We also bought a house in a Bulgarian village and found the same problems with dampness. Apparently it is a fairly common problem. But we love living here and never regret our decision to buy our home even though these types of problems are frustrating.
I've heard a few other people have had similar issues too, so at least we're not the only folk. I think it will be relatively easy to sort, once we can get to it. Bulgaria is so beautiful and it's worth the issues we're facing.. Take care.. 🙏😊
You've bought something like a whole estate. ❤ many buildings and land..... will need so much work. But don't overwork yourself. Don't be in a hurry. Just in a year, it will quite another thing.❤❤❤
Hello Phil Thanks for the Video...Great Vlog as usual...hope you and your wife are getting some down time. Phil the heavy lifting of Blocks etc...would you consider a Proper Wheel Barrow and or other equipment which would help you in your renovation work. I am sure many of your Subscribers would be happy to help out when they can ....especially the Wonderful Journey you are bringing every one on. Phil you deserve...set up a buy me a Coffee or whatever you feel suitable. Looking forward to helping in some small way. Mark....Dublin...Ireland
Hi Mark, that's so kind and thoughtful and we're so glad that you enjoy the vlogs. I'm happy enough that people are watching and that most folk are loving what we put out each time. For now, at least until we can't afford cat food for Oliver, we'll refrain from setting up anything like Buy Me A Coffee and see where the future leads us.. Thank you ever so much though 😊🙏 Regards Phil
Great video and what progress already! I am so glad you decided to keep the house - and love the way you are presenting the vlog of your renovations - your channel is rapidly becoming one of my fave BG Reno go-tos😊❤
Thank you guys, we're trying our best with it 😉👍 Bulgaria is beautiful and has such varied landscapes to visit.. Well worth visiting 😊👌 safe travels to you 🙏❤️
Ola Mr & Mrs C xx you are both certainly keeping busy! Bet your were buggered moving those blocks! It's lovely to see your progress, albeit a lot of graft to keep you both busy! Karen has done a great job of getting that plaster off too. Sorry I didn't comment on your last upload. Miss ya, love ya both to bits xx
@@amandahumble1874 I figured the blocks were a good way of helping reduce my mid section calorie store 😂 Karen did a brilliant job of the walls, even more so when you consider that she did the majority with a paint scraper and a chipping hammer..lolol Loving seeing your drawing updates btw...you're so flipping talented..😍 Love and Massive Hugs to you both.. Take care won't you 😊❤️❤️ xxx
Your property is very interesting with massive potential, looking forward to seeing what you do with it. We have a similar issue with damp behind wooden boards, which we believe is down to faulty guttering, gaps along the ground, and a leaky window, which has now been replaced. Hopefully, it can be sorted.
@@NewBulgarians I think it happens a lot, yes.. 👍 We're just looking at getting the gutter on the big house done for us.. I have neither the ladders nor experience to be doing that so high.. I'll do the Worker's House though.. 👍 Fingers crossed 🤞 your issue is sorted soon.. 😉
Making great progress guys! You can see the potential. Don't forget to put on an inspection cover somewhere in case you need to clear any blockages.. I didn't and I wish I had... 😊
Keep going guys. It will come good and all your hard work will be worth it. Already seeing a lot of results but such a pain about the damp in the big house😨. Amazing to see that oven! Take your time Phil and Karen and have a good rest of the week.
Thank you guys, we appreciate that.. The big house will be sorted in time, but in the meantime, the smaller house will be so much more 'us' after living in the van for so long..lol 😂 Take care both and thanks again.. 🙏❤️
Great to see you back with best vid yet,lot of work ahead ,you'll get there.now you found cause of damp,always hardest part you can sort it,looking forward to following your journey,Good luck.😊
Thank you Philip, so glad you enjoyed it 😊 we're happy that we've found the cause, so when it can be sorted out, things will be a lot better.. Take care 🙏😉
Exactly Mike..finding the source of damp is very hard, but one thing led to another here and it'a obvious that we've found ours..just need to tackle it in the future 😊🙏
It gets a bit overwhelming from time to time, even now..lol Small steps, starting from somewhere to sit or sleep is all it takes..that and knowing that tomorrow is another day.. 😉👍 Take care..
