Greece
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IMPORTANT: Since the help required from now on is quite specific, we prefer to host people who are specifically interested in natural construction.
Hello everybody!
We're a Greek-Italian couple that after living around Europe for several years, decided to move back to the South, close to the warm breeze of the dear Mediterranean sea. Within the year 2022, we aim to put the basis of an ecological family farm where we want to settle down and live in simplicity. We are located in Elaiochoria, Halkidiki (50 km South of Thessaloniki).
Check below the details!
Vanessa & Yiannis
Help with Eco Projects
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
You -and we- can learn about eco-construction, Greek culture, language and music and of course taste local, seasonal food :) Exchange ideas about life, simplicity, sustainability.
IMPORTANT: Since the work required from now on is quite specific, we prefer to host people who are specifically interested in natural construction.
We are building a 120m² with rather natural materials & techniques. The house will be built mostly with the light straw clay technique. Here you may find, briefly, some phases of the construction given on a non-strict schedule:
- September - November 2020: installing the worksite/ excavation/ foundations, perimeter and land drains
- December 2020 - January - February 2021: timber frame and roofing
- March - April 2021: earthen floor/ adobe bricks (bathroom walls building)/ external chimney
- May- June 2021: walls filling with straw and clay
- July 2021: plastering and masonry stove preparations/ hut building/ plumbing/ electricity installation
- August - September 2021 : first layer plastering with cob outside and inside/ external chimney walls (wattle and daub)
- October 2021: final plastering outside/ first layer internal plastering/ windows installation
- November 2021 : first layer internal plastering/ masonry stove building/ solar panels installation
- December 2021: masonry stove building
- January 2022: cave wooden stairs/ green roof layer building/ second layer internal plastering
- February 2022: built-in furniture building/ second layer internal plastering/ draining system fix
- March 2022: internal plastering/ green roof/ water storages finishing/ draining system fix/ adobe bricks
- April 2022: internal plastering/ green roof/ gutter and water collection system/ wooden floor and stairs
- May 2022: internal walls (wattle and daub + adobe bricks)/ final earthen floor/ wooden stairs
- June 2022: bathroom finishing/ mezzanine wooden floor/ plastering
- July 2022: earthen floor/ built-in furniture building
- August 2022: final earthen floor/ tadelakt/ adobe building/ plastering
- September 2022: plastering/ built-in furniture building
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Beware: it is a repetitive work, which can be tiring, it includes lifting different weights (cob mix, buckets...) and climbing ladders and scaffolds up and down. It is also fun and definitely a crucial part for the construction process!
Bring clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
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FARMING
Beside our worksite, we planted quite a lot of trees and a small vegetables garden on our land, we try to grow them following the permaculture idea.
We also work and help maintaining the olive fields of Yiannis' family (not permaculture based), from March until November lots of different works needs to get done there.
(Olives collection: from September to November)
Languages spoken
Greek: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
This host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
SLEEPING: You will be sleeping on the field (you can plant your tent - we can offer our tent as well if you prefer - or park your motor-home), where the worksite is. During the cold months, the tent can be placed inside the worksite walls (there are the walls and the windows but no door yet).
We are currently living in a small house in the nearby village, Elaiochoria, (10 minutes walking distance) where family members come over regularly.
Vanessa works from home, at the house in the village (from 10am until 7pm, Monday to Friday, more or less) so it is not possible to host digital nomads or share the space in the house during her working hours.
WATER AND ENERGY: There is running water in the field, a home made basic shower and a compost toilet.
There is electricity on the worksite, you can charge your batteries there or at the house in the village.
Wi-fi is available at the house in the village.
For the laundry, you can hand wash your clothes in a bucket at the field (we can provide washing product). We share a washing machine with the family at the house, therefore we don't make more than 2 laundries per month, when the time comes, you can put your clothes together with ours.
FOOD: We're going to share meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and the food is going to be homemade, seasonal and mostly vegetarian (meat and fish only occasionally). For the days off, if you stay around, we can provide a cold simple meal (ex. bread, cheese and olives). No help is needed for cooking.
ANIMALS: We have a dog (Junam) always staying at the field/ worksite, she's very friendly and loves company. She does not get along well with other dogs so unfortunately it's not possible to host volunteers with pets.
We also have several cats roaming around the house in the village.
Thessaloniki is about 50 km away from the village, you can reach it by bus.
The closest airport is Thessaloniki airport (SKG).
ACTIVITIES TO DO AROUND: you can enjoy the country side around the small village of Elaiochoria, go to the sea (around 10km away), explore the bushy hill behind the village, visit the Petralona cave, hike on Holomontas mountain (~50km), go to the legendary Mount Olympus (150km away) or head East to the heart of the Halkidiki region (Sithonia, about 70km away).
There are direct busses (KTEL Halkidikis) from the village to Thessaloniki, to the first peninsula of Halkidiki (to Kallithea) and to villages around (N. Moudania, Kallikrateia...).
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
There is space for any size of campervan.
More than two
5 hours a day, 5 days a week (Monday to Friday)
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