Life at the cabin by Martijn Doolaard

I bought two historic cabins on top of a hill in Italy with the goal to renovate them and create an off grid homestead.

I've started the works on building the solar array and replacing the front door. In the meantime I got a visit from the surveyor (geometra) and his technician and have lunch at my neigbour's place.

Monte Vandalino is the first mountain right next to my property. You can drive up a track quite far and then it's a short hour walk to the top. I've finished the solar setup so it's ready to be locked and switched off. And I was invited by Daniele, a director of a museum in Turin and grandson of artist and freemason Paolo Pachetto.

Some enchanting days at the cabin with the forest drenched in red and yellow. Most of the leaves have gone now after the 'föhn' (warm wind). I finished the front door, so I can lock both cabins for winter. And was invited for lunch by priest Johannes who made pizzas in his masonry stove and showed me his chapel.

In this video I'm talking a bit more about the process of buying the property and other places I looked at.

Snow has come early. After 3 weeks off I've returned to the cabin to prepare for winter. I've made a start with the window frames and I'm digging out the lower floor of the small cabin.

Final works before the Christmas holidays. I'm continuing digging out the basement of the small cabin. The first window frame is being finished and I'm visiting the sawmill to place an order for wood and drive it up the mountain.

Very excited to be back at the cabins again. Much earlier than I anticipated, but when I heard all the snow had gone and the weather was quite warm, I wanted to go back soon as possible. It's a very mild winter, or very late, we will see. I've started to built a temporary cabin inside the stone cabin, so I have a place to comfortably live in this winter. 0:00 Intro 2:35 Chat with neighbour Johannes 4:58 Expanding solar array 8:19 Start building the temporary cabin 15:30 Lunch break 20:48 Explanation basement floor 23:00 Outro

I've spend my first night in the cabin, after I've moved in permanently. Villo, a local car mechanic, visited me to discuss some parts of a DIY crane, that is needed to take the heavy stones off the roof. Finally I've built an outdoor kitchen and the place is becoming more and more liveable. 0:00 Intro + Inner cabin 3:09 First sketches for the crane 4:06 Dinner at camp fire 10:00 Discussing crane design 18:41 A warm wind 19:53 Outdoor Kitchen 22:30 A walk through the fog 23:42 Making a Carbonara 26:04 Final words

Daniele is a local art collector and my go-to source of knowledge about the region. He tells me about the traditional life in the mountains. I'm visiting a small ghost town opposite from my cabins and extend the electric system with a back-up generator. 0:00 A short history lesson 5:33 Visiting a ghost town 11:37 Installing a generator 15:10 Lunch 16:04 Building generator box 23:30 Outro

The first birds have arrived. I'm finishing the kitchen in the inner cabin, in which I'm spending more time because it's getting colder again. I'm hauling more wood in for the scaffolding and crane for the roof renovation. 0:00 Intro 4:07 Preparing boards for the indoor kitchen 5:16 Temporary plumbing 9:35 Roof / crane talk 18:20 Trip to the saw mill 22:10 Outro talk

Noises are coming from the forest as winter briefly returns and I am making progress with building the crane. 0:00 Intro + adding more solar panels 3:32 Building saw horses 4:30 A strange sound 8:32 Start crane built 11:08 A walk in the dark 16:08 Fresh pack of snow 19:08 Legends say 20:54 Fetching water 22:41 Continuing with the crane 26:58 Rising fog 34:07 Quick lunch 38:13 Outro talk

It's been rainy the past days and it starts to get muddy around the property so I'm building a path. The crane is getting nearly finished and I'm talking about living on the north side of the mountain. 0:00 Garden talk 3:31 Cleaning up stones 8:55 A walk through the fog 11:03 Building a path 18:37 Working on the crane 22:17 Welding the fulcrum 24:15 Building the tripod 35:47 Monologue 41:09 Crane finished

I'm doing a hike up on the other end of the valley, until I reached snow. I started building the first garden bed. A few volunteers visit me and help out with carrying stones. And finally a further explanation of the cabin built. 0:00 A hike up the valley 6:44 Unloading more wood 11:35 Water connection 16:22 Building a garden bed 24:02 Campfire with visitors 25:38 Moving some stones 28:05 Filling the garden bed 32:15 Installing the fridge 24:51 Drawings, and further explanation about the roof

De water connection is made and I've installed an outdoor shower and warm water. 0:00 Tubes, pipes and taps 4:25 plumbing map 5:09 adding a battery to the solar system 7:28 A day in the rain 20:30 Snow has returned 33:15 Drive to town 39:00 Finishing the shower

I'm taking another walk a bit further into "the view". I finish the plumbing I started last week. Finally, the crane is ready to lift. 0:00 A walk 5:36 installing bits and pieces 8:59 Storm 12:44 Reorganising the wood pile 15:00 Work on the crane 21:30 Paving the walk way 29:38 Work on the crane 30:42 Morning walk 32:22 Measuring the beams 35:54 Plumbing 43:54 Testing the crane

I've rented a small digger to dig 70 meters of trench for the water pipe and electricity lines. I'm making a quick stop in town, and have lunch my neighbour Johannes. Finally the rain has come, and I'm taking a walk through the neighbourhood, getting inspired by some of the other houses. 0:00 Arriving with the digger 1:11 Measuring land borders with geometra (surveyor) 4:23 A present 5:42 The first green trees 7:02 Digging the trench 15:03 Update about the toilet 16:01 Inner cabin site 18:16 Breakfast 19:27 A ride to town 23:59 At Johannes' place 29:26 Filling the trenches 33:44 Rain 40:36 A Walk through the Neighbourhood

The trail cam has captured its first wildlife during the night. I'm doing final work on the outside plumbing, filling the trenches and going for a walk. And finally, I'm going on a small road trip through Switzerland. 0:00 Rainy days 1:17 Looking at the leaks 5:55 Visitors in the dark 8:30 Plumbing 17:24 Meal 17:59 Walk to the ghost town 21:19 Installing a weather station 24:55 Wolf on the property 27:22 Filling the trenches 29:58 Polishing boots 31:55 Roadtrip

My brother Siebren is visiting me for a few days on the way back from my road trip, and we're going on a one-night bike trip to Prali. The landscape has dramatically changed into lush green. I've made a start with a deck for a tent, and I'm planting some veggies in the garden. 0:00 Roadtrip 5:44 Back at the cabin 6:40 Dinner bbq 7:50 Everything green 10:45 Starting with the deck for a tent 13:53 Ordering wood at the sawmill 15:44 Why a tent? 18:02 bbq 18:34 Seeding the lawn 20:11 Some gifts..! 23:10 Planting the garden 28:56 Saying goodbye to my brother

The fruit trees are slowly coming to life. I'm planting some tomato plants in Johannes' green house. I pick up the wood for the deck and build the frame. 0:00 Weeding 2:11 Digging in the footers 4:51 Planting tomato plants 6:20 Plants and fruit trees 11:18 Early morning walk 14:42 Back at the deck 17:41 Sketchup 19:10 Hauling up lumber 27:13 Setting up work shop 31:24 Building the frame 40:17 Breakfast 44:05 A gift 45:35 Lunch 46:33 Finishing the frame

