LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 This is a link to a public album for the house we start trying to get tomorrow. Features you can't see... It includes a gardener and pool service. It has heated floors (so winter utilities are low) It is located in Avellino...which is closer to the mountains. It has 2 garbage disposals (one in each kitchen...first time I've seen that!) It has a pool house with 2 bathrooms. It has plenty of room for a garden and a dog. It has an incredible security system. It's new... And, the gold furniture upstairs came from Dubai...(it's not staying). Most of the furniture isn't staying. I don't need to risk doggie or kiddie mishaps. Apparently, the woman who chose all of the colors really likes gold...not my style...but I figure I'll go with it. Now...I need a navy blue or a red colored living room set ;) And...a really nice kitchen table. Time to put my husband to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 WOW. Looks like a magical place to spend a few years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Beautiful!! Enjoy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Does it come with maid service? That house is HUGE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 @Lisa On your FB you said "I want this one" so that is the one for you and your family. As a PP wrote, you will need a Maid. Check carefully, into the regulations there. We had to terminate our Maid, for Financial reasons, a number of years ago, which was sad for her and for us. Here in Colombia, not only did we need to pay her salary, and her medical insurance, but there was also a Pension, that made it impossible for us. The Pension was just not possible for us to pay for. Enjoy your time in Italy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow- absolutely beautiful. It looks like a piece of paradise to me. Most of the decor is tasteful or fun and quirky and it would be fun to live with it. Except the girls bathroom. Wow on that pink and purple-ness! I have a niece who would die to have a bathroom like that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 What a totally groovy house! I think maybe you should keep that round bed, yolo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow! That's really something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 How long will you be in Italy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Link goes to your facebook which I can't view as I'm not on facebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Beautiful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 How exciting! I bet you'll love it there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 The #1 reason most of the furniture would go is because it is expensive. Apparently, the owners spent roughly 250,000 euro on furnishings. If something were to happen to them...UGH! There's a 15,000 euro painting in the basement. My dh was like...yeah...have that taken out before my kids breathe on it...lol In general, the kids aren't destructive -- but the custom window treatments, the custom round bed, the furniture from Dubai, the custom benches in the kitchen, the light colored couches, and gorgeous bar stools/table things, in the basement...yeah...not chancing it. All it takes is one bored puppy, or one sick kid to cause me a world of financial hurt! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 So. . . if you have a gardener for the garden, will you have a pool boy for the pool?! :w00t: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Enormous! It's practically a mansion! Not at all what comes to mind when I think of most European homes... Your dh is military, right? Apparently my generalized idea of what military life is like is very far off the mark, LOL! Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Love love love the garden! And the view. And the laundry, bathrooms, kitchen...the house looks so spacious! My younger girls would go crazy over the purple bathroom! What are those locker-looking things? Are those working fireplaces? I understand what you mean about wanting "family friendly" furnishings. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow! That is unbelievably humungous! What do people do with 2 kitchens? Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Beautiful! A pool AND a built-in cappuccino maker?? :p Enjoy! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow! That is unbelievably humungous! What do people do with 2 kitchens? Enjoy! Two kitchens are fairly common amongst Europeans. We have a very multi-cultural community. Houses here often have two kitchens. Some use them as canning kitchens. Some have the "show" kitchen and the working kitchen. My own German family would us a downstairs kitchen for canning, etc. I'd love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 You're never going to want to come back to the US. That's a great house. All that gold is NOT my taste at all and would absolutely have to go. Let us know if you get it. Your housing allowance must be really high! If we had lived off post in Germany, our housing allowance would have been roughly 3000 Euro, and in the area we lived in wouldn't have gotten us a house nearly that size. Many of the off post houses in Germany had 2 kitchens, but mostly because the downstairs area (where the second kitchen was located) was a separate apt, where grandparents or older children lived. One of my friends had a 5 story house (lots of houses in Germany are tall and skinny to save space) with an apt in the basement with a kitchen and bath, a kitchen on the ground floor, and a small kitchenette on the 5th floor near the MB, with a built in coffee machine. She had 3 kitchens and 6 bathrooms to clean! While she had loads of room (about 3 times the space we had in our on post quarters), she was constantly cleaning. She finally got a maid! She didn't have to pay pension or healthcare though. BTW, this was in a lower COL area than where we were and her husband was much higher ranked than James Bond, so their housing allowance was pretty high, even in the lower COL area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 All that gold is NOT my taste at all and would absolutely have to go. Same here. It's a bit too Louis XIV for me. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyz Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 It looks quite beautiful. However the lack of windows and natural light would drive me a bit batty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 So. . . if you have a gardener for the garden, will you have a pool boy for the pool?! :w00t: Tsk, tsk. Jean, where are you going with this? You mean someone who stands at the ready to slip your robe off your shoulders before you throw your svelte self into the waves? I would have serious nightmares about cleaning the place - but since you have a gardener and a pool boy (now that Jean has suggested it), I am sure you can have the Italian version of the Merry Maids come through every other day.... :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I can't see it either. But it sounds like a fun how to raise kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 The "locker looking thingies" are built in storage. Closets aren't really "done" often here (I've seen a few...but not many). The built in storage also means a lot less furniture to purchase (whew!) I still need a bunch of book cases...and a little furniture...but we should be able to get by without purchasing too much. The house is about 35 minutes from Capo (where my husband works, and about 30 minutes from the support site...commissary, exchange, schools, etc.) So...the houses aren't 'marked up" for the American market :p The good part about being that far away, is that there is less of an issue with toxic food from local markets (the toxic waste dumping and burning is becoming a huge problem in the greater Naples area...with cancer rates skyrocketing.) Avellino doesn't have the dumping and burning issues...and the illegal waste disposal of the mafia was really focused closer in (an area with a lot of American housing...and every house I saw in that area had me or my husband in hives or other allergic reactions...) The air is cleaner, and there are a lot fewer mosquitos in Avellino. So...we will be quite removed from much of the hustle and bustle, with a very small group of Americans living there (although, I"m going to be recruiting!) Multiple kitchens...the reason for the basement kitchen is because the upstairs kitchens "get so hot." That's also the reason for the tiny ovens...haha (teeny-tiny). The vast majority of the houses I looked at had at least 2 kitchens (one had FOUR). But yes, part of the idea is that there could be a separate apartment. This house has a big basement kitchen (which will be my baking kitchen...and our main kitchen). The upstairs kitchen will be more for breakfast and entertaining. It is a huge house (5000 sq. ft), but not really much bigger than the house we had in VA (except my basement wasn't finished!). The radiant heating will also help keep dust down ;) I'll just have to keep to our cleaning routine! We'll keep homeschooling at this location -- but the kids will do everything else (other than scouts and AHG) -- with the locals. I'm excited about that. I'm excited about the fruit and vegetable stands, the butchers and bakers...Avellino is a really cute town (and there are two other small towns close by we can shop as well). We'll probably only be in the Naples area about 2x a week. There are still a lot of things we have to iron out (the house has to be approved by housing, first), and until it is...it can't be mine. So that is what I'll be working on this week. But, we can really see ourselves living there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessReplanted Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Two kitchens are fairly common amongst Europeans. We have a very multi-cultural community. Houses here often have two kitchens. Some use them as canning kitchens. Some have the "show" kitchen and the working kitchen. My own German family would us a downstairs kitchen for canning, etc. I'd love it! That sounds wonderful! I just can't imagine having that much space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifesadream83 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Enormous! It's practically a mansion! Not at all what comes to mind when I think of most European homes... Your dh is military, right? Apparently my generalized idea of what military life is like is very far off the mark, LOL! Enjoy! My husband it an officer in the Army and we could not live like that! I promise you that is not standard...amazing don't get me wrong... but not the norm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camelfeet Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Looks awesome, I'd totally live there! And, the gold furniture upstairs came from Dubai...(it's not staying). When I saw the furniture, I thought that the people who decorated have about the same taste as the Emiratis so I'm kinda pleased I was on the mark! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 That looks amazing! I'm jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Lisa, it's a lovely home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 3, 2013 Author Share Posted November 3, 2013 due to our family's size...and dh's pay grade...it's "flag money." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I love the built-in storage! Beautiful space. Not my style of decor, except the yellow attic kids' room :coolgleamA: , but in your situation I'd be adjusting my tastes for the sense of adventure! Good luck with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paige Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 It's beautiful! We just got back from a vacation that included Rome and I am so jealous. We left the kids home but they would have loved it. I'm going to tell DH that he needs to find a way to get stationed in Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Gorgeous! I hope you get it :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 With another government shutdown possible, is this place cheap enough to allow you to build up some savings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 My husband it an officer in the Army and we could not live like that! I promise you that is not standard...amazing don't get me wrong... but not the norm Same here! There's no way our OHA would cover something like that! I WISH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 I am imagining that in summer. :) Hope you get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Congrats on finding such a neat place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Wow! We lived on the economy in Sicily for 3 years and I never saw anything approaching this. I don't think I could handle that much house, but you only live once. I hope you get your wish. The heated floors are the best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hikin' Mama Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 That is gorgeous! Do you need a nanny? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 It is beautiful! I hope you get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 Speechless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 When does the Hive get to visit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 The house is absolutely beautiful! I do wonder...could you trade the gardener for a maid? :D That is a ton of cleaning. As others have said, though, you only live once. I hope you get it, and enjoy it immensely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 With another government shutdown possible, is this place cheap enough to allow you to build up some savings? We receive a housing allowance while we are here. We don't get to keep any "extra" we don't spend. It's use or lose. Is the place cheap enough so that we could pay for it out of our own money? For a short period...yes. However, there is nothing available that would accommodate our family size, that is in a safe area, that we don't break out into various allergic reactions upon remaining in the area for 30 minutes (dh and I both had hives within 30 minutes of our arrival to certain areas...most likely due to the illegal trash burning...and the trash being burned isn't leaves...think tires, medical waste, etc.)...OR that isn't in one of the "triangles of death." (see various studies on the toxic waste dumping by the Mafia in the Campania region...and the massive increases in cancers, deformities, miscarriages, and toxins in the food). This one has the easiest commute -- and should the gov't shutdown, and my husband have to work w/o pay (like 90% of the civilian people here), we would do what we could (hoping they would allow telecommuting, because fuel isn't exactly cheap). We also still have our house payment back home (although our house is now under a rental contract...YAY!). However, we are still "ahead" approximately $2,000/month due to the rental contract. This is divided up between school savings and savings. I'm also working (I don't make a ton right now...but it's enough to pay for "extras"). We will be planting some trees on the property (lemon, apple, clementines), and I'll be putting in a garden (green beans, some squash, corn, watermelon, strawberries...tomatoes...) to help with some costs. Meat is incredibly expensive, so I will be doing everything I can to save money elsewhere to allow us to purchase meat. We may have chickens while we are there...but I have to figure out where I can get them!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Wow! That is one amazing house! I think the girl's bathroom is kind of neat. Loud, but perfect for little girls. One question.... Can I come live in the basement? Oh, wait, another question, was that 2 washers and a dryer in the laundry, or 1 washer, 2 dryers? Now that. is a cool laundry room! Good luck! Fingers crossed for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 Wow! That is one amazing house! I think the girl's bathroom is kind of neat. Loud, but perfect for little girls. One question.... Can I come live in the basement? Oh, wait, another question, was that 2 washers and a dryer in the laundry, or 1 washer, 2 dryers? Now that. is a cool laundry room! Good luck! Fingers crossed for you. Yes...the pink/purple tie-dye bathroom is a bit over-the-top. However, Blondie will be 12, and Boo 9 when we leave Italy...so I think they'll be okay until then :D What's weird, is that most of the houses are either junky or way over the top...not many fall "in the middle." I've seen about 3 that are more neutral. That is 2 washers and one dryer. Most people hang out their clothes...as I have been doing since we got here. I expect I'll continue to hang out all of the towels, and some of the things that seem to do better hanging than in the dryer...but I'll definitely use the dryer for socks and underwear! I am sort-of hoping, the wardrobes in the laundry room go. I have a bunch of heavy-duty shelving, and some things that won't work with those...(my tubs of hand-me downs...my bulk pantry items...that kind of thing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted November 4, 2013 Author Share Posted November 4, 2013 Alright...if you've seen the pictures, you've seen the upstairs kitchen. I want a 6' round table in there. My husband can easily make a Pottery-Barn inspired "storage" table...but I'm afraid it isn't "modern" enough feeling (it's more cottage/country). So...I was thinking of a custom-rod-iron base with a stained wooden top? If I didn't intend to ship the table home, I'd do granite or marble...but that would be 1000 pounds :p I also like the idea of glass...but keeping it clean...hahaha! (of course, I could just keep table cloths over it...but then why bother with the pretty glass? Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 Wow! Gorgeous house. Best wishes to you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 4, 2013 Share Posted November 4, 2013 That is awesome. Love it....it is so far out there....kind of over the top but fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.