Busy busy busy. Oh my that's a huge oven. Plenty to keep you both occupied. Quick question Phil, how do you get rid of rubbish like the old floor liner etc. Be skips full of stuff back in uk. I'd love to be playing with the clearance work 😊 Take Care Both. Best of Luck with future plans. Love and Big Hugs 💙😻💜
Always busy Asa mate.. 😁👍 The bins we have in the village are the big four wheeled ones and they take any extra rubbish if it's placed next to the bins out here too.. a lot different to the UK 👍 Take care, safe travels to you mate.. Love and Big Hugs back to you.. 💜😻💙
@LillaHusVanlife that's good, just interesting to know what other countries do. Yeah lots better than the UK. Love and Big Hugs Both. Hope young Oliver is doing well 🙏
@@asaandthemarchharepart2903 Oliver is doing well mate..he has his own territory to wander and find new sleeping places whenever he fancies 😂 take care mate, hope life is going fantastic for you.. Love and Big Hugs back 🙏😻
I missed a couple videos and Wow! You have gotten a lot done! I enjoy watching you discover treasures. It’s so interesting to see how the houses are built and the materials used. Do you smell damp or mould in the houses? What are the future plans for the houses?
Haha! 😂 we like to keep busy most times, Stephanie.. 😉 Where Karen was chipping off the wall plaster, those cupboard units were covered in black mould inside and you could smell it so strongly at the time.. There's maybe a slight smell of damp in the big house kitchen but nothing really besides that now. Not totally sure on future plans for the properties, even now..there's a chance that we could maybe use one or other building as an Air BnB, but we're not sure whether there's much call for that in a village nowhere near the coast or mountains.. 🤷🏻♂️ Thank you for taking the time to catch up and for the comment..take care 😊🙏💜
Ask Santa for a wheelbarrow 😊 You guys are in the front line right now ,,your facing the main reason BG houses are cheap.Once yous get past this the hardest part you will be able to find the dream again and were here supporting it as well x
Have you had any feedback from the villagers about your work so far? Also, are there any relatives alive of the previous owners? It would be interesting to hear their views.
The villagers that have seen inside the walls are impressed by what we have done to the property, although to be fair for most people there has been no visible changes from the roadside. We've had a visit from a lifetime friend of the last owner..she was shown around by Karen and told her stories of some of the things that they both got up to and how they lived.. She said she was sure that the owner would have been happy with us being the owners.. 🙏😊👍
Toward the end of that video i thought, you need som grown up kids there helping you. I think with the run being so long, did you need access, just in case it blocks along the way. Which willl be winter with a house full of friends and family. The houses have no damp proofing, off levels and you knew to go after it and what needs to be done. The bricks look like they have no morter at all. Id pull them and pop them back with some morter. The open fires should dry them out along with the summer. The path, or what looks like one is supposed to push the water away from the house to stop damp. I find they are a bit too small in most of the builds ive seen. Careful hopping from one to another, youll think its fine when you start (to get them all done) but it can be a bit much. Remember get the roof, gutters and windows done first. While having a bath/shower and toilet are important.. its keeping the house dry would be the first stop point. I like the old wood burner water heater, if this house we are supposed to be buying comes through.. (problems) Can you keep it for me pretty please. The one there has rusted out the bottom :( Check if you have water issues from the mains, as you may want to pop in underground water storage (rain) for the garden /pool etc in the summer. While you have the digger there. Warmer and a lot less cloudy than the UK 😅
Luckily, the roofs are good and double glazing will be in next week..and in good time as it's currently around -5 overnight here.. You're spot on with the gutters and paths..when we get to ours, I'll be making it a chunk wider than it is. That plus gutter etc, should head us in the right direction with the damp. We'll be getting an inspection point in the longer run, in case of any blockages, just to be safe than sorry..lol Unfortunately, our videos never run actual time as it gives me leeway to do the graft and then edit, so the burner is already disposed of, or else you would have been welcome to it, I'm sorry.. Fingers crossed the problems with your purchase bugger off and you can start your project, although springtime would be better now it's cold overnight..lol Thanks again and take care 🙏😊
@LillaHusVanlife while it's up to you, my opinion is that they way roofs are done there is the downfall. The flashing around the chimney is a particular problem. The second being laying the tiles on a flat surface rather than latts. I'd take a good look at the roofing to ensure it's right. The project looking at is gone around most of the edges in parts, and some tree damage. I'm more worried that it's going to be part open over winter so was going to do a quick pop over and fix. But the aim was to board it (OSB) and cross latt with vapour layer and then tile it. That way it's going to last 50+ years. But I think I have some joists to replace as well. When you do the paths, you have to take care there isn't a catch point on the house wall. Then have them flow away, as you have the road on the same side it may drain towards the house, but you said french drain, so that should solve that. You may want to drop the ground height, and mix up some PVA and water and paint the low part of the wall to seal it. (Old damp proofing trick). You can do it on the inside too before plastering. I seem to notice that the work on the houses is more a bunch of small jobs rather than massive projects. Not sure what's going on as I've not heard back from the agent as to an update, so it may or may not happen, so back to looking again. The other half has started already as the problem is legal and things are not in order. So make it simple, they are willing, but me, not so much. Good luck, take your time set small goals.. -5 not as cold here, but not as warm during the day, foggy tops 12oC. But damp air night and day :(
Tell me you own a Bulgarian home when you can see daylight all round the home without telling me you can see daylight around your home 😂😂😂 We having fun filling holes in our Bulgarian home
We also bought a house in a Bulgarian village and found the same problems with dampness. Apparently it is a fairly common problem. But we love living here and never regret our decision to buy our home even though these types of problems are frustrating.