I'm attempting to bake a bread in the Dutch oven above the fire. The third time's the charm. I'm continuing with building the deck and planting some more crops in the garden bed. 0:00 Cutting grass 1:33 Continue with the deck 8:40 Charring footers for stairs 9:48 Monologue 16:18 Backing bread 22:56 Concrete footers 30:30 Planting more crops 31:59 Drawing stairs in Sketchup 33:38 Picking up pipes for scaffolding 35:34 Backing bread

Making good progress with a group of volunteers from Alabama. The main part of the deck is being finished, we're doing a lot of digging and I'm doing some test for wood treatment. 0:00 Intro 1:15 Breakfast 2:39 Continue with the deck 6:28 Wood treatment test 12:09 Back on the deck 14:37 A group of volunteeers 15:10 Camp fire 18:57 Carrying flag stones 20:28 Digging out the floor in the barn 21:51 Digging channels under the walls 23:46 Water the garden 24:12 Dinner 25:58 A rainy morning 29:05 Back in the hole 30:57 Drawing up stringers for stairs 35:25 Beers on the deck

It's time to put up the tent, a Sibley 500 from Canvascamp. I'm finishing the front porch and stairs for the deck and enjoying summer time on the mountain. 0:00 Bringing in a cement mixer 1:38 Setting up the bell tent 5:31 Discussing wood treatment 10:28 Building the stairs 18:23 Pear break 19:26 Fixing the sander 22:47 Making a salad from the garden 25:38 Talking about critters 29:30 Finishing the porch 30:54 A short walk

I have a group of volunteers helping me set up the outhouse, outdoor shower and kitchen. My parents are visiting next week and want it finished before they arrive. One of the most productive weeks so far. 0:00 Cutting grass 2:24 Breakfast 3:53 Building the outhouse 4:43 Finishing the stairs 6:56 Digging out the basement 8:25 Afternoon beer 11:52 Charring footers 12:28 Dinner 14:18 Picking wild flowers 17:38 Making pegs for the tent 21:44 Making bread 32:40 Start on the outdoor shower/kitchen 33:28 Eating bread 38:05 Putting up the walls 41:50 Cladding 42:56 Another cyclist arrived 45:11 Cutting grass 45:46 The seat 48:22 Cattle incoming 51:13 Painting 52:22 Outro monologue

My parents are visiting for a few days when I finish the outdoor shower, kitchen and the outhouse. Now the living area is finished and I can start focussing on working on the cabins. 0:00 Breaking down the old kitchen 3:31 Building the new kitchen 4:08 Weather changing 6:24 Kitchen roof 12:35 Watermelon story 14:01 Parents arrived 16:39 The view 17:46 Making kitchen top 21:39 Dad pruning the birches 24:50 Dinner 25:27 Visiting the cows 25:59 Mum repairing trousers 26:36 A crystal clear view 28:16 Putting things in place 30:06 The view from the tent 31:27 Goats 32:01 Garden & fruit trees 34:42 Kitchen cabinets 35:56 Cheese 40:11 Final Tour

After finishing the deck, outdoor shower and kitchen it's time to organise things and prepare the works on the roof. I'm installing a second group in the electrical system. And I'm doing a hike to the first mountain next to the cabins and meet with the local farmer. Bluetti AC200MAX: https://bit.ly/3nziJDV 0:00 intro 1:05 cleaning out the big cabin 6:54 update on the electrical system 9:38 adding a second group 16:14 the front of the big cabin 18:24 cooking 22:45 A hike 23:30 At the farmers house 28:20 making a work bench 30:07 monologue 34:45 work bench 38:09 Start on picknick table 45:40 Bringing in scaffolding pipes 47:43 outro

I built the two walls for the picnic table and I'm assembling the crane to lift one of the heaviest stones on the property. I'm getting a hand from Marius who is on a summer bike trip. 0:00 Intro 0:40 Assembling the crane 3:55 Making bread 5:28 Back to the crane 6:49 Bread shaping with fireflies 12:08 Next day: baking and building 17:35 Arrival Marius 18:46 Perspective and camera angles 20:59 Bread finished 29:51 First lift 31:45 Pointing stone walls 37:56 Chopping wood 38:37 Dinner 41:00 Start tool wall 44:10 Hoisting the table top

This week we are building the scaffolding for the small cabin. Marius is back after a short bike trip and another cyclist, Tyson, is joining for a few days. I'm going up and down with the trailer a few times to pick up scaffolding and wood and Tim Labuscagne is visiting who is making a painting. 0:00 Intro 1:01 Unloading wood 2:04 Start wooden scaffolding 2:28 Ride to Vercelli 4:13 Steel scaffolding 4:54 Tim painting 5:50 Connecting the pieces 8:21 Dinner 10:32 Tyson drawing 11:34 Tim painting 14:02 Fitting the boards 15:43 BBQ 17:08 Tim sketch 17:33 Gooseberry cereal 18:01 Wedge 18:57 The ramp 20:07 A ride to the Sawmill 22:45 Tyson's wooden hand 24:14 Outro talk

The day has finally come that the roof is going down. I have help from Marius, Tyson, Marco and David. After that I'm taking down the inner cabin and start building a proper work bench. 0:00 Intro 0:55 Taking down the first stones 3:02 Big stones 11:58 Using the wheelbarrow 15:50 Last stone 17:42 Dinner 19:46 Next morning 22:58 Polishing boots 24:48 My new office 15:17 Building a work bench 30:14 A morning walk / No Rain 33:31 First rafter / beam talk 35:43 Taking down inner cabin 37:08 Making bread 42:10 Work bench 47:04 Bread on the fire 49:05 Bread finished 52:00 Wooden planers 53:19 Bread tasting

There is lot going on in this episode. I'm finishing the work bench and tool wall in the cabin. There is some sweat and trouble to get the new beams to the house. Finally we get them in place with a group of volunteers. 0:00 Another day begins 1:55 Bringing in materials 2:23 Waiting for rain 5:54 Building racks for tool wall 7:12 Picking up the beams (first attempt) 12:44 Tool wall 16:13 Painting tool wall 17:48 Dinner 19:08 Picking up the beams (second attempt) 23:26 Work bench 30:19 Moving beams 34:14 Demolishing old roof 36:47 Lifting beams with the crane 42:05 Demolishing roof 44:38 Cows on the land 46:50 Finishing tool wall 48:18 New beams on the roof 1:01:33 Outro Monologue

It's a turbulent week with some storms going on. I'm finishing the outdoor workshop and get started with the building the roof. 0:00 Intro 0:33 Outdoor workshop 5:45 Making bread 10:07 Kneeding the dough 17:39 Starting the fire 23:27 About the work shop 26:34 Placing the wall plate 30:51 Picking up concrete sand 32:48 Rain 35:05 Johannes' greenhouse 37:51 Building formwork for concrete 40:22 Another rain storm 45:32 Pouring concrete

