Hello there. This video is to show the Finca and the abandoned land in Spain as it was when we purchased. This video is from the first trip we did to the Land since the purchase. For make things easier for you to follow the video, I did create the following TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 We Bought an Abandoned Land in Spain with a Stone House 00:19 Introduction 00:52 Our Off Grid Journey Beggins 02:19 About Ricardo dos Santos 04:28 Our Abandoned Finca in Spain 05:25 Entering the Finca Through the Neighbours Land 06:24 The Beautiful Stone Wall Terraces 07:39 There are Snakes on Our Land 08:30 The Mountains and National Parks 10:16 The Ancient Rainwater Cistern 11:09 Clearing Around the Stone House 12:15 The 300 Years Old Well 13:48 The Stone House Need a Full Restoration 18:22 Clearing the Driveway to Access the Land 20:08 Thoughts About Our Off Grid Project 21:41 Our Dog Kala Getting Used to the Land 22:33 Conclusion P.S. The Eridu Life channel is about the restoration of an abandoned farm in the mountains of northern Spain using the principles of permaculture. For exclusive content about the project visit our blog eridulife.com
Good luck brother, you will need it! I live in the UK and I just turned 60. In 1989, just married, I bought something very similar to your, in Mallorca. A ruin that was abandoned for 60 years and with just three walls standing up. The land was also a mess. For 34 years I have being working on the place, on my holidays, doing all the work myself with some times the help of my wife and very little money. I just manage to more or less finish the work three years ago. I could write a book about this adventure. So much sacrifice for a piece of paradise! And the problems man, with permits, urbanism, politicians, neighbours... I never really could enjoy the place, because every time I came was just work, work and more work. I wouldn't do it again today. Then I was young and stupid! The most important thing is to be in harmony with your wife about everything concerning the project, because the stress and problems on will be tremendous. If the local counsel let you demolish the ruin and rebuild it from scratch, it will be much cheaper and less problematic. I couldn't with mine, because it was protected due to historical interest and located in a Unisef natural reserve.( Serra de Transmontana). I hope your children will appreciate your sacrifice. Mine, I'm not so sure. As soon I'm gone they will probably sell my dream straight way for the money. Don't follow my example. try not to make this project the only thing that really matter in your life. If you do, you will regretted in the end. But, good luck again.
One of the best comments I’ve ever read, thank you for sharing your experience. I’m in Menorca, I have been thinking of a off grid home. You have made me think, about the level of work I can take on.
@@section8s Thank you S-8 for the kind words. But don't let my realism put you off on your project, if it's really one of your dreams. The problem with most of this restoration videos on RUclips is the romantic and embellished nature of the information they often portray for the public. The reality of the journey can be very different some times ,unfortunately. The two most important factors to consider, as you know, is money and the set of skills one has. If you have enough money to pay contractors to do most of the work for you things can go smoothly, but if you are always on site. Believe me: builders and contractors in Spain are much more dishonest than the ones we have here in the UK. Manage yourself the project and buy yourself also all the building materials, controlling at all times the chain of delivery( very important!). People in Spain generally think that all foreigners are stupid, and they will try to fool and deceive you.( I'm talking here in general terms, of course. There are great people also in Spain. I made very good friends after all these years going over there for my working holidays. Just be carful with contractors). If you don't have money, be sure you are skilled or have the talent and will to learn. Sorry, I know this is self-evident. Just a remainder for the romantic DIY builder over there. Self-building in Spain is not as simple as it is here in the UK, specially if you are in rustic or protected areas. Lots of stone work to do, specially if your terraces walls have collapsed, which was my case. British stone work is a piece of cake comparing to the Muslim technique used in Mallorca and, to a certain extent, in Menorca also. The stones are not from quarries, and often you have to shape them yourself. It's a very hard work because they use much much big stones than the nice and light square ones we use here in the Uk. I had to rebuild all my bancales myself 18 years ago because I couldn't afford to pay the 60 euros per square meter the professionals were asking then( today is even more expensive). I learned observing professionals, and became very good on it, but broke my back in the process and live now in pain every second of my life since.( Well not really broke, broke, but seriously injured and there is nothing I can do about it. One of the prices for my dream I had to pay). I could go on, but you guys have the picture. Again, I'm not trying to put anyone off. Just bringing some balance, realism and wisdom to the equation, from someone who had the experience and went all the way through. remember that building materials delivery in Spain is not free, and is very expensive, usually half of your budget just go to transportation. But is possible to build your dream if you have time, the will and some help. Don't only try not to upset your wife with your "crazy" dream. In Spain, specially in the Islas, you have to get along with your neighbours. This is absolutely crucial over there. Don't have enemies in Spain, they can make your life hell with the local authorities. Everything is very political and favouritism for locals is the norm over there. The authorities will make the blind eye for the locals, but not for you, foreigner. The reality is that locals hate foreigners and tourists. They just tolerate them because of the money they bring for the economy( As you know, the main source of income for the country). You can't show your ego in Spain either. Humility is crucial in any adverse situation or negotiation with locals. Is a country of "machos" who like to preserve the appearances of having "big balls". Just go along with the charade, be pragmatic, which we, British people usually are, and everything will be fine. If you don't have major problems, Spain Is a great country to live. And don't cut all ties to home country people. One day we have to wake up from the dream, we became old and feeble and we will need help from family to easy our Journee into the old age. Saludos Hermano.
Thank you for your wise advice. Sure, permits are the real issue, for one simple reason, people do not know that when purchasing the land they purchase a "title" not ownership of the land, the government is the owner, even of the persons, nobody explained to us that, and thus we allow that. The real owner of a property does not need permits to do what he wants with its property. Regards.
@@neusymardelima8202 , lots of crooks going around looking at vacant homes and stripped everything , including the toilets, in Spain and I guess other countries too.Sorry to blow anyone bubbles.
قرأت تعليقك على فيديو لمارتن في إيطاليا وقلت لك سأتابع محتواك. الطبيعة تشبه البيئة التي أعيش فيها في سوريا اشجار الزيتون والاثار الرومانية واشجار الصنوبر. اتمنى ان استطيع الذهاب الى منزلي مرة اخرى قبل ان ينتهي عمري. انا اعيش بعيدا عن بيتي منذ 6 سنوات بسبب الحرب . كل التوفيق لكم
أهلاً بك. نقدر تعليقك. أنا أيضًا أتابع Martin Doollard ، في الواقع هو الشخص الذي ألهمني لبدء هذه الرحلة. الحياة صعبة ، لكن يجب أن نتحملها ونستمر. أتمنى لك كل خير. الله معك
Good for you sir Experience only comes by making mistakes. Never mind renovating a property, look at life itself. The satisfaction will be amazing as you progress. And never mind the negative comments.
Hello Tina. Appreciate your comment and support. It is a astronomical project. If you stick around for long enough, will be able to see the transformation :) Thank you for watching.
The condition of the terrace walls, the cistern and the well blew me away! You have a fabulous property and I totally understand why you bought it. I'm looking forward to following your restoration.
I bought a similar property in Spain, given my property is not as old as yours it is a large project. Watching you will motivate me to do the same as you, maybe I can start filming the process too. The property is up on a mountain with currently no water or electricity. The road was abandoned for many years so I need to fix it before I can even begin the reformas. After that I have to get an irrigation line for some water so I can start mixing cement. Good luck!
Hello Manj! That is fantastic! Happy to hear you have a property on the mountains. Hope you start working on it. New content coming soon with the updates. Thank you for watching. All the best
From what I’ve heard water or lack of water is the main problem in the interior of Spain. It is incredible with the current drought conditions that so,many healthy looking olive trees still survive. A well will need to be found and a shed to keep stuff in to start your renovations. Also,solar panels for electricity for power tools. Good luck. That house has been standing strong so long without any problems of collapse you have a sturdy house there.
Hello Paula. Water is a permanent issue for all farms in Spain. We are blessed because we have water on the well. But before use it the well need to be restored and cleaned. Olive tree does not need too much water like the fruit trees. There is a lot to do before we will be able on the land. I wrote an article on the blog talking in details about the project. You can check it on eridulife.com. Thank you for watching. All the best
No person leaves Spain with more than they arrived with...great upload....a final word to the wise...we never actually want what we want we want what is the other side....its access only...this comes at a price...when its finished you'll be bored and want something else
Greetings from California ! Thank you for sharing, I hope for the very best to you on this journey. A lot of work, but to see what will be accomplished is very rewarding. GOD BLESS YOU & provide your needs❤❤
Hello Poppy! Appreciate your comment and support. It is a big project, but the vision is so clear on my mind, that I can it all already done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello there. There is a lot of history around the area. I am a researcher and with time will be digging the history on the Finca. The stone walls already tell the history, because there are 3 different layers with different building techinique. Thank you for watching. All the best
Two minutes in, my first time watching your videos, and I'm totally hooked. That sparkling sunshine and the unspoilt scenery.... why have I bothered staying in England for 66 years?
Hello there. It is a beautiful unspoiled land indeed. The whole vale has been abandoned for so many decades. I've been living in the UK for 21 years, not Spain is our home. Thank you for watching
Será interesante ver el progreso, hay mucho trabajo y dinero que invertir, creo que cabras y ovejas serían buenas para limpiar toda esa maleza. Buena suerte de un español desde EEUU.
