It has been a while since our last post, when we were at the start of the building activities. We are now happy to say that we are nearing the end of building phase 1, in which we will finish the guest houses. Hopefully all will be done in February, so that we can finally start with the fun part, which is decorating!
Building activities
After the start in June it continued to stay warm for quite some time. We tried to cool down the workers with some ice cream and brought over icicles in a cooling box. We think it was well received ? A big chunk of the work that was done over summer consisted of levelling the floors, putting in insulation and putting up walls to divide the large stables into smaller rooms. Especially the moment the floors were put in made a huge difference.
Another change that made an enormous difference to the appearance of the building was when the holes for the windows were made at the north side of the building. The old stables didn’t have any windows or openings on the north side, just big openings on the south side. But in order to create enough light in all the rooms, we had to make extra windows. Suddenly the guest houses were filled with light and it made the rooms even more pleasant!
The challenge of the septic tank
Besides working on the guesthouses, a lot of work also needed to be done on the terrain around the guest houses. Drainage and sewer pipes needed to be created in order to be able to move all the waste from the guest houses to the septic tank. Quite a challenge, as a lot of the terrain around the guest houses is made out of solid rock. The idea was to create a septic tank completely carved in the ground, but after drilling for several days, they noticed it was too hard to do so. Therefore it was decided that part of the septic tank would be placed in the ground and that the terrace on which the septic tank was placed would be filled with sand to level with the terrace above. In that way the septic tank would still be underground.
Beautiful old walls
Another big change in the appearance of the guest houses was when the outer walls had been pointed. Over the years the wall stone has gotten dark and dirty. And because some parts of the walls had been restored before with different materials, it didn’t look pretty. The workers had quite a job drilling out old material and replacing it with the right one, but the result was amazing! Suddenly the walls seem to be much brighter and they looked as new!
Last steps of the process
Over the months the former goat stables have slowly turned into proper apartments with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms. There are still a few steps to make before the guest houses will be habitable. Gas pipes and electricity have to be installed in order to be able to use lights and appliances around the houses. Inside the walls and ceiling need to be painted and the bathrooms need to be completed. We are very happy with the results so far and we are looking forward to finalize the work so we can start receiving guests!