First impressions

Click on the photographs to enlarge them!


The buildings scale can be seen here in this view from the second entrance. To make use of this entrance with it's flatter access road; would mean putting in a road across the garden to the garage which is situated on the far side of the building. The car is parked at the garage entrance.

The horses were not included unfortunately, the large stallion in the left foreground was particularly friendly and followed me around the garden. He nuzzled be continually as I attempted to take my photographs of the property.

The front entrance to the Villa is uninviting. The large scale of the building is emphasized by the steps leading to the front door. Steps constructed in concrete but roughly rendered give a poor impression.



This is the first view of the house as you approach from the main road. There is a second entrance across the land on the south side of the house.

What we thought of as a new house when viewed it on the internet is obviously in need of updating. And in many areas the house needs to 'finished'.

Urban plot

This land surrounding the house is urban which means construction subject to planning regulations should be possible. The land to the right of this area is the finca which is non urbanisable and can only be used for farming.



This unmade road is the main access to the house, although we were told by the house owner it is a private road it is in fact owned by the local authority.

The yellow coloured building is a storage facility owned by a door manufacturer who is based in the village. That storage building was built by the owner of this house, and he operated it as a bread bakery. Eight years ago the property was divided and sold by a bank who had forclosed his mortgage.

The concrete slab inside the wall is the top of the old septic tank 'fos-septica' although the house is now connected to the village water and sewerage systems.



Outside the fence is the shared private road; it is shared by the owner of the house, the factory storage, the partialy constructed house and an adjoining farmer.

Unfinished Villa in Ordis

This Villa had been constructed 17 years earlier but remained unfinished. The facade had crumbling cornice, was unpainted and the lower half was roughly rendered.

When we spoke to builders and agents they told us that the rendered area should be finished with a stone facing material, applied in an irregular pattern, the stone material is called 'Piedra' ; from the Latin for Peter - 'and on this rock I shall build...'

The deep south

Almond plantations in full bloom against the bluest of skies in Almeria had looked very seductive. Though the practicalities of living in an isolated finca with only a few 2nd home owners providing occasional company soon redressed the balance.

Murcia was a lovely city and well worth a visit; we will probably enjoy a weekend or two there in the future. From Murcia we drove down to Cartejena and the surrounding villages.

Murcia's fertile plains were tempting but the lack of rainfall was a concern the garden was high on our list of requisites. Building regulations dictated that to build our own villa of 200m2, we required a plot in excess of 20,000m2. Plots of that size also had the effect of pushing us further into the countryside and away from village amenities. Requiring a car journey for every visit to the local village. Housing developments without local people lacked the sense of real community.

Throughout our travels we were becoming aware, through media reports, that access to water was of major concern to the peoples of Spain. Fierce disputes over water rights were common between various regional powers, even though everywhere we looked new golf courses were being developed.

Coastal areas often seemed to be over developed. A hive of activity in the busy summer months but deserted and forlorn in the winter time.

The increasingly arid south was loosing out in our estimation to the greener north country.

Ideal world

Our journey around Spain; as we looked for suitable properties for our new life began in earnest in the spring of 2004. Researching the internet and the published media helped us to narrow our search, although in the process of house hunting we would cover many thousands of kilometres. Various agents plied us with their property listings and we were invited, and did attend several exhibitions of Spanish real estate.

The principal area of our search was the eastern coast of Spain from Almeria in the south to Girona in the north. Although we liked the villages of Andalucía we were concerned that it may not be seasonal enough. Carol in particular did not want to spend her life in beach wear