La dolce vita

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Duncan Frost has bought a property that needed total renovation – in the heart of Italy.

Duncan bought his house for 100,000 euros in February 2006. It is a two-bedroom detached property sitting in half an acre. Located in unspoilt countryside on the outskirts of Citta Sant’Angelo in Abruzzo and just 5 km from the sea, the property offered tremendous potential, but an enormous amount of work. The price for the property that close to the sea made it an excellent purchase and being only 18 km from Pescara airport meant that it was easily accessible from the UK.

Duncan and his family now live in Florida but wanted a second home in Italy, with easy access from the UK where they have family, and that was also uniquely their own. By buying something in such a condition it enabled them to stamp it with their own personalities.

The renovation work changed the two bedroom detached property into a three bedroom home with family room/fourth bedroom, two bathrooms and large portico. The renovation work was traditional, salvaging two vaulted brick ceilings and as much solid existing material and detail as possible. The cost of the structural renovation of the house including reinforced foundations plus outbuilding, new portico and copper drain pipes was 128,000 euros.

“I think I chose the right path… a trusted UK company with deep-rooted Italian connections. You can’t do this type of thing smoothly on your own and what’s more, doing it with the locals is so much fun! Together with my sons, Daniel aged 17 and Robin aged 14 we already have new friends and fond memories!”

Continues Duncan, “From what I have seen the foundations they have put in are way beyond anything you would get in the UK. They comply with the latest Italian law that all foundations are designed for earthquakes and this applies to the whole of Italy.”

Following the structural renovation Duncan has chosen doors, windows, and other fixtures and fittings. This second phase of work, to make the house habitable, added another 94,000 euros. This work included floor finishing, plastering, doors, windows, shutters, all plumbing, electrics, bathrooms and kitchen. Commenting on costs Duncan says, “They are a little higher than my original guesstimate but we did add more space along with inside staircase and a portico. All the rooms are huge with superb architectural features. We also selected high quality windows, shutters, bathrooms and kitchen. I feel we have very high quality craftsmanship for a very fair and honest price. I was very confident with both Gino and his builders and would highly recommend them to anyone. Gino actually wants to showcase the renovation in his portfolio. This along with his infectious passion for his work and architecture gave me the feeling that our project was in the good hands. Gino and his workforce and other local professionals were recommended to us by Marcello, who has worked alongside Linda Travella for a number of years.”

Linda Travella of Casa Travella says, “Renovations are special. They are often in superb locations and usually come with land. When buying you need to calculate carefully the full cost and to allow time for the work to be carried out. A new home is not created overnight but the results are, as a rule, exceptional. As a company we help those who seek this type of property by referring them to architects and builders with whom we have had years of experience so that a buyer can have confidence in the experts into whose hands they have committed their investment.”

Adds an enthusiastic Duncan: ”I could write a book about the heart-warming journey and experiences. Everyone in the local area has been unbelievably wonderful to deal with, and in fact the family that sold us the house have accommodated us as guests on many occasions at their Agriturismo (www.agriturterredelsole.it) complete with free bottles of the family vineyards wine! The builder, the plumber, the electrician, new found friends, the window company, and even the local bank staff have been wonderful.

”A special word too, for Linda Travella who, through her willingness to take a personal interest in our purchase has enabled us to have such a happy buying experience. She speaks fluent Italian and knows the area well so she made a huge difference to the final outcome. Nothing was too much for trouble and because I was not able to give all the time necessary to such a project having Linda at the helm was a terrific bonus. This has been a dream come true and one I will cherish all my life.”

”The starting point was a call to Linda and I decided to go with her on the basis of trust. That seed of trust has spread through the whole project with all the contacts she selected for us. Sometimes I wondered if I was putting too much faith in my trust, but I’m happy to say that basic human value goes a very long way. I followed my instincts and was rewarded with an experience and result far beyond my expectations.”

Tags: Escape from the comfort zone, Finance & property