Everything in the house is old, from every corner of the found old tools, logs, wine barrels and original wooden doors. The oldest part ot the house is probably few hundred years ago, no-one really knows. Some of the old goods transferred directly to the landfill. At the same time we were trying to save on everything worth saving. In particular, we are attracted by a recycling of old timber structures and slabs. We dismantled, for example, the old oak wine barrels into boards, which final use will be decided during the project.

We wanted to use old materials as much as possible, as they exude the history of the house and create a place of permanence during the turmoil the house is facing.

Rossi brothers – our geometra and his brother, who takes care of the construction – saw at once what we were aiming at. The yard was piled into neat stacks, old tiles, used bricks, logs and old iron window frames. From there, they picked up little by little to be used in different interior design ideas.  The level of handicraft is really high. In particular masonry as most of the original roof tiles and stones and bricks will be re-used. This gives the original feeling of the Visette as the house has been in the good old days! 

In a long project, you have to celebrate simple things – like finally having a roof on the house after two years! No more rain inside or heat escaping, thanks to proper insulation boards made in Switzerland. The boards are made of wood fibre, and they are 20 centimetres thick.

The roof is built by hand. Timbers are lifted to the roof one by one, with the assistance of several men. One end of each beam is placed on top of the ridge beam as a joist, while the other end is bedded in the longitudinal wall. A layer of planks is laid on top the beams, which is then covered with a new set of beams, roof insulation and waterproofing. Traditionally, roofs have not been insulated at all; roof tiles have been installed directly on battens. No wonder it’s been cold in the winter and gas consumption has been high.

Energy efficiency is a top priority for us in other respects as well, and we pay attention to the insulation of the walls, windows, roofs and doors. The whole house will be faced with an insulating material which should significantly lower annual heating costs. This is also encouraged by the government: all energy-saving solutions make us eligible for substantial tax allowances. They can add up to thousands of euros every year.

We’re going to install both solar panels and solar collectors on the roof. The former will generate electricity for the geothermal heat pump and other equipment, while the latter will have water circulating through them, to be heated by the sun and used to heat the floors, swimming pool and domestic water.

Over the course of the spring, summer and autumn, the following were completed: the frame of an annex, the exterior of a sauna, a swimming pool and an underground tunnel that starts in the cantina. It was great to see tangible results. The permit process was so protracted that the whole project sometimes felt unreal. But now concrete lorries are pouring in.

Two and a half years have passed since the plans were approved. Actual construction has lasted for a year, and we estimate we still have a little over a year to go. The aim is to have the interior finished by Christmas 2016.

In the summer of 2015, Hugo’s team laboured in blistering heat. When we visited them to say hello, I quickly retreated into the shade. The men just took their shirts off and didn’t seem too bothered about the weather.

Craft work is highly valued at our building site. Old bricks were removed from the walls one at a time, and all other dismantling is also done by hand. When the heat was at its most oppressive, we set up a parasol and one of the men worked under it, cleaning bricks – a task that took more than a few days to finish.

Finding the house was a long process, but redesigning it took even more time. We argued about a number of details with the municipal engineer: where we could put windows, how large they could be and what they could look like. In February, we were suddenly notified that municipal bosses would assemble the following week to decide on the fate of our project. We waited in limbo for the decision the whole week.

We had no idea how large a role politics, personal relations or sheer luck played in getting the designs approved. When you are building in a foreign country, you are at the mercy of other people, and you just hope that no one is cheating too much. Luckily, the council – which has a reputation for being very strict – gave the green light to the project. In the end, only minor changes were required.

When the plans had been approved, it was time to pick a construction company. That was an easy enough choice: we settled on Hugo, our project manager’s brother. Hugo is always cheerful and friendly, and he never objects to our decisions. Instead, he tries to find a solution to every problem.