Learn new skills and fix my farmhouse and cabins in the vineyards of Burgenland, Austria

Details

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  Description

  I am living with my son Diego and our dog Loula in a small village in the South of Burgenland, one kilometre from the Hungarian Border. Surrounded by forests and fields, the soft rolling hills and the mild climate makes the region ideal for wine growing, especially for red wines.
  I am an anthropologist, born and raised in this very part of Austria before studying and traveling the world. I live in an old farmhouse that I renovated, turning a ruin into a comfy home. Starting from scratch I picked up a lot of skills in building, constructing and designing. It is an ongoing process as there ist little work that needs to be done around the house apart from maintenance. I also own two small cabins in the vineyards that I am turning into holiday homes. One is ready, the other one is still a ruin and waiting for some helping hands to fix it up.
  Since my eleven year old son also needs my attention when he is not in school I could use a hand or two in order to get things done. But I am not all work and no play; I enjoy having visitors around sharing my meals with a glass of wine in the evening and having interesting conversations.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Of course, you can learn about working with different tools and materials that I use for building and renovating. I try to use mostly sustainable building materials as well as reuse a lot of materials from torn down houses. I copy a lot of techniques from former times, but I also use modern electric tools to get things done faster.
  You will also get to know the place we are living in - people, food & drink, nature & culture.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  I spend a lot of time working in and around the house, fixing and maintaining our living space and creating new ones in my cabins. I am not so good at electric wiring and plumbing, but I understand a lot about simple carpentry, fixing foundations, walls, roofs and floors, as well as some basics about fixing furniture. I would say that some basic crafting skills are more than enough to help me and that motivation to do these kind of jobs is much more important.
  The project for this year is to start to fix the cabin that is still a ruin.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: 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.
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  Accommodation

  I have a beautiful, cosy guest room with a double bed in my house with an ensuite private bathroom attached.

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  What else ...

  As we are living in a very rural area – we have nature on our doorstep; fields, forests and vineyards are all waiting to be explored. Public transport is limited but hop on a bicycle to explore the area! Or if you need to go anywhere I might be able to drive you.
  
  I can also show you around the region, it’s not touristy at all compared to other places in Austria – but still waiting to be discovered. We are not very close to large cities, so you can really get your feet stuck into nature here and take a break from the hustle and bustle, noise, air and light pollution that big cities come with. And this is exactly what makes the place attractive to people who appreciate that.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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