I'm going for a walk to the river down the valley. I'm finally finishing the picnic table and benches and prepare the roof of the cabin for a concrete belt. 0:00 Intro 00:38 Walk to the River 2:56 Building a bench for the table 5:44 Mixing lime mortar 9:10 Working at night 12:12 Cleaning the mortar joints 13:39 Talking about various mortars 15:32 Back on the roof 18:32 Building formwork 19:41 Building the second bench 20:48 Talk about concrete belt 22:43 Explaining roof structure 23:35 Lunch 26:10 So there are chestnuts 27:53 Cutting the wall plate 28:44 Levelling the beams 32:33 Rain 33:36 Looking at cows 34:26 Beam treatment and paint 38:07 Building the formwork 39:29 Placing rebar 43:30 Visitors 45:15 Concrete day 55:00 Beer and sunset

I'm fitting the new rafters on the cabin, one of my favourite parts of the building. It's a colder and rainy week and I'm struggling a bit to make a good loaf of bread. 0:00 Taking the formwork off the concrete 3:09 Cleaning up 4:28 Bringing the rafters on the roof 5:11 Start with the fitting 8:18 Putting a guide on the ridge beam 13:23 Higher wall plate 19:36 Showing drawing 23:57 Back on the roof 29:41 Bread making 31:34 Heavy rain 34:25 Sunshine after rain 36:40 One side of roof finished 37:11 Making a new dough 38:25 Start with the other side of the roof 39:53 Shaping 40:54 Baking the bread 42:40 Present from the farmer 44:05 Last rafter 44:32 Outro monologue

The beams and rafters are being planed and cleaned up for painting. This August is full of thunder storms, and I'm capturing some wild life on the trail cams. 0:00 Intro 1:38 Taking the rafters off 4:25 Planing rafters 5:41 Making bread 9:36 Breakfast 11:50 Planing the beams 15:15 Taking the floor out (trying) 17:46 A look into the basement 20:19 Lunch 21:35 Planing last rafters 22:33 Studying 23:47 Painting 28:53 Thunder storm 31:23 Painting the boards 33:49 Ollie arrives 35:43 Dinner 36:36 Nailing the rafter 41:30 First board goes on 42:21 Nightcrawlers 44:02 Outro monologue

Ollie is still here for a few more days. Autumn is showing its first signs and the rainy weather brings mushrooms. Cam and Hannah from Canada are on a bike trip through Europe and stop by for a few days. Everyone is a great help and we're finishing cleaning, painting and nailing the boards on the roof. 0:00 Mushrooms hunt 3:25 Cam and Hannah arrive 4:49 Cooking mushrooms 5:58 Dinner 9:16 Digging out manger 11:23 Nailing boards on the roof 17:21 BBQ 19:24 Looking at the garden 21:15 Nailing boards 22:50 More mushrooms 23:49 Sky light opening 25:50 Nailing rafters 28:03 A look inside the cabin 29:35 Pancakes 30:23 Sky light first look 32:12 Nailing the final board

I'm adding a vapor barrier, insulation, counter battens, and water proof layer too the roof. I'm having help from Sondre with building a fence against mushroom pickers. 0:00 Intro 2:49 Vapor barrier 4:18 Insulation layer 5:27 Sketch roof layers 7:31 Picking mushrooms 10:31 Cooking 13:16 Morning - fruit trees 15:21 Laying roof joist 16:38 Shepherds singing 20:29 Walk to Johannes' garden 24:04 Breakfast 25:02 Counter battens 26:50 Laying wool 29:57 Cows passing 31:36 Talking about the fence 36:36 Laying Tyvek 40:27 Laying counter battens 41:24 Breaded mushrooms 44:08 A cloudy day 45:28 Cutting fence posts 47:38 Outro and bread making

I'm making a start with stone laying, elevating the walls to the new roof height. Rik, an old friend, is visiting me and works on some paintings. The trailer has some trouble so I'm trying to get it fixed. I'm installing the sky light. Finally Tom from Outside Magazine is here for a few days to write an article. 0:00 Fixing the trailer 3:21 Installing a new inverter 5:28 Waking up from a storm 8:17 Installing chicken wire on the roof 9:46 Stone laying 14:43 Rik has arrived 16:53 Checking first stone laying 19:54 Cheese 21:14 Collecting stones 26:26 Prepairing sky light 28:39 A walk through the fog 31:20 Rik painting 31:44 About planning 37:00 Putting the sky light in place 40:07 Trailer is fixed 41:20 Explanation next projects 45:34 Cows passing 48:38 Outro monologue

The first wall facing is being finished. I'm stacking firewood for winter, and the first chestnuts have fallen off the tree. 0:00 Starting the day 1:04 Firewood 4:03 A surprise visit 7:02 Stacking firewood 8:05 Wood stove for the tent 10:21 Installing the wood stove 14:13 Picking stones 16:05 Slippery ramp 16:25 Building the wall 18:22 Shaving battens 19:05 Nailing battens 20:44 Painting battens 21:24 Harvesting potatoes 23:35 Unloading stones 23:58 Off to town 24:48 Chestnuts 26:17 Stone work 27:38 Explanation stone work 30:51 Carrying on through the night 33:16 Morning 37:31 Explanation stone work 39:25 Bread making 44:54 Cooking chestnuts 47:54 Bread out of the oven

I have to travel a few times up and down picking up materials. I'm working on the other gable wall and have some help from Paulin and Massimo (and Chula). 0:00 intro 0:44 unloading wood and covers for firewood 2:27 Sunday market in town 3:35 Polishing boots 5:16 chopping firewood 6:32 Harvesting potatoes 8:16 Fire in the stove 9:02 Pasta carbonara 11:09 Cutting and painting battens 13:26 Nailing battens 15:27 Start on the other gable wall 18:26 Paulin arrives 19:56 Dinner 20:43 Stocking firewood 21:29 The dormouse 22:14 Talking through stone sizes 23:24 Finishing the wood pile 27:12 A walk 30:05 More unloading 31:24 Outro monologue

Some days of rain keep me in the tent. I'm making the outdoor shower and kitchen ready for winter. The cows are leaving to the valley. I'm making slow progress on the roof, but the finish is in sight. 0:00 intro 0:21 Installing solar panels 2:07 Rainy days / cooking chestnuts 6:01 Talk about the roof 8:14 Finishing the wood pile 9:10 Making the outdoor kitchen winter proof 15:13 Johannes and the melon 17:18 Walk in the night 18:15 Back on the roof 20:00 Making a kindling cracker 26:46 Cutting stones 31:04 Visitor in the night 32:45 Breakfast 33:34 Going for a walk 36:46 Mushrooms in the garden 39:46 Outro talk

I'm starting the week with beautiful Autumn weather and harvesting the quince pears. Then the weather turns and it seems we can't start with the roof stones, but luckily it clears up. 0:00 Intro 0:42 Unloading sand 1:35 Clearing the road 2:42 Chopping fire wood 3:42 Kamikoto knives 5:43 Nailing final battens 6:43 Night owl 7:55 Breakfast 8:19 Picking quinces 9:55 Cutting the battens 12:59 Quince jam ready 15:52 Finishing the masonry 16:39 The weather turns 18:49 Start with the roof 20:00 The first stone 24:10 Lunch 26:31 Outro monologue

