by Helen | Sep 10, 2018 | Renovation
We’re at the stage in our house renovation, where we can now be quite a bit bolder in terms of decor. We’ve taken on an Istrian stone house, which in parts, is over 200 years old – and possibly more – so there is a wealth of history and tradition attached to it. Houses in our part of Istria, fall into three categories – the traditional stone dwellings like ours with tiny, shuttered windows, modern hacienda style houses with multiple balconies and often painted in deep pinks, oranges and reds, and ultra modern cube style buildings, usually white or grey on the exterior and with floor to ceiling glass walls. We definitely don’t want to adversely change the exterior of the house – although next year, Project Garden will be a different story – and so when you approach it, it does look like many other houses in the area. Although, we were so lucky that the previous owners had done all of the structural work, including a new roof, repaired stonework and new aluminium guttering, so it is in excellent condition and looks rather smart from the outside.
Inside, it’s taken nearly a year, but all rooms are now white washed. We knew we didn’t want a traditional Istrian stone house internally, and so early on the decision was taken to paint the exposed stone walls. We have seen interiors where the stone walls have obviously been sand-blasted and cleaned up and these do look lovely, but our walls were not in this state and so the house seemed dark. With the exposed wooden beams, it was a bit country-cottagey and definitely not what we wanted. Although it’s been a labour of love – those Istrian stones don’t half soak up the paint – we’ve finally got a house which is much lighter and feels so much more spacious. So, you’d think we’d be happy and stop there and sit back and enjoy our new lighter, brighter rooms…
wrong!
All white is all fine and good – but we realised that we were going to have work a bit harder to get that contemporary look we were after indoors. If *everything* was white – flooring, furnishings etc – we could probably have achieved that Scandi minimalism, but we’re living in a home, not a styled shoot, and the amount of cleaning that we’d need to do to keep our Scandi dream going, plus the additional expense of new furnishings, meant this was a non-starter. So, we’ve gone for the less expensive option – pops of colour. I’ve been scouring Pinterest for inspiration and pinning like mad, and I kept coming back to these images, in particular…
Our living room, although it has a low ceiling and the two windows are quite small, is large and I felt sufficiently big enough to take a very, very dark wall. Thankfully, I didn’t have to do too much arm-twisting and the only decision was what colour to go for. Having found the equivalent of B&Q out here, it’s easy to get paint mixed and we are becoming quite well known on the mixing counter. Although you can get familiar brands like Dulux, the range of colours doesn’t seem as extensive as we’re used to and so we always now opt for the mix option. This paint, in coverage and texture, is very similar to Farrow & Ball – and at a fraction of the price, we’re being won over. One coat was all it took to cover a large expanse of wall, and now that it is finished, we couldn’t be more delighted with our feature wall!
As well as the ceiling beams, the windows have big, thick beams above, to support. The wood used isn’t the best – it looks in places, as if it has been used previously to cut other pieces of wood on, as there are deep gouges. So, we’ve decided to also deal with these and in the process, make the windows seem larger. As with the beams, the wood around the top of the windows has been treated for woodworm – you can never be too careful with these critters – and undercoated and top coated in the beautiful calming matt grey used on the beams upstairs. Eventually all of the beams throughout the house will be done in the same way, but we’re having to be realistic about the amount of time it takes and so have set a target of two beams a day…
So, the living room is *almost* there – the floor still needs to be painted and then we need to deal with the issue of the open plan staircase, as well as finishing the ceiling, but we feel massive progress has been made over the last week. It’s also very gratifying to stand back & see our own handiwork, rather than that of a builder. And, DIY, without the accompaniment of a hammer drill is blissful…
by Helen | Aug 15, 2018 | Renovation
For the first year of living in the house, we made do with the bathroom we inherited. OK, we tarted it up a bit – everything painted white, essentially – but it was still quite poorly laid out, with a tiny shower cubicle and not really conducive to a relaxing experience.
