How Kurt renovates an old house in the Apuseni

The story of Kurt, who, as a "pensioner", settled with his wife in the Apuseni, follows the one started in Cisnădioara. I arrived in Vișagu, not far from Cluj, where I met a man in love with the place where he decided to settle, a man involved in community life and happy.

In the Apuseni, to Kurt's house

Leaving with difficulty the place in Cisnădioara, which was inviting us to rest and laze, we left towards the Apuseni mountains and arrived at a house in Vișagu, which was in the process of being completely renovated with natural materials from Naturalpaint and in Belis, at a log cabin (about which we'll tell another time). The plan was to go to Vișagu first, and then spend the night at the log cabin. But on the Apuseni hills, where the Naturalpaint team was working, in Vișagu, the phone signal was very weak and we couldn't make the meeting, so we went straight to Beliș where we stayed overnight.

The next morning we managed to talk to Nicu, the builder from Naturalpaint Construct, who warned us that the road to the house was quite hard and that he'd better come and pick us up. The road, yes, quite rutted, narrow and steep, however, the scenery and quietness of the area absolutely delightful. The houses thrown on a hillside here and there perfectly outlined an early September picture.

Kurt hadn't arrived yet and while waiting for him, Nicu and I talked about the project they have here in this little corner of "paradise". When we arrived they were working on the main house in which the owner would live. An old house in the area, being transformed on the inside to have all the facilities, and on the outside keeping as much as possible of the original look and specificity of the area. After the completion of the main house, a small wooden construction, impossible to save due to advanced decay, was to be demolished. On the foundation of this house, a new houses on wooden structure (timber frame type), also in the spirit of the place, a house to be used as a guest house for friends. The project will be continued next year because, in addition to the two houses and a small painting studio for his wife, Kurt plans to renovate others into holiday homes for tourists.

Kurt, the Austrian from Vișagu

When Kurt made his appearance, if we hadn't heard him speak, we would have thought he was a local man come to lend a hand. He came to us cheerful and cheerful, eager to tell us as much as he could about the new phase in his life. Kurt fell in love with Romania before he settled here. He worked in Romania years ago, liked the places and the people and decided to settle here. When he became a 'pensioner' he and his wife decided to sell everything and come to Romania. At first they looked for something in the south of the country, near Bucharest, but everything was too "flat". Together with some friends he ended up in the Apuseni and fell hopelessly in love with the area. They stayed in Vișagu and became part of the community here. He is very happy with the peace and quiet here, the beauty of the landscape and the people. He feels he has arrived in paradise and wants to stay here in peace.

"My wife wanted all natural"

The house is restored only with natural products. It was the wish of the wife who inquired and discovered Gutex and Kreidezeit products. The interior and exterior insulation of the house - walls, attic, roof, floor - is made with Gutex wood fibre panelsof different thicknesses. From Gutex there are also films that protect the house against moisture. The walls are plastered with lime plaster from Kreidezeit. Also from Kreidezeit is lime paint for interior and exterior walls and the oils with which the floorboards will be finished, the beams and the beams to be built according to the local model.

Kurt wants to build a studio for his wife, who is passionate about painting. A shed used by the former owners to keep pigs will be demolished and the studio built on its site. Naturally, natural products will also be used here. In the meantime, the wife's first project will be the beehive. The lady has decided that the boys will be in charge of the construction, while she will be responsible for finishing it.

It will follow

We weren't there for more than two hours, but we had already fallen in love with it. There was a deep silence, as only in mountain villages you can "hear" and a peace that enveloped you. Small, tiled houses stood out on the hills like toys. Kurt's passion for these places had also touched us. We left with the promise that we would return to see the house at the end.

We salute you, Kurt!