We're on a hunt for more stones and we find them where they would originally harvest roof stones for the nearby houses, a steep climb down the cliff, not too far from the house. I'm making progress with the roof, thanks to the help of some courageous volunteers. 0:00 intro 0:40 Carrying up stones from the quarry 7:25 Laying stones 8:22 Shaping stones 10:29 Lunch 11:36 Moving stones 12:59 Working on the solar system 14:56 Half way 15:44 A walk in the dark 18:33 Talking about roof stones 21:21 Installing parts of roof window 22:39 Morning walk 28:11 The biggest stones 33:10 A walk into the view

The days are getting shorter and the sun barely comes over the mountain, so I need to build up the extra solar panels to have power. I'm taking a walk to the steep side of the mountain. 0:00 intro 0:25 Building stands for solar panels 4:29 A walk on the steep side 8:06 Building stands for solar panels 10:44 Coffee break 12:16 Painting boards in the cabin 16:58 Back on the roof 23:45 Winter morning 25:56 Magical Clouds 28:34 Placing solar panels 32:05 Cutting grass 33:30 A storm

I'm working longer days after dark. Most of the roof stones find their final place on the roof. In preparation for winter, I'm finishing bits on the solar system and install a back up water tank. 0:00 unloading wood 1:00 talk about gutters 2:13 Painting 3:39 installing water tank 7:54 making a fire 9:52 dinner 10:50 A look onto the grid 12:50 sawing wedges 13:30 back on the roof 17:25 Working through the night 24:57 more plumbing 27:10 cleaning the chimney 31:38 was that the stray dog again? 34:23 Insulating pipes 35:32 Struggling to get it right 36:49 Cutting brackets 38:38 Moving fast with the roof 41:48 Getting some help 44:00 Morning view 46:58 Dinner

Some rainy days, so I’m cleaning up and making a start with the roof window finishing and the gutters. The week ends with a surprising harvest. 0:00 Intro 1:10 Cleaning up 3:58 Coffee 4:25 Reading 5:13 Sky light finishing 14:09 Start with gutters 21:04 Polishing shoes 22:29 New coffee maker 25:58 Battery upgrades 29:00 gutters 32:16 Lunch 40:13 Walk to Johannes

Days are getting colder and a small snow pack colours the landscape. I'm continuing making the gutters. Floris from the Netherlands is coming by to help a hand. Another dog makes an appearence and the last stones find their place on the roof. 0:00 Work on solar panels 2:47 Closing the roof 7:35 Sky light 8:49 Making a start with oil painting 11:14 First Snow 14:43 Continue with the gutters 21:00 Dinner 22:34 Beautiful morning 29:12 The Pillow 32:15 Another dog 34:09 Camp Fire 35:59 Morning 36:38 Insulating the battery box 42:16 Last stones on the roof 43:30 Back up water tank 45:20 Outro monologue

The batteries are having trouble in the cold weather, and I'm out of power. Meanwhile I'm working on the sidings of the roof and the gutter supports 0:00 Unloading 2:16 Checking batteries 3:42 Painting 4:48 White morning 9:35 Making a scribing tool 10:29 Side boards of the roof 12:58 Clearing snow from the tent 16:22 testing winter tires 18:17 Snow chains 19:33 Clear blue skies 21:55 Clearing scaffolding 26:07 Chiseling, cutting, planing, sanding 27:25 Extra insulation battery box 28:07 Cleaning day 29:40 Painting 30:12 Finishing sky light 31:08 Gutter supports

The snow is piling up fast, making it harder to work. At the same time the vistas become increasingly beautiful. I'm making progress with the gutters and I'm solving little problems on the property. 0:00 Moving snow 2:40 Solar panels 3:51 Moving the car 7:38 night 8:12 Back to work 9:16 Taking down scaffolding 10:20 Cooking in the tent 11:18 A walk 12:27 Back to work 17:41 Painting 19:43 Frozen everything 22:43 working on the gutters 27:20 Painting 28:02 Heating solution battery box 34:03 Gutter in place 37:35 Painting 39:40 Wolves 44:30 Outro monologue

Joe's here helping out a few days during the coldest week so far this winter. I'm continuing with the gutters and we're facing some heavy weather. 0:00 Working at night 2:16 Arrival Joe 2:58 Replacing a pipe 4:56 Morning 6:27 Working on the gutters 9:35 Terraces 10:49 Lunch at Johannes 16:49 Painting the gutters 17:33 Oil painting 23:30 BBQ 28:10 Snow storm 29:18 Trying to move the car 35:10 Bringing Joe down 36:10 Returning in the night 37:11 Clearing snow 39:15 Painting gutter supports 44:13 New pipe

The last video of the year. I'm going for a little drive to the other side of the view. I'm working on the gutters, installing security cameras and preparing everything for a short leave. 0:00 Morning in Torre Pellice 1:40 Drive to the other side 5:30 Stripping gutters 7:27 Installing cameras 14:31 Diner 16:11 Cleaning up 17:29 Oiling gutters 18:42 Packing the painting 22:34 Packing batteries 26:31 Leaving

This video is a bit different than other ones. I'm answering questions from subscribers. 0:00 Intro 1:04 When will you move into the cabin? 2:48 How do you stay warm 7:25 How much time you spend filming? 8:32 Do you feel like you've bitten off more than you can chew? 9:26 Does the video storytelling motivate you to push through? 10:27 Are you going to expand the garden? 11:33 How do you plan on heating the cabin? 14:40 Lunch and walk 15:46 Do you sometimes regret living on the north side? 17:50 What all do you want to accomplish before taking that step back and saying, "I've done it"?

I'm back from my winter break. The tent collapsed during a snow storm. Fortunately my neighbour Johannes was there to prevent major damages. It's a beautiful sunny week with warmer weather. I'm taking down most of the scaffolding and continue with the finishings of the roof. 0:00 Intro by Johannes 7:55 Back at the cabins 12:00 Clearing snow 14:21 Batteries back in place 16:30 New tent poles 19:00 hair cut 19:56 drying fire wood 20:59 Thawing water pipes 23:26 Clearing scaffolding 24:18 Getting hurt 25:58 Painting 28:54 Taking down scaffolding 35:22 Dinner 37:59 Work on the roof

It's a cold week. I spend the nights in town for a few days,but go up to continue the work. I have to move some work into the tent, because it's too cold outside too paint. Despite some winter challenges I'm enjoying my time on the mountain. 0:00 Intro 2:03 Clearing snow 2:27 Continuing with gutters 7:46 Brushing teeth in the snow 8:57 Winter problems 12:22 Beautiful skies 14:22 Back on the gutters 22:24 Working in the tent 27:24 Implementing the pipe 30:35 Gutter ends 33:44 Attaching supports 35:58 Books 38:43 Tar layer 40:46 Outro

