Italian Renovation - we buy the white house

RENOVATING

Italian Renovation – we buy the white house

The White House [Casa Bianca]

Recently the house next to ours came up for sale, the neighbors have moved to the town and the agent let us know it was for sale. Another Italian Renovation and of course we were interested but hadn’t thought it would come up for at least a few years. So we had to do a very fast scramble to try to get enough money to put a deposit and buy it.

We have a contract and once it goes through we can start the next part of “the project” here. It has two bedrooms, a kitchen lounge area, and two cellars underneath (one is the small lower window). Plenty of work to be done cleaning it up and giving it a cosmetic inexpensive make over.

The Property

The property includes the house and out buildings on the other side of our house, and a small building directly opposite our large double gates. It also includes various bits of land some with apple trees, and Sam is in his element with plans for our future ‘orto’ (veggie gardens) and fruit trees. Another thing that is a premium here is parking spaces and a garage type shed, so we now have enough work to do for a while.

The Outbuildings

This shed is missing the floor between the two levels and needs a good clear out, as with our other Italian renovation this one was a bargain. It is accessed via the lane way which we can now clean up.

Previously the neighbors had dogs tied here in the lane way and as they couldn’t take them to the new place they offered us ‘Fiume’ the shaggy white guy who is now part of our family. He is very happy and has settled in with us, Sam and Carina are training him as he is only young, he is a lovely excuse to go for long walks and he adores Sam.

We have also gained another cat, the little tortoiseshell has joined Mishu and she is such a princess in comparison.

This shed now has the makeshift boards taken down and to the left just inside is a door that leads into a large vaulted room. Above is a hay loft and above the vaulted room another large area that is open to the elements (now the roof has fallen in). As you can see we have plenty to keep ourselves occupied and plenty of scope for these areas in the future. The best thing about this Italian renovation project is that it gets us dreaming.

Plans for the Outbuildings

Sam would like to have this room for making the salami, I can imagine it with a big worktable and somewhere for workshops or friends to come and help us process all the food we will grow. We have so many ideas, and I’ll be sharing them with you once we get underway.

We will be clearing this area and keeping it open, I can see a courtyard with plants and a place to sit and relax. I quite like the original wall and window if we fix it up, Sam likes the idea of lowering the wall and putting a railing so you can see out, hmmmmm.

Fiume the Wonder Dog

This little white dog has already made such a difference to our lives and he is endlessly happy now he has some freedom. He is no longer chained in the lane way, and his tail hasn’t stopped wagging. His old owners still visit the borgata to tend to other animals that friends are minding for them. It’s all a bit delicate as you can imagine and we are getting used to the big changes in the borgata.

Health and Wellbeing

Apologies for not sharing sooner about all the news, I didn’t want to say anything until we were sure firstly we could get the money, and secondly it was all actually going ahead. I’ve also been going through early menopause and been up, down and all over the place…..mood swings, depression, low blood pressure, and thinking I was losing the plot. I’ve been to the doctor and looking online for help.

Thanks to everyone who gave me virtual hugs over at our Renovating Italy Facebook page, without you all I know I’d be lost.

Things here are shifting to a whole new level, luckily I’m always up for an adventure.

So where would you start, do you have a dream Italian renovation…..?

Take a small step towards your dreams each day…..sending love

and the gang x

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48 replies

Newer Comments »

Francesca Muir says:
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Wow how I admire your foresight – well done but take care of yourself – these things take much energy and strength. Bacci F xx
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh I can hear you laughing at us right now, sometimes I shake my head. It’s mostly the clean out as all the sheds and the house will take some effort. I don’t really want to say anything regards the state of the place but you can imagine. I”m looking forward to the transformation to come. xx
  Maybe a place to stay if you get to visit xxx
Glenn says:
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I follow you on facebook as well (obviously) on your blog. I noticed hen reading tonight you asked if any of us had bought a house in Italy…have a written before? I would enjoy sharing stories!! 😀

Glenn
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ciao Glenn,
  Great to see you here, have you renovated in Italy? Sorry wasn’t sure, being Aussies we always love a good story xx
  ciao lisa
- Glenn says:
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  Yes….we have purchased a house from 1500’s in Italy…about 45 minutes west of Naples….just finished the closing, although we bought in August! LOL I have a blog (Not near anything like yours) wwwtheguardiasanframondiinn.wordpress.com we must compare notes. You could probably help us immensely. Ciao from Canada!
- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  sorry for the delay replying Glenn, I’ve been sick. I’ll take a look at your site, our internet has been playing up this week so trying to catch up when I can. You most likely would know Clare then, love to compare notes xx
  ciao ciao lisa
Meredith mancini says:
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Fantastic news Lisa. Did someone actually live in this before you bought it? Will you join them together and run a B and B? So many possibilities. My husband wants to know the name of your nearest town, he is curious. Such great news about White Dog too. Peri-menopause is a cow so I really hope you can find something to ease it. Stay well Lisa.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh yes a family of two adults and three kids were living here for a few years Meredith. They have moved out of the borgata to the village and we see them here from time to time when they come to visit one of the other families here.
  
