Which area would you recommend
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Try andalucia-casas, Essential Properties,andalucia/olvera properties. Undiscovered Spain.
Re: Which area would you recommend
I think that goes for many houses here. Ours is nearer to the coast and only 17 years old but is built no better than a garage is in the UK .... block walls, concrete floors and ceilings and cold in the winter (and boiling in the summer ).maureenscot wrote:Martos, Rute, Castillo de Locubin, Olvera and Pruna have nice houses in your budget. But they don't have insulation or damp courses and are cold in winter
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Re: Which area would you recommend
I thought newer houses would have been built better. Why aren't they?
Re: Which area would you recommend
We looked around Axarquia area for years and nearly bought but just as we were making up our mind which one, we took a trip to Casares which is west of Malaga bordering Cadiz and inland about fifteen minutes. The pueblo itself is as Spanish as anywhere we visited, in fact in Axarquia we were amazed at how many Brits and other ex pats we came across, nearly in every restaurant and bar. Although the coast there I prefer. Near Casares the coast is not as Spanish as I would have liked but we are only a stone throw from the province of Cadiz. Near us the scenery is amazing and we have stunning walks. We get a breeze up from the coast and the temperatures seem to be a little better than most places we have visited on our search. But where ever you choose we found most of the places we have visited in Spain, stunning.
Re: Which area would you recommend
The spaniards are very traditional with their building techs and architecture. They don't tend to incorporate much new ideas and they also tend to do things as cheap as possible.maureenscot wrote:I thought newer houses would have been built better. Why aren't they?
Re: Which area would you recommend
Watching a house being built in spain will put you off ever buying one! The brickwork wouldnt get a G at a uk building college. No insulation or damp proof. one layer of bricks. throw (literally) an uneven layer of plaster over it and heres one i made earlier!
Re: Which area would you recommend
So I take it you rent?
Re: Which area would you recommend
We've seen many houses built here and the standard of brickwork is quite amazing. One house near to where we used to live had large uneven holes left for the windows and then when the windows were fitted the gaps were filled with old cement sacks and even their old lunchtime sardine tins One of the back walls wasn't joined up to the side wall either. It's like they started on one side and worked their way around the walls and then just stopped short. Of course when it was all plastered over you would never have known!
I have seen a couple of old partly ruinous cortijos 'renovated' nearby as well. They simply add on a couple of rows of bricks onto the crumbling top of the old walls then put on concrete vigas and roof and then plaster over it all. I'm sure the old stone structure isn't strong enough to support the new roof as it only had bamboo canes and tiles before. They don't seem to have building regs here.
As someone who has lived in a rented house that literally fell down around us (now partly demolished) it still didn't put us off buying again, somehow.
I have seen a couple of old partly ruinous cortijos 'renovated' nearby as well. They simply add on a couple of rows of bricks onto the crumbling top of the old walls then put on concrete vigas and roof and then plaster over it all. I'm sure the old stone structure isn't strong enough to support the new roof as it only had bamboo canes and tiles before. They don't seem to have building regs here.
As someone who has lived in a rented house that literally fell down around us (now partly demolished) it still didn't put us off buying again, somehow.
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Re: Which area would you recommend
That's hardly an advert for moving to Andalusia and buying a place, is it? I imagine builders can build rubbish and 'get away' with rubbish because they can. We had an old town house reformed with all the specifications one would expect in the late 20th century. The builders were so good they built our house in the campo. We have a damp course, obviously, a concrete construction for the 'shell', inner brick walls, outer brick walls, insulation between and everywhere else including the roof, modern plumbing, a logical electricity network, double-glazed windows and everything works well and looks fantastic. Our builders have subsequently built a further four houses in the campo for British people and continue to reform properties throughout a wide area. We were very involved clients, questioned things, attended daily site meetings and got what we wanted. Andalucia sounds another world and as long as you are all happy with that, long may it continue — but it wouldn't do for many people, no matter how much the sun shines and how blue the sea.
Re: Which area would you recommend
Yes we rent. Although that wasnt the main reason for renting as until you are here and get to see houses been built you probably dont realise whats lurking under the nice new looking whitewashed houses.costakid wrote:So I take it you rent?
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Thank you everyone for your input, there is much to think about. Particularly as we have no building skills and tend to rely on gut instinct. Would you say that a town property is more likely to be legal and problem free than one in the campo or am I asking the impossible, lol
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Thank you everyone for your input, there is much to think about. Particularly as we have no building skills and tend to rely on gut instinct. Would you say that a town property is more likely to be legal and problem free than one in the campo or am I asking the impossible, lol
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Re: Which area would you recommend
A town house, built on urban land, should be legal but a house in the campo may not be — yet they will both need really careful checking. Andalucia has had huge problems in the past but, I think, is gradually getting better — more legal and registered.
