The First Step Toward Restoring Our Italian Farmhouse | Ep. 8

We bought an old stone house in the mountains of Italy… and now we’re starting the biggest renovation project so far. In this episode, we begin transforming the basement level of our 3-story Italian stone house into our very first future guest room — a space that had been abandoned, damp, and unused for many years. What once served as a dark storage room filled with old furniture and moving boxes is now slowly becoming part of a much bigger dream. Over the past weeks we: demolished the old bathroom, removed damaged walls and materials, worked with Italian contractors & a geometra, redesigned the layout of the future guest suite, installed upcycled custom doors, and explored the first real challenges of renovating an old house in Italy. But just when things finally started moving forward… we discovered a problem that might completely change the renovation. We are Nicolas and Bieke, a Belgian couple with two small dogs — Miguel & Mirabel. In 2025, we sold everything and moved from Belgium to Italy to buy and restore two old stone houses in the mountains of Umbria. This channel documents the real journey of buying property in Italy as foreigners — from the house search and paperwork to renovating a ruin step by step and building a new life abroad. 🌿 On this channel you’ll find: – buying a house in Italy – the real cost of moving to Italy – renovating old stone houses in Umbria – navigating Italian laws and bureaucracy – learning Italian as beginners – expat life in rural Italy with two dogs No romantic filters. No “Instagram Italy.” Just the honest process of starting over in another country. Our long-term goal is to transform these stone houses into a small boutique B&B and retreat space in the Italian countryside. 🎬 New documentary-style episodes every 2 weeks. If you’re dreaming of moving to Italy, renovating abroad, or building a life from scratch — subscribe and follow our journey. 00:00 A Forgotten Room Beneath Our Italian House 00:41 Old Photos & The Future Vision 02:36 Demolition Begins 04:45 Meeting the Geometra & Contractors 05:05 Our Upcycled Italian Doors 05:33 When the Volvo Became a Tow Truck 😅 06:00 Life Outside the Renovation 08:10 The Guest Room Starts Taking Shape 08:35 Will we have to demolish everything again? 09:04 A Discovery That Might Change Everything… italy renovation living in italy renovating in italy italian stone house moving to italy italy vlog italy renovation project old house renovation stone house restoration italian countryside umbria italy renovation vlog diy renovation guest room renovation slow living off grid living homestead italy buying a house in italy renovating abroad italian dream expat life italy cinematic vlog country life italian home renovation abandoned room renovation future guest room rustic renovation italy house restoration european renovation living abroad