10261 Just got back...

... well the builders worked really hard to try to give us something semi - habitable for when the children arrived (2 weeks after we arrived). In the end we had a building site with three very dusty bedrooms, some working toilets (no showers - geometra forgot to order the shower doors), a fully fitted kitchen (with no working appliances), a swimming pool without a filter (so it went green after three days), no hot water. All because the geometra forgot to make the final order with enel for installation of the electricity. So having signed a contract in October we had no electricity which meant nothing worked. Our lawyer was brilliant & tried to call in favours which resulted in the cable being laid but the connection wasn't made before we left. Adrian (from the forum) was great letting us store the contents of our estate car and top box at their (finished) house, tiler and girlfriend offered to let us stay with them but geometra didn't seem bothered or offer to help in any way.

We had four weeks there but couldn't stay in the house (again lawyer came up trumps by letting us stay in the house he had before he was married - lovely but a real bachelor pad (so not really suitable for kids) and spent more than half the holiday trying to get things sorted with little success. Very stressfull - feel as though I need another holiday and university term doesn't start for another 4 weeks.

Husband is going back in a few weeks to stay on top of things and then again at October half term with children but I can't get time off work so won't be back until Christmas. Lesson is not to believe anything anyone tells you about dates and keep checking.

Chris