So, the decision was taken that we couldn’t have another summer of guests, trying to squash themselves into a tiny shower. If we were going to have people staying with us, we had to provide them – and us! – with something a little bit more luxurious. The first job was to ensure that it actually happened and that we didn’t procrastinate or change our minds, so the shower cubicle was smashed out. A very satisfying job…
Luckily, we do have another bathroom upstairs so we could actually wash, but this one too, suffers from the same malaise as the downstairs one – small, quite poorly laid out, and ready for a big renovation. But maybe not quite yet! Once the downstairs bathroom had effectively been dismantled, we could assess the space and work out the plan of action – and to our builder’s delight, that meant moving the shower, the sink and the toilet. We decided that the shower would be much better positioned by the window – we’re not overlooked, apart from a beautiful wall of ivy – and so felt we could get away with this. Where the toilet had been, we decided to create a recess – a shelf for shower accessories, which would also double as a seat, within the shower, and the toilet would sit where the old shower had been, behind the door, so not visible from outside the room. We also decided to continue the concrete theme into this room, following the flow from the new kitchen and the table we had had made in The Well Room. The tiles we chose were big – about 70cms x 70cms – so this made the job all the more tricky, because much precise cutting was needed for such a small space.
After having such an un-luxurious bathing experience for so long, we decided that we’d push the boat out a little bit further than we originally anticipated with this bathroom. To save space further, we opted for a wall mounted toilet, with the flush built into the wall, and the same for the sink. We bought a cabinet for the sink to sit on, but decided against it, when we realised that a floating sink would look so much better. The project seemed to take a lot longer than we anticipated, but to be fair, it was also a lot trickier than we anticipated – but finally, a bathroom did start to emerge…
So, how does it all look now? Well, we loved our bathroom in West Didsbury, but somehow this one just feels a little bit more spa-ish. I think it’s because there’s no bath, and so essentially it’s become a wet room. Although, and thanks to our builder for persuading us on this one, the addition of underfloor heating, means that the water will dry up quickly in colder temperatures. (No problems currently, because it’s so hot, it dries up almost immediately). There are still certain things still to be done. Where the shower curtain is now – again, a very inexpensive IKEA option with a telescopic pole – we’ll have a hinged shower screen, which will fold back across, and under, the shower, creating more sense of space. The piping structure will be created under the sink, giving us space for towels etc. And, again due to time constraints, we had have the original door rehung (although turned around so that it now opens the other way), but the plan is to have a sliding door installed, again creating more sense of space.
We could not love our new shower anymore! It is the quietest shower, ever – but powerful. There is also something very beautiful and liberating about showering in front of an open window, looking out on lush green foliage and knowing that you cannot be overseen. Our builder did think I was quite mad when I said I wanted a “seat” creating within the shower, but he gets it now. I think! It’s lovely being able to apply moisturising cream, after a shower, but still in the shower. And, believe you me, after months of dust and dirt and heat, moisturising is very important!
I really hate plug holes in showers – they make me shudder, so we decided on a linear trap. And found one to perfectly match the white and chrome shower, which then followed through to the sink tap and the toilet flush…
The previous sink was the kind of sink you might find in a toilet room – it was tiny and really only for handwashing, so we went for a chunky, rectangular sink, with sufficient room for face washing. And with a very funky push down plug. It’s the little things…
by Helen | Jul 31, 2018 | Italy, Travel
When we visited Brescia, not too long ago, we decided to visit the town of Salò, located on the western banks of Lake Garda. I’d seen Salò on Francesco da Mosto’s “Italy : Top to Toe” and was fascinated by it. As we were so close, it seemed a wasted opportunity not to visit the town that Mussolini made the capital of his puppet republic from 1943-1945.
Because the day was very overcast, and actually quite cold, we didn’t get to explore quite as much as we’d intended, but what we did see, was something of a real surprise. I think I had expected it to be almost museum-like, and with a real nod to its recent history. I’m sure that if you desperately wanted to seek out references to the Mussolini era, you could – but we found it to be a very beautiful lakeside town, which is definitely worthy of a revisit.
We were there in late September, so the tourist season was coming to a close, but you could still get an appreciation of what it might be like in the summer. Restaurants and bars and very swish boutiques line the shore, with pastel coloured houses and apartments, behind the front, up and along the cobbled streets. Every now and again, a glimpse of an amazing gated villa or residence – there’s definitely no shortage of money in this part of Salò! Fishing boats bobbed along the perimeter of the lake, as well as larger vessels moored up – again, no shortage of pennies here.
