trullo – Page 2 – Trullo Genista

January 18, 2020October 7, 2021

A Puglian Rental Takes Shape

It’s now January and we’ve arrived for our update visit after a nice Christmas break and New Year. We can’t say we weren’t a little disappointed with the lack of progress but many have said to us that not a lot goes on down here from December to January. It was certainly not something that was made clear to us back in October at any rate. But we have builders here and things are progressing.

Inside the new extension, the new block work has been replaced by a nice smooth layer of plaster. Somehow when the plaster goes on it starts to feel like a proper room at last. We have to pick the door through to the bathroom, the door from the house to the bedroom and the window/doors that lead outside to the patio. Although fairly standard items we were quite shocked to find that these were not included in the original quote. Completely missed by us but worth bearing in mind if you yourselves are thinking of embarking on a project such as this. Some might consider the inclusion of a bathroom door a fairly reasonable assumption to make. Not so in this case so beware.

As can be seen from this shot here, a gap has been created in the wall up front so it is easy to walk from the house to the swimming pool. This cladding you see here is an added extra that we have chosen for cosmetic purposes as it looks so much nicer than a whitewashed wall. These are the kinds of additional expenses that tend to crop up hen you visit the property because, as building progresses, you begin to see areas where improvements can be made. Our estimation so far is that for every visit we make to the property while renovation is in progress, we add about another €3-4K to the bill. But, you only do it once so we want it done right.

Sadly on the subject of the swimming pool we now have to wait until February for the pool to be approved and for work to start. We desperately hope not to be writing in March saying this has not happened but it’s fairly par for the course. The Commune at Martina Franca made the decision at the beginning of 2020 to move whole departments around to new areas of responsibility. Hence in January they are doing no work at all while they get used to their new jobs. Which of course means we’ll have a whole new set of people who have to go through our case and get to know it before approval is finalised.

More here as it happens.

October 28, 2019October 7, 2021

Floors and Walls

On the 26th October we headed for home knowing that the new ceiling had still to dry off before any further work could take place on the extension. Our next trip is scheduled for January by which time we should have the pool permit approved and ready to go.

Hence, we were delighted to receive pictures of what looked like a load of tyres wrapped in bin bags scattered all over the floor. But we are assured this is to provide ventilation under the floor when the concrete is poured. That has to be a good thing right?

On top of this, as can be seen from the picture at the top of this article, a shiny new layer of concrete floor. The new bedroom is finally starting to look like a proper room at last. Just as important as a floor, we also have walls and windows.

The window for the new en-suite bathroom is in and the walls will soon be ready for plastering. The aim is to have this all finished by end of January, weather permitting. Once finished the room will be kitted out and the finishing touches applied so that Trullo Genista will be able to sleep four to six people comfortably.

Another added bonus is the current bathroom has been re-jigged a little. What used to be a shower cubicle that even Kate Moss would struggle to turn around in, has been removed, the shower head has been fixed to the opposite wall and we now have a drain at one end of the room creating a perfect wet room. Once finished this will improve the showering experience enormously. Drop the soap now and there will be no having to fish it up with your feet as bending over now will be easily accommodated.

All told, progress has been good and when we visit again in January, we hope to be seeing the end of the process in sight. More here as and when it happens.

October 21, 2019October 7, 2021

A Roof Over Our Heads

One thing we cannot accuse the Italian builders of is not making hay while the sun shines. When the weather is set fair they pitch up at 7am as soon as the first light appears in the sky.

As you can imagine therefore, it was a fairly rude awakening when this lot started going up in the early hours. But go up it did and with ruthless efficiency and meticulous attention to detail. It forms the framework for the new extension’s corner support pillars and roof. After which the walls will be accommodated.

Perhaps a slightly disappointing aspect to this is that once the concrete is poured for the roof, it will be at least a week to ten days before the next phase of building can go up as the concrete needs time to set.

Later in the day, against slightly more leaden skies than we’d been used to recently, the lorry bearing the concrete showed up outside. Looking like the leg of a tripod from the War of the Worlds, the huge arm was extended over the top of the trulli, and the pouring of the roof began.

The end result is what you see here and that was the end of proceedings as far as the extension was concerned for now. At least a 10 day wait is now on the cards before any further work can go into the extension block to make sure that the concrete sets properly before work begins on the walls.

The phrase ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ springs to mind here. Because in the absence of anything constructive to do on the building front, there emerged the opportunity to do a bit of exploring. As the evening drew in, the skies cleared again and a trip to Locorotondo beckoned. This is a bar that sits on the edge of the town overlooking the Itrian valley. Even in the third week of October in this fantastic part of the world you can still get days like this where the sky is a deep blue and it is as warm as toast sat outside with a cold Peroni. And that’s exactly what I did.