Chalet Alice was constructed in 1990 from Canadian pine which is superior to that grown in the Alps as it comes from higher latitudes and is therefore more slowly growing and denser. The outer skin is 13cms thick. There is a 13cm layer of insulation and inner wooden panels of 5cms.

The insulation qualities are first class. In the winter the whole chalet can be heated by the wood burner. Instant electric heating is available when required i.e. when occupying the property after it has been empty for some time. All windows are double glazed and all have shutters which are used both in the depths of winter to keep the chalet warm and in the summer to keep the Chalet lovely and cool in its South facing aspect.

The roof has powdered coated metal cladding which makes an interesting noise in hailstorms but its thermal insulation is such that 40cms of snow can remain there for weeks with the wood burner keeping the Chalet beautifully warm right underneath. The galvanized gutters are in marked contrast to the flimsy plastic substitutes used in the UK. Equally, the effectiveness of the chains which run from the gutters instead of down pipes is only really demonstrated in the winter when fascinating stalactites are formed. Instead of frozen down pipes, these stalactites melt harmlessly away around the chains.

The new forms of construction and rigorous insulation standards to which the UK has suddenly woken up can be found as they always have been – in rural France using construction techniques tried and proven over many years! Staying in a wooden chalet is another experience and we have a number of books on the subject in our little library in the chalet.