Hola Juan. Este es un proyecto muy interesante. En el futuro usaré ovejas para limpiar la tierra. Esta primera vez usamos un tractor. Gracias por ver. Todo lo mejor
1. where is it situated within spain. 2. where do you look for vacant land. 3. how big is the property. 4. how much is the property $$? 5. What is the ongoing cost (taxes etc.). I feel like those are the questions anyone would like to know
Hello there. I'm preparing a Q&A video to answer all these questions. Bear with me, because it is extremely difficult to put the footage together. Thank you for watching. All the best
Don't forget to mention which $$ you need somebody to convert to for you! There are many different ones across the world, all originating with the Czech 'thaler'. I find it easier to state the cost in my local currency and hope that readers are able to do the maths themselves.
This is a HUGE project and I know little bit about it. I did something similar but not THAT old, with my dad 20years ago. You need a LOT of good energy and money and time and money 😉 and strength and God help and ....... All the best Amigo 👍🏻
Hello there! Thank you for your comment and support. It is a big project indeed. With the right amount of planning and executing we will get the land and stone house restored. “Poco a Poco” we will get there. All the best
Hello there. It is a good way of living, where one is in contact with the nature. I think this is the way forward, as the world in going crazy. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Sonia. Appreciate your comment. I am so happy that you are following our journey. it has been challenging at some times. A lot has changed since last year, so new content is coming soon with some updates. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Jeannie. Appreciate your comment. It is a beautiful old home with lots of hidden history indeed. As we go along will try to share all the discoveries. Thank you for watching. All the best :)
This is a fine example of there is no such thing as overpopulation or lack of land. Here you can see all abundance to be discovered. Lots of work ahead though. Good luck!
Hello there. Indeed, there is plenty of not only empty but abundant space for everyone to live a good life off the grid. Thank you for watching. All the best
This is my dream, too! I wish you all the best on your journey. Just for the record, the Roman occupation of Spain ended in 19 BC, so the well is far older than 300 years if it is Roman! Buena suerte!
Wow! You are taking a .monumental job! I am older so will follow your progress closely, since.I am not able to do all those interesting things anymore!😊
Hello Lucy. Appreciate your company through out the journey. It is going to be a fantastic restoration, that I am sure. Thank you for watching. All the best
You should try to be sponsored by Ecoflow. That is a heavy duty battery giving 2000W or even more when bigger type and has separate solar panels to recharge during use. Several restoration channels use and promote them. Great piece of land, what amazing potential. Good luck. I've subscribed
Hello Wanda. That is a awesome idea. Will reach out and see what they can offer as sponsorship. Thank you for the idea. Really appreciated! All the best
I've just read a lot of the comments and you have answered many of my questions. I admire your patience. Just one thing. The well is beautiful but frightening, especially if you have children. I'd put a strong rope over the side that reaches to the bottom so that if someone falls in they have a chance. Good luck.
Hello Liz! Appreciate your comment. The well will be restored soon, the builder will give me some quote soon. When restored it will have a wall above ground level with a metal door closing the opening. The way it is frightening even me. Thank you for watching. All the best
I wish you well on your project Ricardo. You have got yourself a beautiful piece of land and you already have the vision of where you want to be. Now it's time to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.
Hello Jim. Appreciate your support. It is a beautiful piece of land. We want to keep the rustic character thought out the renovation project. It is a lot of work but "poco a poco" we will get it done. Thank you for watching. All the best
I have been to Spain many times, the north eastern desert, and Madrid and Valencia. The desert is a tough place to live. Hats off to you. I’ll be watching. Thank you
Hello there. Appreciate your comment. Spain is a very interesting country with lots of history. The Finca seems to be part of that history, specially the Neolithic period. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good job... Just to say that what you saw on the property was a simple "snake" not a "viper". In Spain, as in all of continental Europe, the only poisonous snake is the viper, it is very easy to recognize, because it is small and its head is something like a flat triangle. So it's not what you saw, that snake was long, thin and with a kind of ovoid-shaped head. Culebras (snakes) are highly prized by farmers because, like bats, owls, etc. They help maintain the balance of the natural environment. Finally, snakes are not very common and tend to stay under rocks like scorpions. Enjoy the experience my friend.
Hello Manuel. Appreciate the explanation on the snake vs viper. On the beginning I was kind afraid, but now I am comfortable around than. They are part of the ecosystem and I am proud to have so many around. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Pablo. Appreciate your comment. It is early days, been clearing the land, and doing small bits. The restoration of the stone house is the main priority, this will start somewhere around early winter this year. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Jasper. Appreciate your comment. You know, this is one of those places you see on movies. It is magical and we want to grow old there. Thank you for watching. All the best
Being practical and pragmatist by nature, I would build me a wooden cabin with water access, solar power and a wood cooking stove.THEN, and only then, I would start on the water for the garden. Once the garden is going well, I would slowly restore the house. Being raised by very poor parents in France, I learned the hard way. 1964-2014. Our house renovation lasted for years. Meanwhile, we had to go to work, go to school and live somewhat normally. We lived in 600 sq feet. My parents lived in that house for 50 years but never completed the renovations. Not enough money and they became too old.
Hello there. I like the sound of your idea, I probably would do the same if was back home. In Spain the system does not allow a wooden cabin on the land, some people do but isn`t legal. The alternative would be a campervan or a camping tent. In Catalunya "where the property is located" the system does not allow the rehabilitation of the house without an professional architect or builder. So, I will do the rehabilitation the rigth way, because the house is registered as dwelling "vivienda", so it is worth. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Janice. It has been interesting, exciting and challenging. Appreciate your comment and very happy that the american audience is following our journey. Thank you for watching. All the best
Very commendable that you took on this HUGE project! My wife and I was thinking about doing something similar but I recently had a stroke .. Now we're thinking about just buying a fully restored property in the Valencia region.
Hello Dominic. I am glad you found us and took the time to comment here. Sorry to hear that! Yes, Valencia region is lovely too, we have an apartment near Castellon. I recommend you look for a Finca around there, you get more value for the money there. All the best
Best of luck my friend! Loads of work, hurdles and investments are waiting for you before this beautiful land will become liveable and can be called home. We have most of that behind us after having bought a finca in Catalonia which was abandoned only for some decades. And, we only bought it as it had a nice 60 m deep well with 1000 l/hour of wonderful water. There was also an unfinished modern house of 145 m2, which we got legalized before buying, as most of these rural buildings are illegal. Totally off-grid with our own solar hybrid electricity. Meanwhile, a very modern house with all appliances and 100 olive trees and 20 almond trees aged 100 + years. There is quite some wildlife, including snakes and wild boars (the latter forced me to plant all vegetables in 1m high raised beds. All in all, a great experience but definitely with less efforts than you will have to put in. Keep strong, healthy and dedicated!
Hello Klaus. That sounds fantastic. We are also in Catalonia. Perhaps in future we can meet and exchange some ideias. We also took all necessary steps in terms of documentation of the house, to make the house is registered as “vivienda”. Also the well once restored will give us something around 500L per day. Recently saw that wild boar come to eat the root of the tree and make quite a mess, so probably will need to do the same with our vegetables garden, but that is in future. Thank you for watching. All the best.
Hello Barbara. Appreciate your comment and concerns. This is a huge project, we know that! We are taking our time to do each small project that will lead to the final vision, which is to live Off the Grid in a self sustainable way on the Finca within the next couple of years. Thank you for watching. All the best :)
Hello there. Yes, we are doing the project the right way. We are full aware of the rules on renovation. The architect already sorting the building license. All the best
Hi Raul. So cool to have you following our project. It is an honour. You inspired me to take my class 1 license last year. Thank you for watching. All the best mate!
Hello Anna. That is great to hear! Is your daughter documenting the journey on RUclips too? There is a lot of work, but slowly we will get the project done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good luck Ricardo, we have renovated a property in Spain as well, looking at your video I would knock it down and use all the stone as external cladding it will be cheaper and quicker in the long run.
Hello Adam. Sadly the legislation on out province does not allow to build new buildings on the land. if we demolish the house, we are done! So the only solution is to rehabilitate the stone house. It is quite simple and very quick the restoration. As we have to do through an architect and builder, our chooses architect and build just restored the neighbours stone house. Their house was on much worse condition and now it is looking amazing. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife Hi Ricardo, I think its the same everywhere outside the urban zone, I know many people who have had the same problem, they have just pulled it down after a storm claiming storm damage, then rebuilt the structure telling the Ajuntament and architect they will reform the facade with the original stone.
9.50 am 12/12/ 22 hello new to you ,I think the second day on the finca I would have a man with a machine to make a road in ,and then it would give you a perspective of your land ,, you are very brave to take this project on 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧john
Hello John! I did exactly that. On the second week got the machines working on the property. The land has been cleared, the road has been opened and the access to the house has been done! The place already looking completely different “new video coming soon with the updates”. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Jamie! It was a pleasure meeting you and Dom. You guys are awesome! It is a big project, but slowly we will bring this beautiful Finca to life. All the best
Hello there. The well has been abandoned for a long time and is full of dirt and mud, so there is no visible water, but there is water in it. Once clean, the water will flow again. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello there! There's a lot of work, that's for sure. But we are not afraid of hard work. When we think of the reward of having the land and the stone house restored and us living there, it motivates us to keep going. Thanks for watching. All the best
I'm sorry to say that l have already been down this road. My wife and l bought a Casita about eighteen years ago. we had a local builder do the major work, but we did quite a lot of the detail ourselves. It had no water, no electricity, no phone which means no internet either...It did have a water deposito, plus we had a septic tank installed. However after 10 years of living like peasants we had enough and sold it. It was very nice at first, sitting out in the evening, glass of wine and the universe.... no light pollution ... but the primitive life got us down eventually.... We returned to civilisation ... sort of anyway.