We even managed to catch the Exhibition of Madness, an off-shoot from the Museo di Salo, on the lake promenade. In an industrial container – “L’Intonapensieri” – there was a preview of the exhibition that hosted nine interactive installations with poems written by important figures such as Antonio Ligabue, Franco Basaglia and Alda Merini. Pretty bizarre it was, too – and maybe not for those with a slightly nervous disposition.
Salò, despite its fairly recent association with Mussolini and Facism, is now a genteel kind of town, with grand buildings tree lined promenades. And, perhaps in an effort to get away from recent history, the last hide-out of Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, is now the the very boutique, Villa Fiordaliso…
(Image : https://www.relaischateaux.com)
by Helen | Jul 9, 2018 | Croatia, Travel
We thought we knew Rovinj, in Istria pretty well as it’s now one of our go-to places when we need some sea air and a bit of comfort away from an on-going house renovation. We decided to stay somewhere different this time, and chanced upon the very stylish and boutiquey Casa Amando, run by two German designers, Marijana and Lucas. More about this find in a later blog, but suffice to say, we *got* it when Marijana explained that “the house found them…”.And, through staying here, we discovered a whole area of old town Rovinj, we have so far not investigated.
Breakfast currently does not come as an option with these apartments (five in total in a renovated house), but there is an amazingly well equipped communal kitchen. However, we were advised that a new cafe/restaurant had recently opened, literally next door, and that the owner used to be head chef at The Adriatic Hotel. This piqued our interest, because The Adriatic is our favourite get-away-from-it-all place.
So, Korta. What a beautiful place! The decor is exquisite – lots of vintage style wrought iron tables and chairs, lanterns, candelabras, bird cages, rose patterned cushions, mis-matched crockery and the biggest bouganvillea I have ever seen. So big, that just about everyone who went past, stopped to take a snap of it.
Breakfast was a delicious affair, beautifully presented on a three tier cake stand. The top tier was the “savoury”. Cold cuts of meats were available, but we opted for just the cheeses – Istrian truffle cheese, a hard but creamy cheese, ricotta and mozzarella, sprinkled with dates and small fruits. The middle layer was the “sweet” – two big slices of homemade apple cake, two big croissants, one filled with chocolate and one with marmalade and two glass pots, one filled with chocolate spread, the other with an orange marmalade. The bottom layer was the “healthy” one – grapes, orange slices, apricots, bananas, blueberries and redcurrants. We had two large coffees each and fresh juice – all for 150 kunas, which is less than £20. Fantastic value in a stunning setting. Hugely recommended.
Korta only opened at the beginning of July, but from what we experienced, it should be a success. It is open from breakfast through to evening – and the menu changes to more of a tapas style, with Istrian meats, cheeses and fish. It can be found right next to Casa Amando, which is located at Bregovita ulica 9.
by Helen | Jul 6, 2018 | Renovation
It seems like no time since we were in the depths of winter, with no kitchen, a gaping hole in the wall where the new window was being fitted and heavy falling snow. It’s now mid-summer and although, as I type it’s hammering down with rain, thunder is rumbling all around and lightning is cracking across the sky, largely the weather is baking hot. So, this all makes DIY and renovation a bit more difficult, as we’d definitely rather be lying on a sun-lounger in the garden, than up a ladder with a paintbrush. Our builders are still here, working on what they need to do – the downstairs bathroom still being the big priority at the moment – but, we’re also doing what we can, and we’re currently focusing on the outside of the house, to the front.
