It is no surprise that it gets hot in Italy in summer, and we absolutely love that. But the last couple of summers have been really hot in Torino, and even with the balcony doors wide open on both sides all night, the temperature remained over 30deg. Additionally, the central heating doesn't always provide enough warmth early in the season. So this week we had a simple and cost-effective Samsung heat pump installed, which should eliminate both issues
04.02.2024
You might remember that I bought a beautiful old woodworm-infested butterfly dining table and turned most of it into a coffee table for the apartment. The other half of the chestnut tabletop was destined to be a matching space-saving, wall mounted, drop-down dining table for the apartment. I really like the character of the old wood, and I'm quite proud of the result, and of course it cost next to nothing as I got two tables out of one
04.02.2024
While Bibi went to Denmark, I stayed the weekend in Torino to get some work done on the kitchen. Specifically the hardwood worktop, a sustainable Australian hardwood in the eucalyptus family called Karri, and it really is very hard and heavy (900 kg/m3, where pine is 500 kg/m3). It was extremely difficult to cut, but I got there in the end, and now the worktop - and the white sink and tap - are in place, and the dishwasher is connected. I will make some shelves of the cut-off from the table
20.01.2024
While we were in Torino we got the two last pieces of white-goods delivered: fridge/freezer and washing machine. I also installed the oven, microwave and dishwasher that we had bought previously. The cabinets (which are white under the blue protective plastic) are almost in position. Next weekend I will cut the tabletop and install the white ceramic sink and tap. Then it's on to tiling and installing the extractor, and I'm done in the kitchen
25.11.2023
I have just started on the tiny kitchen in the apartment, so it's nowhere finished. But I know some of you are curious, so here is the IKEA CAD plan and some pictures of my progress. The 80cm wide drawers were not in stock in Torino, but I had them delivered to Costarainera already. I also need the integrated dishwasher delivered before I can fix the cabinets in place. But for now I can concentrate on the sink cabinet, where water/drainage just fits behind the cabinets
25.09.2023
We finally had the walls in the kitchen in Torino plastered after the plumber moved the gas boiler outside, and I did my first fit electrics.
Finding a plasterer to do the job was an absolute nightmare. The first guy I contacted came and priced up the job, but didn't turn up the day we agreed. The next four companies never responded. In the end, I contacted Marco, who's done most of the work at our house, and who shares his time between Torino and Liguria, just like us.
I'm almost done sanding the remaining walls, which are in a terrible condition, and then I can paint the room and get started on the IKEA kitchen installation. I like doing kitchens, and this one shouldn't take long as there are only four cabinets to install
15.05.2023
We don't want to furnish our apartment entirely from IKEA, so I bought an old butterfly-leaf dining table. It was absolutely riddled with woodworm, especially the legs, but I was going to cut them and turn it into a coffee table anyway. Many hours of sanding, woodworking, more sanding, oiling and waxing and the table looks as good as I hoped. The tabletop seems to be chestnut and came out in a deep reddish color after oil and wax that I really like
03.03.2023
I can work from home up to 14 days per month now, so work in the apartment is progressing slowly. I have removed all the old tiles from the kitchen and most of the rock-hard tile adhesive. We needed a new gas water heater anyway, so moved it outside on the balcony. This creates a bit more space and negates the need to have gas indoors, as we will move to an induction hob. Next step is creating new electric socket points and routing the cables, then we're ready to have the walls plastered
19.09.2022
Three trips to IKEA, eleven times up and down the stairs to the fifth floor carrying a total load of 240kg, followed by three evenings of assembly. Hard work, but now our 300x240cm wardrobes with sliding doors are installed. That means I could move the beds into the bedroom and it looks so much better now. Next job is the kitchenette, where I want to remove the old tiles, sort the electrics, and have the walls plastered before I do anything else
17.08.2022
Our new apartment needs some renovation. We decided to start with the bedroom and this weekend we got that completely decorated. You can't tell the difference in the pictures, but it's now white, bright and fresh (expect the radiator). Next step is purchase and installation of IKEA wardrobes. In the meantime we have installed our bed where the sofa will eventually go. With the addition of an old refrigerator, the apartment is now habitable and I can stay there when I'm in Torino for work
02.08.2022
After six months of waiting and uncertainly we finally closed the deal and got the keys to our new apartment in Via Limone 6. We only saw the apartment for 15min in February and were quite positively surprised by the condition now it's empty. Next step is to paint the bedroom and buy some wardrobes. The bathroom is functional, but we obviously need a complete new kitchen. Two new windows and two new balcony doors are also in consideration.
17.02.2022
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Someday soon, when covid restrictions are finally lifted, I need to return to the office at least 10 days per month, after 2 years of working from home in Costarainera. We have just had an offer accepted on a small 1-bedroom apartment in Via Limone 6 that will be our base when we're in Torino. It's on the top floor and needs a bit of work, but we got a really good deal. It's 1,5km from work, so I can walk in 20min and close to the tram to the city centre