Hello Brian. Appreciate your comment. I am sorry that things did not work out for you on the off grid living. The world is going crazy and this is our "stepping out of civilization" plan B. There is a lot to do. The architect is already working on the project. The work probably will start on the fall of 2023. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good evening! Just come across your blog so I subscribed and enjoying your adventure. I'm also looking to do the same this September. I'll e on a budget. Can I ask if you need planning permission for anything? What size is your plot? What area of Spain are you in? What price did you pay? Many thanks Jason
Hello Mark! You know after I start to see the snakes around frequently, I am kind ok to be surrounded by then. Did research and spoke to locals. Those snakes are not so bad. The levels of poison is low. Anyway, thank you for watching it. All the best
Hello Jo! Appreciate your complement. It is a beautiful place indeed. Lots of work to get the place done, but once is done will be good. Thank you for watching. All the best
Bonjour Patrice. Oui, c'est un peu les 12 travaux d'Hercule. C'est un projet énorme mais nous avançons lentement et étape par étape. Merci d'avoir apporté cette analogie des grecs. Apprécié. Tous nos vœux
Please consider putting a wall/ fence around your well and water point. Your lovely dog or other animals may fall in and drown. Another blog I follow had that happen but fortunately they were able to save the dog, tho I think it was missing awhile.
Hello Cher. Appreciate your concern. We take extra care with the open and collapsing well. Next year will do some protection around it. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Jim. Appreciate your comment and support. We have some small progress, but notting to compare for what is coming on the coming years. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Ina. That is great to hear. For the vision become a really you need to change to transform the vision into a goal and start planning and researching. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Angie. Appreciate your comment. It is a lot of hard work indeed. If we don’t create and prioritise the small project, it seems there is no progress. It is going to be wonderful once the stone house is restored. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Anthony. Appreciate your feedback. That is the intention, doing simple videos with clear explanations. New content is coming soon. Thank you for watching. All the best
How exciting, isn’t it beautiful, no power lines interrupting the views, heaven. You say the well is from Roman times, the fall of Rome was around 500AD, the Arabs were in Spain after that, so more likely from that period (Al-Andaluz from about 700 AD till the Catholic Kings “reconquered” Spain) The Arabs brought irrigation technology and terraced much land during their 700 years in Spain and Portugal. Wishing you a lot of luck avoiding snakes 👍👏🙏
Hello Monica. It is very exciting projects, isn’t? You’re right! There is not power lines, no wind power, just nature. After some research, starting to think that the well predates the Romans. Maybe goes all the way the iberic Neolitic time. Thank you for watching.
Hello Milenia. Appreciate your comment. Will not stop, as this will be our home. An update video is coming up soon. Thank you for watching. All the best
Best wishes from the Indian Himalayas. Looking forward to watching you clean up and restore the finca to its past glory. mucho que hacer , buen suerte y un brazo
Hello Arvind. Himalayas... Wow! Definitely will bring the Finca to its past glory. It is a lot to do, but "poco a poco" we will get the things done! Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife I live in my great grandfathers house close to a 150 years old. Don't miss the city at all. In the years gone by is was pretty common when live stock lived on the ground floor and people on the first. We still follow the same system
What is the seismicity of the area? There are features of the stone work that make me think major earthquake damage. I am not sure it can or should be repaired. Lisbon had a major shake about 300 years ago. The repair lines of the house look like additions or replacements after collapse. Without extensive research,, I would not sleep there under stone walls.
Hello there. This is a very good question. I am not sure, will do some digging and research on the seismicity on the area. Thank you for bringing that up.
You had posted an interesting 🤔 question about earthquakes I also go inside of find a land in Spain border with France.i have passion for life in the grid grow crops,Duck 🦆 🐔 chicken 🐇,pigs,cow,...currently I live in Nice .I am a Brazilian French citizen and Profissional 19:58 Builder jack of All Trades...this I can't trust totally in solar Painel energy because of rains season . electric 💡⚡ generator will be expensive a lot and will require to us to have a big gasoline and diesel Tanque also to sustain ours cars and machinery tractors😢🤔💰.😢.To clean the area around of snakes and scorpion 🦂 we need Security of Dogs Cats, Bulldogs dozens 😅and some others domestic animal animal...about the renovation of the house 🏠 thanks for the advice to the people's that are interested in go into the same project to firstly they contact the Prefecture to get a authorisations..for built and Renovations... My wife is a Thailand citizen and farmer specialised in Rices this project will be a great task .in sooner I will starting to go to search a dream land. I will post here Ours day by day... success to all corajous Dreamers..remember that dreams without goals are just a Dream!!!Go forward Ever.!!!
Hello there. Appreciate your comment and support. It is a lot of work indeed. Slowly with correct amount of planning and executing small projects, one at a time eventually we will complete it. Thank you for watching. All the best
Wow. What an amazing adventure this is going to be. Yeah clearing the land reveals the amazing treasure. The landscaping is amazing. So excited for you. Congratulations.
Hello Liz. It is an adventure. I am enjoying every bit of it. The tractor guy cleared part of the land, and it is looking amazing. New content coming soon on that. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Doug. It is a big undertaking indeed. Not so young though! There is going to be some challenges on this project, but "poco a poco" we will get it done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Jason! It has so much potential indeed. We are doing all within the rules, a bit restricted but we are having progress. Thank you for watching and for subscribing. All the best
Hello Lewis. Appreciate you comment and support. We are excited too, specially me. 3 years ago it was just an idea on my mind. Today it became a reality on my life. Visions and Dreams do come true. All that is needed is action backed by faith. Thank you for watching. All the best
Greetings from the states...You have a beautiful place there with plenty of history.. I love watching these projects so I subbed to stay up on all your adventures...I wish you the best and God Bless you and your family... Take care my friend..
Hello Gary! There is a lot of history indeed. Next season will go down to Tarragona library and start to research on what they have recorded on the region. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hey Ricardo... Congratulations on the property. I am Brazilian as well, live in the uk, and I am planning to get myself into the same type of project as you are!!! I am looking forward to seeing more of your videos to get inspired!!! All the best!
Hello there! That is cool! A project like this requires a lot of planning and of course a lot of work. It is good to see more and more people stepping out of the control system we live in. Good luck on your search “Boa sorte na sua busca”. New video coming this weekend :)
Hello Karen. It is an amazing adventure indeed. It is a lot to do, but slowly and step by step we will be able to build something special. Thank you for your comment. All the best
Hi. What an interesting video. We bought a casa rural 20 years ago in a National park up a mountain in Murcia. The landscape is very similar to yours but you have far more work to do! We’ve lived here for 18 years now and love it. The snakes are rarely seen and don’t bother us. The main problems have been all to do with water….and the occasional lack of electricity! Good luck with your project 👍🍷.
Hello Emlyn. That sounds fantastic. After 18 years living off the grid, how do you deal with the big cities when you need to visit it? I am on the Finca on and off for couple months, 3 days at a time and it is already difficult to adapt to big cities. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife ….although on a dirt track we’re only 15 minutes away from the small town. We never go into the big cities unless we really have to….and we keep away from ex pats who congregate together and moan. We only integrate with the locals who are very friendly and helpful especially No our Spanish has improved. Our attitude was if you’re moving to a foreign country then it’s essential to adopt the language and culture. Having said that we didn’t have anything like the amount of work your project involves!
Good philosophy. I did the same when moved to the UK. And I am doing the same here in Spain. This attitude got me speaking english and spanish very fast. All the best
Hello Jordan. Appreciate your comment. The land is around 1,2 hectares. And was a good deal. Will talk about the price, fees and documentation. Thank you for watching.
All the best on your journey, I would say to use a drone to have an aerial look at the house and surrounding land. That way you will have a better picture of how to go about takling the reconstruction. Also be safe, the snakes, rocks and erected parts of the house would pose a danger and being remote getting any medical attention would be challenging. The Roman history in the province is very interesting. In those times, any navigable river would be used as a highway and there should be remains of Roman military outposts along the river Edbro.
Hello there. In future will get a drone for atual footage. Now that the land have been cleared the snakes are keeping their distance. The area was not only habited by the Romans, also by Phoenicians. Found some settlements near by with the same well built that dates back to 700 BCE. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello there! Yes, there is a lot of work to do. But when all will be done; the Finca will look amazing. Thank you for watching and for subscribing! All the best.
Hello Angie. Appreciate your comment. It's been challenging, but it's a worthwhile project, at least for us it is. Stay tuned for the next installment that is coming soon. Thanks for watching. All the best
Beautiful, what a challenge but so gratifying!, I like your video style, relaxed & gives us(the viewer) time to take it in. And no awful music to create drama, so good. Oh for another ,ifetime to do something similar. Goodluck !
