Come and help us to build a small farm in Elaiochoria, northern Greece

Greece

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30
Last activity
22/10/2021
Reply rate
100.0 %
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Availability

2021

Min stay requested: at least a week

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What's this?

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Description
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 2021, 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
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
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What's this?
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
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.
Help
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 117m² 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) / clay sieving / 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 : plastering with cob outside and inside/ external chimney walls (wattle and daub technique)

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- October 2021: final plastering outside/ plastering inside / windows installation

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.

- November 2021 : internal walls (wattle and daub technique) / masonry stove building/ solar panels installation
- December 2021: final earthen floor/ stone drywall on the north of the house

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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 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
Languages spoken
Greek: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
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.
Accommodation
You can sleep on our field (plant your tent - we can offer our tent as well if you prefer - or park your motor-home), where our worksite is.
We are currently living in a small family house in the nearby village (10 minutes walking distance) where family members come over regularly.

There is running water in the field, a home made basic shower (the water is stored in a black tank that heats up the water during the day) and a compost toilet.
There is no electricity, but you can charge your batteries at the house.
Wi-fi internet is available at the house.

We're going to share meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and the food is going to be homemade and mostly vegetarian.

Vanessa works from home (from 10am until 7pm, Monday to Friday, more or less) so it is not possible to host digital nomads.

We have a dog, always staying at the field/ worksite, she's very friendly, she's most of the time unleashed, she loves company. We also have 2+ (up to 7, depending on the day) cats roaming around the house in the village, where we are sleeping.
What else ...
There are direct busses (KTEL Halkidikis) from the village to the first peninsula of Halkidiki (to Kallithea) and to villages around (N. Moudania, Kallikrateia...).

You can enjoy the simple country side around the small village of Elaiochoria, swim in the sea (around 10km away), explore the bushy hill behind the village, visit the Petralona cave, visit Holomontas mountain (~50km) , on the weekend you could go to the legendary Mount Olympus (150km away) or head East to the heart of the Halkidiki region (Sithonia, about 70km away).
Thessaloniki is about 50 km away from the village, you can reach it by bus.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
There is space for any size of campervan.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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Feedback left by and about host (30)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

02/10/2021

Left by Workawayer (Lucas) for host

This place is amazing!!!!
That's the first thought that comes to my head when I think about my stay at Yiannis and Vanessas project. I stayed for about two weeks, and it went by wayyyy too quickly!
Be prepared for delicious food, good insights and information about building techniques and for never-ending cuddles from Junam, the cutest doggie… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Lucas)

Lucas started his Greek adventure by helping us building the walls of the tower-external chimney of the house. He is a very easy-going guy: he is laid-back, kind, affable and happy to help. He is also very eager to explore, he does not miss a chance to check out new paths and to try out new things.
He definitely got some acrobatic skills during… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Eszter & Zsuzsa)

Zsuzsi and Eszter stayed over and helped us out for about 10 days. They are both very kind and grateful for anything that occurs to them: they never miss a chance to address nice words to anybody that surrounds them. As for the work, they are not the most independent but willing to learn new skills. Together we worked on the walls of the… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Pauline)

Pauline came to Elaiochoria as the first stop of the big adventure trip!
She is hard worker, eager to explore and to try out new things. She found out very fast about the joy of dipping bread into olive oil! She gave us a good hand with the plastering and the walls preparation for the house external chimney. She is also very communicative, she has… read more

(Excellent )

13/09/2021

Left by Workawayer (Pauline) for host

My first experience in Workaway and certainly one of my best experiences in life and sharing !
In terms of the work to be done, the tasks are interesting from all points of view when the return to basics is in line with our values.
Iannis and Vanessa explain and share their knowledge by adapting to each other's skills.
Nothing complicated,… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Pierre)

Pierre is such a bomb of good vibes! His presence lights up the environment around him. We enjoyed having him over our place: he is motivated, kind, helpful, flexible and always in a good mood! He is always willing to put his best in everything he does. During his stay, he helped us finishing up the first cob layer of the plastering and preparing… read more

(Excellent )

13/09/2021

Left by Workawayer (Pierre) for host

Well, what is there else to say except that this has been an AMAZING experience. Now, staying objective, everything worked out perfectly, so that at the end of my 10-day stay I felt I got a small family in Elochoria!

