Building Your Chalet ...
Chalet Châtelet owners, Pascal and Suzanne give some useful tips on building a unique eco-friendly Alpine chalet...
Find the land yourself so that you are free to choose whichever builders and contractors you can trust to produce the home of your dreams.
If you build over 170m2 in France, you need to employ an architect. Make absolutely sure that he/she
shares your eco-friendly philosophy.
Ask lots of questions. It can be difficult knowing how to ask the ones, but you'll suffer if you don't ask them.
Be prepared to dedicate an enormous amount of time and energy - it is a full time job.
It would be very hard to do a project such as ours without the ability to see three-dimensionally from plans. We worked every day
in our site caravan, improving the basic design using just pencil,
paper, tracing-paper and set-square. Anticipation is essential as
well as picking up mistakes made by contractors.
We devoted a lot of time sourcing ecological materials for our
project. Because of the lack of local availability and high costs
involved in manufacturing materials for a limited market (at
present), we needed to be extremely vigilant regarding our budget.
Be very exacting with everything and, above
all, extremely patient!
Chalet Châtelet craftsmen, contractors and suppliers...
Master Stonemason & Sculptor
Claude & Christophe Chevenement
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)4 76 36 44 12
Geo-Biologist
Jacques Richardot
E-mail: geobiotec7@hotmail.com
Tel: +41 (0)3 29 32 46 70
Wooden Chalet Structure
Daniel Garnier
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 22 04 04
Natural Insulation
Alain Drouilleau
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)5 63 50 24 81
Wood-Shingle Roof
Jean-Paul & Sebastian Bochet
74500 Champanges
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 73 44 93
Tulikivi & Wekos Stoves, Natural Stone & Tiling
Michel Traini
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 48 26 40
Solar
Roget & Laurent Chevallet
74470 Vailly
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 73 80 48
Bespoke Artisan Joiner
Michel & Christophe Gaydon
74200 Margencel
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 72 65 64
Traditional Mountain Balcony & Kitchen
Stéphanie & Jean-Michel
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 39 40 14
Natural Lime Rendering
Philippe Bouvet
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 74 87 15
Granite
Visit website
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 71 76 19
Electricity
Marcel Chevallay
74500 Champanges
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 73 48 38
Plumbing
Pertuiset-Jordil
74500 Champanges
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 73 43 48
Excavation
JSM TP
74550 Perrigner
Tel: +33 (0)4 50 72 00 94
Other Useful Links...
www.cadconstruction.fr
www.grossetjanin.com
www.confortbois.com
www.maisons-et-bois.com
www.constructions-chauvin.fr
www.maison-finlande.com
www.maisons-bois.org
Winter & Ski Home
Property & Living
Chalet Chatelet, Val d'Abondance
Sustainable Mountain Living
Chalet Chatelet is an environmentally friendly luxury catered chalet in Vallée d'Abondance, Haute Savoie.
In August 2003 Pascal and Suzanne Immediato were fortunate enough to purchase some land in the Val d’Abondance. The spectacular site, found through family connections, was just a field but had once been the site of a fortified château. It also enjoys sun all year, with no nearby buildings to interrupt the views of the stunning mountain scenery. “We both passionately believe in the protection of nature, and were determined to create an ecological family home to share with visitors”, says Suzanne.
On their list of priorities were volume and spaciousness, with high ceilings and large windows, creating a bright and airy interior to echo the location. Pascal and Suzanne therefore decided to design the chalet themselves. As Pascal explains: “We both had a lot of experience in renovation so we chose to act as site managers, organizing the intervention of each contractor. First we considered the basic design, and how best to integrate it into the local architectural style. We then thought hard about the orientation, to gain the best views while maximising benefits from solar energy. Before starting to build we consulted a Swiss geo-biologist who placed copper wires in the ground to earth the iron reinforcing rods of the concrete base. He also measured the energy level of the land and located underground water sources”.
A Constructive Approach
On top of the one-metre base, the walls of the ground floor are constructed from 300mm thick monomur bricks offering honeycomb insulation.
The structure was clad with local stone in lime mortar incorporating details and symbolism created by a sculptor and master stonemason experienced in renovating churches and historical buildings. The two timber storeys above employ whole logs felled in the mountains, then shaped and test-assembled, each joint being hand-chiseled. The logs were then dismantled, numbered and transported to the construction site, then assembled and packed with lambswool insulation. The resulting structure had to dry for over a year, and settled by some 15 centimetres, a figure factored into the sizing of all vertical parts and connections during construction.
The Eco-Balance...
The roof (traditional Canadian red cedar shingles with copper guttering and drainpipes) and external walls of the top floor are insulated with cork, hemp and wood-fibre, selected for their thermal and acoustic qualities.
A complex network of pipes serves the various bathrooms, showers and toilets required to meet guests’ expectations for high standards of comfort and convenience. Rainwater collection allows use of this free natural resource for toilets and the washing machine if required. “Although in terms of water and electricity, the ideas of 'luxury' and 'ecology' may appear incomcompatible, we’ve done our best to combine them, with the support of our conscientious guests”, says Suzanne.
A highly-experienced solar energy specialist installed two kinds of solar panel unobtrusively on the barn roof; one heats the hot water tank while the other produces electricity. Any surplus is then sold back to the electricity company EDF. Energy requirements are cut still further by the chalet’s large, double-glazed windows on both south and west facades, trapping natural solar warmth.
The main sources of winter heating are wood-burning stoves, complimented by fluid-filled electric radiators. The heart of the chalet is undoubtedly a Finnish Tulikivi stove, complete with bread oven. Its use of double combustion means that just 2-3 hours of burning allows it to radiate gently for 24 hours from its stone base, creating a cosy ambience.
Pascal and Suzanne have succeeded in building an environmentally-friendly home and business, with their children providing youthful enthusiasm and encouragement (plus practical help) to complete this enormous project. As Pascal says: “We are very privileged to live in such a fantastic part of the world, and we like to think that we have contributed to it just a little by building this traditional mountain chalet on an historic site”.
Contact Details:
Pascal and Suzanne Immediato
Chalet Châtelet
Route d’Abondance
74360 Bonnevaux
France
0033 (0)4 50 73 69 48
0033 (0)6 87 07 30 24 (mobile)
E-mail : info@chalet-chatelet.com
Visit website : www.chalet-chatelet.com
Chalet Châtelet provides the perfect balance of a tailored luxury service and fine cuisine using local & organic produce, set within an ecological mountain retreat that offers both the convenience of the slopes and peace away from the crowds.
Exquisite new interior
Chalet Châtelet has been refurbished for the 2011/12 winter season. Its exquisite new interior includes art work from prominent artists, designer furnishings and lighting, and a state of the art 3D LED home cinema system. There are now five double bedrooms, furnished in soft colours and rich fabrics and accommodating up to 12 people.
Other Activities
Activities on offer include heli-skiing, guided mountain snow shoe hikes and husky sledging. We can arrange therapeutic spa days in both peaceful lake and snowy mountain resorts - all close by.
Contact Details
Visit www.chalet-chatelet.com to view and book this unique catered eco-chalet on the Swiss border of the French Alps.
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