Category: Blog

During Martin’s trip to kick off the work, a meeting with Gino was needed. The preparation and meeting notes are below.

Preparation

I am coming to Colle di Compito at the end of the week.

I am available on:
• Thursday 23rd in the afternoon
• Friday 24th all day
• Monday 27th all day
I can also be available at the weekend if necessary.

I want to do everything possible to make sure it is a successful visit.
To ensure that, please:

1. Confirm a date and time to meet with Claudio from KR together with his plumber and electrician.
2. Confirm a date and time to move furniture with Claudio and his team.
3. Send updated quotes from KR for the internal and external work including: heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical, photovoltaic solution, insulation of the roof (with two options).
4. Send a quote from KR for the swimming pool.
5. Clarify whether the latest swimming pool solution has been formally submitted or just sent for a preliminary opinion of the superintendent (and when that was done).
6. Confirm that you have submitted the Cila for the internal works on the house (and when that was done).
7. Confirm that you have made the formal submission for the external works on the house (and when that was done).
8. Send the plans, solutions and other documents submitted to the comune.

To give me a chance to translate, print and review the quotes and submissions to the comune, I really need them by Tuesday afternoon at the latest.

We do want to get started on the internal works as soon as possible, but I have some concerns about the permissions. Can we be sure that we will have the permissions / responses from the comune quickly enough to allow the KR work to continue uninterrupted?

We think it would be best to fit aluminium shutters and that means getting them from someone other than Tambellini. It makes sense to fit them while we have the scaffolding. Can KR get and fit the shutters, or do we need to find a specialist shutter company?

If possible, I would like to meet with Tambellini to discuss the new door (and when the windows will be ready). Is that something we should do together or can I just go down to his workshop?

Thursday 23rd

Met with Gino and Alex to discuss permissions, quotes, contracts etc. These are my notes:

• The most recent submission for the permission for the pool was made to the comune on 18th Feb. This is the 4th revision.
• The submission for all the external work including the photovoltaic panels was made to the comune on 13th Feb.
• It generally takes around 20 days for the comune to do whatever they do and send it to the superintendent for them to grant permission.
• That means the external one is due to be sent to the superintendent now. Gino chased it up by phone at the meeting. They get notified by PEC when that happens. PEC is some special secure business email they use out here.
• Once with the superintendent, the external one should take a further 20 days (i.e. due around 25th March). The swimming pool one takes a little longer 20-30 days.
• Once we get a positive response for the external one, we’re in business. When we get a positive response for the pool, there us a further application that takes around 40 days.
• These are all calendar (not business) days.
• The pool will not fail. It just takes time.
• The external one is complicated by the photovoltaic panels. For those, we could get:
  1: yes roof
  2: yes garden
  3: no
• We discussed the yes garden option further and it’s not attractive. You need to surround it with hedge to hide it from view and that can cast shadows on the panels.
• I got pretty bloody stressed out about the panels as I’d thought we were pretty likely to get a yes. Apparently, it depends on whether the superintendent reads the application properly. If not, it could all go through on the nod. If he does, nothing is certain.
• It’s stressful as we’re looking at electric heating and cooling. That can all run on the main electricity supply so we can install it and then plug in the panels if and when we get the permission for those on the roof. I’m inclined to proceed on that basis and, if we get knocked back on the roof panels, just wait till there are more sensible rules re panels in centro storico.
• It’s normal to start work with permissions in progress and KR should be comfortable with that.
• The second topic was converting the quotes into contracts in time for KR to move furniture on Monday and start working that week.
• Klodian will come tomorrow with his electrician and plumber. We’ll go through the detail including marking up sockets and tracks. They can then revise the quotes based on the detailed requirements. I’m looking for a sensible reduction in the figure for assistance to electrician, plumber etc now we have no gas heating system.
• We can then sign up to the modified quotes putting anything panel related to one side.
• They will build in a mechanism such that only items undertaken and signed off by Gino will be charged.
• While Klodian is here I want to get a handle on how long the internal, external and pool elements will take. Firstly, to see if things can be organised so he’s not stop start. Secondly, to get some certainty about when we can have the house back.
• We need to decide about the roof insulation: none, whole roof, only the living room.

Laying out exactly what you expect in writing is the way to go. Over the last three weeks, we received:

• Quote from Michele.
• Quote from KR’s plumber (still includes GPL heating).
• Agreement from Gino to request full quotes from the various builders.
• Agreement from the comune for photovoltaics on the roof (also needs approval from the superintendenza di belle arte).
• Updated plans for the external works (to be sent to the comune for permission).
• Quotes from the KR electrician and plumber (including option to use heat pumps for both heating and cooling).
• Updated plans for the swimming pool (fully in ground).
• Combined heating and cooling solution.