From Concrete Chaos to Sunset Bliss: More Adventures in Building Our Dream Home

Here we are again with another chapter of “How to Build a House in Crete (and Stay (Mostly) Sane)”. If you’ve been following along, you’ll remember that in our last post, we had finally conquered the dreaded Greek bureaucracy and were ready to build without further hiccups.

Well… almost.

The foundation walls were done and the next step was filling in the gaps with soil, rocks, and whatever solid stuff was lying around. We also had one last olive tree to move — a task that was meant to happen back in March, but… let’s just say time moves differently here. Like, slower. Much slower.

Everything was planned. We were ready.

And then the excavator broke.

Yes, the excavator. The one needed to do all the work. One day before it was supposed to start.

Cue dramatic sigh.

They tried fixing it, they even took it to a workshop, but at that point, Michel and Jasmin had enough. Even though it wasn’t the crew’s fault, it was time for action. So they rang up their senior architect — freshly recovered from surgery (because of course, why not add that to the mix?) — and demanded a proper plan.

She worked her magic and managed to organize another excavator. The crew worked two solid days in a row and got everything done just in time for the next big milestone: the ground floor slab.

And here’s where things get extra spicy.

The concrete delivery was scheduled for Thursday. All systems go. Until Tuesday, when the dreaded message came in: “We do not have water.”

WHAT.

Again? Seriously?

Michel went straight to the water office in Tavronitis, ready for battle — this time, speaking only Greek. Not by choice, mind you. The lady in charge apparently forbade her staff from speaking English, because “the young man is making an effort.” Great in theory. Not so great when the house might crumble from bad concrete.

They assured him the water would be back Wednesday, for sure by Thursday. Phew.

Except, plot twist: at 8:00 Wednesday morning, Michel got a call from Giorgos:
“The concrete is coming today.”

Wait… WHAT?!

They had to reschedule. It was either Wednesday or next week. No time to argue. Michel raced to the land. Still no water. Panic mode activated.

But then Giorgos had a genius idea: ask the neighbor.

And you know what? The neighbor said yes.

So, thanks to a kind Cretan soul, we borrowed water from his water source, just in time for the concrete truck’s arrival. Michel — in full construction mode — helped water the slab himself 😉. And just as they finished? Our own water finally came back. Perfect timing for the sprinkler system.

And then — the moment we’ll never forget — Jasmin, Jane, and Michel stood together on their freshly poured ground floor, watching the sun set over the hills. Our first sunset from our future home. A little dusty, a little sweaty, but completely magical.

From there, things actually went smoothly. (I know — we’re shocked too.)

The crew began the columns. And on June 4th — Jasmin and Michel’s wedding anniversary ❤️ — they poured the concrete. A pretty unforgettable way to mark the day!

Next up: formwork for the first floor begins next week. We are officially building up now. Hurray!

Thanks for cheering us on through all the madness. More updates (and hopefully fewer surprises) soon!