3 Weeks in Wonderful Italy

05/04/2010 - 17:36

Hi Everybody, We had a wonderful 3 weeks at our little Casa in Calabria. For the first week we relaxed and enjoyed being in Italy. The next 2 weeks we were D.I.Y.crazy!! We had to get rid of our damp and mould on the walls then we repainted all the walls. The price of paint was very costly...€35 for a four litre tin!! We then concreted a path all around the house. Our neighbour told us that our wall had fallen down onto his ground and that it was very important to get it repaired. We got several quotes ranging from €28,000 to €7,500. They seem to pick a figure out of the sky and hope that we will go for it!! Our geometra who is now a good friend, has given us the best price...his cousin is doing our wall!!! We cant wait to go back as our house now will be so much better to stay in. We are busy looking on the Ryanair website for cheap flights in july/august. I did practise my italian and I felt more confident as I could understand more this time. I have to say tho, I need more lessons. I will look out for italian kids books to practise with in the meantime.

Topic

Renovating

Comment

Hi, cilla10. It's great that you are now feeling so positive and at last are able to enjoy Italy. I wish you many more happy stays in your little house.

What kind of wall is it Cilla? Is it an outside garden wall or part of your house?

Its a stone garden wall infront of our house. We understand from our Geometra that it needs to be reinforced to prevent the house from any movement.

You must have a fairly big wall Cilla. I was a bit shocked by the range of your quotes. If its any help a stone garden wall built around an iron sub frame (which I take is what is going to provide the reinforcing) to about 15 inches thick, costs at the top end €150 per m2 here. Thats including all labour costs etc. We've had lots of walls built here in the past and I should imagine that prices in Calabria should be lower. Good luck.

Hi, Our wall is 24 metres long and 3 1/2 metres high. We thought all 4 estimates were far too high!! But we have gone with our geometres cousin who we have met. We have agreed a price and have told our geometra that we cannot afford to pay 1 cent more.

Cilla10................ I think the estimates for your wall are outrageous................you(we all) have to remember that the ��s think 'we' are rich. I tend to take the line that...................before getting any quotes at all.................what do you think you would (want) to pay for a job? If the price is somweher around what you would want to pay then just go for it. In my experience here (limited ..............2/3years)....there seems to be a lot of 'cousins'. !! Good luck, enjoy etc etc! S