Wednesday 24 February 2010

Inactivity in Italy

I haven't blogged about our houses in Italy for a while but then there is nothing to report and I always feel a bit of a spoilt brat ranting away when we are fortunate enough to have two properties there.
When we were in Lazio at the beginning of November we did set the wheels in motion to have various improvements carried out to the house after a three year corporate let and before we started the holiday rentals again. The local joiner came round to measure up for double glazed windows and our engineer came to talk about installing a new and eco friendly septic tank. We had a price from the joiner but when we pointed out that he'd missed off a set of shutters he requoted including the extra items and putting the total price up by 10%, we are still in negotiation. We've had a couple of emails from our engineer but no scheme, no price, niente. We also asked our neighbour if he and his wife would be happy to prepare the house for our first guests at Easter, we do pay them for this responsibility. That was three weeks ago, I've just sent another email as if we don't know soon we might have to fly out to do the dorissing ourselves.
And what about the trullo in Puglia. This was to be a project for us while our Lazio house was occupied but it took us 18 months to actually buy this ruin and another 18 months to get a price for its restoration. Its an existing structure though lacking water, sanitation or any windows that we want to turn into a small house with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an open area of kitchen, dining, living. We finally got the price late last year and it was almost 400,000 euros, no landscaping works, no swimming pool, no work to the little building in the garden that we might one day turn into a guest house, just the basic house conversion. When we discussed the scheme initially with our architect he suggested a price around 70,000 euros, so we assumed around 150,000. For the price he has quoted we could buy two finished houses each complete with a swimming pool. We also told our architect that we wanted an eco friendly house, ground source heat pump, that kind of thing, his price included for a gas boiler. Mr FF and I find it hard to discuss the way forward, Mr FF thinks that we might go out to Puglia and do the work ourselves when he retires. Something along the lines I imagine of the retired couple who featured on an episode of Grand Designs, they worked their bums off, labouring in the day time, making curtains in the evening, to provide an artists retreat. The end result was wonderful and the couple looked brilliantly healthy, eating local mozzarella, tanned and happy in cream linen. I can't see that happening to us, I'd rather just cut straight to the linen wearing scenes and miss out the tears and toil.
As I said, I don't want this all to sound ungrateful but sitting here in snowy Scotland wanting things to progress is totally frustrating. We are happy to pay, we want to use local people and naively we imagine they might want to do the work. Everyone is so friendly when we are out there and there is much reassurance that we should not worry, but worry we do and in the current economic climate we expected a more positive response.

17 comments:

  1. Oh dear! That does all sound a little worrying. I'm sure everything will work out eventually. Isn't everything rather slow in getting going there? It will be well worth it once all the work IS done. Take care! Ros

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  2. How frustrating! And the 400 000 Euros does seem VERY expensive for the work needed.
    I have to agree with you on the 'gettng work done' idea, rather than doing it all yourself. Rather naively, we bought a house thinking we could do a lot to it- and to be fair, it was mainly cosmetic - but after just 2 years we've run out of money and steam. We'd have been better off spending a little more -and spending less time steaming / painting / wiring / plumbing....
    I think we were seduced by the make-over programmes on television, where things seem to get done smoothly and with little effort.
    Best of luck!!

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  3. Dealing with Italian workmen is hard enough, I have hjeard, let alone doing it from afar!

    Hope it all turns out OK in the end, those properties look to be fantastic holiday places!

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  4. It's so hard dealing with all this when you are so far away!! Maybe MrFF should go and deal with it himself and leave you in the comfort of your home!!! That's what I'd be doing I know. I'd tell my hubby to call me when it was done!!

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  5. I saw that episode of Grand Designs - it was fabulous but really hard work!!!

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  6. How very frustrating for you, Jenny. The exchange rate can't be helping matters, either. Lovely to look at some pics of hot, sunny places though x

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  7. I think I'd want to fast forward to the completed renovation, too. At least you haven't bought a property which then has to be demolished, which seems to happen quite a lot in Spain.

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  8. That is a lot to think about and consider... That is a lot of money... I do hope all goes well, Jenny. Your places in Italy are lovely--what a joy to have them to go to. :o) Keep us posted... ((HUGS))

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  9. By all means talk about them! Hubby and I will be going over there to live one day so it helps prepare us.

    I think the phrase for that 400,000 E is "chancing your arm'. Jeez. They must think you were born yesterday. It does not cost that much to do up a trullo.

    I would look to doing it up as your retirement project. Perhaps get a stonemason in to quote for the stone work and roof. The fact that the architect was quite obviously prepared to ignore your wishes anyway on the eco-friendly front would be cause enough for me to send him packing.

    I remember that episode of Grand Designs. That one and the one with the Woodsman Ben Law are my absolute favourites.

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  10. 400,000 Euros---that does sound like waaaay to much! I'm sorry about your frustrations and hope things improve. Hopefully spring will arrive right around the corner on time. I really enjoy reading your blog and have added it to my favorites. Take care!

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  11. Wow! just about licking the screen looking at that second property. Hope it gets sorted for you soon.

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  12. I suspect that you have been quoted a high price because they do not want the work. I don't think that I shall ever understand how these workmen think and we have had to use plenty of them.

    I wish you luck!

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  13. I hope things get sorted out for you quickly Jenny. Mr JK and I dream of owning a property in Greece. One day maybe....... just need to make sure that I can still find a LYS!!!

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  14. Sigh.
    How I would love a house in Italy.

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  15. This absolutely sucks, can't believe what they're asking for the renovation. We have a holiday apartment in Spain that just hasn't panned out the way we were hoping it would... ie, holiday rental, increased value, a place for holidays in the sun for us. The reality is that the bad econmy put paid to holidays, the value has stayed static and we haven't been able to afford to go there ourselves, so it's been empty for close the three years, but we're paying 1,100 Euros a month for the mortgage on it. It is just now coming under a long term let (11 months in Spain, something to do with the law, can't be more at one time), for 450 Euros a month! So we won't have quite as much to pay! The hardest thing is managing it remotely and finding someone trustworthy in the area to do just that.

    Brenda

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  16. I love the trullo. I think you're very brave doing it up long distance. I might have been tempted to get one already 'done'.
    I have my eye on a five coned one for when we win the lottery.
    Sally

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  17. What a shame that we are just a little too far away to be of any help to you! Back from HK and catching up with Blog reading, hence the late response.

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