I have an Australian Client for whom I refurbished their house on Lake Como, now they are living in Italy for over 12 months, and in their Pension years.
Hello all, I am writing asking the forum for help on behalf of an Australian client for whom we are refurbishing her house in Italy. The Australian lady bought the house to refurbish wanting to take up Italian citizenship.
Hi all I have a very basic question on using this forum: How do I send a Personal Message to someone?It would seem if I hit "reply" and send what would appear to be a message which only to recipient would see, is instead visible by the whole foru
Hi Blossom,I would go locally, state your ideal budget i.e. whatever IKEA would cost and take it from there. A local company / shop can be competitive if they want to be, though you may have to shop around - not sure what choice you will have in Venice, but there will be upper and lower market kitchen suppliers. Big advantage of a local company is that they SHOULD be able to coordinate the crafts men better, and if anything goes wrong with your white goods they can sort out a solution quicker. Ikea is OK but you will have to do all the coordinating yourself, and kitchens have alot of coordinating to do - and alot of little things that can go wrong. You will have to pay extra for the coordinating but it will probably be worth it if you are not in Venice alot.Do you speak some Italian? Have you already looked at the paginegialle:http://www.paginegialle.it/ricerca/cucine%20su%20misura/Venezia%20(VE)?Best of luck, ConorP.S.Strangely enough there is a biggish company called Venezia Cucine, but they are based in Milan and Switzerland.http://www.veneziacucine.com/contatti/
Finally getting round to it - I had been meaning to share a little story about the origins of the name Monferrato - which has horsey links.The legend that I heard from my mother-in-law (who is Monferrato born and bred) is that in the 10th century the founding duke, called “Aleramo”, had a wager that he would become lord of the land that he could ride his horde around in one day – so he picked a route that included all the undulating hills – hence the name Mon meaning My and Ferrato meaning the route he followed with his iron shoed horse.A romantic story which does not sound too realistic, but stuff of legends!Whereas Wikipedia has three different versions of the origin of the name, the last one is also horse related:“There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of "Monferrato", but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, like the one advocated by Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and "farro,"—a variety of wheat, and another according to which derives from the Latin "Mons ferax," meaning "mount fertile and rich." Still another refers to the irons left by the Romans in their conquest, "Mons ferratus." Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick ("mun" in local dialect), and thereby the horse was shod ("fra"), hence the name "Munfra" yielding Monferrato.” (from Wiki)
Hi Milky, I am a UK architect based in north Italy and I am afraid that I don’t find the fees, as you quoted, very shocking.I sympathize with you 100%, after waiting 7 years (that is very long! even by Italian standards) you must be extremely frustrated and demoralized. I am all too familiar with this scenario, the long time for getting Permission is a terrible drain of patience and a multitude of resources – it is the highest cost in my opinion.I also understand that the extension is tiny - costing under 35K, it is very small indeed. However even for a very small project the required professional duties will not differ enormously from a big project – so the fee does not look mad to me. Also worth noting is that the Comune has most likely insisted on the structural calculations and tests and likewise for the geological report, which is, of course, correct that the Comune should be asking for those things, but it is an another extra cost for you to bear, from which Geometra is unlikely to earn anything, as Modicasa says, looks like your Geometra negotiated a good price for the Geological report. It is not much consolation to you, but just so as you know, it is usually closer to €1000 for Geological report prepared to be submitted to the Comune. . It is always worth asking for a discount from the Geometra and the Engineer who will do the calcs. in most cases you will get a discount, it may however be a modest one.The best of luck, Ronco
Hello AlanH,Of course you are very entitled to you opinion, and there is no doubt that a Geometra can be the right way to go sometimes.However when it comes to investing in a future home, as our English speaking clients will testify, there is a great benefit to having a full bilingual architectural service. In our case, all our communications and documents are in English and when necessary both English and Italian in particular the detailed design and tender documents which enable clients to get involved in the nuts and bolts, and pennies and pound (ok ….cents and euros).We believe it is important that clients are fully involved in designing their homes, and from our experience in north Italy there are not many Geometras or even Architects who can offer the same service.We also offer an added psychological support as we understand how things work in Italy, and how non-Italians think things should work, sometimes a little extra explaining and discussion can removes an enormous amount of anxiety.Love and Peace (also to engineers), Ronco
Hello Lindybob,I am an architect originally from the UK, operating in north Italy for over 15 years, covering also Lunigiana.Should you require any future advice or assistance with the rustico I will be happy to help.My email is: info@rinovaprojects.com All the best Ronco
Hi AliM,We have a house in Piedmont – in a place called Calamandrana to be exact. We see several horses that are kept in the surrounding fields and we know of at least two local horse enthusiasts who keep horses and enter them in horse events. If you want we could contact them and ask more details on your behalf regarding laws about keeping horses; trekking; riding activities/events/clubs. Let me know where in Piedmont you are going.There is a little local ex-pat network also, with a few Scots. I myself am from Northern Ireland. All the best Conor
Hi Lindybob,I think that you have been getting great advise from Gala and Modi, in that you are probably seeking guidance on building / planning law rather than a linguistic term.In fact “manutenzione straordinaria" is a Category recognized by Local Authorities, and once you establish that your proposed building works qualify as “manutenzione straordinaria" you can usually carry them out immediately and also pay a reduced level of IVA (VAT). The definition of “manutenzione straordinaria" very roughly means that you renovate or update an existing building without changing its original form, volume or OUTWARD appearance.Where in Italy is the “rustico”? All the bestRonco
Comments posted
Hi Jeanie, Sorry for continuing in the "bad joke"butI think you have to be Mexican or Muslim to get a big discount.
