Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
10 Sep 2023
Feedback
24
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Badges (3)
Details
Description
Hi! We are a young (ish) English couple living in rural continental Croatia with our two rather ferel young children, three dogs and two cats (one old and grumpy, one young and cuddly)
We live on an old farm situated in a beautiful location surrounded by rolling fields and forests yet only 45 minutes from Zagreb and 2½ hours from the coast.
Our property consists of a large farmhouse, barns and outbuildings surrounded by 10 acres of orchards, vineyards and agricultural land.
We settled here 9 years ago with the hopes of renovating and creating our perfect family home and developing our timber reclamation business.
We came to Croatia to take a step back, to live sustainably, more in harmony with nature and raise our family in a simple rural environment..... In reality we've never worked harder in our lives and are still far from completing the project but it's been an awesome journey so far and the kids are still alive so....... #winning :)
Invariably the arrival of the two small/not so small anymore children has slowed developments somewhat and our need for extra hands has become increasingly apparent!!!
Since the onset of this whole Covid business we've been a little off the grid just trying to maintain our sanity and look after our little family and local community........ But we've missed the Workaway vibe and as far as we've come in the last couple of years we are now ready for extra hands to push this little project forward.
We have become, in the last few years, a predominantly meat free house (one vegan, one vegetarian, one pescatarian and one carnivorous little boy) but my lovely wife is an awesome chef so you'll not be disappointed or ever go hungry....... But should you wish to cook then great, the kitchen is yours.
Lastly ....... Please ignore our reply rate. We kind of switched off from the world and focused on our little family during these weird times. Check out our reviews.... We are lovely, promise :)
Also please check the skills we need, we are chilled and fair but this isn't a holiday camp...... We have a lot to do, our life is busy so please read through everything and make sure we are going to 'fit'
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Enjoy a part of Croatia you would never usually see.... This is true rural Croatia, untouched by tourism.
Explore the wilderness we are surrounded by, listen to the silence (when the kids are asleep or at school!), get lost in the fields, find peace and relax. Work along side nature and explore your creativity.
We are happy to pass on all that we know and have experienced but what we most look forward to is the knowledge, experience and ideas you can bring.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
So here's where we are at.....
The main house renovations are nearly complete but there is a lot of finishing to do and character yet to inject.....
The beautiful original outbuildings...... All need major renovation work... oak framing, ground works, brick work, roofing, internal finishing, plumbing, electrics... We want to make this work as sustainable as possible and maintain the original 'soul' of the structures.
The grounds..... We have a lot of land, loads. This gives us a world of opportunities but also means a lot of maintenance.... One thing we are not short of is grass! General maintenance of the land is high on the list...
Other projects for the land include
:The design and construction of a kids adventure playground
:Fruit/Vegetable harvesting (and processing) when in season
:The ongoing design and creation of an outside social/party space.... Fire pit, BBQ, pizza oven, stone and timber seating
: The planting of trees to create a wild forest (we'd kind of like everyone who comes to plant a tree, to leave their mark here)
:Fencing/hedging....loads of fencing
: Building animal shelters to house all the animals we will no doubt rescue in the coming years.
Our Timber reclamation business is based on our grounds to and there are workshop renovation works to complete there.
We have two children, three dogs and two cats, all rescues (the animals, not the kids :) ) Our daughter is 8 and our son is 5. We are keen for them to interact, learn and play with people from varied and diverse backgrounds. They are great fun, full of mischief and personality and demand more energy than any other 'project' on site!
We try to do as much as we can by recycling materials and working with what we have here. We have a full woodworking machinery workshop on site and a digger and all terrain forklift so skills in the use of these would be great.... They certainly make life easier and give us a world of opportunity.
We are keen to reduce our use of chemicals in the home (outside is completely organic) by creating our own cleaning products and cosmetics...... This is ongoing and something we are exploring so any knowledge in this area would be welcome.