I've heard a few other people have had similar issues too, so at least we're not the only folk. I think it will be relatively easy to sort, once we can get to it. Bulgaria is so beautiful and it's worth the issues we're facing.. Take care.. 🙏😊
You've bought something like a whole estate. ❤ many buildings and land..... will need so much work. But don't overwork yourself. Don't be in a hurry. Just in a year, it will quite another thing.❤❤❤
Thank you Nadya, that's good advice.. 😊🙏❤️❤️
Hard work guys but you are doing a good job!
Hello Phil
Thanks for the Video...Great Vlog as usual...hope you and your wife are getting some down time.
Phil the heavy lifting of Blocks etc...would you consider a Proper Wheel Barrow and or other equipment which would help you in your renovation work. I am sure many of your Subscribers would be happy to help out when they can ....especially the Wonderful Journey you are bringing every one on. Phil you deserve...set up a buy me a Coffee or whatever you feel suitable. Looking forward to helping in some small way.
Mark....Dublin...Ireland
Hi Mark, that's so kind and thoughtful and we're so glad that you enjoy the vlogs.
I'm happy enough that people are watching and that most folk are loving what we put out each time.
For now, at least until we can't afford cat food for Oliver, we'll refrain from setting up anything like Buy Me A Coffee and see where the future leads us..
Thank you ever so much though 😊🙏
Regards Phil
Great video and what progress already! I am so glad you decided to keep the house - and love the way you are presenting the vlog of your renovations - your channel is rapidly becoming one of my fave BG Reno go-tos😊❤
Thank you so very much, I'm glad that you're enjoying following along with our journey.. Take care 😊❤️🙏
Fantastic video. You will have it looking amazing. Think a visit to Bulgaria is on our list next time we come to Europe. Thanks for sharing ❤
Thank you guys, we're trying our best with it 😉👍 Bulgaria is beautiful and has such varied landscapes to visit..
Well worth visiting 😊👌 safe travels to you 🙏❤️
Your doing a fantastic job ❤❤❤
Thank you so very much mate 😊🙏❤️❤️
Ola Mr & Mrs C xx you are both certainly keeping busy! Bet your were buggered moving those blocks! It's lovely to see your progress, albeit a lot of graft to keep you both busy! Karen has done a great job of getting that plaster off too. Sorry I didn't comment on your last upload. Miss ya, love ya both to bits xx
@@amandahumble1874 I figured the blocks were a good way of helping reduce my mid section calorie store 😂
Karen did a brilliant job of the walls, even more so when you consider that she did the majority with a paint scraper and a chipping hammer..lolol
Loving seeing your drawing updates btw...you're so flipping talented..😍
Love and Massive Hugs to you both..
Take care won't you 😊❤️❤️ xxx
I’ve missed all the digger work 😢 I’m so tempted to drive over in my work van and spend my winters working in Bulgaria 😂
😂 As long as you're not having to concrete outside in Winter, you'll be fine..lolol 😂
Your property is very interesting with massive potential, looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
We have a similar issue with damp behind wooden boards, which we believe is down to faulty guttering, gaps along the ground, and a leaky window, which has now been replaced. Hopefully, it can be sorted.
@@NewBulgarians I think it happens a lot, yes.. 👍 We're just looking at getting the gutter on the big house done for us.. I have neither the ladders nor experience to be doing that so high.. I'll do the Worker's House though.. 👍
Fingers crossed 🤞 your issue is sorted soon.. 😉
@@LillaHusVanlife good luck!