There is a piece of land, tucked under our living room window, which actually belongs to the tumble down house we’re attached to. It’s been left as a bit of a dumping ground, but we decided that, although it doesn’t belong to us, we would give it a bit of a tidy up – especially given that it does look & feel like part of our garden. Days were spent moving stones & rocks, refilling with rubble to level it, covering with plastic and then finally laying bags and bags of beautiful rusty coloured bark. From what it was, it’s come up a treat – next job is to have uplighting installed, to light up the gorgeous ivy-clad ruin to which we are adjoined…
A lot of paint spraying has been going on in the garden – we bought a white wrought iron vintage table and chairs set, which needed a bit of TLC. This was achieved with a deep charcoal grey paint, which has given this set a whole new lease of life. And now the same thing is happening with the wooden sun loungers – from a walnut colour to the lovely deep grey. A colour which really complements the duck egg blue of the outdoor lights and the external paintwork. A work in progress, because as ever, the amount of spray paint needed, was under-estimated, necessitating yet another trip to the DIY store…
by Helen | May 18, 2018 | Croatia, Italy, Travel
We’ve just said goodbye to our second set of friends who’ve been staying with us for a few days. Amanda and Steve had a few days in Italy first – they flew to Venice Marco Polo from Manchester and then spent a couple of days 30km north of Venice, in Treviso and then took the train to Trieste, where we picked them up. We can be in Trieste in 45 minutes so it’s a great place to meet visitors and it’s a great introduction to our new part of the world. Although we live in Istria, which is part of Croatia, it was, until not long ago (1947), a part of Italy – and it certainly still feels very Italian.
We left Trieste in baking sunshine and arrived in Istria under dark, threatening thunderclouds. Note to visitors – bring something waterproof!
We’ve become used to our weather now – we get torrential rain and insane storms, but give it a couple of hours and we can be back out on the sun-loungers. Amanda didn’t quite believe it when I told her this, as we left them to relax for a couple of hours, while we did a supermarket run. However, when we returned, where were they? On the sunbeds!
As we had a few trips out planned, we spent a leisurely Friday evening, catching up. We’re getting used to the quirkiness and eccentricities of our house now, but it’s always a real delight to hear what other people think. We’re used to our Well, now re-positioned outside the front door, but every now and then, it’s good to remember that this is such an unusual and beautiful feature. It’s also very lovely when people see familiar things around them, that they know from our West Didsbury home and so very quickly relax into their new surroundings. And, have a very comfy night’s sleep…
We want people who visit us to get an insight into where we now live. It’s such a beautiful part of the world and we want to share it. We also try to think about what each visitor would like to see or experience – some people love water parks, some lovely cycling trips, some love hilltop villages, some love cities, some love some or all of these, but we’ll always try and find out what you like so that you have the best experience possible.
Saturday saw us heading over to Rijeka, on the eastern side of the peninsula, a journey which cuts through the mountains, via the Učka Tunnel. We wanted to come to Rijeka to see the Stadion Kantrida. Until July 2015, Rijeka football club was based at Stadion Kantrida, their traditional home ground for over 60 years. With Kantrida now awaiting demolition and reconstruction, Rijeka have been based at the newly-built Stadion Rujevica, part of the new training centre and the club’s temporary home ground. Following the demolition of old Kantrida, a new, state of the art, 14,600 all-seater stadium will be built at the same location. And what a location! When we take people to see it, they are always a bit wowed…
Yes, that is The Adriatic, with Krk Island shimmering in the distance.
Next stop was Opatija, a beautiful resort, much loved by the Austro-Hungarian nobility and very different in architectural style to the more Venetian/Italian style of the Istrian side of the peninsula. As it was a whistle-stop tour, we just stopped for a drink in the grounds of a hotel where The Rat Pack would entertain. Sounds swish – which it is, but very inexpensive for a round of drinks, sipped whilst overlooking the sea. As a birthday was being celebrated, we felt that a perfect spot to do so, was in a gorgeous sea-front restaurant we’ve found in the little fishing port of Mošćenička Draga – and no, we can’t say it either. The beach is white pebbles and the sea the bluest of blue – and we were lucky to get a table overlooking the beach at the lovely Konoba Zijavica.
Next stop was a drive inland, to the medieval village of Gračišće. Miss the turn off for this village and you will miss something very special indeed. It’s a sleepy little village, where everything seems to move at a very slow pace – but is just one of the most picturesque places we’ve visited. Some of the houses date back to the early 1400s (dates inscribed on crooked stone lintels above tiny doorways) and the sense of history is palpable. The church sits high on a hill and the views of the Istrian countryside are jaw-dropping…
We don’t have a *local* restaurant or bar, in the sense that we used to in West Didsbury. Our local is about 4km from The House, but it is our local – because we are treated as such. We’re not treated as tourists any more. The owner greets us with “Hello, Neighbours” – we’re sure he’s actually forgotten our names, but we love it nevertherless and we want our visitors to experience it too. When we arrived, it was clear that it had been raining, very heavily too – although we’d had glorious sunshine on the east coast. In fact, the weather had been so extreme, one of the guys we know, whose English is very good, just said, “I have no words to describe it!” Well, the sun was shining now, so all was OK with the world and we were able to enjoy our sunset drinks in the warmth.
