Give a hand with beautifying our property while exploring Italian culture in Vignola

Details

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  Description

  My wife and I are rescuing an abandoned 250 year old house on the banks of Lake Como.
  
  We are British, but we fell in love with the area, and are now based here full time. The Lake is very famous as a Summer spot, but its also amazing in the Winter. It has very little rain, is very calm and peaceful. If you're brave enough, the cold swimming is fun too.
  
  We are not professional builders, more like advanced DIY-ers... but we are will doing almost all the work ourselves. We are not living at the project, as we have another house nearby, and we have lots of space.
  
  We have been working on the house for nearly a year now, and it is nearly done, but we want some help getting it over the line!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  DIY and building projects
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Lake Como is a great place to get a feeling for Italian culture. Its cheap, its fun, and outside of peak tourist season its very relaxed and easy to interact with the locals.
  
  Very few people here speak English, so its great for learning Italian... and people are friendly when you suck ;).
  
  You will be hanging a lot with Emily and I. We are British and have lived in London, Munich and here in Lake Como. We are both learning Italian, and apart from the house building, there is a lot of fun stuff to do round here. Particularly rock climbing and hiking. We've got some friends here, but not so many stick around for the winter. We also have a dog and a cat that live with us.
  
  Before we came here, Emily worked making software for a London-based startup, and I use to work in the events industry.
  
  I can teach people how to build houses, or furniture. I am hoping that people can help me improve my Italian, or German... or rock climbing ;)

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  Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

  This host offers accommodation and payment.

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  Help

  We need House renovation help!
  
  There are 1000 jobs to do, some of which require some skill, some none at all. You can work whatever hours you like, and take on whatever jobs fit your skills.
  
  You can also use our tools, you dont need to bring anything at all. If you know what you are doing, great. If you dont - we can teach you!
  
  There is no minimum wage in Italy, but we will pay €8 an hour. We are aware this isn't much, but we will sort out your food & accommodation!
  
  Some of the things we need to do are:
  
  - Tiling
  - Rendering
  - Painting
  - Laying flooring
  - Installing windows
  - Installing a kitchen
  - Installing a new balcony
  - Endless cleaning.
  - Joinery / furniture making.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  German: Intermediate
  Italian: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  We are native British speakers, but I speak German and would like to keep learning more... and we are both learning Italian.
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  Accommodation

  We have an incredible house that overlooks the Lake, and you can stay with us. The second bedroom has a big double bed, desk, and wardrobe. You would have your own bathroom. If you like, we can cook and eat together. We will cover the cost.
  
  The house has everything you might expect, and we are very used to hosting people.
  
  When helping at the site - we make lunch on site too.

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  What else ...

  During your time off you can explore the local area and surrounding towns. You can take the ferry across the lake to the famous towns of Varenna and Bellagio.
  
  If you like hiking, you can explore the mountains with Emily and Bella (the dog).
  
  If you like rock-climbing, we can do that together!

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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

  Given that we are doing house building work, we need to stick to normal hours, and we cannot make noise at night... so the work you do with us would need to be at some point between 9-5 local time.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Campers are welcome, but we cannot have you at the house here, as you cannot get a camper up the road to the house, which is v steep and small. There are however spaces nearby that you can park. We also own a small plot of land about 200m away that might work. There are also lots of KILLER places on the Lake, which might be nicer.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We can take dogs, but only if they play well with other dogs (as we have one here), and if they dont want to sleep on the beds or sofas. Our dog is a floor dog. :(

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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