Making great progress guys! You can see the potential. Don't forget to put on an inspection cover somewhere in case you need to clear any blockages.. I didn't and I wish I had... 😊
I'm fairly sure we have one to put in near to the big house, Mike..it's a long run there, so it'll be wise.. Thank you 😊🙏
Keep going guys. It will come good and all your hard work will be worth it. Already seeing a lot of results but such a pain about the damp in the big house😨. Amazing to see that oven!
Take your time Phil and Karen and have a good rest of the week.
Thank you guys, we appreciate that.. The big house will be sorted in time, but in the meantime, the smaller house will be so much more 'us' after living in the van for so long..lol 😂 Take care both and thanks again.. 🙏❤️
Great to see you back with best vid yet,lot of work ahead ,you'll get there.now you found cause of damp,always hardest part you can sort it,looking forward to following your journey,Good luck.😊
Thank you Philip, so glad you enjoyed it 😊 we're happy that we've found the cause, so when it can be sorted out, things will be a lot better.. Take care 🙏😉
Your damp investigations are excellent! Glad you find the problem... Half solved.. 😊
Exactly Mike..finding the source of damp is very hard, but one thing led to another here and it'a obvious that we've found ours..just need to tackle it in the future 😊🙏
They're some lovely blocks 😉
@@leesparkes1524 they most certainly ARE Lee..we're very proud of our new bunker 😂😂👍
GOOD VIDEO YOU TWO HOPE YOU ENJOY YOURSELFS TAKE CARE
Thank you so much Barry, glad you enjoyed it.. 🙏 Take care won't you.. 😊💜
Well done it's all coming on .
Thank you Jane 😊🙏
Hi you are a hardworking couple good luck 😊
Thank you so much Rich.. Take care 😊
No leaning ? ;-) glad to see you are making progress !
😂 I lean several times a day Si..not always caught on camera is all..
🤷🏻♂️😂🤣😂
Progress is slow, but that's OK..
Hope you're well mate 😉👍
When trenching always flood any backfill when it looks level as it will cause soil compaction and avoid any sinking along the trench in the future .
Thank you, that's food for thought.. 👍
❤
❤️❤️
Great work guys, I know I couldn't do it I'd be too stressed on where to start.
It gets a bit overwhelming from time to time, even now..lol
Small steps, starting from somewhere to sit or sleep is all it takes..that and knowing that tomorrow is another day.. 😉👍 Take care..
My husband just said you are both hard workers. Just remember to take a rest to reenergise yourselves.
We try our best, Anne, thank you.. 🥰 Things have eased a little now, so we're not quite so rushed.. Take care 🙏
Busy busy busy. Oh my that's a huge oven. Plenty to keep you both occupied. Quick question Phil, how do you get rid of rubbish like the old floor liner etc. Be skips full of stuff back in uk. I'd love to be playing with the clearance work 😊 Take Care Both. Best of Luck with future plans. Love and Big Hugs 💙😻💜
Always busy Asa mate.. 😁👍 The bins we have in the village are the big four wheeled ones and they take any extra rubbish if it's placed next to the bins out here too.. a lot different to the UK 👍 Take care, safe travels to you mate.. Love and Big Hugs back to you.. 💜😻💙
@LillaHusVanlife that's good, just interesting to know what other countries do. Yeah lots better than the UK. Love and Big Hugs Both. Hope young Oliver is doing well 🙏
@@LillaHusVanlife lots different and much cheaper for the refuse collection than the UK also.
@@asaandthemarchharepart2903 Oliver is doing well mate..he has his own territory to wander and find new sleeping places whenever he fancies 😂 take care mate, hope life is going fantastic for you.. Love and Big Hugs back 🙏😻
I missed a couple videos and Wow! You have gotten a lot done! I enjoy watching you discover treasures. It’s so interesting to see how the houses are built and the materials used. Do you smell damp or mould in the houses? What are the future plans for the houses?
Haha! 😂 we like to keep busy most times, Stephanie.. 😉 Where Karen was chipping off the wall plaster, those cupboard units were covered in black mould inside and you could smell it so strongly at the time..
There's maybe a slight smell of damp in the big house kitchen but nothing really besides that now.
Not totally sure on future plans for the properties, even now..there's a chance that we could maybe use one or other building as an Air BnB, but we're not sure whether there's much call for that in a village nowhere near the coast or mountains.. 🤷🏻♂️ Thank you for taking the time to catch up and for the comment..take care 😊🙏💜
@@LillaHusVanlife There could be call for accommodation for people house hunting in the area maybe.
No bother to the pair of ya's, GO KAREN with the hammer..! Woop Woop!!!
