Waiting and hoping, highs and lows

As the new year started, we had every assurance from our builder that we’d be finished by Easter 2024, but as I write this blog in June 2025 we’re still some distance away - about 30% - to reach the finish line. The stress of it all meant I never felt motivated to write this blog, to even talk about the project, as it all felt so frustrating and on some days hopeless. Because of the delays and risk of not completing the renovation as covered in our contract, we sought the help of a lawyer to help navigate through it all.

Our project was partly funded by the eco and sisma bonus incentives on the advice of our geometra, and partly by us using our life savings, so while the materials and work was funded upfront by us, the builder was having financial difficulties and work stopped not once, twice, but three times with big long waits when nothing happened. Because of a lack of cashflow on the builder’s side, we were persuaded to part with more of our money to keep work going. Little did we know that this would be a big mistake. We wanted to keep an open dialogue with him, and our geometra did his best to chivvy things along, but when communication broke down and phone calls weren’t answered and work completely ceased, getting the lawyer involved was our only route.

We had no idea if the builder could complete and what our options were. The delays meant another year without the first floor finished, no proper heating and sketchy electrics. In the big scheme of things, we knew we would find a way through it somehow, we just didn’t know how and that’s when the lawyer was worth his weight in gold. During this time, we were living with the first floor partly demolished, open to the elements, doors removed, walls torn down, electrics hanging off the walls - so much so that a small electrical fire broke out one evening - luckily we caught before it could cause any damage. We’ve learned a lot on this project, but our biggest takeaway if we ever embark on a project like this again would be to really scrutinise the builder’s ability to complete the project and check out his reputation, ideally using a builder recommended by friends.

With the help of the lawyer and threat of court proceedings, we recently agreed with the builder a way to reach the end, and work pushed on to get most of the first floor completed by April. We had family visiting with children, and we needed rooms finished for them to stay. It was touch and go, but luckily we got most of the work completed. The room that used to be the kitchen with the big traditional Tuscan fireplace is now a cosy snug, and we got two bedrooms and a small bathroom back. It felt great to be able to use these rooms once again after over a year’s wait. We’re still waiting on some electrical work, windows and doors to be fitted, but it was a big step forward.

The snug

During all the waiting and stress, we tried to keep ourselves occupied, tackling other jobs on the land, and taking in all of the amazing new experiences our life here has to offer.

A new vegetable garden, shed and log store

In our first year at the farmhouse, we resurrected what was an old vegetable garden at the base of our land. We diligently built no-dig beds and planted up our first seedlings, however it soon became apparent that its distance from the house made it difficult to maintain, especially in the height of summer when additional irrigation was needed. We put our thinking caps on and decided to instead develop the vegetable patch to the side of the house where it was naturally more shaded from the worst of the sun and where we could harvest water from the farmhouse roof and soon to be built shed.

Kicking off the plan, we used our brilliant forestry guys to top some more of the black locust trees that overhang the new plot we’d decided on. These trees are very much the bane of our lives as their underground suckers do a magnificent job of keeping them perpetually alive. We have to keep on top them and mow back the seedlings as soon as they appear, otherwise we get a mini forest back before you can say ‘can’t see the wood for the trees!’
After much reading and research, we decided to go with some raised beds, due to soil quality and that the drainage system for the house is built under that plot of land.

Nick built six raised beds, the shed and new log store all by himself. These are totally new found practical skills since most of his time is spent behind a laptop engineering data not wood! The final vegetable garden gave us a first year of wonderful produce - tomatoes, zucchine, melanzane, chillies, cavolo nero, cauliflowers, onions, melons, peas, and fennel. All fabulous, fresh ingredients to make some delicious Italian recipes with.

A garden takes shape

Alongside the vegetable growing, my gardening studies with the RHS continued, but I was also itching to get my hands in the soil and start building our own garden. One of the big issues was the ongoing building work. It didn’t make sense to start work on the garden until the risk of it getting trampled by builders was over. However, there were 2 portions of the land that I could start to work on. The difficult slope above the pool, and an area in front of the house that had recently been cleared of building rubble.

While researching plants and thinking about what I could do, I came across the services of Jane Porter. I didn’t want to rely solely on a garden designer to help me, but someone who was willing to let me learn and develop my own ideas with, so I could develop my own skillset. It just so happened that Jane fitted those criteria and more, offering also to mentor me as I made my way through my exams and new budding career in horticulture. She had done it herself, retraining in horticulture and garden design to great success, winning a gold at Chelsea! - and after listening to a podcast of her experience I knew she would be a terrific fit for me. Since last autumn we’ve been holding calls every month or so to develop the two areas into dry gardens, using drought tolerant plants and gravel as mulch to reduce watering. Jane gave me the confidence to plan the choice of plants appropriately for this climate, drawing up a planting design that would give all round interest. The design even made use of some building rubble to mimic the mediterranean landscape that these plants love.

A little pause happened during the garden build when I wound up in hospital after cutting my thumb pruning our olives. I attended Pronto Soccorso (emergency room) 3 times before they diagnosed a serious infection, and I ended up being admitted and put on antibiotic drips for 4 days. That was a lesson in wearing gloves in the future! I couldn’t be more grateful for the excellent care I received and it made me truly thankful. The building woes quickly go to the back of the mind when your health is threatened. In the end, we got the garden built by end of May, Nick being amazing at digging holes for planting up and spreading gravel. The finished gardens have given us so much enjoyment building and now we get to enjoy watching them grow and relaxing in them.

Summer brings hope

As I write this blog in mid June, it brings us up to date with our story. It’s been a time of twists and turns, highs and lows, but always the hope that tomorrow things will progress and our little dream becomes closer. But of course, there’s never an end. The enjoyment comes from the journey - it might sound a cliche - and sometimes even grating at times of disillusionment, but it’s true. A film I love ‘The Best Marigold Hotel’ has a great quote in it that feels especially relevant for us “Everything will be alright in the end, so if it’s not alright, it is not the end.”