Can't wait to see the after photos of the living space!

So you didn't insulate properly???

I would have added a dormer or a skylight, because that's a big room with only 2 small windows. I'm not surprised you need to redo things. I lived in neighboring Bulgaria for a few years and none of the contractors were professional. They were basically talented amateurs. Our furnace got rewired when some furnace service people couldn't read any of the settings and re-wired it so it was permanently on the "winter" setting, because that was apparently easier than figuring out what the settings meant.

It is definitely a challenge to do work when you are on the other side of the world and speak different languages. We have been fortunate to have a great contractor, even so, we do keep reinforcing our intent for a quality job (over a quick or cheap one) and to preserve the old saxon details whenever possible. We probably should have added a skylight or extra dormer to the main attic, but at the time we were concerned about and damage to the roof. We also built out the attic in the property's guest house, and for that build out we did add sky lights, as there were no existing windows.

You really have a blank slate.
You have to choose flooring, paint etc. and then we can figure out a floor plan.

Do you have measurements..?

What a monumental and impressive undertaking. I am sad to see the natural wood beams disappear though.

This looks amazing!! I love that you were able to keep the original wood beams peaking though the much needed insulation etc.

It is 41.6 feet in length and 26.08 in width, approximately 1,085 square feet or 101 square meters. It is a big space and mostly usable due to the double mansard roof. We added a bathroom in the middle which creates two distinct spaces. The front area will be more formal and the back will be casual for watching movies.

The natural beams are still there, just painted a dark brown. I would have liked a lighter stain versus paint. They did carefully sand each beam. We originally chose paint as we were concerned that the beams were not that cosmetic, however after sanding they looked so good that I regret not changing the plan back to a lighter stain.

This is amazing!! I love that you were able to keep the original wood beams peeking through the insulation etc. such an impressive space! I also really like to see the process of renovating such an old structure. Job well done so far!

What a neat space! I hope you post the final photos when it's all done.

You HAVE to post photos when the space is finished!!!

We are not yet done, but I am adding some updated photos. This is part of a larger renovation of the entire property (one of three floors in the main house, which is one of five buildings on the property). I will make a separate posts for the other parts of the property. Right now we are working on flooring, which is a terracotta look tile in the kitchen, patio & entryways and oak chevron floors most everywhere else (including this attic).

Painting

This back half of the attic, will be a theater with a projector and retractable screen on the left, surrounded by comfy, casual seating.

This is the area for the retractable screen, which has also been wired for speakers.

On the front half, we will have two nooks on either side for daybeds.

Next to the dormer, we will have two closets on either side of the dormer window.

This is the new bathroom, which is in the center of the attic.

The dormer window in the front of the attic has a nice view of the village "bacon tower".

Most recently, they have been working on finishing the existing chimney that passes through the attic.

The hanging wires are for three ceiling fans.