#09 Italian house renovation | The real work starts now! 

Hello everyone. Thank you for the comments on the last video. I have posted on the community page some images to show the thinking on the landscaping conversations. The good news is that the smashing up has started and so I thank you all for being patient as I tell the back story. This brings me to November. Quite a lot happened before Christmas so maybe one or two more videos to cover the rest of the work that took place towards the end of last year. Thanks all! 👍

Richard, I watch a number of RU-vid channels doing what you are doing. But when I’m done watching one of your episodes I find this huge smile pasted on my face! Your latest episode was classic for me! I’m a quarter generation older than you but I’ve lived everything you’re going through. Watching your feet side moving the stove, multiple efforts to get your table to the new space, your humorous concerns about filming your first outside shower. I love it all, including the continuous camera and sound adjustments. Your channel is special because it’s real, it’s human! Please don’t change a thing. Plug along please, I need more smiles! Ron-Bradenton, FL

By far the best you've done Richard. Your attachment to the land is quite evident, more so now - I call it being grounded, you're growing roots. In a previous video there was an emotional moment running your hands through the leaves on those now famous olives trees. Recurring scenes - sitting on that deck, drinking in the view, the sun, waving your feet - that feeling of freedom. Yeah - you've made it. What pleasure to watch so much satisfaction, drive, and transforming. The realization - a small house is all I need. Even the noticeable sensation when you arrive, that cleansing of stress - you're home. Obviously moving forward - at last - has lighten your stress/frustration and bits of humor popping up. Slept like a log. Love your line about pizza not every day, and yes a pizza oven is a necessity. Think an outdoor kitchen and dining area al fresco is in order. There's a knack to moving stuff - glad you got that to work. The shower was a tasteful tease. I saw a flash of a bashful smile regarding personal questions in an earlier video. Such modesty makes you and your video more appealing. Thank you for sharing your journey - not all dive into life and reaps it's rewards.

Quando i tuoi figli da adulti guarderanno questi video saranno orgogliosi del loro padre !💪

"Fresh pizzas - not every day, but at least 6 days a week." Cannot argue with that. 😂

All that driving...it's on a truly American scale. Respect.

My husband and I have been talking about our move to Italy when I came across your video. I hadn't thought much about living in the Marche region until I listened to your description and love of the land. I live in what they call the Evergreen State now and thought I wanted to move to Southern Italy for the warmth and milder climate. You have made me realize how much I would miss the beauty of a multi green landscape. Plus, the feeling of the earth alive and growing through your toes and fingers. I can't wait to tour Le Marche when we leave. Also, thank you for the real and raw footage you give. Even your novice RU-vidr Status has been endearing. I think you are great and I am happy to see your channel growing. ❤

Another great video Richard! I found myself rooting and shouting for you to get the kitchen countertop through the doorway and then clapping with your success...lol. I'm excited to see all of your progress as you find time to edit your footage and load it for viewing. Suffice to say, I'm hooked, waiting to see your next steps. Having renovated a home in Puerto Rico, I understand the ups and downs, body aches, long days and the famous words from my contractor "Houston we have a problem" 😬 when it comes to the surprises of renovating a home. But, you are doing all of this work, yourself, kudos to you, impressive. Your humour has me laughing out loud while watching...well done. 👏

With the outside shower, that's great, you have more than enough distance to make everything look too small to see.😂👍

I really enjoy your videos and how true to life they are! We are renovating a farmhouse in Umbria, and your landscaping and spiderweb challenges are painfully familiar. I am so impressed with your progress and your love for your land. Can’t wait to see your progress on the inside of the house!

I.reallly enjoyed your video today! You're a champion for taking on this journey. Can't wait to see you on the next one. Love your sense of humor ! Always love to laugh and chuckle in the day and you make that happen!! Cheerio ! ❤

Loved the outdoor shower 😂. Gosh hard work with the fireplace, they sure made things to last back then!

Really enjoying your posts! You relaxing eating some pizza and getting some sun….perfect!

omg pleased to see you back ,in italy ,great ripping fireplace out ,you have lots to do ,but well ,worth it ,roll on next videox

Very nice video to watch Richard. And very funny also, your thoughts about taking a outside shower. Hilarious but a great idea, and very nice footage of the sunset on the background. Thanks for sharing man.

Well done. I really envy you. You're a great inspiration.

