|
|
|
ECO HAMLET IN CROATIA
With the recent explosion in the press and on TV extolling the virtues of anything to do with living a greener, more co-friendly lifestyle, readers may be interested to hear about a new concept project currently under way in Croatia, Eastern Europe, an Eco-Hamlet.
The brainchild of British couple Keith and Michele Pierce, the idea of the project is to bring together “like minded” people, those interested in owning their own smallholding and living a greener lifestyle, who cannot afford to do so in the UK.
Keith explained;
“The idea first started to come together a couple of years ago when we kept hearing the same comments from many of our clients; that they wanted to get out of the rat race, downsize and live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Most had the same dream of living off the land and to become more self sufficient, many wanted to be able to offer their children a genuinely better, healthier and more wholesome upbringing and education. Over time a clear pattern began to emerge.”
Keith and Michele have lived and worked in Croatia for five years now and have their own smallholding in the countryside, as well as running their own real estate business (www.inlandcroatia.com) in the local town helping others to find their ideal property in Croatia.
Michele continued;
“Once we had decided this is what we wanted to do, it quickly became clear that it would be out of our reach financially in the UK, so we started looking abroad. Although at first the thought of moving to another country seemed daunting, that fear soon became a very exciting prospect and just added to the dream.”
Having given up their jobs and sold their house in the UK, they spent the next six months travelling around Europe looking for that “special” place to call home.
“We had already decided to begin our search in Croatia as it was a young and emerging country, soon to join the EU, and property prices were much lower.” said Keith. “Although we loved the look of Tuscany, it was way too expensive for us” he continued “but once we reached Croatia and saw how similar it was, the decision became very easy indeed”
Croatia is situated just across the Adriatic Sea from Italy and is a short
drive from Germany, Slovenia, Austria and Hungary and was once part of the former Yugoslavia. Croatia is the next candidate country to join the EU, likely to be in 2010.
“Like most people doing this sort of thing, we had a limited budget and high expectations.” said Keith “and our checklist of priorities was rather long.”
He continued;
“Croatia has hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline, crystal clear sea and a fabulous Mediterranean climate, but having spent several months looking around, it was just not for us. We wanted four “proper” seasons and a slightly more fertile land than we could find at the coast, lovely for a holiday but not for what we wanted to do.”
One day they were recommended by a friend to look more inland, near to the capital Zabreb, and on their first visit they both agreed they had found their ideal location.
“We drove about two hours inland and it was like a different country all over again, we had found our own “Tuscany in Croatia” said Keith. “Everywhere was green and lush, there were rivers and lakes as well as rolling hills, wide open plains and huge forests. It was just what we had been looking for.”
After a little investigation, they found a selection of properties and one
which clearly stood out from the others, an old farmhouse with several acres of land, some outbuildings and charming views across a valley.
“As soon as we saw this property we both just looked at each other and knew this was it, neither of us had to say a word.” said Michele “by now we had been away from the UK for three months, living in a caravan and wondering if we had done the right thing, but when we found this place, we knew we had.”
She continued;
“We had much the same idea as many people, to completely change our “plastic” suburban lives and to live a healthier, greener lifestyle. We were “townies” and knew nothing about running a smallholding, caring for chickens, ducks and geese, let alone growing our own vegetables, we have just learned as we have gone along.”
When asked about the reality of living the dream she replied;
“When we first drove into our small village, caravan in tow, the locals had obviously heard that we were arriving and some had come out to meet us. Within half an hour, we had met several of our neighbours and been given gifts of fresh bread, eggs, chicken and a cake, it was quite unbelievable and very humbling experience. Over the next few days, we got to meet many more of them and they were all so friendly. Looking back, they have all been so helpful and supportive of us, they are such nice, welcoming people, even to complete strangers.”
So when asked what the idea of an “eco-Hamlet” was all about? Keith replied;
“Now that we help find properties for others, it is on many people’s minds just how scary relocating to another country can be. Having other like minded Brits around that have all gone through the same thought process, is something that many of our friends keep saying was a major advantage when making the jump. It takes away some of the fear of actually doing it.”
Having other ex pats around to help out from time to time is one thing, but some people are looking for more of a community spirit Keith explained;
“It has become very clear to us just how many people there are, thinking about this way of life and who would do this if they had others in the same boat as immediate neighbours, not 10 or 20 miles away. Many people ask us if we know anyone who is a carpenter, bricklayer, electrician, plumber and so forth and of course we do, but getting in professional labour, while very cheap here, can still be still be a drain on limited resources when you are renovating an old farmhouse and have a lot of work to do.”
And so the idea started to develop; “We started thinking that if we could find several properties, ideally quite close to each other, we could introduce some of these people to each other, bringing together like minded people who could all muck in and help each other out, a sort of small community.” said Keith “It has taken us quite a while, but we have now found a lovely little hamlet where there are four farmhouse properties for sale. Each property is completely separate, with its own land, farmhouse, barn and outbuildings and there is plenty of space between them, after all us Brits do like our privacy.”
So who would form this ideal group? We asked;
“I have absolutely no idea at this stage, it is an open book just waiting to be written.” said Keith “Back in the UK I project managed several co-op style housing developments and worked with many individual self builders and experience tells me that there is no set criteria that someone would have to conform. Obviously someone with building experience or DIY skills would be very useful, but equally, so would someone who knows how to grow vegetables or prune an orchard. No one knows everything when they start, you just learn as you go along, so anyone is welcome to contact us if they are interested in getting involved.”
How do you see this eco-hamlet working? We asked;
“Again there is no set plan at this early stage, until we see who is interested and what skills are available to the group. Assuming that we find an interesting mix of people, it will probably be that everyone helps out and mucks in with the initial building work, each person providing their individual as appropriate, followed by learning together how to set up and run a smallholding. Combined effort projects such as these can be very rewarding and some lifelong friendships can be formed”
It sounds idyllic, but how much would all this cost?
“The four properties we have in mind for this project are all of different
sizes and in varying conditions and are priced at €15’000, €20’000, €30’000 and €50’000 each. Perhaps a deal could even be done for all four if someone wanted the whole lot in one go. With a group coming together to do most of the renovation work, costs for labour would be minimal and much of the building materials are already there. Using reclaimed building materials and sustainable building practices are my specialist area” said Keith ”and of course Michele and I would be there to hold everyone’s hand from start to finish”
So what’s next?
“Well now that we have the ideal properties available, we are contacting the media and we shall see what sort of response we get and who is interested. We have a lot of people to contact ourselves and over the next few months we expect to hear from quite a few more once the word starts to get around. Anyone interested in receiving more information about the project can visit our website and send us an email and we can go from there.”
So if you are one of the many people thinking about changing your lifestyle and the sound of relocating to Croatia appeals to you, visit Keith and Michele’s website (www.inlandcroatia.com) you might just find your dream is easier, cheaper and closer to becoming a reality than you think.
www.inlandcroatia.com
|
|
