The best part of the last two and half years has largely involved renovation. Somewhere in the house, something is usually being knocked down, built back up, painted, restyled, tiled, plumbed in or redesigned. We knew the challenges we would be facing when we bought our shell of an Istrian stone house which hadn’t been […]
We finally we have come out of hibernation. After returning a few weeks ago from hot & sunny Mallorca, winter – or at least autumn – returned in Istria, with rain, rain and more rain and howling winds. We honestly felt we’d never see the sun again and so cracked on with indoor DIY work. […]
Renovating a property can be very expensive. Even though things out here are often less expensive than back in the UK, we don’t have a bottomless money pit and so sometimes, rather than splashing the cash, we look for alternatives. And, currently, spray paint is proving to be worth its weight in gold. Quite literally… […]
Although the weather is still not *perfect*, we’ve definitely come out of winter and hibernation. The woodburner is on less these days, our heaters are only switched on to get rid of the early morning chill, and we’ve even had a window or two open. The garden, which last year was largely a building site, […]
Like every room in the house, the main bedroom had a mix of natural, untreated stone walls, bare plaster in places and some parts of the walls, already painted white. Pine floorboards were untreated, and ceiling beams were in the same state. They were actually quite lovely in their naked condition, but just felt a […]
1st March marks exactly two years since we moved into the house – the renovation project in Istria which has been the most amazing journey! Two years ago today, the day before all of our belongings arrived from England – we sat in an icy cold kitchen, watching our breath as we talked, taking in […]
Our stone house doesn’t have normal staircases. For over eighteen months, we’ve had exposed treads and no handrails. A bit like a big version of a stepladder. We have two of these – one going to the upper floor (the more sturdy set of stairs) and one down into The Snug (the less sturdy set […]
It seems like only last week that we were enjoying long days of unbroken sunshine and at times, quite searing heat. Having to actually escape indoors, to sit in front of a fan. And knowing that largely every day, throughout the summer, would be like this… But, half way through November – how did that […]
We’ve been in The House now for over a year and a half, and whilst we have made some massive progress, renovation wise, we are still getting to know the house. It’s an old house, like many houses back in England are – but, and it’s a very big but – has been built in a […]
We’re finally beginning to tackle the room which we’ve rarely gone into – the indoor cellar. ( *indoor* because we also have an outdoor cellar). This room sits under the living room, but feels joined to the house because the staircase down, is open. We had thought this would be a problem, heat-wise, but it’s […]
OK, so those of you who have visted us, will know that our garden isn’t very secret at the moment. Although not overlooked, and quite spacious, we have no boundary walls (but shhh…don’t mention the *b* word in case our obsessive neighbour overhears!) and so it’s all quite open at the moment. There doesn’t appear […]
The intense heat of summer seems to have receded. Fans are no longer constantly whirring and the early morning sunlight is not quite as blinding in our bedroom, which is blessed with the most gorgeous sunrise views. Summer is still clinging on though – it is very warm during the day and we haven’t seen […]