Category: Misc

In these times a question looms large: where do we want to go as humankind and which choices will make it possible for us to follow that path in the future. Worldviews and laws are changing faster than day and night, the chaos of urgent measures is blurring the overall image for each of us.
To the question ’how to change the world for the better right now’ I’m responding by continuing the renovation of the stone house in Istria, despite the disarray of impossible circumstances. After years of hard work I would like to fulfill my plan and show alternatives to building and lifestyle to anybody who is interested – starting this summer, the summer of 2020.

The project is still in the making so not all the pieces of the puzzle are in place yet – the kitchen is temporary, some furniture will materialize as the right people come and help me make it and the outside space needs grooming. When these steps will be accomplished, pictures will come 🙂

So what is the place like?

The location
The house is located on the edge of a small village called Brajkovići, the towns of Rovinj being 12 km and Kanfanar 7 km away. The nearest airport is in Pula (35 km), long distance buses and boat lines arrive in Rovinj.

There is a gas station with a tiny supermarket really close by (300 m on foot), nearest larger supermarket is in Rovinjsko selo (5 km). There is also a lovely family restaurant in Matohanci (600 m).

Rovinj is a lovely little coastal town with wide-ranging tourist services, where you can find everything from grocery stores, restaurants, bars, shops, vegetable and fish market, to small museums, a vast selection of open air summer events and, of course, gorgeous beaches (rocks and stones, mostly).

If you’re a more outdoorsy type, a walk in the woods, a trip to the Lim bay (4 km), the Dvigrad castle ruins (11 km) or cycling on the numerous Istrian bicycle trails might be just up your sleeve. I shouldn’t forget to mention other gems in the colorful mosaic of beautiful spots of Istrian countryside, for example cute little towns like Višnjan and Motovun; or Parenzana, the walking/bicycle trail which leads along the former narrow-gauge railway line coming down from Trieste to Istria.

The property
The heart of the compound is an 80 year old, now renovated, Istrian stone house. In front of the house there are green surfaces, enclosed in the old dry-stone walls, with the total area of about 250 m2. Part of the green area is a permaculture garden with tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, lettuce and herbs. There are 3 fig trees, a persimmon tree and an almond tree. There is a parking space behind the house.

The house

   

The building is small according to standards of today, but it has one big open space 5 m x 6 m, with 4 m high ceiling. Behind a clay plastered partition wall there are a small bathroom and a storage room.

The furnishing of the house is very basic, because the whole experience is about inviting you to spending as much time outside as possible. In the main space there is a double bed, an expandable sofa, a table, an assortment of chairs and a provisional kitchen including a fridge with a freezer.

The bathroom is 1 m x 3 m, it has a shower and a washbasin with hot water. The composting toilet is fully mechanized so it needs no extra work – you use it as a ‘normal’ toilet, only no flushing is needed.
The washing machine is in the storage space.

The east wall of the house has a huge window that opens all the way to the terrace area with a table and chairs.

There is a hammock outside hung between 2 trees.

If you want extra sleeping space for kids (or adults), a tent can be put up in the garden.

The renovation
I invested years of my time, together with all available energy, financial and other resources to be able to renovate the house with mostly natural materials and traditional building techniques.

Stone walls were refurbished with lime mortar, partition wall is made of wood and reed panels, plastered with clay (made from local earth), the bathroom is coated in tadelakt, lots of wood in many forms was used – just to mention the highlights.

While using this house you support the local economy by repaying the hard labor, the quality materials used for the works and of course the local experts, who helped me rebuild the house.

Random information
There is no TV, no air-conditioning and no swimming pool. If you want additional entertainment to the above mentioned gems of Istria, I have some nice books you can dive into 🙂
There is limited data wi-fi usage available.
The house is not accessible for wheelchair users (yet).
Pets are welcome, but they need to stay in the green surfaces outside the house.

Requirements
I appreciate everyone using exclusively bio-degradable soaps, shampoos and dish-washing liquid at the premises (they will be available here) – gray water is processed by a plant-based wastewater purification system and used in the garden so the less chemical compounds we use, the easier it is for the environment.
The garden needs water to flourish and feed us, so I would appreciate you watering to the plants regularly while you are here during the hot dry summer.