  No we don’t really want to do a B and B, more for friends or family that come to stay and visit us. The name of our closest town is Bobbio Pellice, which you should be able to google. I’m laughing at the cow term as we have lots of those around here usually with great big bells. Say ciao to your husband….he can always chat to sam lol, my husband says he gets outnumbered now. xx
Margaret | Destination Here&Now says:
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Man you guys are suckers for punishment! (smiling broadly)
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  You know us well. xxx
Kaye Bonato says:
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Hi Liza, such wonderful exciting times…..will you make the new place part of your original house or will you keep it separate? Love that new pup, Fiume, must be very very happy to have found a new home with you, no wonder he’s got such a grin on his face.

Best of wishes as always,
xoxo
Kaye Bonato
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Ciao Kaye, don’t think we can connect the house next to ours so it will remain a stand alone house, we will change the doors and windows, clean it up and paint of course, nothing certain just yet.
  The gorgeous dog is so happy now, he has a constant bounce in his step and wag in his tail. I’m so happy to be able to give him the kindness he deserves.
  
  sending love xxx
Margaret says:
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Hi Lisa,
The project looks great. Just wanted to let you know that I am already subscribed to ‘renovatingitaly’ and when the pop-up asking me to subscribe appears (it comes up slowly) I see no way to close it. That is very frustrating. I know you are working on your blog so I thought I would mention this. I do not expect to see this comment on the blog as it is just a note to you. I love reading your blog – you are a fine writer and the photos are great.
M
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- Sam Chiodo says:
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  HI Margaret, Sam here i checked the pop up for the subscribe screen and the Cross X button is on the top right of the popup. Also, the pop up once you close it, should only pop up again in 30 days or so unless you clear you cache in that case it will pop up again as soon as you access the site. Strange… Yep, we are having some speed issues and we are in the process of changing the way we do things on the site. Let me know if you still have an issue with the popup and i will try to work out what is going on. thanks for you feedback it really helps us..
sally says:
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It’s all so wonderful to see you’re leading the life you wanted. You guys deserve all the best ! xxoo
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Grazie Sally, it’s hard to believe it’s only been a year and a bit lol xx
Wynne says:
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Wow – you all really know how to keep busy! I can’t WAIT to see how this place shapes up. I SOOOOO wish I could be there for a long period of time to help. And I LOVE that you have a dog! I’m so glad he’s free and happy with all of you. Such a gift. AND a new kitty?! Oh, you’re living the life!

Rest assured the hormonal stuff will even out in time; you’re utterly normal there! And perhaps you’ll get to be so busy, you’ll not even notice some of the symptoms.

Congratulations, love to all, and good luck! xo

PS: Sent you an e-mail earlier this week. 🙂
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Oh sorry Wynne I’m hopeless with keeping up with my email xx
  We have two full time cats and one that sneaks in for a feed when he thinks I’m not looking. I love the dog and he is Sams constant companion now, it is so nice to see them together. I wish I know what happened to Black but I’m fairly sure he is okay. My symptoms seem to have stopped for a bit, not sure if they come and go….guess we are all going to find out lol. When you get back here you will see lots of changes xxx till then sending love xx
- Wynne says:
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  I, too, was thinking of Black and hoping he is ok. Missing you all…xo
Alison says:
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Nothing like a bit of renovating to keep you occupied!!! LOL, looks great Lisa. Keep having fun and living your dream – and your life.
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  You could say that lol Alison x
Ingrid says:
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You won’t be stopping for a while – looks like plenty to do I hope you get breathing space between projects!! Congratulations xox
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- Lisa Chiodo says:
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  Hey Ingrid we have lots of work now but it’s all the good kind that we love. We are going to Paris soon so that will be a great break and a bit of girl time for Carina and I with the photo shoot. Can’t wait xx
- Ingrid says:
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  Fantastic – you girls will have a BLAST! xox