First Days On Our Property In the Italian Alps

We bought a historic stone house on the top of a hill in the foothills of the Italian Alps. We will now work to renovate this old stone house in Northern Italy and establish a new life here. Join us on this home renovation series.

0:00 A New Beginning. Building off-grid in Northern Italy
1:10 Arriving to our new home
3:10 How do we get inside?
3:55 Exploring what was left behind
4:24 We have a Donkey now??
5:20 The real reason Chloe wanted this house ;)
5:45 The start of Day 1
6:29 Digging out the old stone terraces
7:54 Some safety changes
9:00 Chloe's little friends
10:06 Our plan for a garden
11:54 The day comes to an end
12:30 Our Plans with the house short term
13:45 Bringing power to this off-grid house
14:30 Chloe's secret project
15:47 Settling in
16:15 Dry Stacking a stone retaining wall for the garden
17:07 Rain interrupts our plans
18:18 Finding a project indoors
19:55 Making progress on the stone walls
21:56 Why this is the perfect place for us
23:38 the night comes to a close

[LMLewis]

Very cute. Safety tip: When you feed a carrot, apple or whatever to a horse or donkey, always offer it on a flat hand to avoid injury to fingers. Also, take care when removing soil at the base of a rock wall that you aren't making it unstable, potentially causing a collapse.

[lindagonzales]

I've been watching Martijn Doolaard for weeks; he would tell you the reason the stones are placed vertically in the room that previously held cows is so their urine would run down between the stones instead of puddling on flat surface. You could gain a motherload of information from watching his videos as he is a Master at both redoing the stone houses and making amazing videos.
Good luck with your amazing adventure!

[priscillacharris]

The best part of this new experience is that your daughters are fully immersed in it and enjoying the adventure to the fullest, they couldn't be any happier.

[missglenellen]

So beautiful! {Please consider winter, heavy rain and heavy show, later melting snow, don't give erosion a big chance, don't make the foot of those walls/terraces too bare!}

[sarahp]

Such a beautiful place.

"Daddy can we have another donkey?". The joy of discovering a place tucked away from the frenzy of city life.

Heather's joy knows no bounds as she soaks in the beauty, serenity and the sweet silence of this place, totally lost in wonder.

The way the children pitch in, their boundless energy, as they help their parents to make the place livable is so endearing.

Your happiness is pure, as you give thanks to God for having given you such a beautiful home.

In 2 years or 3 years...you will surely make it a gorgeous home.
May you always be happy here.

[Marie-veml]

You made the right decision! What a gift for your daughters and yourselves. I used to live in Alberta near the Rocky Mountains and I remember thinking, if I would have children what an amazing life they would have growing up in the mountains. Mountain life is the best life!!

[asirzed]

Please be really careful with removing the soil from the stonewalls, that's what hold the stone in place...we really love seeing the whole family working together.

[ciaobella]

The floor of your "stalla" or stable / summer house is amazing. I live in Italy and I can tell you that the man/men who built it hundreds of years ago really worked hard to make that a forever and beautiful stone floor. Congratulations on your purchase. Perfect land for goats. There is a saying here, "piano, piano" which basically means, (go) slowly, slowly. Italy has its own pace. So get into that groove and everything will be less stressful. And have fun! 😄

[lukekao]

Hey Brady, before you get too far lifting those heavy rocks, if you and your wife could go to an equivalent cvs pharmacy type store and look for a back brace to put on before doing all that work, it'll be a lot safer for your back. And your wife's back too. It's not super expensive for those back braces, but back pain is not worth it. Hope it helps.

[jessiewong]

Chloe is such an Angel, warm hearted, compassionate towards the worms! adventurous, lively and enthusiastic. She even enjoyed the rain 😉. Such a sweet girl.
Enjoying your videos

[Mountainrock]

Great house you have got a hold of. I started from scratch in remote desert and have built a homestead for my family. You are leaps ahead of us with the building already there in place. Good luck and don’t give up! When things get hard fight back harder!

[joii]

My day one too of following your YT channel, I got hooked of your family challenge starting from square one in a new land where you'll call your home, fortunately you've got one of the most beautiful spots in Italy, which even many locals dream of living there to feel the most tranquil life, surrounded by breathtaking atmosphere. Please keep us updated on your family's adventures in the Italian Alps, and we know your house will be the sweetest home up on the hill. P.S. on your coming vid, add a portion in how the kids dealing with their lovely new pet Stella, the donkey, so touchy when the girls were so attached with the nature. Benvenuti in Italia e saluti da Milano. Ciao

[mikethomas]

You are in a beautiful spot. Where in Italy are you. I've been there a few times. I am 68 yrs. old, 30 year retiree from the U.S. Navy, disabled from my service and myself live outside of the U.S. in the Philippines. When I was stationed in Virginia, the ships I was on would stop over in Naples. I have been there many many times and have a few times left on the train and traveled throughout Italy and Europe itself when I had the time to do that. Italy is like the States where the North is quite different in living than in the South of Italy. I will continue to watch you and your family on your fantastic adventure, one that none of youe will ever forget. family. Bless you, Mike.

[darrenheaps]

Alright....vlog is done. You guys are nuts!! I mean that in the best way possible! Full time travelers to....BAM...Italian homeowners! The amount of work ahead of you guys is astronomical!!....but I can't wait to see it come together!....you guys are absolutely crazy and I love y'all!!....I'll be watching every vlog from Northern B.C....and, thanks, you guys are a joy to watch

[Morsy]

I love how excited you are!!! From your Italian fans, benvenuti a casa ❤

[gigi-jeff]

We moved to Sicily off and on 6 years so we understand all the Italian issues but it’s so exciting watching a whole young family work within the Italian guidelines… north is a bit easier … but it’s an unforgettable experience no matter what so I’m excited for you and your family! Best wishes and keep it simple ❤️

[valeriederrick]

What a beautiful spot! Chloe clearly already feels at home there. Can't wait to see it all unfold!

[mannypacu]

This is amazing! Install a live CCTV and we can watch this 24/7. Raw, no-edit video all day!

[anniinglucksdorf]

I was smiling a bit when you stated that you wanted to put the tools on display „once you are done“ having stated before that you are going to have a homestead. What I learned so far is that having a homestead actually means that you will never reach that moment 😊.

[maryelizabethcalais]

I'm so excited for all 4 of you. The view is breathtaking! What a lovely experience for your children.