This is going to be a very short post because we are up to our necks in travaux. Travaux, the plural of travail is, interestingly enough, from the low Latin trepalium, instrument of torture, derived from the Latin tres, three, and palus, stake.
Well, I can tell you, the pain in both my hands (being left-handed I am fairly ambidextrous) from wielding spatulas, trowels, paint brushes and rollers for the last week certainly makes it feel like torture! The end result will be a laundry, initially without a sink.
Travaux is a very useful word and covers practically anything. Note that in French, it is always used in the plural and never in the singular, in this context. And you can use it by itself without any explanation. Nous faisons des travaux = We doing renovation works/alterations/plumbing and so on.
renovation work = travaux de rénovation
roadworks = travaux routiers
woodwork = travaux sur bois
plumbing work = travaux de plomberie
alterations = travaux d’aménagement
major projects = grands travaux
farm work = travaux de la ferme
metalwork = travaux sur métal
I’m sure you can find plenty of others! Je dois reprendre mes travaux de peinture!
Bon courage! I remember the days of drilling through 70cm walls only too well — has to be done for plumbing and electricity and we sent some of our wiring off on an extraordinary journey up and over in order to avoid having to make such a hole in one instance. Sometimes can’t be avoided though, even with the cleverest planning.
These holes (8 cm diameter) are for the two clothes dryers for the towels for the gîte so we didn’t have much choice. The little one for the water was a breeze apparently. We are so glad to be nearly finished!
Is it strange that just looking at that tool, my ears are bracing for the racket that it makes?
We both wore ear plugs!