The inside plan is quite a good plan. You have actually done a lot of work and it really shows. You don't seem like a hoarder. lol. The hard work will pay off. The house is a good place. Lots of beauty around you. When I have a bad day, which is not often, I go outside and feel the love from the mountains and all the beautiful nature around me. Your hard work is paying off. I enjoy your videos. You have a good sense of humour and that will get you far. Bravo from Abruzzo

Well done Mate.👍💪🛠🍻 Thanks for inviting us along on this journey. 😊

I love your sense of humor! Fantastic.

How awesome, you must be feeling excited about getting started inside. I really like your plans for the large kitchen/ dining area with the fireplace.👍

Good progress. I feel in the long run, you’ll be thankful you lived in the house a bit to get a better feeling of the flow.

Great video pal loved the variety and and holding back better shots till last, your a natural dude welcome to RU-vid

I like the Verve playing in the background

😂😂😂tipping always works on ya mate xx😊😊😊😊

Hi from Aotearoa/New Zealand. I am thoroughly enjoying watching your videos and look forward to seeing your progress. Thank you for sharing your journey. I can truly appreciate the release of stress you feel as soon as you arrive in your little Italian piece of paradise. I have visited Italy many times and it is just the most magical place.

PS pizzas need a glass of red wine.🍷Tony

I loved the *sigh when you realized the tyre was flat... :D

Did the same getting leather sofas out of the house on my own. Didn’t measure and got it wedged in the door at the first attempt 😅. We live and learn.😂

Another great video and commentary, great to see internal works beginning. Great to hear The Verve too! More Led Zep please. Looking forward to your next video.

Great Video Richard. Love it.

Great video! You're making nice progress in this one. I think we could all relate with that piece of furniture move through tough corners :) I do agree that living in the space gives you the chance to get a feel for the layout and perhaps, decide on different plans based on that. All in all, piano piano does have its plusses :) Looking forwad to the next one!

Exciting to be starting work on the house! Great video as always

Well done. Keep up the good work.

Fantastic, oh i'd love to do this so much!

Honestly see how much work and time you are putting in this house is amazing! Keep up the great job and videos 😊

I really wanted to help lift that stove from the car with you, looked heavy ! Great to see demolition inside and now the fun begins. Looking forward to more.

You, sir, are easy to watch 😊 thanks for sharing.

If you haven`t thrown the white bricks of the fireplace, the ones inside that support all the heat, keep them, tehy are really expensive, they are designed to support extreme heat.

Richard, I thoroughly enjoy your videos! Lots of hard work, sweet reward! Thanks! Look forward to your next video 😊

Loving these episodes - keep up the good work!

It’s good to see you starting the indoor renovation. The main problem with that, is the mess. It seems like any work indoors creates twice as much mess as working outdoor. Plus you have to clean it up right away otherwise it somehow multiplies on its own. I know the video was over 30 minutes long but I can swear it was over in 10. You must be doing a good job entertaining.

That cast iron stove was definitely too much for you. Good thing you didn't hurt your back.

No worries! I knew the work table would fit through the door from the beginning. It's just a matter of having extra hands. I'm in the same boat with the renovations of my home. As much as I'd like for it to happen immediately, my geometra already warned me to plan in phases / years. So, you're not the only one! Also, a 5-hour drive is a piece of cake in Texas. Blessings and kutgw! :)

So you slept like a log did you wake up in the fire place, we have been with you from the start of your Italian journey thank you for all this great content.

Richard, you could use a few power tools! But great job dismantling the fireplace hearth. I'm glad you're going to put some of those bricks to good use when you build a pizza oven (sure you can't wait for that!). And good job on the outdoor shower - couldn't see a thing below the chest :)

I've been waiting for this video to drop :) I've poured a drink... and relax

Also, buy yourself a washing machine and put up a clothes drying line outside. You will find that a god send.

Your progress is great well done to you

Hola Richard. Why am I laughing, holding my breath, swearing, saying ' don't do that ' . ':Do this ' ! You are so enthusiastic, but just slow down a bit. Only time I relaxed watching this video was when you sat on deck eating your pizza 😂. Loving every minute of watching you & listening to your plans. We've been there, done it all , & looking back it's been best time ever. Enjoy every minute, and keep on making fantastic videos. Hugs ❤️

enjoyed this one as usual! that 5m shower hose is genius 😂

We love your videos! We hope to have our own property in Italy in the next few years, feeling very inspired!

Great job Richard on getting the kitchen counter in and the fireplace out. The ideas for the landscaping look fantastic 🫶🏻

Love to see you doing some work inside... but I have some advice for the toll roads in Italy. You can get a transponder so don't have to use you card every time. With a transponder you can take the "Telepass" lane and don't have to get out of your car.