Hello Laurel! Appreciate your feedback. I did watch so many videos on off grid living, and the ones I don’t like are the ones where they are trying to teach something. I think if I show the view as I seen it, would be more interesting. Time will tell. Thank you for watching. All the best
Very interesting. Rain cistern of 5000 liters in a region, where it does not rain that much. For the amount of land (by the way, what is the size of the finca?) 5000 liters are just nothing. I live in Brasil, my area has only 1000 m² and my cistern has 10.000 liters, just enough for 14 days. Here it rains only 40 days a year. My first concern would be to drill a well. Without enough water your land will stay the way it is.
Hello Peter. For what I intend to do, 5,000 liters is a great tank size. We will use 2 sources of water collection. Roof and well. We will pump this water into a 20,000 liter water reservoir with a "Flexi Cistesn" that we will build. My neighbor has one and it works great. Thanks for watching. All the best
@@eridulife Good plan. 130 years ago, they did not know too much about water collection. I will follow you, and if possible give some ideas, if you agree. Happy new year.
Mate, you have a nice spot there! can't wait till you start cleaning up the land so we can get a real look at it. hope your ready for years and years of hard work!!
Hello Kendo! Appreciate you stopping by. The land just been cleared "partially", and it is looking completelly different "new video coming soon". We are ready for the work ahead of us, there will be help of an architect and builder for the stone house restoration "due rules and legislation". Apart of that the rest of the work will be done by us. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Maria. It will take a lot of time and effort to restore the Finca, that is for sure. But slowly and stead we will get there. With one project after the other, soon enough all will be done. Wish you could see it, like I see it on my mind. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Daniel. It's an amazing place with so many possibilities. Who knows... You might start one soon. Believe is the first step. Thanks for watching. All the best
Congratulations on your house. It's a very beautiful place you have there. Looking forward to seeing the progress. I too am looking to buy a house overseas. A place we're the weather is warm all year round for growing maize and fruits but I have no knowledge where to start. I Watch videos like yours to help me when I do decide to buy a home outside of England 🇬🇧. Thank you for the nice video.
Hello Lucy! Appreciate your complements on the Finca “thank you”. It is a beautiful and rustic Finca indeed. I will try to keep as much of the original style and character as possible during the renovation. I did start the search looking for inspiration on other channels, but on early stages I had to filter the search. I am writing the first article for the blog “it takes a lot of time”, and I will be talking about the criteria I used on the search. Also I am working on the next video “It takes a tremendous amount of time”. Keep on searching and soon enough you will find a nice place too. All the best
@Eridu Life Off Grid Hi Eridu. I can imagine how much time consuming this will take. You are doing a very good job and am sure in the end it will pay off. All the best and I will be following you for your progress 👍 🙏. And thank you very much for your advice on mine. God bless you 🙏 ❤️.
Ola AP! Fico feliz em saber que esse tipo de projeto te intensas. Quero criar algo especial nessa Finca. Restaura-lá para que não perca o caracter rústico da região. Tem muito a ser feito, mas pouco a pouco chegamos lá. Obrigado por assistir. Boa sorte
Hello there. It is amazing, you guys being from the US and the Philippines. So many international people from all over the world. I am truly honored. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hola Jose. He regresado a la civilización durante el último año, trabajé duro para reunir capital y ahora estoy de vuelta en las montañas. Nuevo contenido en camino. Gracias
Me alegro mucho nosotros aquí en levante estamos teniendo una gran sequía en realidad es cambio climático y los arboles están exhaustos no se cuando podrán sobrevivir no se si es tu caso
Olá Teo! Valeu pelo comentário e suporte. Estamos animados também. Parte do terreno já vou roçado e francamente parece outro lugar. Novo vídeo chegando em breve. Obrigado por assistir. Tudo de bom!
Hello Aurelio. I am not saying the old well is Roman, this is just what the locals told me. If we take into consideration that in 1862 the 4th generation of a family lived and worked on the land “stated on escritura”. Let’s say each generation live around 70 years. That gives around 200 years prior the 1862. Will investigate this further in future. Thank you for watching. All the best
What an amazing project which will be exciting, back breaking but well worth it i totally admire your enthusiasm. I like you hate snakes so be careful.
Hello Debbie. Appreciate your comment. It is a big project, but will not do all ourselves. There will be professional help on the house restoration. I got used with the snakes, I kind looking forward to see them around. Thank you for watching. All the best
Interesting that your land connects to a national park and that its beside mountains, if you get the chance look at the sky above the mountains at night especially, look for orbs or other light anomalies you might just be surprised at what you discover /find.
Hello Julius. This didn't come by coincidence. Having land in a protected area was one of my criteria. On a clear night the sky is amazing, there are some many constellations. Thank you for watching. All the best
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![Restoration of Our Abandoned Farm in Spain [Plans for the Future]](/img/1.gif)
Hello there. This video is to show the Finca and the abandoned land in Spain as it was when we purchased. This video is from the first trip we did to the Land since the purchase. For make things easier for you to follow the video, I did create the following TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 We Bought an Abandoned Land in Spain with a Stone House
00:19 Introduction
00:52 Our Off Grid Journey Beggins
02:19 About Ricardo dos Santos
04:28 Our Abandoned Finca in Spain
05:25 Entering the Finca Through the Neighbours Land
06:24 The Beautiful Stone Wall Terraces
07:39 There are Snakes on Our Land
08:30 The Mountains and National Parks
10:16 The Ancient Rainwater Cistern
11:09 Clearing Around the Stone House
12:15 The 300 Years Old Well
13:48 The Stone House Need a Full Restoration
18:22 Clearing the Driveway to Access the Land
20:08 Thoughts About Our Off Grid Project
21:41 Our Dog Kala Getting Used to the Land
22:33 Conclusion
P.S. The Eridu Life channel is about the restoration of an abandoned farm in the mountains of northern Spain using the principles of permaculture. For exclusive content about the project visit our blog eridulife.com
How much did this place cost and how much land is yours?
Wonder if you had to pay much, because I for now only see cheap farmland with old little homes/walls in Portugal.
As it should be. Meaning do it legally, not illegally
@@KrlKngMrtssn Indeed. We are already restricted in some things, and I see no point in doing the things that can be done ilegally. Thank you :)
Enjoy your adventure.
Good luck brother, you will need it! I live in the UK and I just turned 60. In 1989, just married, I bought something very similar to your, in Mallorca. A ruin that was abandoned for 60 years and with just three walls standing up. The land was also a mess. For 34 years I have being working on the place, on my holidays, doing all the work myself with some times the help of my wife and very little money. I just manage to more or less finish the work three years ago. I could write a book about this adventure. So much sacrifice for a piece of paradise! And the problems man, with permits, urbanism, politicians, neighbours... I never really could enjoy the place, because every time I came was just work, work and more work. I wouldn't do it again today. Then I was young and stupid! The most important thing is to be in harmony with your wife about everything concerning the project, because the stress and problems on will be tremendous. If the local counsel let you demolish the ruin and rebuild it from scratch, it will be much cheaper and less problematic. I couldn't with mine, because it was protected due to historical interest and located in a Unisef natural reserve.( Serra de Transmontana). I hope your children will appreciate your sacrifice. Mine, I'm not so sure. As soon I'm gone they will probably sell my dream straight way for the money. Don't follow my example. try not to make this project the only thing that really matter in your life. If you do, you will regretted in the end. But, good luck again.
One of the best comments I’ve ever read, thank you for sharing your experience. I’m in Menorca, I have been thinking of a off grid home.
You have made me think, about the level of work I can take on.
@@section8s Thank you S-8 for the kind words. But don't let my realism put you off on your project, if it's really one of your dreams. The problem with most of this restoration videos on RUclips is the romantic and embellished nature of the information they often portray for the public. The reality of the journey can be very different some times ,unfortunately. The two most important factors to consider, as you know, is money and the set of skills one has. If you have enough money to pay contractors to do most of the work for you things can go smoothly, but if you are always on site. Believe me: builders and contractors in Spain are much more dishonest than the ones we have here in the UK. Manage yourself the project and buy yourself also all the building materials, controlling at all times the chain of delivery( very important!). People in Spain generally think that all foreigners are stupid, and they will try to fool and deceive you.( I'm talking here in general terms, of course. There are great people also in Spain. I made very good friends after all these years going over there for my working holidays. Just be carful with contractors). If you don't have money, be sure you are skilled or have the talent and will to learn. Sorry, I know this is self-evident. Just a remainder for the romantic DIY builder over there. Self-building in Spain is not as simple as it is here in the UK, specially if you are in rustic or protected areas. Lots of stone work to do, specially if your terraces walls have collapsed, which was my case. British stone work is a piece of cake comparing to the Muslim technique used in Mallorca and, to a certain extent, in Menorca also. The stones are not from quarries, and often you have to shape them yourself. It's a very hard work because they use much much big stones than the nice and light square ones we use here in the Uk. I had to rebuild all my bancales myself 18 years ago because I couldn't afford to pay the 60 euros per square meter the professionals were asking then( today is even more expensive). I learned observing professionals, and became very good on it, but broke my back in the process and live now in pain every second of my life since.( Well not really broke, broke, but seriously injured and there is nothing I can do about it. One of the prices for my dream I had to pay). I could go on, but you guys have the picture. Again, I'm not trying to put anyone off. Just bringing some balance, realism and wisdom to the equation, from someone who had the experience and went all the way through. remember that building materials delivery in Spain is not free, and is very expensive, usually half of your budget just go to transportation. But is possible to build your dream if you have time, the will and some help. Don't only try not to upset your wife with your "crazy" dream. In Spain, specially in the Islas, you have to get along with your neighbours. This is absolutely crucial over there. Don't have enemies in Spain, they can make your life hell with the local authorities. Everything is very political and favouritism for locals is the norm over there. The authorities will make the blind eye for the locals, but not for you, foreigner. The reality is that locals hate foreigners and tourists. They just tolerate them because of the money they bring for the economy( As you know, the main source of income for the country). You can't show your ego in Spain either. Humility is crucial in any adverse situation or negotiation with locals. Is a country of "machos" who like to preserve the appearances of having "big balls". Just go along with the charade, be pragmatic, which we, British people usually are, and everything will be fine. If you don't have major problems, Spain Is a great country to live. And don't cut all ties to home country people. One day we have to wake up from the dream, we became old and feeble and we will need help from family to easy our Journee into the old age. Saludos Hermano.