I'm talking about the building plans for this year and share some designs of the interior of the cabin. The gutters are being finished and I'm preparing to start working on the foundation. 0:00 Intro 0:36 Talk about plans 3:00 Overview on property 4:50 Plans for inside 9:10 Plans for basement 13:30 Getting into trouble 22:00 Continue with gutters 23:34 Clearing roof 24:49 Checking walls in basement 28:00 Gutter pipes 30:00 Cooking dinner 31:04 Starting a new painting 36:02 Morning walk 38:20 Taking ramp down 39:10 Packing artworks 40:17 Attaching down spouts 41:36 Attaching gutters 44:00 About copper 44:58 Outro monologue

This week I have some help from Quentin, Ty and Michele. We start preparing the work on the floor inside, digging holes for plumbing and pouring concrete underpinning and retaining walls. 0:00 Intro 2:40 A dark morning 4:35 Moving supplies 5:05 Starting the dig 5:55 Plan for the week 9:04 Coffee(!) 12:02 Painting 14:49 Masonry and digging 16:48 Johannes 20:03 Underneath the wall 22:00 Lunch 24:30 Digging retaining wall 26:30 First pour 28:10 Hauling sand 29:45 Fighting gravity 32:59 Pouring retaining wall 35:02 A Walk 35:59 A new neighbour

I'm having help from Tamas and Naim this week, but there's not much we can do. Snow keeps coming down and I'm not able to get building and food supplies with the car, so can't continue the works. We will try to make it to the valley and wait for warmer weather. 0:00 Weather change 0:57 Tamas arrives 3:55 A pack of snow 8:52 starting the work 10:57 Naim arrives 13:22 clearing solar panels 14:08 in the dog shed 15:55 Plumbing 16:59 Camp fire 19:26 Clearing the car 20:55 Mixing concrete 22:24 Clearing the road 24:30 Outro monologue

I'm waiting out a snow storm in Turin. Melchior from the Netherlands is helping out for a few days. We make a start on the chicken coop and I continue with the walls of the cabin. 0:00 Room in Turin 1:47 A new painting 4:30 Back at the cabins 5:08 Dinner 6:45 A walk 7:45 Morning 8:41 Plans for this week 10:31 Start chicken coop 11:16 Mixing morter 12:49 Masonry 15:09 Lunch 15:41 Frame for the chicken coop 18:33 Dinner 22:28 Car is back 23:12 A storm 25:41 Foundation chicken coop 27:32 Placing the frame 30:13 Outro monologue

I'm returning home during a unexpectedly strong "Föhn" storm, to find tent and outdoor kitchen in ruins. 0:00 Driving home in the storm 1:35 Arriving at the cabins 4:40 Clearing the tent 9:20 Safe in the cabin 11:08 The next morning 17:05 Starting the clean up 20:10 New supplies 22:19 Rebuilding the outdoor kitchen 29:48 Fixing up solar panels 31:39 A little help 37:39 Lunch 39:41 Extra poles 41:00 A break in the Sun 41:48 Breaking up the tent 43:05 Cleaning carpets 44:05 A new roof 44:53 Unloading supplies 46:10 Outro monologue

A new tent has arrived and I'm building up the last things after the storm. I'm continuing with the chicken coop, the stone walls and pouring concrete for the retaining walls in the cabin. 0:00 Setting up the new tent 2:47 Spring morning 4:00 fixing up last things 6:13 Monologue 10:50 Fixing table 12:28 Making frame for painting 14:17 Making a table 19:56 Breakfast 20:45 Chicken coop roof 24:42 Lorenzo visiting 28:02 Work on the wall 31:51 Work in the night 34:22 Stepping stones 37:00 Supporting wall 42:26 Finishing frame 43:53 Making formwork 46:28 Pouring concrete 51:07 Polishing shoes 52:05 Out for a walk

The weather is very unstable this week as storms come and go. In the meantime I'm making progress with the chicken coop and work on the retaining walls. I borrow Lorenzo's Defender for a night out camping. And Ollie is visiting again and helping out a bit. 0:00 A little accident 2:24 Chicken coop design 5:12 Work on the coop 13:23 Another storm 16:59 Picking up Lorenzo's Land Rover 20:23 Concrete work 20:29 Working on the chicken coop 28:36 Going out camping 33:21 Camp spot 37:22 Talking about boots 43:11 Concrete work 51:45 A hike

Ollie is still here a few more days, helping out with the concrete work. He is also looking for a cabin to buy so we are visiting some places. In the meantime I get on with the chicken coop and show drawings for the plumbing and heating system. 0:00 Intro 0:29 Extra fly for tent 1:08 BBQ with neighbours 3:09 Morning 4:04 Chopping fire wood 6:09 Work on chicken coop 11:24 Digging 12:00 Work on the wall 13:02 Batterie is dead 15:12 Loading old concrete 17:40 Wall finished 19:15 Snow 21:28 Looking for cabins 26:17 Unloading concrete 27:36 She's back 28:52 Taking scaffolding down 29:59 Plans for plumbing 35:00 Cleaning rafters 35:56 Rebar 37:24 Formwork 38:24 New Batteries 41:52 Battery box 43:28 Pouring concrete 46:35 Visiting another cabin 47:32 Painting chairs 49:21 Explanation all-purpose fly 51:11 Goodbye Ollie

I'm doing a lot of clean up. Storing all the wood in another place and clearing the space in front of the cabins. The chicken coop is being sealed and I make some curtains for the outdoor kitchen. 0:00 Intro 1:23 Making doors for chicken coop 2:55 Taking off form work 5:40 First bread of Spring 12:26 Moving the wood storage 14:58 Fixing the trailer 17:39 Moving more wood 20:45 Cleaning the car 21:26 First plant in the garden 25:14 Dinner 26:30 First Cuckoo 27:07 New planing disc 29:28 Chicken wire 30:58 Wolfs 31:46 Breakfast 32:28 Back in the coop 37:33 Cleaning up concrete 39:19 Stones on the coop floor 40:53 Making new curtains 45:34 Making a bird feeder 49:08 Outro

Spring is slowly arriving, I'm digging deep in the cabin to raise the final retaining walls and prepare the plumbing. 0:00 Intro 0:36 Digging retaining walls 6:13 Dinner 7:33 Working in the evening 14:09 Work on the wall 16:31 Picking up supplies 17:28 Visit from neighbour 19:41 Unloading supplies 23:46 Electrical system 34:00 Plumbing explanation 28:00 Drawings 32:18 A walk in the rain

