Renovate with me in Italy! Answering some of your questions

I’m blown away that our video about renovating our €23,000 Italian lake house has over 1 million views—thank you all so much for the love!

A lot of you had questions, so here’s a quick Q&A:

Q: What will the renovations cost?
We’re still in the early stages, but we estimate around €100k, though it could change. A bare-bones renovation might have cost €50k, but we’re adding skylights, extra windows, and a pizza oven. My husband, with his construction background, is handling much of the work himself to cut costs.

Q: Is this a vacation home or permanent move?
This is our forever home! We moved to Italy in August and plan to stay indefinitely.

Q: How are you living in Italy as an American?
My husband has British and Polish citizenship, allowing us to live and work anywhere in the EU thanks to his Polish passport.

Q: What do you do for work?
We’re teachers working in local Italian schools. I haven’t lived or worked in the U.S. for over 10 years.

Q: Do you speak Italian?
We’re still beginners but making steady progress.

Thanks again for your support—keep the questions coming and follow along for renovation updates!