Thank you for your wise advice. Sure, permits are the real issue, for one simple reason, people do not know that when purchasing the land they purchase a "title" not ownership of the land, the government is the owner, even of the persons, nobody explained to us that, and thus we allow that. The real owner of a property does not need permits to do what he wants with its property. Regards.
@@neusymardelima8202 this is the most accurate and realistic comments about rebuild historic sites. Thank you
@@neusymardelima8202 , lots of crooks going around looking at vacant homes and stripped everything , including the toilets, in Spain and I guess other countries too.Sorry to blow anyone bubbles.
قرأت تعليقك على فيديو لمارتن في إيطاليا وقلت لك سأتابع محتواك.
الطبيعة تشبه البيئة التي أعيش فيها في سوريا اشجار الزيتون والاثار الرومانية واشجار الصنوبر. اتمنى ان استطيع الذهاب الى منزلي مرة اخرى قبل ان ينتهي عمري.
انا اعيش بعيدا عن بيتي منذ 6 سنوات بسبب الحرب .
كل التوفيق لكم
أهلاً بك. نقدر تعليقك. أنا أيضًا أتابع Martin Doollard ، في الواقع هو الشخص الذي ألهمني لبدء هذه الرحلة. الحياة صعبة ، لكن يجب أن نتحملها ونستمر. أتمنى لك كل خير. الله معك
Good for you sir
Experience only comes by making mistakes. Never mind renovating a property, look at life itself.
The satisfaction will be amazing as you progress.
And never mind the negative comments.
The experience of the whole thing already changed me. I am not the same person as when I started this project. All the best
Bom dia adorei seu canal
Bom dia. Fico feliz que tenha gostado. Obrigado pela visita :)
This history of this dwelling is astronomical!
Hello Tina. Appreciate your comment and support. It is a astronomical project. If you stick around for long enough, will be able to see the transformation :) Thank you for watching.
The condition of the terrace walls, the cistern and the well blew me away! You have a fabulous property and I totally understand why you bought it. I'm looking forward to following your restoration.
Hello there. Yeah... Had the same reaction. It is a fabulous place with so many possibilities. Thank you for following our journey. All the best
I bought a similar property in Spain, given my property is not as old as yours it is a large project. Watching you will motivate me to do the same as you, maybe I can start filming the process too. The property is up on a mountain with currently no water or electricity. The road was abandoned for many years so I need to fix it before I can even begin the reformas. After that I have to get an irrigation line for some water so I can start mixing cement.
Good luck!
Hello Manj! That is fantastic! Happy to hear you have a property on the mountains. Hope you start working on it. New content coming soon with the updates. Thank you for watching. All the best
From what I’ve heard water or lack of water is the main problem in the interior of Spain. It is incredible with the current drought conditions that so,many healthy looking olive trees still survive. A well will need to be found and a shed to keep stuff in to start your renovations. Also,solar panels for electricity for power tools. Good luck. That house has been standing strong so long without any problems of collapse you have a sturdy house there.
Hello Paula. Water is a permanent issue for all farms in Spain. We are blessed because we have water on the well. But before use it the well need to be restored and cleaned. Olive tree does not need too much water like the fruit trees. There is a lot to do before we will be able on the land. I wrote an article on the blog talking in details about the project. You can check it on eridulife.com. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife indeed there is much water below.. in cave systems ect..
No person leaves Spain with more than they arrived with...great upload....a final word to the wise...we never actually want what we want we want what is the other side....its access only...this comes at a price...when its finished you'll be bored and want something else
Hello there. You've got some good points in the comment. I do appreciate it. Thank you for watching :)
Greetings from California ! Thank you for sharing, I hope for the very best to you on this journey. A lot of work, but to see what will be accomplished is very rewarding. GOD BLESS YOU & provide your needs❤❤
Hello Poppy! Appreciate your comment and support. It is a big project, but the vision is so clear on my mind, that I can it all already done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Looking good.
Waiting for Part 2. Exciting project.
Good luck. See you later.
Hello there. Appreciate your comment. Exciting project it is. A lot to do, but slowly we will get there. Thank you for watching. All the best
I love dogs, please be very carefull with her, she can get lost, until she recognize the way back. Is a beautifull place. Fro|v| PERU
Hello there. Appreciate your consent about our dog :) She is getting used to the land. Thank you for watching. All the best
This land is a historic land and you will have a great investment..
Hello there. There is a lot of history around the area. I am a researcher and with time will be digging the history on the Finca. The stone walls already tell the history, because there are 3 different layers with different building techinique. Thank you for watching. All the best
Buon lavoro, emozione pura.
Ciao Vito. Sono molto felice di sapere che il nostro progetto ti entusiasma. Grazie per la visione. Ti auguro il meglio
@@eridulife Prego, recuperare case e luoghi, e recuperare, la storia comune.
Two minutes in, my first time watching your videos, and I'm totally hooked. That sparkling sunshine and the unspoilt scenery.... why have I bothered staying in England for 66 years?
Hello there. It is a beautiful unspoiled land indeed. The whole vale has been abandoned for so many decades. I've been living in the UK for 21 years, not Spain is our home. Thank you for watching
@@eridulife Thank you Ricardo, I was wondering how come your English is better than so many English!
Será interesante ver el progreso, hay mucho trabajo y dinero que invertir, creo que cabras y ovejas serían buenas para limpiar toda esa maleza. Buena suerte de un español desde EEUU.
Hola Juan. Este es un proyecto muy interesante. En el futuro usaré ovejas para limpiar la tierra. Esta primera vez usamos un tractor. Gracias por ver. Todo lo mejor
1. where is it situated within spain. 2. where do you look for vacant land. 3. how big is the property. 4. how much is the property $$? 5. What is the ongoing cost (taxes etc.). I feel like those are the questions anyone would like to know
Hello there. I'm preparing a Q&A video to answer all these questions. Bear with me, because it is extremely difficult to put the footage together. Thank you for watching. All the best
Don't forget to mention which $$ you need somebody to convert to for you! There are many different ones across the world, all originating with the Czech 'thaler'. I find it easier to state the cost in my local currency and hope that readers are able to do the maths themselves.
This is a HUGE project and I know little bit about it. I did something similar but not THAT old, with my dad 20years ago.
You need a LOT of good energy and money and time and money 😉 and strength and God help and .......
All the best Amigo 👍🏻
Hello there! Thank you for your comment and support. It is a big project indeed. With the right amount of planning and executing we will get the land and stone house restored. “Poco a Poco” we will get there. All the best
Far better than living in city but each to their own i guess. Well done brother thank you for leading the way
Hello there. It is a good way of living, where one is in contact with the nature. I think this is the way forward, as the world in going crazy. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello Ricardo very very nice move , congratulations.
Hello Sergio. Appreciate that you stopped by to watch the video. All the best :)
Looking forward to following your journey ...
Hello Sonia. Appreciate your comment. I am so happy that you are following our journey. it has been challenging at some times. A lot has changed since last year, so new content is coming soon with some updates. Thank you for watching. All the best
What a WONDERFUL old home and land! So much history, and many stories! Thank you for sharing this.
Hello Jeannie. Appreciate your comment. It is a beautiful old home with lots of hidden history indeed. As we go along will try to share all the discoveries. Thank you for watching. All the best :)
This is a fine example of there is no such thing as overpopulation or lack of land. Here you can see all abundance to be discovered. Lots of work ahead though. Good luck!
Hello there. Indeed, there is plenty of not only empty but abundant space for everyone to live a good life off the grid. Thank you for watching. All the best
This is my dream, too! I wish you all the best on your journey. Just for the record, the Roman occupation of Spain ended in 19 BC, so the well is far older than 300 years if it is Roman! Buena suerte!
