It has been more than a year and a half since our last update. Why the delay? Several reasons really, a few big ones, but also many small distractions that always seem to add up.
Move to the Alps
The most notable reason for the delay is we moved from Berlin to Southern Germany, specifically a small town in the German Alps. We enjoyed many aspects of Berlin, particularly the diverse food, interesting culture, and the general perks large cities provide. At the same time, the noise, distance from nature, and gritty streets all pushed us to calmer climes.
We spent months, and several visits, trying to find an apartment. After one promising lead fell apart while we were literally on the train to see it, we got lucky with another apartment and immediately signed a lease. We then packed everything up, hired a truck, put the pets in the back of the car, and drove down.
Of course, moving was only part of the effort. Being Germany, our apartment did not include a kitchen. (This is a common state here, but a situation most non-Germans find shocking.) The apartment included the space for a kitchen, but no cabinets, appliances, or sink. We hired a local company to install one, at no small cost and nearly two months of waiting.
It has been more than a year in to our new home, and we have been very happy with our move. We’ve made a few good friends, hiked and skied some stunning mountains, and enjoyed the quiet streets of our new home. As an added bonus, we’ve slashed our drive time to our house in Italy from a straining fourteen hours to a manageable seven.
Side Trips: Venice and Rome
Even though we haven’t made much progress on the house, we have visited several times. These trips are usually to get things moving, from agreeing on floor plans with our architect, to choosing tile and bathroom fixtures at local stores.
We also use these trips as excuses to visit other places in Italy. We’re blessed that the drive from Germany to Tuscany passes through some stunning areas, from mountainous Süd Tirol in Austria, to over-looked gems in Italy like Mantova (Mantua), or much-hyped (but still wonderful) places like Cinque Terre.
For our 2025 trips, we added stops in Venice and Rome. Much ink has been spent on both locations, and by better writers than myself. In short, we had a wonderful time in both. My main tip is, if you can, visit in off or shoulder seasons.
We visited Venice in April, and except for weekends in Piazza San Marco, we didn’t find it unpleasantly busy. One tip, eat some good cicchetti. We particularly liked Cantina Aziende Agricole.
For Rome, we visited in early December and, while it can be rainy in winter, we were blessed with beautiful weather. We also had no trouble getting tickets and saw no lines. An unexpected treat were all the Christmas decorations. I tend to think the Germans do Christmas the best of all Europe, but the Italians are not far behind.
The House
Back to the house. Our main goal for 2026 is to make it livable. As I shared in an earlier post, we’ve added a new roof and new windows, but the house is still basically a shell. We have no interior plumbing, electrical, heating, or bathrooms and bedrooms.
To make it livable, we’re basically having contractors turn the top floor into a one bedroom apartment, with a bedroom, bathroom, small kitchen, and a dining and sitting area. This will leave the middle and bottom floor un-renovated. While contracting for the whole house would be easier, we don’t have the funds for that. Plus, I really want to do some of the work myself. Once we can stay in the house, we can take on more of the renovation ourselves.
There’s an important caveat with this plan. While we’re technically renovating just one floor, we need to do the core utilities for the entire house. This will include the heating and cooling system, specifically an air-source heat pump, mini-splits, and a hot water tank. We’ll also install the electrical distribution box and wiring, run network cable, and install plumbing. Oh, and we also need to install stairs to the top floor. I expect budget management will be a persistent consideration for this phase.
Where Are We Now
We’ve gotten bids for much of the next work, but they included renovating the middle floor as well. To keep the budget (somewhat) manageable, we’ve cut the plan to just the top floor. We’re now waiting on revised estimates before committing to the new scope. These should be coming in the next few weeks. If we’re able to settle everything in the next month or two, our architect is confident we’ll be able to start construction by the spring.
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