Re: Which area would you recommend
Lavanda, what I wrote about was during the building boom around 2002-3 when I observed many houses being built like that. Having visited Extremadura, the areas I saw were not built up like those here near to the coast so I guess there wasn't the same volume of building going on.
Where we lived, we were originally the only new house on quite a large area of hillside in splendid isolation for about 6 years. Then in the boom times within a year or two, 25 building plots were cut all around us with many of them having houses built on them. That is why we sold up and moved to France to get away from it. We travelled around most of Andalucia to see if we could find somewhere else to go, but in the boom times it seemed to be the same everywhere. The house that fell down around us was built in that period too.
I would imagine a town house to be more legal than campo (although a few campo houses in this area have sold recently somehow, having been on the market for years).
Where we lived, we were originally the only new house on quite a large area of hillside in splendid isolation for about 6 years. Then in the boom times within a year or two, 25 building plots were cut all around us with many of them having houses built on them. That is why we sold up and moved to France to get away from it. We travelled around most of Andalucia to see if we could find somewhere else to go, but in the boom times it seemed to be the same everywhere. The house that fell down around us was built in that period too.
I would imagine a town house to be more legal than campo (although a few campo houses in this area have sold recently somehow, having been on the market for years).
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Hey Flexo, I just wanted to ask if you had any personal experience with this? And if so would you recommend the city as compared to small towns of the country side? I am still planning my visit, but I have always been drawn to small towns and the country side as opposed to bustling city life. I was just wondering why you thought it would be much harder to get into small town life, because I want to know if there is anything that I should be trying to avoid. Thanks!Flexo wrote: I would say it is easier to get into city life than small town life
Re: Which area would you recommend
My dad, an architect, always told me never to buy a rendered house, anything can be hidden.until you are here and get to see houses been built you probably dont realise whats lurking under the nice new looking whitewashed houses.
Knew a bit did my old man.
Re: Which area would you recommend
I live in a small rural community (around 23k inhabitants) about an hour from the bigger population centers. It is definately more difficult, even if you happen to be from a small community originally (I am from a 2 million plus city) because the spaniards are very locally minded. This village is more important than the village next to yours, if you are from a location 200 km away you are irrelevant to them and if you are from another part of Spain you are foreign. Another country? Then you're "Meh".MartinBeard wrote:Hey Flexo, I just wanted to ask if you had any personal experience with this? And if so would you recommend the city as compared to small towns of the country side? I am still planning my visit, but I have always been drawn to small towns and the country side as opposed to bustling city life. I was just wondering why you thought it would be much harder to get into small town life, because I want to know if there is anything that I should be trying to avoid. Thanks!Flexo wrote: I would say it is easier to get into city life than small town life
Spaniards complicates things even further because they are herd animals, if you don't do everything like them you will never be accepted. That includes drinking alcohol every day, listening to flamenco and of course eating dinner after 20.00 (eating dinner at 18? GET OUT OF HERE!)
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Hi MartinBeard, I live in a village of 2000 so it is a medium-sized place. It is wonderful and extremely easy to fit in and everyone accepts you with smiles, open arms, advice and helpfulness. It's great. The downside, if it can be called that, is that you MUST speak Spanish, want to fit in, go along with local traditions and enter into the swing of village life in all its phases. Flexo is right in so much as the Spanish do like to do things in groups BUT they respect personal and home privacy. Friends never just drop in unless your gates or doors are open. That's the signal that you are 'at home' to visitors. Otherwise your space is totally respected. Only my experience, of course.
PS "A rural community of 23k" is NOT exactly a rural community. In the whole of Extremadura there are only three towns bigger than that. 23k is not a village. However, I am sure it is lovely.
PS "A rural community of 23k" is NOT exactly a rural community. In the whole of Extremadura there are only three towns bigger than that. 23k is not a village. However, I am sure it is lovely.
Re: Which area would you recommend
Nobody's mentioned Almeria which is part of Andalucia. Depends what you want, of course, but we love it here in a small town a few miles inland. There are a few Brits around, of course, but then there are in most of parts of Southern Spain. Here, they tend to be the retired variety enjoying the good life and everyone seems happy to chat and socialise. Travelling around and visiting different areas is probably the right thing to do and see where you feel like you could settle there.
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Re: Which area would you recommend
Some parts of Almeria are lovely. Have you been to Bedar? The Miramar restaurant for the Lamb is excellent.
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