Hello there. After much talk with the locals, we realised the well is much older than we anticipated. Thank you for watching
Wow! You are taking a .monumental job! I am older so will follow your progress closely, since.I am not able to do all those interesting things anymore!😊
Hello Lucy. Appreciate your company through out the journey. It is going to be a fantastic restoration, that I am sure. Thank you for watching. All the best
You should try to be sponsored by Ecoflow. That is a heavy duty battery giving 2000W or even more when bigger type and has separate solar panels to recharge during use. Several restoration channels use and promote them. Great piece of land, what amazing potential. Good luck. I've subscribed
Hello Wanda. That is a awesome idea. Will reach out and see what they can offer as sponsorship. Thank you for the idea. Really appreciated! All the best
I've just read a lot of the comments and you have answered many of my questions. I admire your patience. Just one thing. The well is beautiful but frightening, especially if you have children. I'd put a strong rope over the side that reaches to the bottom so that if someone falls in they have a chance. Good luck.
Hello Liz! Appreciate your comment. The well will be restored soon, the builder will give me some quote soon. When restored it will have a wall above ground level with a metal door closing the opening. The way it is frightening even me. Thank you for watching. All the best
If its from roman times its older then 300 years
@@lostinflow 1,500 years,at least !
I wish you well on your project Ricardo. You have got yourself a beautiful piece of land and you already have the vision of where you want to be. Now it's time to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in.
Hello Jim. Appreciate your support. It is a beautiful piece of land. We want to keep the rustic character thought out the renovation project. It is a lot of work but "poco a poco" we will get it done. Thank you for watching. All the best
I have been to Spain many times, the north eastern desert, and Madrid and Valencia. The desert is a tough place to live. Hats off to you. I’ll be watching. Thank you
Hello there. Appreciate your comment. Spain is a very interesting country with lots of history. The Finca seems to be part of that history, specially the Neolithic period. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good job... Just to say that what you saw on the property was a simple "snake" not a "viper". In Spain, as in all of continental Europe, the only poisonous snake is the viper, it is very easy to recognize, because it is small and its head is something like a flat triangle. So it's not what you saw, that snake was long, thin and with a kind of ovoid-shaped head. Culebras (snakes) are highly prized by farmers because, like bats, owls, etc. They help maintain the balance of the natural environment. Finally, snakes are not very common and tend to stay under rocks like scorpions. Enjoy the experience my friend.
Hello Manuel. Appreciate the explanation on the snake vs viper. On the beginning I was kind afraid, but now I am comfortable around than. They are part of the ecosystem and I am proud to have so many around. Thank you for watching. All the best
Personally, I don't mind the snakes that crawl on the ground; it's the ones that walk about on 2 legs that frighten me.
Indeed lol... I have the same mindset :)
Good luck to you in this daunting challenge. It will be overwhelming and expensive often, but the results in the end priceless
@@eridulife Vibora hocicuda is dangerous, has like horns on his nose.
They live in stonewalls.
I am so glad to have found out this channel when you are startgin with the project
Hello Pablo. Appreciate your comment. It is early days, been clearing the land, and doing small bits. The restoration of the stone house is the main priority, this will start somewhere around early winter this year. Thank you for watching. All the best
Parabéns pela aquisição , sei que é importante para vc! Me arrepiei aqui com as cobras! Lindo o lugar! Desejo sucesso no projeto!
Sim, é muito bonito e rústico. Tem muita cobra aqui. Aprendendo a lidar com elas
Amazing piece of land! Can’t wait to see more.
Hello Jasper. Appreciate your comment. You know, this is one of those places you see on movies. It is magical and we want to grow old there. Thank you for watching. All the best
Being practical and pragmatist by nature, I would build me a wooden cabin with water access, solar power and a wood cooking stove.THEN, and only then, I would start on the water for the garden. Once the garden is going well, I would slowly restore the house. Being raised by very poor parents in France, I learned the hard way. 1964-2014. Our house renovation lasted for years. Meanwhile, we had to go to work, go to school and live somewhat normally. We lived in 600 sq feet. My parents lived in that house for 50 years but never completed the renovations. Not enough money and they became too old.
Hello there. I like the sound of your idea, I probably would do the same if was back home. In Spain the system does not allow a wooden cabin on the land, some people do but isn`t legal. The alternative would be a campervan or a camping tent. In Catalunya "where the property is located" the system does not allow the rehabilitation of the house without an professional architect or builder. So, I will do the rehabilitation the rigth way, because the house is registered as dwelling "vivienda", so it is worth. Thank you for watching. All the best
In Spain people don't built wooden cabins, probably this is because the risk of fire.
Hi! This adventure is going to be interesting and exciting. I wish you well! I will look forward to future updates. Janice from Arkansas USA
Hello Janice. It has been interesting, exciting and challenging. Appreciate your comment and very happy that the american audience is following our journey. Thank you for watching. All the best
Very commendable that you took on this HUGE project! My wife and I was thinking about doing something similar but I recently had a stroke .. Now we're thinking about just buying a fully restored property in the Valencia region.
Hello Dominic. I am glad you found us and took the time to comment here. Sorry to hear that! Yes, Valencia region is lovely too, we have an apartment near Castellon. I recommend you look for a Finca around there, you get more value for the money there. All the best
Best of luck my friend! Loads of work, hurdles and investments are waiting for you before this beautiful land will become liveable and can be called home.
We have most of that behind us after having bought a finca in Catalonia which was abandoned only for some decades. And, we only bought it as it had a nice 60 m deep well with 1000 l/hour of wonderful water. There was also an unfinished modern house of 145 m2, which we got legalized before buying, as most of these rural buildings are illegal. Totally off-grid with our own solar hybrid electricity. Meanwhile, a very modern house with all appliances and 100 olive trees and 20 almond trees aged 100 + years. There is quite some wildlife, including snakes and wild boars (the latter forced me to plant all vegetables in 1m high raised beds. All in all, a great experience but definitely with less efforts than you will have to put in.
Keep strong, healthy and dedicated!
Hello Klaus. That sounds fantastic. We are also in Catalonia. Perhaps in future we can meet and exchange some ideias. We also took all necessary steps in terms of documentation of the house, to make the house is registered as “vivienda”. Also the well once restored will give us something around 500L per day. Recently saw that wild boar come to eat the root of the tree and make quite a mess, so probably will need to do the same with our vegetables garden, but that is in future. Thank you for watching. All the best.
this will take a few years. the house is completely ruined. then all the wild growth. start at zero or minus. I hope you hold on
Hello Barbara. Appreciate your comment and concerns. This is a huge project, we know that! We are taking our time to do each small project that will lead to the final vision, which is to live Off the Grid in a self sustainable way on the Finca within the next couple of years. Thank you for watching. All the best :)
I am waiting for your progress, l can rejoice to see that,
Hello Tony. I am very happy that you are now following our journey. Thank you for watching. All the best
Make sure you get all the legal building permits. It is complicated in spain. Do not fix or or repair anything until legally stamped on paper.
Hello there. Yes, we are doing the project the right way. We are full aware of the rules on renovation. The architect already sorting the building license. All the best
Wow this is great man! Good luck with your project, i will be watching your progress!
Hi Raul. So cool to have you following our project. It is an honour. You inspired me to take my class 1 license last year. Thank you for watching. All the best mate!
It makes me very happy to see this! My daugther lives in Skattungbyn, Sweden, where they have a lot common with you. Please, go on!
Hello Anna. That is great to hear! Is your daughter documenting the journey on RUclips too? There is a lot of work, but slowly we will get the project done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good luck Ricardo, we have renovated a property in Spain as well, looking at your video I would knock it down and use all the stone as external cladding it will be cheaper and quicker in the long run.
Hello Adam. Sadly the legislation on out province does not allow to build new buildings on the land. if we demolish the house, we are done! So the only solution is to rehabilitate the stone house. It is quite simple and very quick the restoration. As we have to do through an architect and builder, our chooses architect and build just restored the neighbours stone house. Their house was on much worse condition and now it is looking amazing. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife Hi Ricardo, I think its the same everywhere outside the urban zone, I know many people who have had the same problem, they have just pulled it down after a storm claiming storm damage, then rebuilt the structure telling the Ajuntament and architect they will reform the facade with the original stone.
9.50 am 12/12/ 22 hello new to you ,I think the second day on the finca I would have a man with a machine to make a road in ,and then it would give you a perspective of your land ,, you are very brave to take this project on 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧john
Hello John! I did exactly that. On the second week got the machines working on the property. The land has been cleared, the road has been opened and the access to the house has been done! The place already looking completely different “new video coming soon with the updates”. Thank you for watching. All the best
Thank u for taking us along on ur journey, looking forward to watching u bring that beautiful old house back to life !!!
Hello Jamie! It was a pleasure meeting you and Dom. You guys are awesome! It is a big project, but slowly we will bring this beautiful Finca to life. All the best
Very nice. Shame the well has dried up.
Hello there. The well has been abandoned for a long time and is full of dirt and mud, so there is no visible water, but there is water in it. Once clean, the water will flow again. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hola. Wishing you and your family all the best. Good luck, and God bless you on this adventure.
Hello there! Thank you for your comment and support. It means a lot to us. Thank you for watching. All the best
A lot of cement, triming, sweat, patience, nerves, work...
It is brave of you to go for it.
