Just a quick note to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope you are all well. Follow your dreams as this is the only way that they may come true! May 2023 bring you good health and good fortune. It comes in many forms. I have a few tough months ahead, but I will be fighting for my dreams all the way. All the best from snowy Norway Roger Don't just leave it as a dream. Just remember, dreams do come true, but seldom without a little proaction. Stay safe everybody and best wishe

I don’t know how many times Diego has said to me that I have to remain calm and optimistic.  However, my nerves are showing now. We still await for all the i’s to be dotted and the t’s to be scored regarding payment of the superbonus. When you live in a land where most, if not everything is done online and is automated, it is a shock to the system when you meet the Italian way of doing things. This must be one of the very few things I dislike about the country. Rules change (

Keeping a budget is always a challenge in any building project. I have made some decisions on materials that have made the project a little more expensive, but that have improved the quality of the build. However, current conditions in the world have been pushing some of the prices up and therefore making it difficult for many. My own situation is better than many others, but finishes are costly. Image by storyset on Freepik My own stress comes not so much from rising prices,

A lot happened before the summer, not least at my everyday workplace, so let me apologise for not writing more sooner. That said other things happened besides work, which I will explain a later. With the last blogpost, the roof had been all but completed. The workers were more than glad to get off the roof, as the temperatures were above average in June and working on the exposed roof had been tough. It was time to move inside again. The roof spans from one outside wall to th

For the first time I am writing this blog post in Italy. It has been a short and very busy trip that is coming to an end in quite intense early summer heat. Lots has been happening and even more will be happening the next weeks. The questions have been coming in thick and fast for all the electrics and heating and cooling for the house. Further the design for the kitchen has been finalized. The roof of the house is all but finished now. The reclaimed tiles from the old house

Things are moving on swiftly in Belvedere. Since my last blogpost, the house has grown significantly and is now up to the headers over the windows on the second floor. The most interesting was the laying of the beams for the dividing floor construction. The large chestnut beams were laid and crossed by further purlins that carry the hand made “tavelle” or clay/terracotta tiles that in turn create the form work for the reinforced concrete that gives the floor its structural in

Hi again everybody. First let me apologise for being away so long. A lot has been going on at both home and abroad. So let's catch up! A couple of weeks ago, I returned to Italy for the first time since we really got started on site. The last time I was at the property, the team had just began to dismantle the old house. They have been brilliant, keeping me informed of all the developments, but all the same it was exciting to get back. In recent weeks we have had to make cert

The new year has arrived and with this there are always new possiblities. Even though much is new, some feelings of dejavu continue to haunt us all, as covid just doesn't seem to want to give slip just yet. I believe we have to live with it as well as we can and look for the positives and not just dwell upon the negatives that we are bombarded with. The positive news from the building site is that the team have not only began with the walls of the first floor, but now at the

As the year ends, the positive news from site is, the foundations are complete, including the terrace around the building. This is great news, as we can start building walls on the first working day of January 2022. I had planned to visit Italy and the site in January, but my flight was cancelled, due to... what else? of course Covid. The airlines cancelled pretty much all the flights to Italy in January and those that are available, via via, cost a fortune. I have rebooked f