This edition is written by my lovely husband Paul, i hope you find it useful.
I absolutely adore our new home, it is amazing and has some of the most beautiful views.
The location is perfect, within walking distance to all the local bars, shops, banks and school. We are also so lucky to be on the edge of the Sierra Tejeda national Park with spectacular walks views and wildlife. We also have Vinuela lake a 5 - 10 minute drive where you can walk, bike, fish and enjoy a day on the lake surrounded in the areas natural beauty. Not to mention only a 20 - 25mins drive to the beach.
There are also numerous things we have learnt since moving here, from the ups and downs of purchasing property in Spain, Residencia, schools, language and maintaining old character properties, pools.
As I say above our house is beautiful, yet for someone like myself, who isn't the best at DIY to say the least this has made me get out of my comfort zone to maintain, upkeep and fix the needs of our new home.
For this reason i have listed some of the trials and tribulations we have overcome in the past year:
Winter months:
We are over 500mts above sea level and whilst this brings amazing views and a wonderful array of activities on our doorstep, it does get cold at night from the end of November to March. Moving from the UK you don't realise how easy it is to flick the switch on the central heating to warm you up whilst you walk on lush carpets. These houses are designed to keep cool. We have 3 pellet stoves and they are good, yet they do need frequent cleaning and always ensure you have sufficient pellet bags as people can panic buy.
I have taken advice and researched ways of heating from Gas Central heating, solar, pellet stove central heating and Air Conditioning and am still yet to decide on which is best.
November last year was the wettest month we have had in the year we have been here so farI also advise to get some thick rugs these months, it does help keep the house cosy.
Bugs and Insects:
April and May seems to be the season for all kinds of bugs to attack your house. We have a lot of old beams in our house, and the insects and bugs keep you on your toes. Lacquering beams and wood to protect your house is a must.
Carcoma, Térmites, Processionary caterpillars etc are not something we considered when purchasing our house in the UK yet in this tropical climate are all things potential buyers need to be aware of.
Pools:
What a luxury, and we love our pool! Perfect for these hot summer days!
Yet maintenance and upkeep is important. Maintaining chemical levels, ensuring the pump is on for the right amount of time for the time of year, at the right time of day, hoovering etc was all new to me yet I can now say I definitely have OPCD (Obsessive Pool Cleaning Dissorder) as there is nothing better than a gleaming pool.
The locals and our friends have always been happy to help and offer advice and support if needed and we are thankful to all of them. We have ran building improvement projects, resolved plumbing, pool, infestation problems and people have jumped to help and support me with my limited knowledge.
One of the wises moves we made was finding good building / maintenance people to help and support us. We have used Nacho Martin of Escanda Building Services for our key building work and installations and he has always gone over and above helping us with some of the projects and challenges we have had over the past 12 months.
Well, here is to the next 12months of our new lives in the Sun. We have all learned a lot (not just the language), by emmersing ourselves into the local culture and have made many friends along the way.
Saludos