To illustrate how mad Istrian weather can be – and no wonder he had no words to describe it – we returned home to find carnage in the garden. Plants had been ravaged – the hostas which I was delighted had not been eaten by snails, looked as if a razor had been taken to the leaves. All due to a hailstorm – the pile of hailstones, which had obviously shot out of the gutter, being evidence of the ferocity of it all. And all while we basked in east side sun…
When we collect family or friends from Pula Airport, we can’t resist a quick detour into Pula. Anyone who hasn’t witnessed the spectacle of the ampitheatre is really blown away as it’s the only remaining Roman ampitheatre to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved, and the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia.
Next stop was Rovinj – a must for anyone who comes to visit us. We enjoyed – and all agreed – the best lunch of freshly caught sea-bass. HUGE fish and just so, so tasty, in one of our favourite restaurants, Rio, right on the harbour. No photos of said fish, as we wolfed it down. However, if you’ve not seen photos of Rovinj or been before, here you go…
One of the best things about where we now live, is our proximity to other places, especially in northern Italy. Amanda and Steve were flying back from Venice and not having been before, wanted to spend a bit of time there – so we offered to take then there and stay overnight with them. What a hardship…
The drive across the SS14, the main route from Trieste to Turin if you want to avoid the madness of the A4 motorway, is stunning. The Veneto is really flat and you can see for miles and miles, way up to the snow peaked Dolomites. We were a bit concerned weather-wise as the rain had started, but as we approached Venice – and you always know you’re near as you can see the planes taking off from Marco Polo airport – the sun started to break through and that was it. Sunglasses back on!
Rather than walk from the car park – the one where you have to park and where you have to leave your keys on the dashboard – we thought that a water bus would be the most spectacular way for Amanda and Steve to see Venice for the first time. Nothing beats seeing it from the water. A water bus isn’t expensive – 30 euros for four of us and the journey lasts a good 40 minutes if you’re going right round to St Mark’s Square, as we were, because we’d found a great value apartment, not too far from this famous landmark.
Anyway, Venice – it just really speaks for itself…
We found new places to eat on this trip too – although we did try to eat at a favourite restaurant, Al Buso, which is directly under the Rialto Bridge. The location is amazing and we’ve had great food and service there before, the last time being during the Carnival, where we had very delicious pizzas. We’d eaten lots of fish and pasta over the last few days and all were in the mood for a pizza, so we reckoned this would be a good choice. Menus were presented and the waiter (who had served us before), told us about the daily fish specials. Unfortunately, on this occasion, his mood wasn’t as customer focused and when we asked for the pizza menu – and there definitely is one – he replied by telling us if we wanted pizza, we should go to St Mark’s Square. Given that we would have spent quite a lot of money – given its location, it’s not the cheapest option – we found his attitude to be rude and condescending and left. And I vowed that I would never set foot in there again, and would tell everyone to avoid it. So, if you do ever find yourself in Venice, please join my boycott of Al Buso, located at Centro Storico fondamenta del Buso No. 5338 – right under the Rialto Bridge. We found two very lovely places and would heartily recommend these – Osteria il Milion, where the Spaghetti con le Cipolle is literally to die for, and Ristorante Marco Polo on Salizzada San Lio, where got the pizzas we wanted, and very nice they were too.
So, there you go – a four day whistlestop tour of Istria and Venice.
Practicalities for Visiting
Our friends flew from Manchester to Marco Polo Venice, a flight of under two & half hours. We’ll always pick up visitors – unless you intend to come over and do lots of travelling, there’s no point in hiring a car, as we can always visit places with you. Or, we do have a Fiat Punto, a very sturdy & reliable car, which is insured for visitors to use. The only thing we’d advise you of, is that the house will seem, when you first visit, to be quite remote. However, as we – and everyone who has visited – quickly realise, Istria is a VERY small peninsula, and you very quickly get used to where we are in relation to other places, and pretty soon a 30 minute to the supermarket doesn’t seem that long at all. Especially when the road takes you through rolling hills and vineyards. Idyllic.
