My love affair with Romanian entered a new phase a few days ago when we visited friends in the Bucovina town of Câmpulung Moldovenesc. These friends knew we were looking for a house in the region with idea of moving from the UK to Romania to live. At that time we were not thinking the chance of moving was better than 50/50; there were, and remain, many questions to be answered.
A traditional Bucovina timber house
The friends, Cătălin and his wife Carmen, knew also that we were looking, for preference, for a house in traditional Bucovina style, with a reasonable plot of land, at a price we might be able to afford. We also wanted it close to a major tourist route for Maramureș and Bucovina, two regions of Romania where Romanian traditional culture is best preserved.
When we arrived they told us they might have found the house we wanted, a few minutes on foot from where they lived. For me, it was particularly interesting as it was basically built of timber. We set off to see it, noting the location was just what we wanted, on the major route but far enough from the road to not hear the traffic, on the edge of the forest but only a short distance to the town centre.
Crossing a rickety wooden bridge over a stream then walking a short distance along a ‘street’ of grass, we looked over a fence to see a house from a fairy tale. Built from substantial timbers, infilled with clay, it has none of the environmentally unsound characteristics of houses built of ‘modern’ materials. As I said recently on my ‘journal’ of the present trip to Romania – Dusty2Romania – I can sense immediately I enter a house built of timber, the only other form of construction giving the same sense of peace and well-being being a strawbale house, and there are few of those in Romania.
Preserving a 100+ year old house
This house has stood for more than 100 years and will probably, with care, stand for another hundred, certainly for far longer than I or Petronela are living. Most Romanians would, unfortunately, demolish it and build a concrete, brick and plastic monstrosity in its place. If we are lucky enough to acquire it, we would preserve the existing house, only building a sympathetic extension on the rear.
Today we made a second visit, measured the rooms, outbuildings, examined the legal documents of title etc and, most important, talked a lot with the 85 years old present owner, leaving already calling her ‘Bunica Saveta’ – grandma Saveta.
Maybe we are a step closer to realising our dream.
August 16, 2017 at 10:41 am
It looks so serene.
August 15, 2017 at 8:39 pm
100 years old wooden house!? No problem, we are living in one – renovated. And as usual, if house stands for 100 years, it will stand 100 more with a good roof and care! You need to dream big and believe it can happen and then it will! Good luck with your dream! And listen to your heart!
August 16, 2017 at 5:29 am
Thank you ilzie. Will I see your house somewhere on your blog? It’s a very strange thing: for me, British, there is no doubt I will somehow achieve the move to Romania. For my wife Petronela, Romanian, her heart is in two places as we do live in a beautiful place in England. But I’m following your advice. By the way, congratulations on your 7th anniversary; we celebrate our 17th this year. x
August 16, 2017 at 5:38 am
There you can see the house in the background. It’s painted 7 years ago with water based color. We need to repaint it to protect the boards. Weather in Latvia is cold and wet also in summer. https://latvianmom.com/2017/05/22/worried/
August 15, 2017 at 10:06 am
So, it is getting serious 🙂 your love affair with Romania.
Very nice house and view. And the forest behind…it is a dream. You are right, we usually demolish old houses and build concrete cubes instead. I have noticed this in Maramureș, too. So traditional century old wooden houses with hand-crafted wooden gates next to modern colorful villas. A country of contrasts, as I usually put it.
I am keeping my fingers crossed for you to become “Bucovinian” 🙂
August 16, 2017 at 5:39 am
It is indeed! We are now wrestling with Romanian bureaucracy and, of course, everyone we speak to has a different opinion on how we should proceed: get the advice of a ‘notar’, we don’t need advice from a ‘notar’; make a ‘precontract’, don’t make a precontract – etc, etc. I have faith in ‘grandma Saveta’ and after a few days in Transylvania we will be going back to Bucovina earlier than intended to see if we can resolve something before we must leave for England. x
August 20, 2017 at 10:40 am
I am sorry to hear this. I know bureaucracy here from personal experience, but I am positive that the right solution will be found. We have a saying in Romanian: With patience and tobacco everything can be solved 🙂 You can change tobacco with another word 😉 I keep my fingers crossed for you 🙂
Sorry for getting back to you so late. I was away on a short holiday.
Give my best to Petronela XX
August 21, 2017 at 10:25 am
Thank you Iulia – I have said something similar about vehicles which break down: everything can be fixed with “ciocan și ciorap”. In fact the bureaucracy is now on hold; the prolem is now one of the daughters who is reluctant to give the ‘procura’ which will allow the elderly owner to sell; the younger daughter has already done it. We are now waiting to see what happens following a visit to her mother by the rekuctant one. Hope you enjoyed your short holiday. We are enjoying ours – super day yesterday in Gura Răului with a festival of traditional local costume, song and dance. P send her good wishes to you too.
August 15, 2017 at 6:22 am
Exciting times!
I do like the traditional look, very similar to the old houses in Poland many of which remain, even in the bigger towns. This one looks very well looked after.
There is a trend to build new in the old style, although the emphasis is on the wood and they can be a little log cabin like for my taste. Still, better than bricks and mortar.
August 16, 2017 at 6:01 am
Hi Eddy. I suspected there might be similar houses in Poland. I agree with you about the ‘log cabins’; there are many which have been built here to and, as you say, though they look like the ‘wild west’ rather than Romania. They are more acceptable than the eyesores. I was able to see the construction at the back of the old house on our second visit as there is a little wooden ‘extension’ a kind of store, where you can see the ‘tree trunks’ with the clay infill. We saw only one new build in the traditional style but it had pvc double (maybe triple’) glazung which rather spoilt the effect but certainly more acceptable than the weird and not so wonderful architecture of the concrete and plastic monstrosities. It sounds as though the Poles follow the same idea as the Romanians: go abroad, earn some money, first priority a car with performance (bloody Audis!), second priority a house far, far bigger than they can possibly use. As a result, there are many half built houses here, many of them now for sale as the owner has run out of cash.
August 16, 2017 at 9:41 am
You are very close to the mark, although it has to be said that the Poles are now returning and staying as the nation becomes more prosperous, but the BMW in the drive is a sure sign they worked abroad 🙂