Hi Blossom,I would go locally, state your ideal budget i.e. whatever IKEA would cost and take it from there. A local company / shop can be competitive if they want to be, though you may have to shop around - not sure what choice you will have in Venice, but there will be upper and lower market kitchen suppliers. Big advantage of a local company is that they SHOULD be able to coordinate the crafts men better, and if anything goes wrong with your white goods they can sort out a solution quicker. Ikea is OK but you will have to do all the coordinating yourself, and kitchens have alot of coordinating to do - and alot of little things that can go wrong. You will have to pay extra for the coordinating but it will probably be worth it if you are not in Venice alot.Do you speak some Italian? Have you already looked at the paginegialle:http://www.paginegialle.it/ricerca/cucine%20su%20misura/Venezia%20(VE)?Best of luck, ConorP.S.Strangely enough there is a biggish company called Venezia Cucine, but they are based in Milan and Switzerland.http://www.veneziacucine.com/contatti/
hi Jeverything grows so well.....except for RhubarbC
Finally getting round to it - I had been meaning to share a little story about the origins of the name Monferrato - which has horsey links.The legend that I heard from my mother-in-law (who is Monferrato born and bred) is that in the 10th century the founding duke, called “Aleramo”, had a wager that he would become lord of the land that he could ride his horde around in one day – so he picked a route that included all the undulating hills – hence the name Mon meaning My and Ferrato meaning the route he followed with his iron shoed horse.A romantic story which does not sound too realistic, but stuff of legends!Whereas Wikipedia has three different versions of the origin of the name, the last one is also horse related:“There are various interpretations and assumptions concerning the etymology of "Monferrato", but to date none are certain. There are many opinions, like the one advocated by Aldo Ricaldone stating the name was derived from "Mount" and "farro,"—a variety of wheat, and another according to which derives from the Latin "Mons ferax," meaning "mount fertile and rich." Still another refers to the irons left by the Romans in their conquest, "Mons ferratus." Finally, an interpretation derived from a legend according to which Aleramo of Montferrat, the legendary founder of its march, wanting to shoe a horse, and not finding a hammer, used a brick ("mun" in local dialect), and thereby the horse was shod ("fra"), hence the name "Munfra" yielding Monferrato.” (from Wiki)
Hi Milky, I am a UK architect based in north Italy and I am afraid that I don’t find the fees, as you quoted, very shocking.I sympathize with you 100%, after waiting 7 years (that is very long! even by Italian standards) you must be extremely frustrated and demoralized. I am all too familiar with this scenario, the long time for getting Permission is a terrible drain of patience and a multitude of resources – it is the highest cost in my opinion.I also understand that the extension is tiny - costing under 35K, it is very small indeed. However even for a very small project the required professional duties will not differ enormously from a big project – so the fee does not look mad to me. Also worth noting is that the Comune has most likely insisted on the structural calculations and tests and likewise for the geological report, which is, of course, correct that the Comune should be asking for those things, but it is an another extra cost for you to bear, from which Geometra is unlikely to earn anything, as Modicasa says, looks like your Geometra negotiated a good price for the Geological report. It is not much consolation to you, but just so as you know, it is usually closer to €1000 for Geological report prepared to be submitted to the Comune. . It is always worth asking for a discount from the Geometra and the Engineer who will do the calcs. in most cases you will get a discount, it may however be a modest one.The best of luck, Ronco
Hello AlanH,Of course you are very entitled to you opinion, and there is no doubt that a Geometra can be the right way to go sometimes.However when it comes to investing in a future home, as our English speaking clients will testify, there is a great benefit to having a full bilingual architectural service. In our case, all our communications and documents are in English and when necessary both English and Italian in particular the detailed design and tender documents which enable clients to get involved in the nuts and bolts, and pennies and pound (ok ….cents and euros).We believe it is important that clients are fully involved in designing their homes, and from our experience in north Italy there are not many Geometras or even Architects who can offer the same service.We also offer an added psychological support as we understand how things work in Italy, and how non-Italians think things should work, sometimes a little extra explaining and discussion can removes an enormous amount of anxiety.Love and Peace (also to engineers), Ronco
Hello Lindybob,I am an architect originally from the UK, operating in north Italy for over 15 years, covering also Lunigiana.Should you require any future advice or assistance with the rustico I will be happy to help.My email is: info@rinovaprojects.com All the best Ronco
Thanks Julia for the wordworm product!Conor
Hi AliM,We have a house in Piedmont – in a place called Calamandrana to be exact. We see several horses that are kept in the surrounding fields and we know of at least two local horse enthusiasts who keep horses and enter them in horse events. If you want we could contact them and ask more details on your behalf regarding laws about keeping horses; trekking; riding activities/events/clubs. Let me know where in Piedmont you are going.There is a little local ex-pat network also, with a few Scots. I myself am from Northern Ireland. All the best Conor
Hi Lindybob,I think that you have been getting great advise from Gala and Modi, in that you are probably seeking guidance on building / planning law rather than a linguistic term.In fact “manutenzione straordinaria" is a Category recognized by Local Authorities, and once you establish that your proposed building works qualify as “manutenzione straordinaria" you can usually carry them out immediately and also pay a reduced level of IVA (VAT). The definition of “manutenzione straordinaria" very roughly means that you renovate or update an existing building without changing its original form, volume or OUTWARD appearance.Where in Italy is the “rustico”? All the bestRonco