My father Simon and brothers Cees-Jan and Siebren are visiting for a week. Cees-Jan and Siebren help with sealing up the henhouse and putting up the formwork for the concrete walls. My father plants the garden and moves some young pine trees on the property. We're out some walks and visit the stream in the valley and the cathedral of Sacra di San Michele. 0:00 intro 0:26 Moving temporarily into the cabin 2:05 Simon and Cees-Jan arriving 3:55 Re-planting a larch 4:35 Formwork 6:28 Pouring concrete 8:39 Painting brazes 10:00 Siebren arriving 11:50 Moving sand 13:18 Sealing the henhouse 14:03 Pouring concrete 16:10 Dinner 16:46 Morning 17:44 A walk 20:47 Digging the last wall 22:22 Filling up the coop floor 24:23 A walk in the night 25:46 Cleaning up 27:01 Making bread 28:04 Planting the garden 33:04 Bread is served 34:29 Pouring concrete 35:55 A trip to the river 37:28 Sacra di San Michele 39:12 Picking up supplies 40:09 Formwork 41:21 Moving the old beams 42:49 Cooking dinner 46:25 Last

The week starts with a lot of rain which turns everything into green. I'm visiting an animal fair where I buy some chickens. After taking the formwork off, more digging and and adding a layer of gravel, the basement is beginning look like a room. 0:00 A rainy start of the week 1:48 Taking of the final formwork 6:18 Picking up the chicken 8:06 Chicken in the coop 9:58 Making a ramp 13:03 Installing rooster bars 14:09 Pointing machine 17:14 Another roosting bar 19:34 Colouring morter 20:41 Pointing the wall 21:53 Dust bath 24:35 Cleaning up the wall 25:54 Breakfast 26:36 Taking soil of the basement 29:53 Lunch 30:58 Explanation concrete walls 34:23 Gravel delivery 36:11 Levelling the floor 37:31 Moving gravel 41:49 Masonry 44:42 Outro

May is a wet month so far, which is a good way to see how the water management is going to perform. I take the weekend off for a little road trip through Val Stura (not Val Maira as mentioned in video). I'm preparing the basement floor for the concrete slab, but a few more measures need to be taken to lead rain water away from the cabin. 0:00 Road trip 3:37 Cleaning up and weeding 6:00 Breakfast in the rain 6:50 Working on the wall 9:42 Sending the chickens outside 11:45 Working on the wall 13:05 Unloading supplies 14:40 Talking about rain water inside 17:00 Drawing, explanation 19:48 Water system for the chickens 21:18 Building sewage pipes 25:08 Unloading sand 26:45 Compacting sand 28:22 Insulation 30:45 Intruder 31:17 A beautiful day 32:52 Finishing the wall 36:10 Next plans 38:02 Chickens first time outside

I have some help this week digging trenches on the outside and inside of the cabin. The weather forcast is expecting about 300mm of rain towards the end of the week, so we are digging the trenches in a way they can drain the excessive amount of water that is coming. 0:00 Cleaning up the site 3:31 Breakfast 4:30 A hike 8:49 Cleaning up the eaves 9:26 Clearing the basement 11:37 Where are the chickens? 12:34 Thunderstorm 14:04 First help arrived 14:32 Preparing the site 16:53 More help 17:55 Digger arrived 19:21 Digging a hole under the wall 21:50 Start trenching around the house 25:57 Lunch with neighbours 28:27 Breaking a big rock 29:38 Digging in rain 32:47 Floods expected 35:38 Delivery truck gets stuck 37:29 A mess

This week I'm putting in insulation and damp proofing, with some local help of Julian, Davide and Jordi. The rainy weather is not behind yet, which is a good test for the drainage system. 0:00 Arriving after the rain 2:44 Feeding the chickens 3:37 Insulation around the cabin 4:31 Main water pipe 5:44 Morning 6:06 New espresso maker 8:59 Planting basil 9:24 Water proofing 11:09 Explanation water proofing 12:56 break 13:49 Digging pit for septic system 15:43 Diggin sewage pipe 19:39 Filling up the Trench 23:38 More Flooding 28:12 Closing the trench 29:02 Connecting pipes 34:36 A sunny day 37:45 Outro monologue

A beautiful green week where I'm working alone preparing the drainage and plumbing for the concrete floor. I'm locating the crossbeam where the chimney is going out of the wall. Finally, I'm out on a short hike in the valley. 0:00 Taking the tent stove out 1:30 Backing bread 8:37 Connecting rain gutters 9:46 Making a hole in the wall 13:17 Looking at the garden 14:23 Extra drain pipe 15:16 Chickens out and lunch 18:00 Fixing the hole under the wall 19:47 Out for supplies 22:10 Pouring concrete 23:48 Shovelling sand 24:39 Making a compacter 25:42 A snail 27:06 septic tank 29:12 Looking at drawings 31:13 More pipes 32:10 Testing the connections 34:57 Making salad 36:31 Connecting shower drain 38:02 Outro monologue 40:09 A hike

It's time for the final concrete work. I'm pouring the floor, stairway and chimney foundation with some help of Geert and Andira. The rain season hasn't stopped yet and keeps the road muddy. 0:00 A hike 2:53 Chickens attacked 7:28 Last boards of insulation 10:02 Steel grid 12:12 Tying it up 14:08 First pour 15:49 Fixing the trailer 16:48 Unloading 18:18 More rain 19:57 Unloading 22:52 Second pour 26:23 Finishing up 28:17 Foundation staircase 29:15 Pouring 31:29 Foundation chimney 35:41 Septic system part 2 36:45 Outro monologue

I'm connecting and digging in the septic system, still dealing with a lot of rain, but it looks like dry weather is ahead. Aaron and Laura are visiting in their beautiful van, and help out a bit. 0:00 Intro 1:10 Taking off formwork 5:31 A walk 6:28 Dinner 7:28 Digging septic system 8:20 Explanation septic system 12:12 Trailer problems 14:21 Breakfast in the rain 16:02 Digging trenches 19:15 Working on the walls inside 21:05 Pancakes and visitors 22:48 Working inside 24:55 A big rock 25:36 Laura cooks lunch 28:30 Trying to break the rock 30:26 Shoveling gravel 32:00 More trailer problems 34:59 Picking flowers 37:49 Dinner at the fire 39:30 Aaron and Laura’s van 41:18 Outro monologue

I'm finishing up the works on the septic tank. It's time to cut the grass, which at places is nearly a meter high. I'm moving a lot of dirt around, filling up trenches and building a terrace around the cabins. Finally, I have eyes on a new trailer for which I'm going on a road trip to Switzerland. 0:00 Sunrise and grass cutting 1:39 Cleaning up 5:07 Digger arrives 6:57 a rainy morning 9:03 Last connection on the septic system 11:16 Closing trenches 12:32 Dinner 14:25 Closing the septic trench 14:44 Levelling the driveway 20:55 Closing the rain gutter trench 27:04 Explaining terrace works 30:22 Bread making 32:03 levelling the terrace 32:58 Thunder storm 36:29 Finishing the front terrace 38:49 Retiring the trailer 40:29 Baking bread 41:30 Monologue 46:07 Road trip