If you’re only travelling with hand luggage, we have stocks of suncream & mosquito sprays, so you don’t need to weigh yourself down. You’ll obviously have fresh towels and bedding & the washing machine/dryer/iron etc are all there at your disposal. Consider it a home from home.
by Helen | Apr 24, 2018 | Renovation
Given that work on the kitchen started way back in November, we did cut it a bit fine to greet our first guests last week. Admittedly, the scope of the project grew and grew, but we did think our friends would arrive and we’d still be kitchenless. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and it was finally fitted the week before last. There’s still a lot to do – second coat of Farrow & Ball Hague Blue, window surrounds & cills to be finished, additional LED lights to be fitted, and the breakfast bar to be completed. Unfortunately, the fascia board that finishes it off, under the shelf, wasn’t delivered so has had to be re-ordered. We also made a bit of error with the washing machine. It was another case of “lost in translation” as we understood that our fairly new washing machine could just be integrated. Not so, so we need to get this sorted by buying a new one (again!) and having it fitted properly. No photos of this part of the kitchen until it’s all done though.
The installation was a remarkably swift process – everything delivered one day, and the next the fitter arrived, at 8am. He was gone by 3pm – and we had a kitchen! We finally had a working kitchen, with integrated appliances. And the best thing was, it had been so long since we’d sat down and planned it and ordered it, that seeing the various components that made it all up, was a bit of a surprise. We’d certainly forgotten quite how sleek and beautiful the tap was…
The walls are Farrow & Ball Hague Blue – our builder thinks we are mad – but they contrast so gorgeously with the concrete effect units and new floorboards. Under which is underfloor heating – not a frivolity, but a necessity, especially after the winter we’ve just endured. The newly exposed ceiling is also painted Hague Blue, but with new spotlights and exposed beams, we figured the room could take it. Also, every other room in the house is white, so we wanted a big contrast. And boy, do we have it. It’s the most luscious colour we’ve ever put on a wall.
Although it’s not the biggest kitchen in the world – we resisted the temptation to relocate it into The Well Room, which had been the original thinking – it’s bigger than anything we’ve had before, always having had teeny weeny kitchens. It’s been really well designed – we got great advice – and so have so much storage space now, as well as the very essential soft closing doors and drawers. The two new steps into the kitchen are under-lit with LED strips and look very beautiful, as do the matte black switches.
So, it’s now onto finishing it off and then getting on with The Well Room (the concrete table is in situ, but again needs to be finished) and the well is now outside, but the chamber needs to have the lighting installed and the reinforced glass cover made and installed. The stone walls will then be insulated and boarded out so that when painted white, we will have super smooth walls which will enable the house to retain heat in the winter. Boards are also being laid over the stone floor – although we’re again challenging our fab builder as what we want, isn’t a normal floor. (He loves us…).
The downstairs bathroom has been re-plumbed and a new floor laid. The underfloor heating is going down in here this week, then it’s the big tiling job. And then, the boxes housing a shower, a toilet, a sink, a cupboard etc can move out from behind the sofa as the bathroom will be ready to be installed. Then – the garden…
It is never ending!
by Helen | Apr 18, 2018 | Renovation
When we renovated our house in West Didsbury, in 2014, we knew that we wanted a concrete bench. A multi-purpose bench, where we could cook, eat, work and hang out. Our builder had not done one before, we’d not designed before, but between us, we did it…
And so when we moved lock, stock and barrel to Istria, we knew that somewhere, we’d reintroduce concrete. That “somewhere” was the Well Room. Once the actual well had been dismantled and re-located outside, the room was a whole lot bigger and we could definitely accommodate a dining table. As with all big renovation projects, budget is a big consideration, and we needed to keep an eye on our pennies. So, with a concrete mixer on site, and bags of concrete being fairly inexpensive, and a couple of builders who wanted to give it a go, we decided to once agian go for the industrial look.
