Well, back 'home' now in the UK and have achieved quite a lot, including actually buying the place!! I have taken a few pics and will upload those as allowed on the postings, but all in in all, the place is not in bad condition at all, considering that it has been empty for a few years.
The architecture is typical for the build era, early 1960's Communal build traditional Dacha, two-foot-thick walls, made of what, I don't have any idea! Everything breathes, so no damp at all, despite having just come out of the wet and very cold winter without habitation! A little separation at the base of some of the walls, due to shrinkage, but no big deal. I had never been inside one of these before! They have a concrete socket and foundation that appears to be hollow... the floors are rammed earth covered with what looks like leather, but is presumably real linoleum in a terra-cotta colour (see pics).
The house outside is cutely traditionally decorated and the windows in the three rooms to the West are primitively double glazed (have an extra 'glazing' about six inches away from the outside windows, offset to the inside of the frames). The 'kitchen' has a wood-burning stove, built into the wall and so heating the room next to it, as on the plan in the first set of photos. In front of the entrance, the room to the back is storage, but will become the 'wet area' with shower, bidet and hand-basin and eventually a loo, too (once I have the sewage/drainage sorted out). The large room will be my workshop until I can build something next to the house (next year)
That funny building in the middle, is a door going underground to the winter storage and to the right a sort of Chicken-Quarters and some storage above...
Yes, I had thought of pigs... actually the white 'house' outside is divided into two rooms, the one of the left has a big oven in it (which I suspect was for a Vodka distillery!) and the room on the right was for a few pigs and a calf, with an outside pen, too. I don't really want animals at all, except a few chickens, perhaps, as they require religiously daily attention, or they will suffer. That would mean binding me to the property completely, as I am too far away from anywhere to be able to 'go and do things' without having to stay away from the dacha for longer than sensible.
So I have restricted myself to growing fruit and veg for myself and the chickens for eggs, as I don't eat much meat anyway these days! Just below and parallel to the entrance area (that will double as a greenhouse initially!) I have had an 8 metre-wide strip cultivated for veg that I will be planting (some as seedlings) when I get back in May; so all the later stuff like toms, paprika, beans, spinach, kale courgettes, pumpkin etc that doesn't mind too much when it is planted as long as it's warm enough and they get watered!. The chillis will have to make do with being inside this year and will be late starters. Carrots and spuds will also be in evidence and I'm going to try to grow stick celery there, which is almost unknown down there!
I have ordered apple, plum, peach and cherry trees (a good twenty of each) for autumn planting in rows down to the bottom edge and across nearly the whole width. The periphery will have walnut trees being planted all along the South and West borders and they will be interspersed with redcurrants, gooseberry and other shrubs and trees and low hedging to encourage and protect wildlife and give some wind/frost protection.
I'm also going to have a couple of bee-hives at the bottom, so the startup will be staggered and quite busy, quite apart from the work on the house to make it comfortable/habitable as stated in the previous post! Electricity is there, but I am still looking for a generator and will have to organise my own water, hot and cold, in the house (at present from a shared well on the street!), plumbing and heating (not nice, warm pigs, I'm afraid!).
I am really starting from nothing with virtually nothing (long story, but my parents basically bankrupted me - just don't ask!) and would appreciate any advice, as I have never done it quite like this before, what with the new language and all, too! A complete administrative nightmare, too, but it will all work out eventually! All I need now is to beg, buy, borrow or steal a vehicle, grab my kit and some tools that I need to take and I'm off by road to the dark side of the moon! YAY!
So here are some pics and enjoy!!
Topic: Ukraine update (Read 2784 times)
