From the very beginning

Back in June 2018 my dear husband was tinkering in the garage and came up with an idea: "How about we buy a house in Estonia? Nothing big, just something nice and close to your family. No renovation project, must be ready to use immediately." At the time we lived in England and had done so for best part of a decade. Visits to see my family in Estonia were few and far apart due to our busy schedules and I guess somewhat also to avoid uprooting and setting our lives around someone else for few weeks at the time, which always comes with some stresses and problems.

Shocked as I was to this statement I started searching available properties. Too small, too expensive, too far, too poor condition, too exposed etc. Well, you get the idea. Until I found "Kello" as I call it with original name. It was love from first sight for me. Grand limestone buildings surrounded by approx 80 acres of old meadows, forest and 5km of dry stone walls. In need of some love and care. At least this is how I saw it. My husband however saw a large unmanageable renovation project with huge bill attached to it. Some buildings unsafe to be in and a modern barn conversion that was long way from completion. This was exactly what he did not want for a holiday home. Being in UK at the time we sent my family to look at the place, video and report back their verdict - "Buy it! Definitely" Well those were the words from my mother, who is in love with old buildings and like me, loves a project. We looked again at the sale photos, videos and satellite imagery and my imagination started running at its own course. My dear husband started slowly seeing my vision but more so, saw potential in overgrown forest and fields covered in "Pokus" (see more on what they are here: The Poku Book and Pokus. He was excited in his own way and about two months later we flew over to Estonia, viewed the house, fell in love again and signed the deeds the following morning.

This was the very start of a long journey and a large project that we managed from 1000 miles away. A dream in making, one that would change our lives beyond recognition in just couple of years.