Ideas for moving stove, put space carpet pieces under feet, fuzzy side to tile and it will slide and not scratch. Next, invest in some good tools…measure tape, mini jack hammer, drill, hammer and chisels then some big plastic bucket and scoops to clean up and transport debris

DIY video we like (parter is a retired building contractor): Bushradical 👍🏻: Martjian Doolard👍🏻: Roaming Wild Rosie 👍🏻: Diego Leon (France) 👍🏻! Don’t hurt yourself, you’re alone there and it could be days before someone notices you missing!

Richard, the outside shower is a brilliant idea. Bravo! Great to see you carrying on with your renovation. Enjoyed your recent video.

I think your real accomplishment was putting together that flat pack trolley about 3:20 in without 29 trips to the store for the missing bolts. Have a great one! Had no idea it would be so hard to bust up the brick around that fireplace. Excited to see the interior work.

Yet another great vlog! That new trolley has already paid for itself and I was shocked how it carried the fire. I was expecting it to fold! Your plans for Reno’s in the house sound great. Can’t wait to see more and how it turns out.

Awesome job with the video & i'm soooo enthusiastically following along. I keep updating my wife about your progress lol. I'll be looking for a place in a warm country in a year or two so loving your story!

I'm volunteering to be the shower rail 😂😊❤

The bit about out the long journey down but the stress just flowing out of you when you arrive. Didn’t have the same distance to travel but used to think that the minute I got off the plane at Limoges. Semi retired now and left that stress behind a long time ago but I know how you feel !

This is the best video yet. Looking forward to seeing how the house is going to change over the next year.

You know what's the best in this video for me, Richard? Your laugh and smile! This combined with your shower-snake made me Iaughin, too! Wonderful idea! And quite a bit romantic to shower under the stars, isn't it? I really love to see, how more and more relaxed you are now. And wow, your filming skills are growing, too! Not to mention your audience. More than 16.700 subscribers! That is something - and not the end for sure! Can't wait to see your next video. Thank you so much for taking us on this journey :o)

I thoroughly enjoyed it again. Have fun and enjoy the project while renovating I know we will 😉

Well done for taking this on. Inspiring stuff. I adore Italy and fully get your motivation.

Great show. Everyone has a " moving a large piece of furniture thru tight spaces" story AND you pervailed. Yahoo. My nagging curious question is why did you not consider putting the stove on the existing fire place hearth? I might have missed that but I have been with you from the start. Too bad we can not phone in and help you live time! Kind of like a zillion mother or father in laws around the world. Oh dear❤❤❤

I was willing that kitchen unit in.. hats off to you Richard your really grafting 😊

Can't wait for the next one

Hey Richard, just came across your channel and very glad that I did. I think we are sharing a similar bug about property in Italy. You are way ahead of me but my dreams are keeping me going. I like the idea that your place will be a home and not a rental but I’m not able to do that right at the moment so will be planning a two unit house, one to live in part of the year and rent the rest of the year, the other unit, a full time rental. That is just my financial situation. I am envious that you are doing lots of the work and wish I still was able to but I am now living with a substantial disability following a series of auto accidents and one too many concussions. I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and simply can’t afford to live here any longer in my current financial circumstances. Also, my nervous system is needing to be in a quiet, peaceful rural area - I am looking seriously at the southern tip of Puglia and a series of small towns that are close enough together to walk or ride a bike between. I like that you bought a house with a solid structure and that you could renovate in the way that you want without having to rebuiId the house. That is something I will likely do as well. I appreciate your approach to how you are producing your content and that you are a real guy struggling and celebrating the challenges that you encounter and overcome. Sorry about the scratch on the bumper of your SUV, ouch, that must have hurt. Moving that stove was interesting but man, you got to be careful. The landscape around your place is amazing and I think that is one of the big draws for me about Puglia. I am sick of seeing what has happened to Vancouver though it is still a beautiful city surrounded by nature, it has become an international city for sale to whom ever can pay the price and unfortunately too many locals can no longer afford to live here. Crazy thing is that our prime minister put a 2 year moratorium on foreigners buying houses in Canada. What sucks is that Italy has a reciprocal agreement in that a Canadian can’t buy a house in Italy until the moratorium ends at the end of 2024. I will keep watching your channel as everything you’re doing, I wish I was doing so will live vicariously through your activities and learn from your decision making process. Thanks.

Great stuff… I renovated my place here in Germany. I would recommend investing in a power hammer! Bosch blue are the best but the ones from park side or ferret from Aldi or Lidl are pretty good for the price. Hand chiseling concrete will wreck your hands and wear you out bud and I think you’re going to be having to break a lot of concrete. All the best 😎👏👍

Hey Rich, have been looking forward to this video since the last one.....and I really felt for you trying to move that logburner on your own. Not fun. I emptied my flat in London almost by myself a few years ago (3rd floor, no lift) and remember all the lonely trips up and down the stairs to the cellar, doing a certain number every day so that I wasn't under too much pressure. And don't be over modest about your attributes, ahem.

