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Kraut
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2015 13:27 - Edited by: Kraut
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So, my name is Chris. I'm 31, German but living in Spain since 11 years.
The reason I am here is that we recently bought a finca, about 7000sqm, with a little cabin on it. I say cabin, people here call it a house, with about 120 sqm you decide.
The house is abandoned since about 50 years and maybe 200 years old. Given there are olive trees on my land that are 500 years old, the foundations will be from that time too.
Since everyone likes pictures:
As you can see it needs a little work 
Our plan is to restore it, using the same layout and keeping most of the walls, at least the non-brick ones since they are still perfect and pretty.
Eyerything off-grid (I earn my living with that, would be rude not to then).
The speed of progress depends on funding. Up to now there is no bank involved, if I keep it that way we are making the little seperate cabin habitable and play the rest as money comes in.
If I can find some cheap money from a bank, I go full-on building site over the winter.
I shall be putting together thread about my little project.
Thank you in advance for having me here 
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FishHog
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2015 13:38
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very neat, thanks for sharing. Beautiful views. 500 year old planted trees are pretty amazing. Makes what we have in Canada seem so young.
welcome
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pash
Member
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2015 13:42
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Looks amazing. And while i am all about being off the grid, if their was a powerline right overhead like you have i might reconsider. Thanks for joining us.
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hattie
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2015 14:05
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WOW that is beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing this with us. I can't wait to watch your progress with this. What an exciting project!
As FishHog said, here in Canada if something is 100 years old we consider it ancient. Where you are that is just a baby.
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Kraut
Member
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2015 14:09 - Edited by: Kraut
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Hog / hattie- from the top of my head I'd say there are olive trees here about 1500 years old. All but on on my fink are over 100 years old. Crazy.
pash- one electricity pole is actually my property as the previous owner had it put there. Problem is the voltage, it's very unstable according to the people living in the area.
Inicial hook-up for water and electricity is about 500 euros each, plus getting both media to the house, about 300mtrs up a hill. Then you'd have to pay least 100 for them two together in monthly basic contracts, plus consumption.
So I am firm on a smallish well and 0,5 - 1 Kw of pv. I have plenty of vacuum pipe solar panels kicking about from a factory exchange programme, that'll do for heating and warm water.
Since we are planning to use it only (but every) weekends, both water tank and batteries have plenty of time to recover.
Having 300 days of sunshine a year does help making that decision too
Also, everything solar, heating and water is my job. It has to be done
Cheers
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old old buddy
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 20:59
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Welcome to the forum Kraut! I now have cabin associates in Russia, South Africa and Spain!
Old Old Buddy
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neb
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2015 21:11
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Welcome!
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SE Ohio
Member
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2015 13:35
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Chris-Kraut,
Very good house! Great vistas. Please post your progress as you go.
SE Ohio
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Kraut
Member
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# Posted: 13 Oct 2015 12:40 - Edited by: Kraut
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old buddy- funny that you don't get more alien traffic. Looking around, this was the only asylum that appealed to me. There are no decent forums in Spain about anything house.
Whereas in my native German language there are plenty. I just can't do with all the talk about regulations and how to do things so they are safe and legal over there. I'm in Spain, in the very south. No frost, almost no rain and very little building regulations. The latter applies for the Americas too (from a German point of view).
The southern european countryside is full of expats fiddling around with cheap huts and cabins, they must find their way here I'm sure?
As for the progress, I had a meeting with the architect (there are some regulations here after all).
In order to make the buildings legal (there was no council tax or the like when it was abandoned in the 60's, plus the house is in a protected area) I need a certificate that declares the age and condition of the house.
Usually, if there is a roof missing, it's a ruin and you can't restore the building as such. Unless it's like really old and important, say a 1000 year old moorish castle or a roman whatever.
Given there are a few neighbors there living in restored houses the architect is fairly positive that the parts with no roof will pass too, it's like keeping the heritage alive or something.
All this I need so I can pay taxes. She said it'll take 2-3 years for the first tax bill to come in. Spain is a very efficient and advanced country.
I have started making some provisional stairs on one (steeeep) end of the plot, at the moment, pre-bulldozer, it's a bit of a climb to get to the shack itself.
Pics of that later.
In other news some guy crawled out of the woods telling me off for walking along a dry river bed nearby. He said since he was raised there, it's practically his property.