Chiara from Lake Orta is visiting to show me which plants from the property are edible. Besides that the works continue: levelling the driveway, breaking the rock that is in the ground in front of the cabin, some work on the inside walls during a rain storm, and planting some potatoes. 0:00 Arriving back from Switzerland 1:12 Chickens are gone 3:23 Chickens are back 4:36 Fixing pantalons 6:49 Fixing chain saw 7:56 Cutting tree 8:51 Breaking up walkway 10:52 Chiara arrives 13:15 Foraging 24:35 Lunch 26:27 A walk 28:11 Back to digging 33:47 No eggs 35:17 Planting potatoes 37:09 Moving dirt 41:29 Drive way level 42:54 Breaking the rock 49:08 A rainy day 51:32 Gravel 55:22 Rock - Martijn 0-1 57:05 Hard rain 58:50 Outro, Road trip

Lot's of things going on at the moment. I'm having some help levelling the soil around the cabins and taking the middle roof off. I received some renderings from an architect to show the plans for the cabin. In the meantime I'm making progress raising the walls on the inside of the cabin and a start is being made with the windows. 0:00 Breakfast 1:19 Sealing the walls 2:34 Adding insulation 3:11 Stone works 8:41 Playing fetch 9:52 Visiting the cows 12:10 Stone works 15:03 A Look in the Future 22:23 Helpers arrive 27:02 Dinner 28:33 Levelling 31:21 Home made pasta 36:22 Taking down the small roof 44:38 Outro monologue

I've started to rebuild the dog shed, which is going to be a utility room. Daan and Thomas are helping out with the last work on the road. I'm visiting Geppo's work shop to deliver the old floor boards to make the window frames and finally, there is an egg.

I'm continuing building up the utility cabin / doghouse / pantry (it's been used in different ways), making an arched doorway and laying the beams. The weather is really nice this week, so I'm going for a walk to the river.

I'm closing the roof of the utility space and have some help from Christoffer, Gigi and Pietro putting the stones back on.

I'm finishing the small roof and putting the last stones in the wall. The outside work is slowly coming to an end. I'm baking a few things with mixed results. I'm closing the week with a walk to Conca del Pra.

I'm returning from my weekend hike to Conca del Pra. Finishing up the patio and building back the stairs in between the two cabins. I'm bringing the car to the valley to get a new clutch. I'm cleaning the walls from old mortar with a high pressure washer. The masonry stove has arrived which takes a few rides up and down.

This video covers two weeks. I'm filming a bit less and take some time cleaning up and organise things. The area around the cabins gets finished and cleaned up and grass is seeded. I'm off on a small trip and spend a few days on the seaside in Portofino. Coming back I make a start with pointing the walls.

My parents are visiting for the weekend. My dad helps clearing some of the grass and birch forest. My mom couldn't resist help cleaning up and makes a delicious apple pie. I'm continuing pointing the walls.

I'm doing the last touches on the walls upstairs and make a start downstairs. The lintel of the window has to replaced. I get some help from travellers to work on the walls.

ast weeks helpers are still here and we're taking a part of the floor out.

I'm doing final work on levelling and fixing the beams and repairing all the holes in the wall. It's a rainy week, which means fresh mushrooms.

I have some help from Finn and Tomas pointing the downstairs walls. Tomas is also helping with cleaning up the woodshed and cutting grass. At the end of the week my old friend Tim is visiting with his friend Frank.

I'm building a new battery box to better protect them against the cold in winter. I'm also installing a new system from Victron. Geppo has the windows ready brings them in his Panda 4x4.

It's time for building the stove. This week we're putting together the masonry core. Ronan and Deirdra are helping a few days. The new battery box is getting finished so the solar system is winter-ready.

It's a rainy week. I'm making a start with the base of the facade of the stove; chimney base, stairs structure, cleanouts, air intake and the fire door goes in.

Geppo, joined by Agata, is here again to put the windows in. I'm continuing with the stairs and stove masonry. Leo is giving a hand with shaping the steps.

The weather is disruptive this week with a mix of storms, heavy rain and autumn sunshine. I'm cutting and hammering stones for the stairway. Ollie and his sister Isabel are visiting for a few days and giving a hand. Johannes invites us for winter meal at his cabin.

This week starts with a storm. I'm moving on with the masonry stove and I get the first small fires going. I revisit one my very first projects, which was the window frame upstairs. The floorboards are ready and I'm picking them up at the sawmill.

I was away this week, so I'm doing a questionnaire.

This week I’m doing the final work on the stove and organise the firewood for this winter. An intruder attacks the chicken and things don’t end well.

Moving to the cabin is a bit of an anticlimax. The floor is not ready yet, and I'm a little bit under the weather. I'm building an 'anti-freeze' water setup for the chickens and get started with installing the floor.

Recovering from a cold, I'm moving on slowly. I've picked up the rest of the kitchen and the final floorboards go in. The stove likes the fire and the chickens don't like the snow.

The snow is melting again as I continue with building the kitchen and installing plumbing and electricity. I bake for the first time in the masonry heater, go for a hike to the ghost town and stack fire wood.

It seems winter is behind us with exceptionally high temperatures. I'm doing the last chores to get ready for winter. I'm having lunch at Johannes' and go for a walk on the mountain.

I'm returning back to the homestead after a month of holiday. Winter has been mild so far. I'm picking up small jobs inside, and go for lunch at Johannes. The floor is being sanded and gets a fresh coat of paint.

I'm continuing with building the kitchen. I'm picking up a supply of stones and explain the building plans for this year

It's the second Sunday in the month so I'm visiting Gran Balon, a flea market in Turin. Back at the cabins I continue with the kitchen. After 2,5 years the trusted Suzuki is making place for a new car.

I'm sewing the small curtain underneath the sink (with some advice from my mother), I receive news about the building regulations for the works shop and make a start with tiling the basement floor.

Some wolf activity at the beginning of the week. It's a dark few days with a lot of snow. I'm making progress with the floor tiling and go pick up the Mitsubishi which has a tow bar installed.

The weather remains extreme with heavy snowstorms, as I continue the stone work inside. Many trees have collapsed and block the road.

The worst and hopefully last snow storm makes the forest bow once more. The deck is being taken down, I'm finishing the stone floor and go for a hike along the river.

I'm clearing the last bits of the road that I wasn't able to reach last time because of the snow. The weather is warming and the snow is clearing fast. I'm getting on with plumbing and sealing the floor.

I start with the bathroom cabinet and make a door frame for the arched door. I make a not so handsome, but tasty first pizza. Spring was promised, but not this week.

I'm finishing the arched door frame and solder the copper shower. It's time to tap the birches, I visit town and make a stop at the river.

Ollie and a friend are visiting, and it's the first time this year we eat outside again. We take a walk around the neigbourhood. I'm tapping birch sap, make a new fire pit, finish the inside window frames, pick up fences and fix the outdoor kitchen.

A sunny and cold week finishing various jobs.

I make a start with the wood panelling for the bedroom. Winter makes a brief return again, covering the fresh foliage in snow. Finally, the tent deck goes to a new home.

I'm continuing with the wood panelling in the basement. There is a lot of rain coming down so I'm spending most time inside.

A lot going on this week. During the first days Jannes and Thomas help out with levelling the tent area and preparing the poles for the fences. I am finishing the wood paneling and the bathroom vanity. Chiara is coming to visit and we go foraging.