Enjoying following your progress! I have one comment, please consider using upper & lowercase type on your subtitles because it’s easier to read. Thanks 😊

Had to laugh as you unloaded the stove. I dropped a glass cabinet unloading it almost exactly same way you unloaded. The next time, I used a 4 foot by 6 foot board.... much better result.

Having moved several stoves, was worried about your back, but you did well. Good news bad news with stove. Wood burn rate is slower, but you have to cut things in shorter lemgths - more saw cutting time.

You may want to use headphones to listen to music while working and filming, RU-vid copyright strikes are nasty!

You definitely should've gotten someone to help you with that

Great video Richard Your plans for a larger area will be fantastic Nice wood burning stove will be nice in cold weather Be careful working by yourself get supports for your back and legs Yes I moved things without measuring and of course got stuck But finally worked it out Outside shower would be nice in your area Tale care and see you in the next video ❤❤❤❤❤❤

You have more utensils in your temporary kitchen than i have accumulated in 50 years. You may not be a "hoarder" but you certainly are a collector of kitchen stuff.

Hi, well done getting that table out well as they say “where there’s a will (theres a relative) 😂😂there’s a way”. Great vid, keep them coming. Tony

😂😂🤣 Great!

Hey Richard, it's fun to see you enjoying small successes. But if I need to see more of these videos, I'll drive down to Marche in summer and help you out 😉

Six days a week 😂😊… Three acres…. Your love of numbers is 👌🏽👌🏽

You need an extra long handle to turn the shower on.😊😊

You haven't considered the painting before you started moving in a lot of stuff into your interior space? Fresh paint will do a lot for the interior of your home and the exterior. It's coming along pretty good.

I like the wood burner, have you considered keeping some of the brick fireplace, for thermal mass? The wood burner is not that large and you do not want to have to keep filling it up, having it heat the brick mass allows the heat generated to last longer. Just a thought. Congrads on getting started on the inside, bet it feels pretty good.

Hi Richard, great video as always and your plans make sense to make the most out of this lovely building. Get yourself a toll badge… it costs near nothing, works in France, Italy, Spain and so on and charges monthly onto your credit card….and avoids you having to get out of the car because they built the toll both on the wrong side…😂 As someone who once liv3d in the UK I suppose you took q special joy in the sunset outside shower under a blue sky…IN NOVEMBER ! Cheers, Pierre

stunning ,, but omg ,,a lot of work keep going Peter

Wow! Moving the cast iron stove from the car was epic! I hope you know a good physiotherapist. It's all very physically demanding, more so as you're doing it all. Thanks for sharing the highs, and frustrations. I loved the outdoor shower. My 90-year-old Polish neighbour has one just behind the fence with running hot and cold, and I hear it running during the warmer months here (in Australia). 😊

From day 1 all your videos have been great. I think most of us get enjoyment from watching our fellow co-creators like you, bring what are merely thoughts into mani-festation. Why don't you get in volunteers to help? WOOFERS for example. They don't need much in exchange for their labour.

Love your determination and it's already a great place you have, fun watching the transformations.

Really enjoying these videos Richard, keep up the great work! You mention a few other RU-vidrs in this video that you follow, would you care to share links/mentions to their channels, I’m keen to find more of this kind of content! Thanks!

All that hard work will be worth it in the end! Maybe you can create a temporary enclosure for the outdoor shower for privacy. That view from the deck is amazing!! 🙌🏼 🍕😁

Fasinatin' journey, 9 eps in I have been watchin' with interest, all power to you. Cheers love what your tryin' to do, gr8 banter on ur vids

Superb as always, great video. Bit concerned about the 90 day thang, first time I've heard about it being enforced and as a chap that goes away every month to Europe mainly, that right there could be a bother.

This is truly a delightful and inspiring series of videos! Keep up the great work!

Building has started... good luck. Agreeing on the driving skills of the German (says the Dutchman).

I hope you heard me cheering for you to get that table through the doorway. I'm sure it helped. You're welcome. 😂

grunting with you keep banging on!

Fresh pizzas, not every day, but at least 6 days a week!😂

Get yourself a drill. See if you need to remove brickwork in the future, stitch drill the mortar before you go at it will a hammer and chisel. You’ll find it so much easier to remove. Keep plugging away 💪💪