In which Thomas dons a safety helmet and throws himself into the world of metal roof repair.

We knew the top of the orangery was in a bad state before we bought Lescure. Repair or replace? Thomas figured he could make temporary restorations, allowing us to spread large costs over the years. I put my aesthetic sensibilities aside and agreed. We could always call in professional roofers, right? One day. In the future.

We had no idea. Years of patch jobs (rolled asphalt roofing and tar) had caused leakages, destroyed the wooden boarding and corroded the metal frames of the orangery windows. For more than a year, we lived through heavy rainstorms and their aftermath. Mending madness! Each time, Thomas rose to the challenge, mounted a ladder and saved the day. I mopped floors, emptied pans and buckets, on hand to boost alpha male ego if necessary, ready to offer moral support – and hot tea. Still, when Thomas ascended the roof for the umpteenth time, clouds rupturing above his head, freezing rain gushing into his mouth and nose…we knew it was time to call it quits. And call a pro.

In came a team of historic roofing experts. A small family business who brought in lots of scaffolding and decided that the one room I had cleaned and styled for guests was ideal as a ‘zinguerie’. One, two, three weeks passed. Et voilà, a beautiful zinc roof, restored to its original appearance and performance. And Thomas? He’s been enjoying some downtime in the leak-proof conservatory, pondering about what next to tackle.