Truth is, the river bed is gonna be road soon, he is gonna go ape shite then I guess
Cheers
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old old buddy
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:39
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So...are you tri-lingual (German, Spanish and English)? You do very well with English...for sure...
I couldn't imagine having a cabin with such history that comes along with it and the of your trees baffles me.
I have been to Yosemite National Park in an area called Mariposa Grove, where there are dozens of Sequia Trees 2,000 to 3,000 years old. I was really impressed studying them. One of the trees which had fallen in 1969, I think, was 42 feet in diameter! Lots of firewood...if it was legal to cut it! Lol
Good luck with your permits and other problems that just "pop up" from time to time.
Old Old Buddy
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old old buddy
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2015 09:41
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The second sentence above was suppose to say "and the age of your trees"....
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drb777
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2015 10:17
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Kraut, Congrats on your purchase of the "little fixer-upper". I'm sure you will make memories that last a lifetime, as many of us have.
Not too sure very many of us have had to deal with the stone construction some of your photos reflect. But as an engineer, I am impressed with your plans.
3 generations ago, my family was from Switzerland (Zumikon, Zurich Canton). But at least back then, found it necessary to immigrate to America to find opportunity and a higher status that they could work hard to obtain. Interesting how "old" central europe has such a great history, but sometimes lacks an upside.
Glad to have you sharing your cabin-life project with us.
DRB-Oklahoma USA
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Kraut
Member
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2015 17:59 - Edited by: Kraut
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Thanks for the feedback guys.
old buddy- I am, yeah. My girl is from Paraguay, so we speak Spanish at home. My friends and clients are literally from all over the world, so basic language is English there. Also, I maintain our English side of the online firm. I guess all that helps
As for the old stuff, it's really just normal here. My grandparents house was built in 1784, it has been in their family ever since.
About trees, ever since I bought the place I see trees mainly as fuel and building material too...
drb- thanks. It's the first time I will build something just for us. Can't wait to get cracking.
The substance of the house is actually really good. It's built on solid rock, with walls 3/4 of a meter thick. Only the kitchen and a little extension are built with pot bricks. The kitchen hut is solid, the extension I gotta knock down. There are plenty of loose rocks laying around to rebuild it like the rest.
Now one thing- what is our missing upside? 
Cheers
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drb777
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# Posted: 14 Oct 2015 19:06 - Edited by: drb777
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Quoting: Kraut Now one thing- what is our missing upside?
I simply meant that (in certain instances) working class people fealt forced to leave their homeland and relatives in search of an opportunity to realize their dreams (my great grandfather, from a Swiss farm family).
No doubt you've found a fine situation, with many upside possibilities.
'Recently watched most stages of the Vuelta a Espana, I had forgotten how mountainous Spain is.
Good luck with your plans.
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Kraut
Member
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# Posted: 16 Oct 2015 12:55
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Well, I left Germany just to be somewhere else. I guess that is the main reason for people swapping countries in the "first world".
Spain has been nothing but good to me, despite that all the cliches are true, its a place where you can get very far if you move ye bum.
To stay nicely off-topic: Spain is, apart from the La Mancha region just mountains. We have Europe's highest official road in the Sierra Nevada, at 3300mtrs. It ends at a ski lift. In April one can go snowboarding on almost 4k mtrs and then take a swim in the sea on the same morning
Where I live, there are peaks 1000mtrs high only 3-4km inland.
As for on topic- tomorrow I'll put in some more steps. I will post some pics of that then.
Cheers
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Don_P
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# Posted: 17 Oct 2015 09:04
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What a beautiful and interesting place. That should be an enjoyable project... or series of projects!
I'll butcher a quote I once heard, "Plant olives for your grandchildren, grapes for your children and mulberries for yourself". It was speaking to how slow olives are.
Our military would do well to be reminded of that 
It looks like the entire evolution of masonry in one place; dry stack masonry, old lime plaster and mortar and then Portland cement. The historic restoration folks frown on Portland and it does have merit. Portland is harder than older mortars and plasters, load goes to stiffness, those areas begin to take on more load than the older work surrounding that repair. Portland is also basically waterproof, where lime absorbs moisture and then dries Portland can trap moisture, this can be a problem where wood is adjacent to a lime render and is later repaired with Portland based plaster. Anyway just food for thought and research.
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