Things have stood still at the building site far far away, but that hopefully will change again soon. The sale of the credits accumulated i connection with the superbonus, has proved to be more difficult than expected. We have a contract with the bank, but I am not so sure that counts for much at this stage. However, not all hope is lost. It seems my accountant has not been as thorough as I had thought. As I write, I have another accountant checking things and maybe we can get some movement. At the same time we are looking at other possibilities. If we get the credit sold, then we can move on.
So what has to be done? Well of course quite a lot, yet in terms of building, not hugely time consuming. If programmed properly, there is about 3 months work, so let’s say 4. It is Italy after all!
The windows and doors have to be installed. The ground floor with its heating has to be laid before the doors can be set. This is made up of insulation and a light concrete screed. The floor heating is laid in the concrete layer and the tiles over this before the kitchen can be installed. The second floor also has to be laid and the walls need a final coat of fine plaster, at least those that will not be tiled. The white goods and second fix electrical will finish off the upstairs, after the tiling is finished. We plan to tile all the floors and most of the walls in the two bathrooms up to a certain height. The highest walls in the second floor are more than 3,5m and therefore unnecessary to tile to the roof. All the fixtures and fittings are bought, as is all the heating and plumbing equipment. So we are really ready to go.
This blog is meant to be about the project, but both the project and the blog have been effected by my current situation. It has taken a while for me to write about this, but it is now part of the story. The last months have been very tough, physically and psychologically. Truthfully I have been trying not to think about the project much, as the last thing I needed was stress. However, it has been nagging there at the back of my mind the whole time. It is the dream after all. The fact is, I have not been at all well. In November I was diagnosed with heart failure. Not exactly what you want to hear in your early fifties. It is most likely down to the Covid infection I had last year, as all the trouble started then. Nobody, including numerous cardiologists can give me any other explanation. I was in good health without any major problems before the infection. The good news is that things are now under control, but not “fixed”. Those of you who know, are aware that it can’t be fixed, but you can live with it. I have a two in one situation with very high amounts of extra beats and most likely will need an operation, which gives even more food for thought. Hopefully, things can be improved with a reset of the system so to speak, as I tire easily as things stand today. Everything has been checked and at least I’m not going to fall over anytime soon, and that is reassuring. However, quality of life is not as it should be. It would be a huge relief and weight off my mind if things were to work out with the sale of the credit and the completion of the build. However, it is not the experience I had hoped it would be, as I am going to be much less “hands on” with the landscaping etc than I had hoped.
Well that’s that said.
There have been a lot of changes in the building bonus system in Italy the past couple of months. The new government has decided that it will not be able to sell or exchange the credit against work or services, but will only be available for use against the owners tax burden. For ex-pats with a second home, this basically means it is dead in the water. Those who live and work in Italy will be able to take advantage, but will have to pay up front. Note that the above is for new applications. Those who already have approved projects will be able to continue as before.
Keep the dream going!