We did toy with the idea of having the table looking as if it was floating, out from the wall. There would be sufficient strength in the structure, but as it would “float” almost over the exposed well chamber, we felt that this might freak people out and put them off their dinner. So, we decided to go down the more sensible route and have a support – even though the table wouldn’t need it, we felt it would look more safe.
Once the concrete had set and dried out thoroughly, the frame was removed, to reveal what was now very much like the vision we had had for our new table. Very simple, very industrial nothing fancy. Just perfect.
And with friends due to imminently arrive, we had our work cut out to get the rooms downstairs – kitchen, bathroom and well room – shipshape and ready for them. Although we still had the huge well chamber to deal with properly, a fixed block of wood and a cleverly positioned plant, ensured that we were adhering to all things health and safety. And, although the table still needed to be treated and varnished, we had no option other than to get it dressed and accessorised, so that at least we finally had somewhere – other than our knees – to eat.
by Helen | Apr 7, 2018 | Spain, Travel
Puerto Banus was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex. And, as we were staying in the area, we decided to check it out – depsite our reservations. And, my goodness, it was EVERYTHING we expected it to be. And more. It was totally over the top and ridiculously hideous, attracting everything that we dislike. The actual town is mostly pretty – but it’s around the harbour that it is just gross. The displays of wealth are totally over the top and everything just seemed designed to be flashy and to impress the kind of people who’d be impressed by flashy shows of extravagence. It was truly, truly awful. From the designer menswear boutique called “Billionaire”, to Jimmy Choo & D&G, to the tosser who screeched around the harbour, repeatedly, in a vile red sports car. Whilst it may well have been his, I do hope he was the kind of idiot who rented it out for a short timeframe for stupid amounts of money. I suspect it – and dearly hope – it was the latter. I still remember this ridiculous show pony, who is still presumably behaving like an A-grade idiot. The harbour is awful – rows and rows of super expensive yachts, sometimes dispensing the people on board. And strangely enough, often glamorous (plastic) young women and much older, highly unattractive men. Maybe they were their fathers, but I don’t think so…
Anyway, we beat a hasty retreat from the harbour and headed away from the throngs of people who just wanted to be seen. I’ve never disliked a place quite as much, and so glad that I can have a whale of a time, in places that are authentic, rough around the edges, unpolished and visited by more real, authentic people. Anyway, I’ve done it, can tick it off my list, and NEVER return.
But, just a short walk away from the super yachts and super rich, we found the real Puerto Banus. And the real people. Families walking together. People of all shapes and sizes. People who seemed to be very happy to be with friends and family, rather than preening like peacocks. From this part of the beach, we could still see the playground of the rich – but we were so relieved to be back in amongst “normal” people…
So, there you go. An awful place, which we will always avoid in the future. Definitely not for us…
by Helen | Apr 6, 2018 | Renovation
Most people, at some stage in their lives, will embark on a renovation project. Whether it’s doing up a corner in the living room or a full blown house rebuild, it will bring its stresses. We did it fairly recently in West Didsbury. What we thought would take a few weeks, took six months, all told. One idea leads to another job to another problem to another job. We have friends who have been doing their own renovation – they are professionals and in the trade – and they’ve been living the reno dream for nearly four years now. This makes our current one seem relatively short, BUT we’re doing it in a new house, abroad. And that in itself brings a whole host of new issues which we’ve had to get our heads around. Very quickly. So, if anyone else is mad enough to embark on something similar, here’s what we have discovered/learned, so far…
create a network of trusted people – quickly…
We initially thought we had our “team” of builders sorted when we moved, as we were going to use the guys who had worked with the previous owners, on the house. However a combination of factors including the fact we couldn’t really pin them down to a start date, presented us with a problem. But, the thing that we thought would present us with the biggest problem, was the language barrier. We had no common language beyond English/Croatian/Italian pleasantries and we knew this would be problematic when trying to explain/understand building technicalities. So, back to the drawing board.
