Help with projects with plenty of time and space for yourself at an Off-Grid Cave House in Southern Spain

Details

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  Description

  The house is a recently reformed, unusual off-grid cave house on a hill with enough land to be self sufficient. Along with the principal residence, there is a self-contained guest annex. Dominic is vegetarian and Corinne is vegan. We have a dog, a cat and a sparrow who live in the house and expect our animal family to grow. I have had great experiences with Workaway, meeting interesting people and sharing experiences and time together. We are both interested in art, culture, history, psychology, philosophy, cooking, decor, hiking, animals and living a sustainable and holistic life.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The property is at 800m near a village of about 700 inhabitants on the Altiplano of Granada. We are in the UNESCO Global Geopark of Granada within the Badlands typical of the region. It is a very interesting area that has been settled since early times with traces of ancient peoples around with archeological digs and a Roman necropolis nearby. As part of the Emirate of Granada, this area was one of the last to fall in the conquest of Al-Andalus in 1491 and traces of this past are still visible with signal towers dotting the landscape, fortified buildings and a network of irrigation canals. We are right on a fertile river valley and there with many good walks nearby and the area is beautiful and unspoilt. The river has places good for bathing and there is also a huge outdoor swimming pool nearby. Very good dark skies for stargazing with no light pollution. The cities of Andalucia offer a great deal of cultural inspiration and are of great historical interest. I am thinking that one of the primary benefits to you is to have the opportunity to do your own thing, be it writing, painting, music or another creative outlet. We prefer to have guests who can tolerate their own company and are able to get on with their own things.

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  Help

  There is lots to do in the gardens like: preparing beds for planting, starting seeds, making terraces in the hill, setting irrigation lines, keeping plants healthy and happy, lots of watering when it gets hot, harvesting and conserving. As well as veggies we have ornamentals, fruit trees, olives and some citrus too. We also have a nice big greenhouse with a heated raised bed for tropicals. There is some hardscape construction and maintenance type projects like moving some soil, making large concrete planters, lining a storage area etc.
  There are lots of fun projects depending on time, interest and ability, including artistic ones such as helping to make hanging lamps, mosaics, a water feature and some painting. Then with food preservation such as fermenting and drying, making tempeh, growing mushrooms and helping to develop our apothecary garden for medicinal plants.
  We also appreciate help with general maintenance and cleaning and Hercules, our dog, enjoys nice long walks, so that is a fun way to explore the area.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Dutch: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  It would be great to have a native Spanish speaker stay and give us some intensive coaching.
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  Accommodation

  You will have a really nice one bedroom cave apartment all to yourself- it is luxurious even. There is a separate kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. All has underfloor heating, so very comfortable in the winter and as it is a cave, also very comfortable in the summer. Your bedroom has a skylight tower that lets light in and at the front you have your own private garden area. Solar powered with high speed internet. The living room has decent light if you require natural light for your own projects. The interior photos on this profile are all of the cave apartment that you would stay in. You have your own kitchen, so you will be independent food-wise.
  I am also open to having guests who prefer to buy their own food and so have more time to themselves, in that case your contribution could be something like 7-10 hours per week, depending on what kind of help you can offer. This is an ideal place for someone who is looking for a quiet place to take time out from the demands of normal life and be able to focus on something in particular for themselves.

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  What else ...

  We are vegan and vegetarian and prefer vegetarian Workawayers. The situation best suits couples as we are quite remote and you will be left to your own resources most of the time. We would consider singles, but as well as being a match for our needs - Spanish language, maintenance/construction and garden experience, you would have to be happy to have time for your own projects and want to spend time on your own. I am putting together an interesting collection of medicinal plants and fungi, so it would be an advantage if such things are of interest to you.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  Property has CAT6. Annex cave apartment has 20 MBS with own router so you can set up your own security. Off grid with solar power. Space can be easily configured for work with natural light. Outside garden area with south facing walled patio that creates a nice warm outdoor space in the winter and shaded area for the summer. Completely quiet.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We would consider it, it depends on the situation. Generally, as it can be disruptive to our pets, we prefer not.

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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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