Possible ways of using the premises and/or participating in the project
(for any kind of participation or arrangement please contact me to discuss options and availability)
– you can rent the premises and use them by yourself
– you can come when I’m here and help me as a volunteer or in another ingenious way of your choice
– you can come for a visit
– other options possible – our imagination is the only limit 🙂

If you are thinking about any option to get involved or just coming for a visit, please get in touch – my contacts are:

Phone/Whatsapp/Telegram: +386 41 649474
Skype: nina.kozin
E-mail: nina.kozin@gmail.com

So many of you have supported me on my path already. Without you the project would never have gotten this far and I am sincerely grateful to all of you. I hope you join me in the next step too – celebrating the works accomplished and visiting the house if you manage!

Istria has a special place in the hearts of many people.

The sky that is almost as pure and blue as the sea, the magic of misty mornings hovering over the beautiful landscape, the climate that can warm your soul up early in the year and stays like that until late fall, the smiles of the relaxed local people, the Mediterranean food in all its tastiness.

This year, 30 years are passing since my parents were lucky enough to have stumbled upon this tiny house. When I think of my summer holidays the stones of the façade, the cold water and the bus rides to the beach flash through my mind. I was a truly lucky child and it was impossible to experience that without having a piece of my heart stolen.

The house was left alone for long stretches of time and inevitably deterioration happened, nature took over. I didn’t want to let the house go completely, so with my family we agreed that I can renovate it. While the idea slowly turned from a vision to a somewhat perceivable reality, many ideas sprung to life.

 

What is my version of sustainability, this much (ab)used word that’s become so popular in the last years?

I would like to give people the opportunity to experience how beautiful life can be in a small house in a remote village on the margins of nature. I would like to create a place that will be comfortable, healthy, peaceful and will encourage the creativity of people with its simplicity.

 

What are the aspects that I find important, what are the goals?

• focus on quality and beauty of basic forms
• use natural materials as building elements
• use traditional building techniques combined with contemporary knowledge to create a comfortable living environment
• implement local knowledge to renovate the stone walls and employ local working force
• heat the house with locally sourced wood in a cast iron stove
• show that composting toilets really work
• purify grey water using wastewater treatment with aquatic plants
• sensible (re)use of water (gray water, rainwater)
• use environmentally friendly, locally produced materials (soap, shampoo, washing detergent, oil, vinegar, wine, olives,…)
• make a shelf of books amongst which anyone can find something to entertain their soul with as they sit in the garden watching the sun set in the vineyard
• promote designers and artists through a ‘living gallery’ – the objects that will be in use in the house and around it will be carefully selected products from people who we believe in – everything will be available for purchase, in case you never want to part with a specific object again (furniture, decoration, cosmetics, art, jewellery,…)
• use local plants to create a small permaculture garden that will produce herbs for cooking
• enable the experience of living in the nature: a bed under the stars, a cold shower in the garden, a space to put up a tent or just a sleeping bag
• give back to the community in the form of spreading the knowledge through workshops and restoration of dry stone walls that are characteristic for this landscape
• work only with people who are magnificent at what they do, who respect work and the efforts of other people
• use the space for creative writing workshops, yoga classes or tai chi chuan weekends
• engage contemporary methods of connecting people from all over the world (in the spirit of Home Exchange, Airbnb, Couchsurfing, Eatwith,…)
• learn about local plants and organize educational field trips in the local area using the gathered knowledge to prepare a meal together (with the plants we’ll pick on the way!)
• find and mark paths connecting the house with some of the sightseeing pearls in the vicinity (Dvigrad castle, Lim bay, the Sosići quarry with the ancient Maklavun bronze-age tomb, the old abandoned Kanfanar-Rovinj rail road, many local winemakers, numerous climbing sites,…).

In future posts, I plan to delve into many of these specific topics, since learning about each of them showed me some important aspects of dealing with natural materials and sustainable approach to building.

It has long been a dream of mine to create an environment using natural building materials that would give people the opportunity to experience sustainable architecture by themselves.

The perfect opportunity showed up: renovation of a vacation house, where I’ll be able to test my ideas out on paper as well as on site. I am endeavouring to renovate a small traditional stone house near Rovinj, the heart of Croatian Istria.

On the path of gaining knowledge and permits I have encountered many questions that were not easy to answer. Walking the unbeaten track of building with natural materials is not an easy assignment. In the hopes of helping the next enthusiast on the way to their dream building I decided to publish my experiences.

There is nothing like gaining knowledge through own experience. That is why I would like to provide people the possibility to participate in the workshops on natural materials. I would love it if you would join me to build the stone wall, learn about clay plasters or tadelakt.

I am looking forward to the day when I’ll be able to invite you to visit the completed house. Until then I will be more than happy if you will decide to share your ideas, thoughts and comments with me!