A chance visit to a local interiors shop was the thing that clicked everything into place. We bought some beautiful outside lights and asked the owner if she knew of an electrician who could fit them at short notice. Yes, she did & an introduction was made. He spoke perfect English AND more importantly had worked on building projects for other foreigners in the area. This was actually quite an important factor – Croatian builders have a “style” of building. It’s obviously a very successful style, but it’s just not ours. It’s traditional but we wanted contemporary. And this is what our new guy could do. And through this encounter, and through the scope of work developing, we now have a trusted network people around us, including plasterers, plumbers, builders. All essential to a renovation project.
be patient
I am definitely not a patient person. I want everything done, now. But obviously, building work doesn’t quite work like that. And definitely not in Croatia. Our guys are not just working with us – they do other jobs too, and so you can’t really book them in for a specific period of time. Sometimes, they don’t show up when they say they will. Sometimes they show up when you don’t expect them – we’ve learned to not be surprised if they arrive on a Sunday morning. Sometimes they arrive then need to leave to go and get materials. This can be very frustrating, as I think it’s fairly easy to be organised and have a good idea of what you might need to do a job, but we’re getting used to this way of doing things. It’s not only in Spain where mañana, mañana is part of the national psyche…
agree on how payment will be made at the outset
Our guy from the chance encounter, when buying the lights, has become almost the Project Manager of our renovation. He has the contacts and the knowledge and the know-how and with him, we worked out payments right at the beginning. We agreed an hourly rate, rather than a project price which has worked to our advantage, as on the days when we have no-shows, we don’t pay. Hourly rates are also agreed for everyone he brings in. We pay him a little extra, because of the co-ordination/management side of things. And he is proving to be worth every kuna, especially as he can get better prices with builders’ merchants etc – as well as knowing where they are, AND being able to communicate everything with us in English.
accept that the project will grow
We knew from the outset that this would be quite a big renovation project. Although structurally sound, aesthetically there was a lot we wanted to do with the house (and the garden – another project all of its own!). We started with the kitchen as this was the room we felt needed most attention as it was going to be the one we’d be spending a lot of time in. But one thing leads to another, and before we knew it we were having the kitchen ripped out, woodburners installed (a complete necessity because winter can be surprisingly chilly here), an internal well carefully dismantled and reinstated outside, and a downstairs bathroom being completely taken apart and rebuilt. However, we worked with our builders on this and looked at what was feasible and sensible – eg getting all of the destruction done in one fell swoop. This has been a nightmare at times. At one point we had an open access to the internal well chamber, with a drop of nearly ten metres, slap bang in the middle of the floor. And it couldn’t be covered, as we had dehumidifiers down in the chamber to dry it out after it had been drained. We’ve had water pipes cut through, concrete mixers going, exposed windows just covered in flimsy plastic sheeting whilst it was snowing, heavy drilling inside the house, constant dirt and grime. BUT – it is now *almost* worth it, as we can see that things are starting to come together, slowly but surely. Remember though, mañana, mañana…
and continue to be patient…
This is the key, I think. There have been days when we could have cried at what we have perceived as the lack of progress. The mess. The dirt. The dust. Living out of boxes and not being able to find anything. Having no-shows from workers and trying not to kick off, because you bought into this way of doing things. Not really eating proper meals because the thought of having to cook in a building site is pretty awful, and anyway, you can’t find ingredients and utensils and crockery because they are all now stacked in boxes, behind the new bathroom which is all stacked up in the living room. Which is now your temporary kitchen. Wondering how many more times you will have take plates and cups and cutlery etc upstairs, to wash in the bath. But, we have learned – deep breaths. And if that doesn’t help, it is perfectly acceptable to open a bottle of wine at 3pm.
make friends with your builders
After all, they’re almost going to be living you. If they’ve done long days, or usually on a Friday, we leave beers for them. Although they don’t have the run of the house, we’ve told them to help themselves to coffee, cold drinks – we’re also trying to run a business in this reno mayhem, and so if we stopped every time we thought they might want a drink, we’d be interrupting our work. In return, we’ve had treats from them – olive oil from the next village, a bottle of grappa (with the instruction that we should take a swig with breakfast in order to get the benefit of it), insider knowledge about places to visit/eat at, that we would never have known as we’re not locals. They’ve come out & jump started our car when we stupidly left the lights on. And, a trip is being planned to go asparagus hunting.
And that takes me back to the first point I made – work on building a trusted network of people around you. They’ll most likely become your friends too, as you’ll be spending an awful lot of time with them!
