½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

The best thing to do is to track down your local quarry - we have one nearby and they sell and make anything made from stone at a very reasonable price. It would be best to get a builder to construct the stairs then have the steps cut from stone and get the builders to bed them in. I have seen designs totally made from stone but these are likely to be horribly expensive.

These conditions exsist but almost everyone seems to get round them in Abruzzo at least!There's a reason for them too as anyone who has looked at buying a 'period property' in the UK will understand. While Italy at least has retained some of its original buildings in Cornish villages almost every dwelling has been cement rendered and horribly 'restored' with cheap double glazied plastic windows and doors and as Ram states a maze of plasterboard rooms and ceilings.Any unspoilt properties sell for a huge price. Intonaco using local and cheap materials doesnt have to contain bees wings! And it gets its colour from earth pigments - all free if you know where to dig for them! I've put lots of info on my website and anyone wanting advice is welcome to pm me

I once read that you should always do things correctly and 'above board' getting reciepts for everything then if the work was defective you'd have some comeback. Really !!!!This is Italy and as far as I can tell unless you have either political clout locally or a sackfull of money its a total waste of time trying to seek compensation for defective work. We decided it would be easier and quicker to pay another builder to put it all right than to waste money on legal fees and costs of travelling to and from hearings. The most important thing is to make sure that you are around to see the builders so you can question them.They won't like it but you may actually end up with less trouble in the long run. Good luck anyway and sorry not to be more positive.

I'm not an engineer and my opinions differ from many others but we have spent 5 years taking apart an old ½ûÂþÌìÌà building. Many ½ûÂþÌìÌà rusticos are built from limestone which is very soft. Originally they were smply pointed or pointed and covered with a lime and sand ( sometimes earth too) mix called stucco.The stonework was not normally very finely done and gaps or holes were normally quickly filed with any rubble that was around the site. Once cement became popular and cheap the houses were covered in it to consolidate the walls that were usually in a pretty bad way not having been maintained.The problem is that the cement hastens decay and rot in the structure particullary where its cracked and water/frost has penetrated.What is likely to be under the cement is a real mess! My choices would be to tackle the walls by removing the cement and drying out dampness then repointing ( with a lime based mortar made by keracoll - bio calce) .The building will take some time to dry out completely and you may still need to do some other dainage works unless you are very lucky. I've put quite a lot of information on my website.        

Just wanted to add that I think we have spent 3 times the purchase price of our house on materials and labour and that's with us doing all the plastering, pointing, floors and window sills / finishing! If you buy an old place for £50,000 expect to send at least £60,000 on the work and half of that could be roofing work and measures to protect against earthquake damage.

Patrik I've found wonderful help and support on The Period Property forum - google it- its uk based.I'm sure they will have an answer! Hardwood like oak and sweet chestnut is very strong and long lasting and I would expect that chestnut would be as hard as oak but it depends on whether insects have got to it or its got wet. Sometimes wood beams were covered in lime wash as this gives a protection against boring insects . Good luck- I'm sorry if I appear cynical but we've been involved with several Geometras and workmen all who we liked and seemed trustworthy but turned out to be anything but. I was warned by several people, some on this forum but I had felt that I could trust my instincts.Turned out I couldn't.  

I'm in agreement with Penny; a stone contruction in any rural area will be bult along roughly similar lines; there may be areas of Italy ( parts of Abruzzo for example) where a type of cob or eath building is also found. I've visited many of these buildings and photographed then and in terms of their construction they are quite similar to the cob buildings here in the West Country. One myth I'd like to blow out of the water is that Italy is full of skilled builders all more capable than Penny and her husband and with a unique understanding of old buildings. NOT TRUE! What it is full of is builders who are used to working on modern appartments and commercial buildings and who then try to use the same methods on old buildings resulting in total disaster. Any builder or geometra who advises you to demolish or take apart areas of your home whether its floors or ceilings should be questioned with intensity !!! Often they are simply working on the fears of housebuyerrs who've not owned or lived in an old property before and can be easily scared by threats of wet rot and rooves collapsing.Of course a house must be made safe in an earthquake zone - thats very reasonable but often I see cases where perfectly good beams 100's of years old are removed for no reason. Wood boring insects can be a problem but even then they can attack some types of wood and not others.Its not too dificcult to do a bit of detective work before going down the rip it out line! Don't forget there is more 'in it' for the builder or geometra if they can get you to agree to the plan of rennovation work they come up with  than if they use what's already there.    

Giovanni I will take the photos and email them to you the next time I promise!!! Lorry drivers are a menace !

 I cannot find temporary (3/4 day) breakdown cover now my van is over 11 years old.I just want cover for the trip from Calais to Italy. I have cover in the Uk for £35 a year but I dont want to extend it to full time European cover as I don't go far in the van once I'm in Italy and have an excellent local garage for breakdowns.It would cost another £100 to extend whearas I bought a 3 day cover plan for £17 when the van was only 10.

 Well I wish they were about both times I went through it - I can't go over 50mph up hill and lorries can't overtake so its blaring horns and flashing lights for 16kms! Perhaps I'll report them to the swiss police?