I would like to hear from anyone who has bought an old property for renovation. It is an option that we are considering doing in a year or two.
I have restored a few properties in the uk ( I know its a lot different from a stone walled house in the spanish mountainside!) but I have the basic knowledge and skills to do such a project.
Has anyone restored an old property for profit or for their permanant home ?
Did you live in it while you were restoring it ?

Hope to hear from you soon,
many thanks
Tony and tracey (Kent UK)

Hi there. Yes, we bought an old townhouse and lived in it (and are still!!) whilst renovating it. We lived without a roof or first floor to part of the house for several weeks having had to take it down because it was falling in, and without a kitchen for several months. You get by! We've done all the work ourselves apart from the final electricity connection and plastering the ceilings.
Buy a copy of "Renovating an Old Farmhouse in Spain" by Alec & Erna Fry if you don't already have it. Lots of useful info therein, not just applicable to "farmhouses"!

You should also consider the legalities as well as the practicalities.

It is virtually as difficult to obtain a building licence for renovating a country property as it is for building a new one (which is actually impossible).

We had a similar dream years ago and so did thousands of others, even then places like you want were like hens teeth.
You may get an old townhouse like Hillybilly, but I doubt an old farmhouse.
I also agree with Beachcomber`s previous post, If you was really lucky and found one to restore it would have to be used for its previous use, IE. farming, to get a licence.

Agree with the others there are very little farmhouses here to buy - like golddust - they have all been done up or demolished - people like to buy new villas now not old houses.

Spain doesn't seem to have the old buildings like they do in Italy or France - they would be much better countries to look at.

Mark