see, they moved into the barn. I know from my days spent doing renovation projects in Los Angeles, pigeon shit can destroy a building in no time. Swifts have nested here, which didn’t thrill me. This is much more serious.
As you can see, pigeon poo is pitting the concrete floor. If you could see the lofts, you would see that pigeon poo is rotting them to the point that they are a safety hazard. Julien has done a fine job of sealing the openings to the barn opposite. Because of that large opening, this one won’t be so easy.
Here is Julien starting to make sense of the public side of that barn. The mairie was willing to sell me a strip of public land, enough to give me the right to install windows on this side, manage drainage, etc. This was once part of the original landholding. Over time I am learning more about how, when and why the property shrank to its current size. I’ll post something when I have a more complete story.
I remember seeing the movie Withnail and I, getting the visceral feeling that I wanted the uncle’s house: not the uncle, thank you, just the house. That feeling is a part of the reason I came here. I remember wondering why he didn’t fix it up more. Out at Domaine du Fan I couldn’t help but notice that outbuildings were being let go, that there was a lot of land but no real garden to speak of. As I settle in here I’m starting to think yes, that’s how it is. After a while you start asking yourself where each new project stands, considering the other priorities in your life. I have identified contractors who would do a great job of transforming this deluxe pigeon coop into a pigeon-free garage. But that work comes at a cost, in this case well into five figures. I have to think about whether this is really the best use of my money. The pigeons may force my hand.