Welcome to our Italy house renovation journey.
This page is the living timeline of our renovation. And it’s been an epic experience from the moment we got the keys and began to plan for work to watching our old countryside house in Piemonte transform into our dream home.
Here, you’ll find step-by-step updates showing what the house looked like when we bought it, demolition and structural work, layout changes, new plumbing and electrical, and eventually, putting everything back together.
You’re in the right place if you want a behind-the-scenes look at real renovation progress based on our firsthand experiences, including all the highs, the surprises and challenges, before-and-after reveals, and what it actually takes to renovate a house in Italy.
Curious about the full story behind buying and renovating this house? Check out our Italy House Step-by Step story.
You can follow along in order or jump to any of the renovation updates that interest you.
How the Renovation Began
When we bought our house in Italy, it was full of furniture, kitchen items, historic artifacts, and personal belongings. It felt like walking into a time capsule of generations and memories that had been left untouched for decades.
But before we could start any renovations, all of these things needed to be sorted through to decide what to keep and what to toss.
This process, along with planning the renovation project with our geometra and engineer, took about a year from the time we’d closed on the house. When those first workers arrived with their trucks for the demolition, we were both excited and nervous for the road ahead!
Before Renovation
- House Tour Part 1: Ground Floor, Courtyard, & Cantinas
- See what the ground floor, courtyard, barn, and cantinas looked when we bought the house before any work started.
- House Tour Part 2: Upper Floors
- Take a tour of the upper floors to see what the house looked like before any renovation work began.
- Prepping the House for Renovation
- See how we sorted through everything in the house deciding what to save and what to toss to prepare for construction.
Planning & Demolition
- Renovation Begins: First Days Overview
- Watch as demolition begins and see what got started first.
- Renovation Update Part 1 – Ground Floor Changes
- Come behind the scenes to see our planned changes like door-to-window swaps and wall removal.
- Renovation Update Part 2 – Upper Floor Changes
- See the planned updates and layout changes on the upper floors.
Renovation In Progress
Here you’ll see step by step how the work on the house progressed. This includes structural work we needed to do, layout changes, electrical and plumbing work, unexpected surprises, and exciting milestones.
This is the meat of the project. You’ll see how we went from demolition and rubble to what it looked like on a day-to-day basis as the house was fixed and changed from top to bottom.
- Renovation Update Part 3: Structural Work & Discoveries
- See what antiques we found under the stairs. Plus important structural updates like underfloor moisture protection.
- Renovation Surprise: Balcony Redo
- When we discovered the long balcony needed to be rebuilt on the courtyard side of the house.
- Renovation Update Part 4: Plaster, Electric & Plumbing
- Come behind the scenes to see the new doorway, plaster removal, and the planning for the electrical and plumbing placement.
- Renovation Update Part 5: Walls & Brick Restoration
- Watch as we decide which walls to plaster or restore the brick while keeping our budget in mind.
- Renovation Update Part 6: Sandblasting, Channeling, & Frustration
- See the sandblasted bricks and the new channels for future pipes. Plus, hear about our frustrations with the builder’s pace.
- Discoveries in the House
- Take a look at the family items, letters, and memorabilia found in the house during the renovation prep.
- Renovation Update 7: Builder Ghosts Us & Moving On
- See what happens when the builder ghosts us and we have to find a new local builder.
- Renovation Update Part 8: New Builder Arrives
- What the new builder started with as the work picked up again.
- Renovation Plans: Co-Living Considerations
- Explaining how we planned the house for shared living with family members.
- Cantina Tour: Wine Tank Room
- Tour the cantinas, including one room with a massive wine tank
Turning Point & Rebuild
- Renovation Update Part 9: Ground Floor Milestones
- See the tangible changes on the ground floor including the doors becoming windows and pipes/electrical getting roughed in.
- Renovation Update Part 10: Plaster & Subfloor Starts
- The plaster crew arrives and windows/doors get framed and walls get covered. Plus, they begin to pour the subfloor.
- To Be Continued…
Putting the House Back Together
The pouring of the sub-floors marks a turning point in our renovation journey. We were no longer watching as the house got stripped down to its bones and fixed.
We were watching as our countryside house in Piemonte was brought back to life. Watch as the floors go down, windows are restored, bathrooms and the kitchen get installed, the lights get hung, and all the finishing details that go into finishing the inside of the house.
This is also where you’ll find our before and after reveals as we have them!
Before & After Reveals
- Front Door Before & After
- See the before-and-after restoration of the front door.
- Courtyard Gate Before & After
- Check out the dramatic transformation of the courtyard’s old wooden gate.
- More coming soon!
Renovation Story Highlights
As the one who managed the project from start to finish, it’s hard to keep this section short. So I have to trust that the above posts will speak for themselves.
At the time of writing this, the most memorable positive moments all connect to major milestones…like changing doors to windows, seeing walls come down and the bricks get freed from all their peeling plaster. After that it was amazing to watch as new plaster was applied in some places and the exposed brick got repaired and restored.
I hope you’ll follow along to see how our renovation journey progresses! This page will continue to be updated as the renovation continues and I have new reveals to share.
If you have any questions about renovating in Italy, let me know below and I’ll reply. And if you know someone who’d like seeing this renovation journey, share this page using the share buttons.
