Hurrah! We're in! We're actually living in Italy!

Yesterday we moved into our new Italian home.  Finally!  Yay!

It is a lovely feeling, despite being without most of the furniture we need and discovering that heating such tall rooms in such a tall building takes a really long time and waking with a start at the 8am bells calling us to Sunday mass (cue simultaneous jokes about "that's why it was so cheap!")!

Still we are working hard at unpacking which keeps us warm!  And you can see the pizza box evidence that we had takeaway as we do the first night in any new home!

A few empty boxes!

There is however a far bigger problem than lack of furniture or a slow to heat building:

There might be a problem with some of the windows!

Even the leaking skylight the builder swore he'd fixed

It has been raining non-stop since yesterday evening and the house is the worse for wear.  Damp stains near far too many windows and pools of water where we made no request for an indoor pool!  It is disappointing but not dampening our spirits.  Even had we known, we would have made the same decisions regarding paying the lump sum in order to be in, so thankfully, no regrets.

But it does serve to illustrate a very important lesson: the lesson of the retention period!  We made a calculated decision to pay more than we were obliged to (according to our contract), in order to get the builder to release the gas certificate and the keys for the new lock so we could move in comfortably and securely, but we didn't pay as much as he wanted, even though most people involved were suggesting we should.  You just have to hold enough back incase of problems.

I could just post pictures of pretty things...

...like new sparkly chandeliers and old tufo arches

... and tell you nice things like how the shadows made on our bedroom ceiling by the streetlight swinging in the breeze at night and shining through the gaps in our shutters reminds me of shadows from swaying palm fronds in some exotic destination, but that wouldn't be the whole story.  If nothing else I'd like to think the horrible photos I've posted of windows letting in serious amounts of water might make a few of you think twice before handing over the final payments on your next renovation project.

Unfortunately it isn't the first time I've been let down by builders who assured me I'd have no problems with their handiwork.  Thankfully that time too I stood my ground as I had to replace the roof!

Incase I sound like a nightmare client, I should clarify that I always stick to the terms of the original contract when it comes to how much to pay and when, but it's surprising how often I've been told that's being unfair!  (I should also point out that I have worked with some contractors for project after project who I can still call for advice or to give quotes, so I really don't think it's me!)

I don't think in this instance or the one with the roof that the builders were deliberately doing bad work or setting out to rip me off, but irrespective of good intentions, accidents and errors of judgement and sloppy work happen all the time.  You have a properly planned payment schedule to make sure there's always more work done than money paid so the builder has a reason to turn up tomorrow, and you have a decent retention agreement so they come back if their work isn't as good as it looks.

In the last stages of the work when you can see that you're 99% there, it's easy for a builder to say "Look around you at all the work I've done.  What problems are going to come up now?  We've fixed them all as they've cropped up, we've been here so long."  And then when they stop being charming and get intimidatingly angry when insisting you give them money - the last guy threatened me in my own home: he could "do it the nice way and take me to court or do it not the nice way", and two days ago the builder here went into an unbelievable rage at me and the project manager: in Italian so I didn't understand much at all, but enough that she later told him to his face he acted maleducato (rude/ impolite/ ill-bred/ underbred according to google translate - take your pick!) - it's far easier to hand over the thousands of pounds/ euros they are demanding.  But of course you're also giving away your security that if they won't come back you will at least be able to pay someone else to fix their mistake.

I'm going on a bit, I'm sorry, but I'd rather share with you the good, the bad and the ugly than have you think this renovating lark is easy or that it's normal to be lucky and land on your feet.  I have friends who've had the idea that I spend my days picking out cushions and browsing exhibitions and interior design mags for inspiration!  I have other friends now starting their own projects and crediting me as inspiration and couldn't bear to see them or anyone else kind enough to show an interest in my stories by reading this blog get into trouble because I never let on how tough it can be and how to protect yourself for the worst case scenarios.  This is tens of thousands of your hard-earned money (and if not yours, then the bank's and they will take it back even if it means taking the whole house!): you've got to be one step ahead and never leave yourself exposed (financially or otherwise!).

Hopefully tomorrow he'll be horrified at my photos and apologise profusely while getting it sorted within days, but just incase he's less honourable, I'm glad I have some money left in my pocket!

So to finish up with something a little more light-hearted, look what we found in Lidl today!

Perfect for homesick ex-pats at Christmas!

Too curious to leave these behind!

And here's some of the most popular streets near us in Monopoli, complete with Christmas decorations.

Via Garibaldi

Via Barbacana

Maria della Madia near Porta Vecchia (old port) beach

This last photo is of Maria della Madia, the most important story in Monopoli's history - more on that later! - but it doesn't save her from the indignity of overly colourful decorations this time of year!