Help with an interesting off-grid restoration project in Co. Roscommon, Ireland

Details

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  Description

  Come join us renovating our old house in rural Ireland set on an acre of trees. Once abandoned, covered by trees and bushes, and lived in by cows and badgers, this house is now a place where you can sleep, cook and relax (its definitely still pretty basic though). We have 1 double room and one room with bunks in it (both for guests) a comfortable lounge, a full size gas cooker, Water is on site but not plumbed into the house yet so we bring in water and get hot water by boiling up the kettle when washing dishes etc. We have a camping toilet temporarily upstairs and a flushing toilet downstairs and plan to put in a compostable toilet soon. We have an outdoor bath heated by gas and will be installing an outdoor shower this summer.
  
  The house itself is not far from Rathcroghan which is the oldest and largest unexcavated royal site in Europe - we are currently fixing some bikes to explore the area. Ideally we are looking for a couple or two people traveling together as they would have to be reasonably self sufficient as we are sometimes away from the house during the week depending on our work. Victor (56) and I (Donna, 54) have lots of exciting ideas for the house - recycling old furniture, planting out our garden and polytunnel, re-pointing the stonework on the house, roof maintenance, re-building stone walls around the property, dry lining and plastering some rooms and building a tree house. We enjoy boating, sailing, (there will probably be some work to do on the boats as well), kayaking. hiking and walking our beautiful dog Jessie. We love traveling, meeting people from all over the world and learning about different cultures.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The area we live in is steeped with Irish folklore and legend. Staying here gives a glimpse into life in rural Ireland from an Irish and New Zealand perspective as well as life within the boating community and the beautiful Irish waterways.

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  Help

  Type of help can vary from cooking, gardening, strimming, chainsaw work, painting, sanding, plastering, tiling, stone masonry work, bicycle repairs, boat maintenance, furniture restoration etc.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We enjoy learning a bit about different languages and cultures. Many years ago I had the pleasure of TEFL teaching in Turkey and Austria and had a wonderful time full of great memories.
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  Accommodation

  Room with bunk bed with bedding and towels provided inside the house with an indoor camping type toilet (portaloo) indoors. No mains electricity (currently using a generator when required) and water is brought in from tap outside. Gas for cooking and heating the outdoor bath. We have a stove in the kitchen and an open fire in the living room for warmth and portable gas heater for warmth in the bedrooms if required. Plenty of space outside to put up a tent and enjoy the fire pit on a still night (we have a tent with a couple of sleeping bags if needed).
  
  We will set up food supplies for 2 (3 days max) for you and then share cooking on other days and in the weekend. We have no fridge so we utilise a cool box with ice. It is a 30 minute bike ride for restaurants, supermarket, bank etc and a 20 minute bike ride for the nearest shop or service station. If you have specific dietary requirements we will leave it to you take responsibility for any additional supplies you need. We look forward to sharing our favourite dishes and learning to cook dishes from around the world.

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  What else ...

  Bikes will be available to use to explore the historic sites in the area and you're welcome to use the kayaks to explore the waterways. We can drop you off at the bus stop nearby which takes you anywhere in the country.

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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

  I work from home sometimes and have a modem that usually works OK but it can depend on the connectivity on the day.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We both have vans so we have space at the top of the driveway for one small campervan.

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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