Hello there! There's a lot of work, that's for sure. But we are not afraid of hard work. When we think of the reward of having the land and the stone house restored and us living there, it motivates us to keep going. Thanks for watching. All the best
Good luck on your adventure! We have a similar place in corbera d ebre! ✌️👍
Hello there! That is awesome. We are kind of neighbours then. Thank you for watching :)
I'm sorry to say that l have already been down this road. My wife and l bought a Casita about eighteen years ago. we had a local builder do the major work, but we did quite a lot of the detail ourselves. It had no water, no electricity, no phone which means no internet either...It did have a water deposito, plus we had a septic tank installed. However after 10 years of living like peasants we had enough and sold it. It was very nice at first, sitting out in the evening, glass of wine and the universe.... no light pollution ... but the primitive life got us down eventually.... We returned to civilisation ... sort of anyway.
Hello Brian. Appreciate your comment. I am sorry that things did not work out for you on the off grid living. The world is going crazy and this is our "stepping out of civilization" plan B. There is a lot to do. The architect is already working on the project. The work probably will start on the fall of 2023. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife l can only wish you the best of luck with your endeavour
Good evening! Just come across your blog so I subscribed and enjoying your adventure. I'm also looking to do the same this September. I'll e on a budget. Can I ask if you need planning permission for anything? What size is your plot? What area of Spain are you in? What price did you pay?
Many thanks
Jason
I really like your passion and principles of self sufficiency and permaculture. Vision reality. Good luck
La gente, no se hace una sencilla pregunta. Por qué se fueron? Por qué no hay nadie en este lugar?
Bravo 😎
Hello there. Thank you so much for watching and for the support. All the best
If you don't mind getting bit by snake's why then you oughta be fine, cause there's gonna be millions in that rock filled land, good luck bro!
Hello Mark! You know after I start to see the snakes around frequently, I am kind ok to be surrounded by then. Did research and spoke to locals. Those snakes are not so bad. The levels of poison is low. Anyway, thank you for watching it. All the best
Saludos desde California¡¡¡
Mucho animo...tu pudes hacerlo!!!
Hola Raúl. Gracias por el mensaje y por seguir nuestro viaje. Todo lo bueno para usted
Love it!
Hello Tina. Thank you for the love! Appreciate it :)
Beautiful my friend! Push on
Hello Jo! Appreciate your complement. It is a beautiful place indeed. Lots of work to get the place done, but once is done will be good. Thank you for watching. All the best
les 12 travaux d'Hercule ¡ immense mais magnifique projet...
Bonjour Patrice. Oui, c'est un peu les 12 travaux d'Hercule. C'est un projet énorme mais nous avançons lentement et étape par étape. Merci d'avoir apporté cette analogie des grecs. Apprécié. Tous nos vœux
Please consider putting a wall/ fence around your well and water point. Your lovely dog or other animals may fall in and drown. Another blog I follow had that happen but fortunately they were able to save the dog, tho I think it was missing awhile.
Hello Cher. Appreciate your concern. We take extra care with the open and collapsing well. Next year will do some protection around it. Thank you for watching. All the best
You have a lot of work on your hands but lovely surroundings so good luck😊
Hello there. Indeed, there is a lot of work ahead of us, but “poco a poco” we will get the project done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Good luck with the project. I look forward to seeing the progress
Hello Jim. Appreciate your comment and support. We have some small progress, but notting to compare for what is coming on the coming years. Thank you for watching. All the best
so nice..good luck. i have the same vision and one day i have the money to do 🙂
Hello Ina. That is great to hear. For the vision become a really you need to change to transform the vision into a goal and start planning and researching. Thank you for watching. All the best
Hello
Living the dream a lot of hard work it's going to be beautiful when finished . Looking forward to your journey.
Hello Angie. Appreciate your comment. It is a lot of hard work indeed. If we don’t create and prioritise the small project, it seems there is no progress. It is going to be wonderful once the stone house is restored. Thank you for watching. All the best
Looking forward to follow your journey weekly. I like your clear explanations!!
Hello Anthony. Appreciate your feedback. That is the intention, doing simple videos with clear explanations. New content is coming soon. Thank you for watching. All the best
How exciting, isn’t it beautiful, no power lines interrupting the views, heaven. You say the well is from Roman times, the fall of Rome was around 500AD, the Arabs were in Spain after that, so more likely from that period (Al-Andaluz from about 700 AD till the Catholic Kings “reconquered” Spain) The Arabs brought irrigation technology and terraced much land during their 700 years in Spain and Portugal. Wishing you a lot of luck avoiding snakes 👍👏🙏
Hello Monica. It is very exciting projects, isn’t? You’re right! There is not power lines, no wind power, just nature. After some research, starting to think that the well predates the Romans. Maybe goes all the way the iberic Neolitic time. Thank you for watching.
Wish you all the best.Just don't stop and use all your imagination all time!
Hello Milenia. Appreciate your comment. Will not stop, as this will be our home. An update video is coming up soon. Thank you for watching. All the best
Best wishes from the Indian Himalayas. Looking forward to watching you clean up and restore the finca to its past glory.
mucho que hacer , buen suerte y un brazo
Hello Arvind. Himalayas... Wow! Definitely will bring the Finca to its past glory. It is a lot to do, but "poco a poco" we will get the things done! Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife I live in my great grandfathers house close to a 150 years old.
Don't miss the city at all. In the years gone by is was pretty common when live stock lived on the ground floor and people on the first. We still follow the same system
That is fantastic Arvind. Some times I day dream imagining how was life on the Finca back on the day.
beautiful
Hello Thomas. Appreciate your comment. Thank you for watching. All the best
What is the seismicity of the area? There are features of the stone work that make me think major earthquake damage. I am not sure it can or should be repaired. Lisbon had a major shake about 300 years ago. The repair lines of the house look like additions or replacements after collapse. Without extensive research,, I would not sleep there under stone walls.
Hello there. This is a very good question. I am not sure, will do some digging and research on the seismicity on the area. Thank you for bringing that up.
You had posted an interesting 🤔 question about earthquakes I also go inside of find a land in Spain border with France.i have passion for life in the grid grow crops,Duck 🦆 🐔 chicken 🐇,pigs,cow,...currently I live in Nice .I am a Brazilian French citizen and Profissional 19:58 Builder jack of All Trades...this I can't trust totally in solar Painel energy because of rains season . electric 💡⚡ generator will be expensive a lot and will require to us to have a big gasoline and diesel Tanque also to sustain ours cars and machinery tractors😢🤔💰.😢.To clean the area around of snakes and scorpion 🦂 we need Security of Dogs Cats, Bulldogs dozens 😅and some others domestic animal animal...about the renovation of the house 🏠 thanks for the advice to the people's that are interested in go into the same project to firstly they contact the Prefecture to get a authorisations..for built and Renovations... My wife is a Thailand citizen and farmer specialised in Rices this project will be a great task .in sooner I will starting to go to search a dream land. I will post here Ours day by day... success to all corajous Dreamers..remember that dreams without goals are just a Dream!!!Go forward Ever.!!!
very promising terrain, but I salute you for the amount of work that has to be done to make it liveable 👍👍
Hello there. Appreciate your comment and support. It is a lot of work indeed. Slowly with correct amount of planning and executing small projects, one at a time eventually we will complete it. Thank you for watching. All the best
Wow. What an amazing adventure this is going to be. Yeah clearing the land reveals the amazing treasure. The landscaping is amazing. So excited for you. Congratulations.
Hello Liz. It is an adventure. I am enjoying every bit of it. The tractor guy cleared part of the land, and it is looking amazing. New content coming soon on that. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife can’t wait to see.
Quite an undertaking, it is good you are so young. Be well.
Hello Doug. It is a big undertaking indeed. Not so young though! There is going to be some challenges on this project, but "poco a poco" we will get it done. Thank you for watching. All the best
Wow what a great place it has so much potential, really looking forward to seeing the progress as it goes on much love from New Zealand
Hello Jason! It has so much potential indeed. We are doing all within the rules, a bit restricted but we are having progress. Thank you for watching and for subscribing. All the best
I’m excited to see the journey u n ur family are taking. Good people are few n far online so happy ur gonna share
Hello Lewis. Appreciate you comment and support. We are excited too, specially me. 3 years ago it was just an idea on my mind. Today it became a reality on my life. Visions and Dreams do come true. All that is needed is action backed by faith. Thank you for watching. All the best
That is so cool. You need a couple of goats to clean up the scrub.
Hello Keith. Appreciate your comment. I have been thinking about getting some goats. Maybe on the future. Thank you for watching
Happy I found your channel. Look forward to following you Ricardo. Best wishes from Cornwall England
Hello Terry. I love Cornwall. Falmouth is my favorite town there. Appreciate your comment, and thank you for watching and subscribing. All the best
Greetings from the states...You have a beautiful place there with plenty of history.. I love watching these projects so I subbed to stay up on all your adventures...I wish you the best and God Bless you and your family... Take care my friend..
Hello Gary! There is a lot of history indeed. Next season will go down to Tarragona library and start to research on what they have recorded on the region. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife Sounds like a plan.. Keep us posted.. I guess you get plenty of 🌨️ and cold during the winter.. Take care my friend..
That is a lot of rain on winter. Next year will build a rainwater harvest system. All the best
Hey Ricardo... Congratulations on the property. I am Brazilian as well, live in the uk, and I am planning to get myself into the same type of project as you are!!! I am looking forward to seeing more of your videos to get inspired!!! All the best!
