My dear husband mentioned just the other day how he never seems to be without a project. I wince a bit as we didn’t move to Italy to work nonstop on projects. It’s tough when you’re multi-talented. It sounds boastful, but it’s actually true. John is highly skilled in a number of job categories when building or renovating; electrician, plumber, bricklayer, tile layer, just to name a few.
This house isn’t a large project, it just needed some updating. We actually put the main living space on hold as we’re getting the lower apartment ready for guests. From past experience, I knew I had to set some kind of schedule with goals. With that said, I also knew we’d never keep them. Life just has a way of changing what we plan. But we’re adapting and trying to be flexible. Ha, like that’s possible for two seriously OCD folks! We’ve been working since March, on and off (had a vacation thrown in there) and it’s ready! It is now listed on Airbnb, as John madly finished renovating the bathroom today!
Tile tip from John
Save your old masonry drill bits. They come in handy when you’re drilling holes into tiles. Take the old bit in your hand, using a bit that is the same size as the hole to be drilled. Holding the tip slightly away from the surface of the tile, gently tap with hammer on spot to be drilled, just enough to make a mark in the glaze. Then when you drill the hole with the new bit, it will not chip or jump off the mark.
To add some personal touches, John did a lot of finishing of older furniture pieces, and I had fun with bright paint colors. Linens for bathroom and bedrooms came either from IKEA or a hotel website that specializes in everything one could need for a hotel, B&B or agriturismo. I kid John that he is ” the back of the house” and I’m “the front. ”
Oh and during all this crazy work, we actually slipped in our first cooking experience in the middle of our renovation. Big huge thanks to Rina & Angelica of Trattoria La Fonte, here in Serre. Our friend, Alex, and her niece and boyfriend, were our test subjects. Wonderful time, good food to eat and great ideas for the next time. ( You can read about these experiences on our Casa Serre site – https://casaserre.com/what-to-do/workshops-tours/ )
We realize we are a bit late to receive bookings for this season, as most folks have already solidified their travel plans. There is the satisfaction of a job well done and the apartment will keep just fine as we wait for family, friends and guests to arrive in the near future.
I wanted to show you some before and after interior shots. The before shots are from a realty site and are most likely a few years old. This house had been on the market a few years before we purchased it. And as you will see, a wide angle lens was used, as normally the case for listing. I’ll share exterior shots in a future posting. Still working away on those. 😉
Master Bedroom
Kitchen
Den with daybed
Lounge area – double futon
Bathroom
So apart from some wall design applications, we’re pretty much done on the inside. This has all transpired through cold rainy spring and now a unbearable heat wave. The heat wave should be breaking soon and we’ll tackle the outside upgrades to the parking area and patio.
On the non-project side of life, we have some exciting news that relates to life here in Italy. I’m going to share some pics and the experience in my next blog.
Until then, I’ll leave you with some views…I will never get enough…
Navigating Life in Abruzzo 