We got the keys to our new home in the autumn of 2022. We stayed for two weeks, locked the house, and left. It wasn’t suitable for living, not even imagining spending the cold winter here. We had to return to our rented flat and start making plans for the house renovation.
We asked the seller to remove her stuff and the old furniture from the house, but we didn’t expect she would even remove the kitchen. So nothing was left - just an empty shell, walls covered with thick chalk paint, old windows with wood rot, which barely closed, and insects were entering around them, and floors covered with a few layers of linoleum dating back to 1980.
We decided we’ll come next spring when the weather is better to try to connect the house to drinkable water because only rainwater was used before, but the rainwater reservoir probably was not cleaned for ages, and the water wasn’t OK. We had to buy mineral water for everything. The other thing that urgently needed replacing was all full-frame windows and terrace doors, so that was in the plan too. Taking measures and finding a contractor to replace them at a reasonable price. We had in total 13 windows and doors, excluding those in the basement.
We came in April 2023, and amazingly our contract with the local water company happened for a few days, even with the part that this contract went to notary and then was registered in the local court after paying countless fees. We had the house box connected and the water meter installed, but that was all. Someone else had to connect the house to that box in our yard. We had to improvise and just used a hose, which we connected with the old installation because we couldn’t find an available plumber to do all things properly.
Windows - we got really lucky with the company we chose; they were fast with the offer and measures, and we managed to place the order - advance payment 70% - so much with the trust to the foreigners. :) Installation was set for July, so we left the house again. We couldn’t believe they called us a week before the installation, so we had to go back to our house. The day came, and the messy work started. Removing all old, ugly, warped windows and doors was a dirty and dusty job; the waste filled a whole truck. They worked quite fast with the replacement, but because we paid for finishing works of the walls around the windows, some drying was needed. We also had to decide how high the terrace doors should be put so they look nice when the floor is leveled. Maybe we had to start from the floors? - Too late for rethinking.
Another thing we realized we did wrong was the window and balcony door in one of the rooms. The balcony door turned so narrow that we had to pass side-wise through it. It looked awful in this shape and size as it was done by mistake, and it was a BIG mistake! It had to be changed with a French door; it would look so much nicer. Watch our YouTube video to see why. You will also see our beautiful garden after we cut the grass for the first time!
We will upload the house renovation stages to our YouTube channel, so if you are curious about our progress, please subscribe to our channel and follow us for regular updates. We will truly appreciate it if you help our channel grow. Thank you!