The work itself is not hard and in my opinion quite interesting. There are some days where it gets a bit repetitive, but Iannis… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Pilar & Manuel)

Pilar is the smiley soul of the team: she always finds a way to make everyone around her cheerful and part of the team. She spreads happiness!
During her stay, she helped us with the first layer of the external plastering of the house and with few other side jobs. She is always glad to help and to join in. Beside this, she is a great traveller,… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Noé)

Noé is a very smart guy, he has a deep interest in what he does. It was a pleasure to have him over for almost three weeks: he is discreet, motivated and a good team player. Together we worked on the first layer of the external plastering of the house: he is precise, meticulous and keen on achieving a good result in everything he does. Also, he… read more

(Excellent )

01/10/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Yasmine)

Yasmine spent a month over our place. She is a pleasant person to be around, very sociable, indeed, as many people have said of her, her smile is contagious: she has a lot of self-irony and she is always in a mood for a genuine laugh. During her stay, we worked on the cob preparation and on the external plastering of the house. She is not the… read more

(Excellent )

10/09/2021

Left by Workawayer (Zoé) for host

I went to Yannis and Vanessa's place in the middle of July.

I did really spend a good moment with them, they are just cool and its easy to get used to the organisation of the life in general .

The location of the house they build is so beautiful, what a pleasure
I think the only thing someone need to know is that the work is physical, nothing to… read more

(Excellent )

20/08/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Zoé)

Noé came all the way up to us, in the north of Greece, from a Cycladic island. During her stay, we mainly worked on getting the worksite ready for the plastering phase by sieving the soil and preparing the straw.
She has a very positive attitude and approach towards everything that surrounds her. She is always grateful and willing to try out new… read more

(Excellent )

20/08/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Vincent)

Vincent and Julian are two golden boys, they stayed over our place for almost two months and they definitely became part of our family. They're tireless and always full of enthusiasm.
Julian has a fantastic humour that makes everybody laugh and feeling cheerful. He has great endurance and patience. Vincent is a sweetheart, hard worker, always… read more

(Excellent )

20/08/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Marie & Maxime)

Marie and Maxime stayed over our place for a month. They helped us filling the walls of our house with straw and clay, we also worked on a variety of side tasks like cutting the young olives' branches and preparing the worksite for the cob plastering phase.
Maxime is very energetic and has spirit of initiative. Marie is a good listener and is the… read more

(Very good )

11/08/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Premysl)

Premysl came over our place by bike, all the way from Czech Republic!
He helped us building the traditional "sachnisi" structure for one of our windows.
We really appreciated his help: he is creative, respectful, precise and knows well how to work independently.
He's also very talented, both his drawings and his wood work are really… read more

(Excellent )

11/08/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Román)

Roman stayed over our place as the last part of his Greek trip, we're really happy he decided to come all the way to us and give us hand!
It was a pleasure spending time with him: he's deeply interested in what he does, he's proactive, hardworking and always eager to learn something new. We worked together on the first layer of cob plaster of our… read more

(Excellent )

10/08/2021

Left by Workawayer (Román) for host

I spent 10 days in Yiannis and Vanessa's house, and I must say that it was too short! They are a lovely young couple always smiling and very interesting. I really enjoyed working with Yiannis and the other volunteers every day, as I felt that our help was really valuable. We also had a lot of time to discuss natural building and Yiannis shared a… read more

(Excellent )

08/07/2021

Left by Workawayer (Riekert) for host

Yiannis and Vanessa are a cool young couple with a unique authentic way of living. We were lucky enough to be part of their project for a week during our travels in Greece, a week which was without a doubt the most memorable of the whole trip. It was quite hard physical work, which was in our case a nice change of pace from our usual life and very… read more

(Excellent )

23/06/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Riekert)

