With our project expanding to rebuilding the main building of our agriturismo, our apartment, the swimming pool, the garden, the winery, the tractor box as well as bringing the vineyard back to its glory - the list just getting longer and longer! So we had to prioritise! Everything couldn’t be done all at once so since we had been living in a hotel for a year before moving to Italy, then when we finally arrived we were freezing our toes off camping in our future agriturismo, without heating (having to go for a drive in the car to warm up then wrap ourselves in the thickest of duvets possible), with one bathroom and one electric stove, we had to make a decision. Also, having made kind and amazing friends in Tuscany, we had no place to invite anyone for lunch, dinner or a drink at our home…so we decided to get a move on with our home first.
We started the construction in March 2022 with an expectation of finishing the apartment in June 2022. Having our apartment built was also a trial piece for many elements that we want to use in our entire project like: the wall plastering, the toilet accessories, mosaic art, handmade wooden tables, the heating system, the electric control system, insulation material, the kitchen stove and window and door colours. The whole process helped a lot with giving us a realistic image of the possible plans we could go ahead with for the agriturismo. Although we were happy about starting the apartment, the inevitability of problems came to realisation causing massive delays!
Firstly, our builder didn’t plan ahead, he never pre-ordered the material needed to start, which wasted what felt like an endless amount of time waiting for deliveries! Then, the communication between the builder, plumber, electricians and window installer - practically everyone - was terrible, making it difficult to organise, "chaotic" would be the proper word to describe it! Then we had a problem with the eco-bonus (a bonus we were trying to claim for our apartment in order to upgrade its energy rating, where the Italy government is paying for the part that help upgrade the energy level) leading to further clarifications needed with the thermo technician and commercialist. If you’ve read our blog about the bureaucracy in Italy, you’ll understand our frustration with this one.
In total, these setbacks prolonged the whole process by almost 3 months. Then of course August came, when the entire nation of Italy take their summer holidays!
After these stressful months and long wait, our apartment was finally finished which made us extremely happy as we didn’t have to camp anymore! We’re excited to show all the features we built into our home with our family and friends, like our dining table which is a big kitchen island where we can cook with an inbuilt stove, so we can all enjoy cooking (and eating) together. Other features we admire are our little yet elegant coffee bar, the swing chair, the illuminated moon and stars in our bedroom and the stunning tiger mosaic in our bathroom…a feature that all of our future guests will find in their rooms (we are not showing it here, you have to come see yourself!!). We can’t wait to see how all of our other ideas will come to life as we complete the construction of our agriturismo.
It’s good to finally feel at home, having a space that we are comfortable and having friends and family around, in the warmth and with a new addition to our lives…but you’ll find that out in our next blog!