I'm rounding up the work in the bedroom, , finishing the bathroom vanity, making drawers and staining the wood paneling. Finally, two more hens and a rooster are added to the flock.

The last jobs are finished on the cabin and it's time for decoration. The new chickens slowly get used to their new home. Thomas and Ryan are helping preparing fence poles and later Ollie and Johannes are visiting for dinner.

Ollie is still here. We're cutting back the forest to make space for the greenhouse. The new chickens are mingling well and the a new flock is established.

I have my brothers Cees-Jan and Siebren, and my dad Simon over for a week. We continue work on the greenhouse, cut the grass and clear some land. We rent a wood chipper to get rid of lot of young trees.

This week I'm planting some greens in pots and the garden bed, and the greenhouse gets a roof.

I'm making the garden beds in the greenhouse. A few times I have to travel up and down for supplies and to bring my car to the garage, with in between a visit to Turin, the closest city.

The week starts rainy. I'm finishing things up on the greenhouse and plant some fruit trees. Ollie and his partner are visiting. The chickens get there own fenced off area and I try out my new bike in the mountains.

I'm clearing forest behind the cabins to create space for the greenhouse. The vanity cabinet got some final work done on. ‪@nathanieldrew‬ and his friend Lucas are visiting for a few days and help out a bit. I'm doing a hike on the first mountain and finish cutting the grass

The glass for the greenhouse roof has arrived and gets installed, together with gable finishings, whilst the dynamics within the chicken flock are changing.

I have some people over helping out making a start with the fences. I'm doing some last work on the greenhouse.

My brother Siebren and his girlfriend Sofie are visiting. I'm doing small jobs around the homestead and we go for a walk in another valley. Later my brother Cees-Jan is visiting with his family. As usual everyone is making themselves useful.

I'm finishing the wooden bench and make a start cleaning out Cabin 2. I'm showing some sketches of what I'm planning to do with cabin two.

The digging works have started. Some sad news around the chicken coop. Thijmen en Rick help out for a few days and I'm polishing up an old oak table.

I'm digging a trench for the drain and water supply for the second cabin. I also start levelling behind the cabins where there's going to be parking space and the new work shop

We're continuing digging and levelling, with the help of Julius, Jojo, Maksym, Arquimedes and Ivan.

I'm seeding grass adding gravel where we levelled the driveway. Clemens and Marcin help for a day setting up fence and I'm digging in the basement and doing the first concrete works.

I'm finishing the levelling work with seeding grass and adding gravel. I'm continuing with the doorway, pouring concrete. Heavy rain slows me down and the chickens are flying away. The trailer breaks down by heavy loads so I have to look for a stronger one.

A short work week this time, levelling walkway and building formwork. Tasos is helping out cooking a mushroom meal.

I picked up a Land Rover Series 3 from 1974 and cannot wait to use it on the homestead. I continue with the concrete and digging work in the basement and get a hand from Valentin, Rianna and Martin who are on an overlanding trip and staying for a few nights.

I picked up a new trailer and (try to) install a tow hook on the Land Rover. I have some help from Giacomo, Leonardo and Jake with digging a trench.

The cows and goats break the silence for the last time moving to the valley. Work is a bit slow this week, but I'm making some progress with the technical drawings.

I'm building the formwork and steel reinforcement for the concrete perimeter in the basement. I bake the first loaf of bread of the season and my parents visit and help out for a few days.

My parents Simon and Marjan are still here for a few days. My dad helps me clearing some damaged trees and taking off the form work and my mom finishes staining the table and fixing my trousers. Finally, I am sharing some sketches and rendering for the bathroom of the second cabin.

Long time friends Rik and Lianne are visiting. We toasting chestnuts and Rik helps me with work in the basement. The rainy weather continues making the lands and road soggy.

Beautiful autumn days. I'm answering some questions from the comment section, whilst hiking up the mountain.

Finally the time has come to start building the work shop. On the team this week Jelle and Thomas, who help me with pouring the foundation.

The concrete has cured well

First snow is expected this week, so I'm getting things ready for a slower pace of work: building firewood storage, cutting wood, and picking up straw for chickens.

It's too cold for some of the outside work, so I'm building the wood storage and sitting bench for around the fire. I also started a new painting.

I'm back on the mountain just before the new year. I continue with the roof of the wood storage. The compacted snow turned to ice, which makes it a little hard to get around.

It's a cold winter week and I'm continuing with the wood storage, which gets a roof and most of the wood stored. I'm going on a hike, but it's so dark that I return earlier.

During the shortest days of the years there's not a lot of work happening. I'm clearing the wood pile and preparing to get wooden roof shingles for the wood storage and the chicken coop.

I returned from Austria where I picked up shingles for the wood storage and chicken coop. I am welding a iron hand rail for the stairway, and wrap up for a short Christmas break.

I'm hammering the shingles on the wood storage, roughly 850 nails. It's a foggy week and I go for a walk a nearby mountain I haven't been before.

I'm moving on with the shingle work to the chicken coop, first adding some water proof layers and new battens, and, why not, also a sky light.

A nice pack of snow has fallen over night. I am building a sawbuck to make fire wood cutting easier and safer. The chicken coop roof gets finished and I go out for a walk on a sunny morning.

I'm continuing work in the second cabin. I have to revisit the under layers of the floor.

It's getting difficult going up and down for supplies. Nonetheless work continues. I'm taking it slow putting pipes in place before the concrete floor goes in.

I am installing the water tank and all kind of other plumbing bits. But things don't go as planned right away...

The weather keeps me inside and I spend a bit more time reading and painting. Plumbing work in the basement gets finished and I am ready to pour concrete, but I have to wait until the snow clears.

I'm going for a walk near the river to see some first glimpses of spring. Ela, my girlfriend is staying with me this week. We invite Johannes for the first time having lunch outside again. The snow is melted enough to go up and down to pick up sand for the concrete floor.

Ela is with me for another day, but for the rest of the week I work alone, preparing the floor for concrete. Davide and Alfredo join me mixing and pouring the concrete.

It's a rainy week. Ela is here and she bakes a nice cake. The concrete has cured well and I'm pouring the slab for the shower. During the only sunny day we go for a walk along some of the beautiful places along the river

I am on my own this week, Ela is away for work. I'm extending plumbing towards the other room and re-organize so I can take the old wooden floor out.

The new floor beams are going in. My brother Siebren is visiting for a few days and gives a hand with the work. Finally, I am receiving the renders and we get a glimpse of a finished bathroom

Ela is here for a few days. She's helping me cleaning the garden bed. Davide and Maurus are visiting to help out with the beams.

Less work being done this week, because I have to take it slower. My back is suffering, and it has come to a point that I need to take rest.

I took a week off filming to take some rest for my back. There's been a lot of rain. Ela and Johannes are there for Easter lunch.

A sunny week, enjoying spring weather. As a preparation for summer, I'm building a camping kit.

I'm still taking it slow. This week it rains almost every day. I'm starting a new painting and do a little bit of work.