Hello there! That is cool! A project like this requires a lot of planning and of course a lot of work. It is good to see more and more people stepping out of the control system we live in. Good luck on your search “Boa sorte na sua busca”. New video coming this weekend :)
What an adventure in store for you and your family! Beautiful place, all the best to you!
Hello Karen. It is an amazing adventure indeed. It is a lot to do, but slowly and step by step we will be able to build something special. Thank you for your comment. All the best
Hi. What an interesting video. We bought a casa rural 20 years ago in a National park up a mountain in Murcia. The landscape is very similar to yours but you have far more work to do! We’ve lived here for 18 years now and love it. The snakes are rarely seen and don’t bother us. The main problems have been all to do with water….and the occasional lack of electricity! Good luck with your project 👍🍷.
Hello Emlyn. That sounds fantastic. After 18 years living off the grid, how do you deal with the big cities when you need to visit it? I am on the Finca on and off for couple months, 3 days at a time and it is already difficult to adapt to big cities. Thank you for watching. All the best
@@eridulife ….although on a dirt track we’re only 15 minutes away from the small town. We never go into the big cities unless we really have to….and we keep away from ex pats who congregate together and moan. We only integrate with the locals who are very friendly and helpful especially No our Spanish has improved. Our attitude was if you’re moving to a foreign country then it’s essential to adopt the language and culture. Having said that we didn’t have anything like the amount of work your project involves!
Good philosophy. I did the same when moved to the UK. And I am doing the same here in Spain. This attitude got me speaking english and spanish very fast. All the best
@@emlyngriffith5846 Exactly ! There is wisdom in the saying “when in Rome,do as the romans do.”
Many of us is very interesting in 2 items, how big is the property, and how much you have paid in euros. Good luck with it
Hello Jordan. Appreciate your comment. The land is around 1,2 hectares. And was a good deal. Will talk about the price, fees and documentation. Thank you for watching.
All the best on your journey, I would say to use a drone to have an aerial look at the house and surrounding land. That way you will have a better picture of how to go about takling the reconstruction. Also be safe, the snakes, rocks and erected parts of the house would pose a danger and being remote getting any medical attention would be challenging.
The Roman history in the province is very interesting. In those times, any navigable river would be used as a highway and there should be remains of Roman military outposts along the river Edbro.
Hello there. In future will get a drone for atual footage. Now that the land have been cleared the snakes are keeping their distance. The area was not only habited by the Romans, also by Phoenicians. Found some settlements near by with the same well built that dates back to 700 BCE. Thank you for watching. All the best
I look forward to following your journey, you have a lot of work in front of you but will be amazing when done.
Hello there! Yes, there is a lot of work to do. But when all will be done; the Finca will look amazing. Thank you for watching and for subscribing! All the best.
Hi eridu fantastic project love the layout it's going to be so nice looking forward to your next installment it's one off the best on RUclips
Hello Angie. Appreciate your comment. It's been challenging, but it's a worthwhile project, at least for us it is. Stay tuned for the next installment that is coming soon. Thanks for watching. All the best
Beautiful, what a challenge but so gratifying!, I like your video style, relaxed & gives us(the viewer) time to take it in. And no awful music to create drama, so good. Oh for another ,ifetime to do something similar. Goodluck !
Hello Laurel! Appreciate your feedback. I did watch so many videos on off grid living, and the ones I don’t like are the ones where they are trying to teach something. I think if I show the view as I seen it, would be more interesting. Time will tell. Thank you for watching. All the best
Merry Christmas to you all
Hello Jeanette! We wish for you and for your family a Merry Christmas too. Thank you for watching. All the best
Very interesting. Rain cistern of 5000 liters in a region, where it does not rain that much. For the amount of land (by the way, what is the size of the finca?) 5000 liters are just nothing. I live in Brasil, my area has only 1000 m² and my cistern has 10.000 liters, just enough for 14 days. Here it rains only 40 days a year. My first concern would be to drill a well. Without enough water your land will stay the way it is.
Hello Peter. For what I intend to do, 5,000 liters is a great tank size. We will use 2 sources of water collection. Roof and well. We will pump this water into a 20,000 liter water reservoir with a "Flexi Cistesn" that we will build. My neighbor has one and it works great. Thanks for watching. All the best
@@eridulife Good plan. 130 years ago, they did not know too much about water collection. I will follow you, and if possible give some ideas, if you agree. Happy new year.
Mate, you have a nice spot there! can't wait till you start cleaning up the land so we can get a real look at it. hope your ready for years and years of hard work!!
Hello Kendo! Appreciate you stopping by. The land just been cleared "partially", and it is looking completelly different "new video coming soon". We are ready for the work ahead of us, there will be help of an architect and builder for the stone house restoration "due rules and legislation". Apart of that the rest of the work will be done by us. Thank you for watching. All the best
I am looking forward to following your journey to bring the land and Finca back to life. Good luck.
Hello Maria. It will take a lot of time and effort to restore the Finca, that is for sure. But slowly and stead we will get there. With one project after the other, soon enough all will be done. Wish you could see it, like I see it on my mind. Thank you for watching. All the best
Amazing adventure plans. Beautiful land. I wish I could embark in such a journey.
Hello Daniel. It's an amazing place with so many possibilities. Who knows... You might start one soon. Believe is the first step. Thanks for watching. All the best
Great project, it will take a lot of work but I am sure it is worth it, good luck
Hello Zlata. It is a great project indeed. Will make something special out of it. Thank you for watching. All the best
Really interested in the journey of this build great video
Hello Andy. It is a very interesting project. It is a journey like no other. Thank you for watching. All the best
Congratulations on your house. It's a very beautiful place you have there.
Looking forward to seeing the progress.
I too am looking to buy a house overseas. A place we're the weather is warm all year round for growing maize and fruits but I have no knowledge where to start. I Watch videos like yours to help me when I do decide to buy a home outside of England 🇬🇧.
Thank you for the nice video.
Hello Lucy! Appreciate your complements on the Finca “thank you”. It is a beautiful and rustic Finca indeed. I will try to keep as much of the original style and character as possible during the renovation. I did start the search looking for inspiration on other channels, but on early stages I had to filter the search. I am writing the first article for the blog “it takes a lot of time”, and I will be talking about the criteria I used on the search. Also I am working on the next video “It takes a tremendous amount of time”. Keep on searching and soon enough you will find a nice place too. All the best
@Eridu Life Off Grid Hi Eridu. I can imagine how much time consuming this will take. You are doing a very good job and am sure in the end it will pay off.
All the best and I will be following you for your progress 👍 🙏.
And thank you very much for your advice on mine. God bless you 🙏 ❤️.
You are more than welcome!
Interessante, vou acompanhar vcs nesta jornada.
Ola AP! Fico feliz em saber que esse tipo de projeto te intensas. Quero criar algo especial nessa Finca. Restaura-lá para que não perca o caracter rústico da região. Tem muito a ser feito, mas pouco a pouco chegamos lá. Obrigado por assistir. Boa sorte
Very nice brother I see lots of fincas in spain and they're so beautiful I also want to buy one soon.
Hello there. Yes, there are a lot of abandoned and beautiful Fincas all over Spain. Thank you!
The best ! Good luck on this eco adventure rebuild. Thanks for sharing ❤I’m a New subscriber from Texas/USA and Manila/Philippines.
Hello there. It is amazing, you guys being from the US and the Philippines. So many international people from all over the world. I am truly honored. Thank you for watching. All the best
hello como ha ido la aventura habeis conseguido resistir a la vida apartada del mundo o de regreso a la civilizacion
Hola Jose. He regresado a la civilización durante el último año, trabajé duro para reunir capital y ahora estoy de vuelta en las montañas. Nuevo contenido en camino. Gracias
Me alegro mucho nosotros aquí en levante estamos teniendo una gran sequía en realidad es cambio climático y los arboles están exhaustos no se cuando podrán sobrevivir no se si es tu caso
Parabéns pela compra, o lugar é incrível. Animado pra ver seu projeto tomar vida!
Olá Teo! Valeu pelo comentário e suporte. Estamos animados também. Parte do terreno já vou roçado e francamente parece outro lugar. Novo vídeo chegando em breve. Obrigado por assistir. Tudo de bom!
If Román more than 1500 years at least...good luck and welcome!
Hello Aurelio. I am not saying the old well is Roman, this is just what the locals told me. If we take into consideration that in 1862 the 4th generation of a family lived and worked on the land “stated on escritura”. Let’s say each generation live around 70 years. That gives around 200 years prior the 1862. Will investigate this further in future. Thank you for watching. All the best
What an amazing project which will be exciting, back breaking but well worth it i totally admire your enthusiasm. I like you hate snakes so be careful.
Hello Debbie. Appreciate your comment. It is a big project, but will not do all ourselves. There will be professional help on the house restoration. I got used with the snakes, I kind looking forward to see them around. Thank you for watching. All the best
Interesting that your land connects to a national park and that its beside mountains, if you get the chance look at the sky above the mountains at night especially, look for orbs or other light anomalies you might just be surprised at what you discover /find.
Hello Julius. This didn't come by coincidence. Having land in a protected area was one of my criteria. On a clear night the sky is amazing, there are some many constellations. Thank you for watching. All the best