Dear BP-ers,

This is to introduce a new member of BP: Maja Mozetic. Maja first
wrote to me several weeks ago with the story of a major conservation
challenge which she is facing with the old stone house she inherited
from her grandfather. Somehow she had found my website and sent me a
passionate appeal for help with some of the problems she is facing.
My belief is that Maja's grandfather made a very wise choice in
selecting her as the new owner of his house.
The house is located in a village in Croatia and, while traditional
building techniques are probably still alive and well there, Maja is
finding it very difficult to get good advice on some of the problems
she is facing.
Rather than tell Maja's story I think it best if I simply pass on
extracts from her email messages to me:

-----------------------------------------< MESSAGE
SEPARATOR >--------------------------------------------

I have inherited an old house from my grandpa and I
am in the middle of reconstructing and decorating it. This house
dates before the time of Napoleon, it must be at least 200 years
old, made entirely of stone, no bathroom.
The walls are twisted, the roof is old and the whole house is wet.
The walls must be at least 1,50m wide, which makes
it difficult for  rearranging things.
...... the roof is leaking, so I have to change it.
This is a very expensive thing to do. I WANT to keep
the house because it has history, soul and warmth. The
walls are twisted because they are made of solid
natural stone  ....... I have also discovered that my house was originally
completely different and smaller of course, and that
every new member of the family just built another room
where there was enough place for that. Not even the
windows and the doors are equall.
  I have come across some "good" advice from parents and
friends who suggest to leave the house, sell it and
buy a flat which is of course much cheaper to furnish
and keep. I think their suggestion is reasonable and
good meant but I am somehow romantic and optimistic
about this house. I have managed to restore some of
its interiors and I am very pleased with the effect I
got. Every new thing gives me strength to go further.

-----------------------------------------< MESSAGE
SEPARATOR >--------------------------------------------

There is a wealth of expertise on BP and I hope that Maja will be
able to call on us all for the help that she clearly needs --
particularly in the areas of masonry and roofing. From her email
messages I think the roof is the first problem to tackle and there
may be structural issues as well. Please make her welcome and
encourage her to ask all those questions for which at the moment she
has no answers.



-- --
Ian Evans
The World of Old Houses: http://www.oldhouses.com.au
Publisher: The Flannel Flower Press Pty Ltd
PO Box 591, Mullumbimby, New South Wales, Australia 2482
Phone/fax: +612 6684 7677 Email: [log in to unmask]