Riekert and Vera stayed over a week and help us filling the walls with straw and clay.
They are a very easy going couple, very communicative and outgoing. It was fun to share time and meals with them! They are also independent and have a genuine interest for the culture and the environment they are in.
We hope to see you again! We'll not forget… read more

(Excellent )

30/06/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Naghmeh)

Naghmeh gave us a big hand with the progress of our project.
She's determined, resourceful and has always an eye making sure that everyone is doing ok. She gave us a big support not only physically but also emotionally. We enjoyed listening to her life experiences and felt inspired by them.
We're grateful for your thoughtful and tireless… read more

(Excellent )

14/06/2021

Left by Workawayer (Naghmeh) for host

Being part of Vanessa and Yiannis' project was my first workaway experience and what a marvelous experience it was. I felt at home from the first moment and things just kept getting better and better by the minute.
I was inspired by Vanessa and Yiannis' genuine love and respect for everyone, every creature and our mother earth.
What they are… read more

(Excellent )

08/06/2021

Left by Workawayer (Cora) for host

I spent a month in the small village eleochoria with Yiannis and Vanessa. During my stay I met many of Yiannis' family members and after a month i really felt like integrated into a more or less traditional greek family which was a great and interesting and very new experience for me. Yiannis and Vanessa are both multilingual and impressed me with… read more

(Excellent )

07/06/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Cora)

Cora stayed over our place for a month, she's very motivated and hard working. She helped us with a wide variety of tasks: from the more delicate ones that require patience to the heavier ones that require strength. She's always willing to give a hand and eager to learn. We had many interesting chats about a broad range of topics, she's very… read more

(Excellent )

17/04/2021

Left by host for Workawayer (Valentine & Philippe)

We loved having Philippe and Valentine over!
They're hard workers and a great company.
It was really nice to share with them the progress of our project and to learn about their lives. They're motivated, descreet and always in the mood for a good laugh. Their trip is a real adventure! It was interesting to listen to stories about Switzerland and… read more

(Excellent )

16/04/2021

Left by Workawayer (Valentine & Philippe) for host

What an experience as it was a first one for us! We were so very well welcomed. Vanessa and Yiannis are interesting people, who dare to try and who like to share their knowledge and culture. Regarding work, they're determined but easy going at the same time and always let us the opportunity to choose. After a day outside, we would be talking about… read more

(Excellent )

28/06/2020

Left by Workawayer (Ruaridh) for host

I stayed with Yannis for about two weeks at some time around March and had a really nice stay in Elaiochoria. We made a LOT of adobe bricks, dug swales, and while there was no progress made with making the foundations of the house, we had a good time. He has a very beautiful meadow that will hopefully become a full permaculture project at some… read more

(Excellent )

30/12/2019

Left by Workawayer (Claudia) for host

Γεια σου, Yiannis! Thanks for hosting and taking care of me during that sunny week in October! I felt like home :)

For you, workawayer, if you are reading this, join Yiannis and Vanessa's project and help them building their house from scratch!! You won't regret it! Is there anything better than helping somebody build the place where they'll… read more

(Excellent )

07/11/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Claudia)

Claudia is a very easy going girl, eager to learn more stuff and even willing to try physical/laborious work. We advanced fast doing the adobe bricks and tried to learn from each other. She could already improve a bit her entry-level Greek within a week! And it was good for me to ''shake'' my rusty Spanish, by chatting in mixed English and Spanish… read more

(Excellent )

02/11/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (David)

Hosting and working with David was a real pleasure! Was the very begging of a project so we started from the scratch to set up a little worksite and start making adobe bricks. His skills and his positive energy made it a joyful experience. We had a nice cultural exchange and i learned a lot about Israel. Communication and working/living together… read more

(Excellent )

20/10/2019

Left by Workawayer (David) for host

If you want work with your hands and legs, expirience a real cultural exchange and to get inspiration for your own house.. then Yiannis's and Venessa's project is where you should definitely go to!
It was my honor to be the first volunteer at Yiannis's special project. As a volunteer I felt like a family in Yiannis's house, I found a warm host… read more

(Excellent )

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