Help renovate an old house in Crete, Greece
ReportLocation: Kissamos, Greece
We hope you would do 5 days of work, and 2 days off. Ideally, you would take your days off during the week, when we are not at the property, rather than at the weekend, as this would be good time to accomplish jobs. We will also be coming to the house during the week, so you would usually be working together with us. We need help with all sorts of building and DIY jobs - nothing particularly specialised: things like painting walls, fixing old shutters, replastering small cracks in walls, installing furniture (e.g. built in wardrobes etc), refinishing and repairing old furniture, decorating, putting up curtains, mirrors etc as well as moving furniture around and generally helping us to take the property towards a more finished state. The garden and outdoor areas also need a lot of work, this could include digging, laying decking, building outdoor furniture and pergolas with wood or metal, outdoor landscaping etc as well as planting, helping to plan and plant the garden as well as looking after the plants and small vegetable garden we already have started. If you do have specific construction experience e.g. tiling, plastering, drywall, wood constructions, electrics or plumbing, we'd be happy to have your help with some of the bigger jobs, which may include working alongside local tradesmen. We also have a number of olive trees, so if you come at the right time there could also be the olives to harvest.
There's lots to do, so let us know your skill and interest area and we can probably find something you will be able to help with and enjoy doing!
LIVING ARRANGEMENT
You will stay at the house in the village. It is currently liveable, we've been living there for a few months - windows, bathrooms, kitchen etc installed and useable - but as described above there are many small jobs to do before it could be described as "finished". There are 3 bedrooms, with twin/double bed, 3 bathrooms, balconies and a shared kitchen. We have solar hot water, wifi, electricity. The bedrooms are basic but furnished with proper beds and mattresses to sleep on. There are amazing panoramic views from the balconies! We will usually join you at the house at the weekend, so will eat all together on those days. The rest of the week we will give you a food allowance per person to buy groceries and cook at home, or use as you like (e.g. towards eating out). We can accommodate up to 5 helpers at the same time.
We suggest a 2 week trial period, after which the length of stay can be as flexible as you like, as long as we all agree. We can accept helpers from October until April.
West Crete has a lot to offer visitors - fantastic beaches (3 of the most famous nearby are: Balos, Falassarna and Elafonissi), loads of swimming, hiking, biking opportunities. We have a couple of e-bikes available for helpers to use. There's loads of hiking just around the house, and Crete is known for it's gorges - which need a bit more planning transport wise, but rental cars are easily available in the non-peak summer months if you want to explore a bit further off the beaten path. It may be possible to join us on kayak or bike trips some days if you are interested. Kissamos is a lovely little agricultural town, about 4km away from the house - which is populated all year round and where you can find small supermarkets, cafes, restaurants, shops, and most things you need. Chania - the nearest main city - is also connected to Kissamos with regular public buses. We are generally pretty flexible with our outlook on life and like to meet people with different stories and experiences to share! We are open and respectful to everyone. Couples or friends are welcome as well as single travellers.
