Around 10 years ago after a great deal of searching we were lucky enough to find this view and so it began.
Unfortunately the only building (whilst designated a Casa on the local Ajuntaments maps) wasn't big enough to live in.
This is when we decided to build ourselves not just a house but a home.
This is when we decided to build ourselves not just a house but a home.
Below are a few pictures of our making it happen.
Gareth, Christopher's younger and more handsome brother, or at least that is what Gareth says, lol, came over whenever he could to help out. Having trained as a carpenter he is well versed in the use of woodworking tools, good job, because we have a lot of wood in our home, some of it needing a bit of persuasion when it came to fitting where it should.
Talking about wood, when hubby and I were planning our new home to be we decided pretty early on that we didn't want it to look modern. With this in mind we went on the hunt for old beams with which we hoped to age a new build. When we saw the below beams in a reclamation yard we knew we had hit the jackpot.
Of course buying them was just the beginning and poor Christopher along with a friend had to manhandle them into position (before the roof blocks were put in place). Mutterings about them being blooming heavy could be heard for quite some time after. Bless.
As with the inside we wanted to give the outside an aged look. Our original plan was to build the house of stone, ugh, that would have cost the earth or so we were told. So we thought to compromise by building out of blocks, covering them with a stone cladding. Ugh! This too proved to be too costly.
This meant we had to go to 'Plan C', render. Traditional render which is what we would have liked turned out to be impossible to do (lime mixed with sand, water and horsehair or straw) as we couldn't find what we needed. So using cement and sand mixed with the water we brought up daily from the village in tubs Christopher and I got stuck in and soon had the exterior covered. |
Then came the roof. After trying out waterproof paints we soon realised that the only way to go was 'tiling' in order to make it completely waterproof. Thankfully Christopher and a friend were up to the task. They also built a wall so that anyone going on to the roof wouldn't fall off if they went too close to the edge.
After a time without the fly free terrace we soon decided to build one so that we could enjoy sitting out on a warm summers night without being eaten alive by bugs. What a delight it has proven to be, not only for alfresco dining and sitting out on an evening but also as we soon discovered it was/is a great place to hang out the washing on wet days. (the few that we have). |
Living on what is essentially a building site soon wears thin, especially when you are constantly walking dirt and mud into the house. Christopher decided to take matters into his own hands one day and make a few changes so this no longer happened, (well at least not as much) Laying a concrete path initially he soon followed it up with a crazy paving pathway installing a drain between so that any water that might collect on it would drain away onto the garden area.
Now whilst the terrace is a great place to dry washing on a rainy day I also needed somewhere to erect my clothes dryer aka 'whirly thing'. Without further ado as they say Christopher decided to have some fun and built a giant lollipop, lol!
He also got all artistic when he designed and built us our 'sundial garden'. When filled with flowers it really is something to see.
Of course a beautiful garden needs water to keep it alive and vibrant. Unfortunately we have little rainfall during the summer which means the rain we do have, (in winter) must be stored somehow.
Cue, our water tank aka 'agricultural balsa'.
Thankfully Christopher along with a couple of friends felt and proved themselves to be able to build us our water tank which doubles up as our swimming pool during those hot dry summer months.
Of course the rain wasn't going to fall only into the balsa, so after a little thought Christopher came up with the idea of an aqueduct to channel the water from the roof terrace into the balsa.
As it was such a big job we brought in a very good friend whom we trusted to build it as Christopher envisaged.
As it was such a big job we brought in a very good friend whom we trusted to build it as Christopher envisaged.
In between all of the house building Christopher managed to build Bonnie and Clyde (our rescue chickens) a home as well as built them a run in which to exercise.
Once again the physical privations of trotting back and forth to the balsa over the dirt started to wear thin, this was when Christopher came up with the idea of building a path. With help from Caleb a Workaway Volunteer we soon got to work and hey presto, we had a new path laid in next to no time.
Of course during all the building work, the farm still needed looking after.
Tangles disentangled.
Crops picked, (eat your heart out Bertolli).
Trees trimmed.
And the land cleaned.
As a family we often speak of our lives as being a journey, one full of discovery regarding what we are capable of and what we actually achieve. Without the support and help of Christopher who came with us initially for just 6 months and thankfully is still with us ten years later and our other son who lives in the UK but who comes across whenever he can we would not have gotten as far down this road as we have.
Here's to the next 10 years boys.
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