She's in her element when demolishing things..lol 😂😂
Ask Santa for a wheelbarrow 😊 You guys are in the front line right now ,,your facing the main reason BG houses are cheap.Once yous get past this the hardest part you will be able to find the dream again and were here supporting it as well x
I might have to add it to my Christmas list..lol 😂 I'm sure things will come right, given time. Take care and thanks again 🙏❤️ x
Have you had any feedback from the villagers about your work so far? Also, are there any relatives alive of the previous owners? It would be interesting to hear their views.
The villagers that have seen inside the walls are impressed by what we have done to the property, although to be fair for most people there has been no visible changes from the roadside.
We've had a visit from a lifetime friend of the last owner..she was shown around by Karen and told her stories of some of the things that they both got up to and how they lived.. She said she was sure that the owner would have been happy with us being the owners..
🙏😊👍
Toward the end of that video i thought, you need som grown up kids there helping you.
I think with the run being so long, did you need access, just in case it blocks along the way. Which willl be winter with a house full of friends and family.
The houses have no damp proofing, off levels and you knew to go after it and what needs to be done. The bricks look like they have no morter at all. Id pull them and pop them back with some morter. The open fires should dry them out along with the summer.
The path, or what looks like one is supposed to push the water away from the house to stop damp. I find they are a bit too small in most of the builds ive seen.
Careful hopping from one to another, youll think its fine when you start (to get them all done) but it can be a bit much.
Remember get the roof, gutters and windows done first. While having a bath/shower and toilet are important.. its keeping the house dry would be the first stop point.
I like the old wood burner water heater, if this house we are supposed to be buying comes through.. (problems)
Can you keep it for me pretty please.
The one there has rusted out the bottom :(
Check if you have water issues from the mains, as you may want to pop in underground water storage (rain) for the garden /pool etc in the summer. While you have the digger there.
Warmer and a lot less cloudy than the UK 😅
Luckily, the roofs are good and double glazing will be in next week..and in good time as it's currently around -5 overnight here..
You're spot on with the gutters and paths..when we get to ours, I'll be making it a chunk wider than it is. That plus gutter etc, should head us in the right direction with the damp.
We'll be getting an inspection point in the longer run, in case of any blockages, just to be safe than sorry..lol
Unfortunately, our videos never run actual time as it gives me leeway to do the graft and then edit, so the burner is already disposed of, or else you would have been welcome to it, I'm sorry..
Fingers crossed the problems with your purchase bugger off and you can start your project, although springtime would be better now it's cold overnight..lol
Thanks again and take care 🙏😊
@LillaHusVanlife while it's up to you, my opinion is that they way roofs are done there is the downfall. The flashing around the chimney is a particular problem.
The second being laying the tiles on a flat surface rather than latts.
I'd take a good look at the roofing to ensure it's right.
The project looking at is gone around most of the edges in parts, and some tree damage. I'm more worried that it's going to be part open over winter so was going to do a quick pop over and fix. But the aim was to board it (OSB) and cross latt with vapour layer and then tile it. That way it's going to last 50+ years. But I think I have some joists to replace as well.
When you do the paths, you have to take care there isn't a catch point on the house wall. Then have them flow away, as you have the road on the same side it may drain towards the house, but you said french drain, so that should solve that. You may want to drop the ground height, and mix up some PVA and water and paint the low part of the wall to seal it. (Old damp proofing trick). You can do it on the inside too before plastering.
I seem to notice that the work on the houses is more a bunch of small jobs rather than massive projects.
Not sure what's going on as I've not heard back from the agent as to an update, so it may or may not happen, so back to looking again. The other half has started already as the problem is legal and things are not in order. So make it simple, they are willing, but me, not so much.
Good luck, take your time set small goals..
-5 not as cold here, but not as warm during the day, foggy tops 12oC. But damp air night and day :(
Tell me you own a Bulgarian home when you can see daylight all round the home without telling me you can see daylight around your home 😂😂😂
We having fun filling holes in our Bulgarian home
😂🤣😂 All part of the fun, Paul.!! Hahaha.!! 👍
We still love it @@LillaHusVanlife
Are you aware you should be fitting a septic tank not making a soakaway? New rules as from a couple of years ago. I had one fitted this year.
I left the pricing part to a company who worked out what was necessary for the area. I'll have a look into that, thanks 👍
I thought you'd decided to sell it.
All was explained in last weeks video..not sure if you've missed that one 🤔 it was on the market for a day, before we decided against that..
@LillaHusVanlife my bad. I did watch it but didn't twig 🤯
@kpurkis2191 no worries at all 😉👍