Help with creating a sustainable and welcoming home while enjoying Slovenia, Ptujska Gora

Details

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  Description

  We are a german-austrian couple who decided to start living off grid on our 7500m² property in the Haloze region of Slovenia. We want to create a self sustainable, permaculture based but most important heartwarming and welcoming home for our family and visitors. We came here in two and now we are already five living beings: our ten month old daughter, our dog, a cat and us two.
  We are very exited to create a place full of joy and love by respecting nature and it's valuable ressourcen.
  
  Feel free to ask any questions for your stay.
  
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  (!) SHORT NOTICE UPDATE FROM 2nd APRIL on: We would need help preparing the garden for the upcoming season. We had a cancellation from a couple who wanted to come, join and help but they changed their plans and cancelled suddenly. We counted on them and other people on our list already made other plans. So therefore a last minute call.
  
  Where immediate help is needed:
  - preparing old vineyard terraces for garden beds where we are going to plant vegetables this year and which will develop into a food forest over time
  - finishing the second garden: Currently we work with a special machine for digging up the garden (much faster than by hand ) for making the whole area ready. Then we would need you to work on the enjoyable part: making it nice and beautiful for the upcoming planting season, forming pathways and garden beds.
  - building a structure for our solar panels
  - planting trees
  - cleaning, preparing and leveling the site for our upcoming construction projects. It's the place where we are going to build a guesthouse with earth (cob technique) for future workaway guests.
  
  Duration: 1-2 weeks
  People needed: 1 or 2
  
  Accomodation: We provide you our little 30m2 house it is equipped with a gas stove and wood oven. Very simple and down to earth. There is no running water, but we will bring fresh spring water there. There is also no electricity, but we can charge your phone etc at another place of course.
  We sleep at a different house 10min car drive away and come during the day for working, eating and spending time together.
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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Help around the house
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As a trained architect working for many years in the field of sustainable construction I can teach a lot of insights from earth architecture and strawbale buildings. I'm happy to share knowledge of how to make a proper earth mix for earthen plaster and solid earth walls as well as directly testing it at our projects planned. Staying in Africa on construction sites taught me more about build than any company in Europe whilst sitting in front of the computer could have ever provided.
  
  We both travelled a lot around the world so we are also very happy to exchange experiences and stories.
  
  We believe that it's not just about the work you do outside in the physical world, it's even more important to constantly work on your inner world too. In short, meditation is a constant in our lives. Only though practice we can detach and be fully present and happy. Therefore our property also provides a safe place for silence, meditation and inner work if you need a day for resting and recharging your batteries from a physical challenging day.
  
  If you are interested in nature it's the perfect place to stay. We live in a chestnut forest, remote and away from the noise of the city. But by car you can reach any supermarket in 20min.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We have several projects on our wish list.
  Here are the different works we are planning to do:
  
  -In the garden we need help for digging terrace beds for our vegetables and preparing the beds with mulch, leaves and compost for the next gardening season.
  
  -Next to it we are going to build a passive solar greenhouse. Therefore we need help in digging, erecting the wooden structure, building a rammed earth wall and adding the facade with details.
  
  -Planting trees
  
  -cutting and taking care of the vineyard
  (We have a lot of grapevine, but barely time to take care of it this year, because of the arrival of our daughter. There is a lot to learn about and an interesting skill to have for this area.)
  
  Therefore anyone interested in gardening, knowledge in permaculture, construction and living off grid for creating a self sufficient home is more than welcome to join us.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Slovenian: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  During the cold months we offer the following sleeping option:
  A small house with 30m2 including a kitchen with a gas stove, a simple wooden oven for heating the house, an outdoor dry toilet and simple outdoor shower. Water can be heated on the gas stove so that it's not so chilly to shower during the cold months.
  
  There is no electricity nor running water here yet. We bring water from another place.
  
  For the warm month we offer the following sleeping option:
  Placing a tent or a hammock or anything that suits you for sleeping in nature, all that is also possible anywhere on our property.
  Furthermore one of our most urgent projects is, that we plan to build an earthen guesthouse for you! So that you can sleep in your own natural building when you are here.
  
  In summer we provide breakfast and dinner.
  Now in autumn we handle it slightly different. We provide one cooked meal per working day, but you are free to use the kitchen any time. On days where we don't work it could be the case that you have to cook on your own, food will be in the kitchen.

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  What else ...

  As I mentioned we live here in an area full of wine but not just that, we are also surrounded by chestnut trees. Both is seasonal now!
  This is the perfect time for collection chestnuts for free and preparing them on a bonfire while drinking Sturm (very sweet in taste and it's the first wine in autumn).
  We both don't drink alcohol but I mention the Sturm together with the chestnuts as its a traditional thing during this time of the year. But chestnuts we eat :)

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  If you have a big car it can be challenging to come up the road as the turns are very narrow. You have to park you car and walk the mast 3 minutes by foot to the house. The second way up is easier and goes all the way to our property but only when you have a 4 wheel car. Because the last few hundred meters are a forest street. Please let us know before arrival so that we can decide which would be the best way to take.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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