So come give us a hand, bring your creativity and enjoy some time in beautiful rural Croatia.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We have plenty of land so you can pitch a tent/campervan as close or as or far away from us as you like!
We also have a cosy room in the main house set up with a bed with fresh sheets/towels etc. We can set it up to sleep 1or 2 people.
You'll have use of the family kitchen and are welcome to eat with us, cook or help out and hang out with us whenever you like. We have two bathrooms with showers so plenty to go around.
We eat well and love our food, particularly Asian and north African cuisine. All meals provided but you are also welcome to cook and share your recipes.
Unlimited WiFi so you are welcome to hook up to that.
What else ...
We are located in Dubrava, near Vrbovec. The town has a bus station with buses running to Vrbovec (which has a mainline train station) and Zagreb.... Plus various other places.
We can pick you up from Zagreb if know in advance........
We often drive to the lesser seen parts of Croatia to source timber so you are welcome to tag along on those trips if you fancy an adventure.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have huge amounts of space, you can park up where you want...... We can provide some sort of electrical hook up.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (12)
They were both very warm and eager to help with a number of our ongoing projects. Daily tasks were approached enthusiastically with lots of watering of the food production areas needed during a drought period, daily dog walks, vegetable harvesting/processing… read more
We really enjoyed getting stuck in - both Tom and Eve will willingly give instruction… read more
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
They were both very warm and eager to help with a number of our ongoing projects. Daily tasks were approached enthusiastically with lots of watering of the food production areas needed during a drought period, daily dog walks, vegetable harvesting/processing… read more
We really enjoyed getting stuck in - both Tom and Eve will willingly give instruction… read more
One of their first tasks was to construct a large timber compost bin, a job that they completed with great skill and innovation...complete with a step, flower trough and volume gauge.
They then set to work renovating and repairing our old… read more
It was our first time hosting a family, and this family were the best possible introduction.
Jayne and Steve are a lovely, warm couple whose company we thoroughly enjoyed. The stories of their amazing family travels kept us entertained… read more
They are a very positive, enthusiastic and motivated couple who put their all into everything they did.
They did huge amounts of ground clearance and grass cutting for us, including tackling a long neglected vineyard...not a job for the faint hearted! It has… read more
Phoebe arrived at a time when winter illnesses were affecting our children unfortunately which meant her help was even more invaluable to us! She was fantastic with our 2 children, devising fun things for them to do (and distract)… read more
From the minute I met all members of the family (and their animals too!), I felt so welcome and included. Their hospitality and generosity was endless, from providing unbelievably… read more
Tom and Eve's work away experience was our first and we were spoilt no doubt.
As mentioned in their ad there is an endless amount of jobs to be done so you will not be… read more
They were involved in a massive project of concrete making and brick laying to build our workshop extensions and log store. In addition they helped us with dog walking, childcare (for two young children) and cooking (including some pretty awesome and very professional… read more
Neil and Tracy joined us for 6 weeks over October/November to assist with multiple tasks around our renovation project...we were blessed to have these two join the team!
They took on the lions share of the brick laying jobs that needed doing on the workshops and… read more
This was without a doubt, the best group we've had stay with us, we loved having a house full of such great people.
Joan and Laura were such a positive addition to the team, helping us with a huge amount of cement… read more
From the minute they arrived in our home, we were so so glad that they found us/we found them. Not only were they incredibly warm, genuine and interesting people, they were keen… read more
He immediately got involved with all aspects of our project, was hard-working, enthusiastic, motivated, sociable and friendly.
He was great with our children, our dogs and our cat and when he wasn't working, he was in the kitchen making bread and cakes!...Brilliant!
We have been very lucky to have had Alan cross our path… read more
I stayed with Tom and Eve for 2 weeks and it was a really nice experience, they have a very good project for the next year's so they will need workawayers :wink:
The house is beautiful, and Eve is an amazing chef.
You can ride a bicycle to explore the countryside, the small town is very close and Zagreb as well.
It was very… read more
