Bought for $10 thousand: a Ukrainian family turned an abandoned house in a village into a real fairy tale (photo)

38-year-old Vadim Zaitsev and his wife Tatyana, raising three children, decided in 2020 to move from a rented apartment in Chernivtsi to the small village of Beregomet, 60 km from the regional center. There, the couple looked at a 100-year-old manor with three rooms, which they decided to restore and improve. What came of it, the couple told in an exclusive interview Focus.

According to Tatyana, she and her husband purchased a house with a plot of 0.5 hectares for only 10 thousand dollars. The renovation, which lasted just over a year, cost twice as much. However, the couple is very pleased with the result and does not regret their decision at all.

“Once my husband found a good plot of land in the village of Beregomet and suggested we go there just to have a look. It’s interesting that this is my small homeland, and when I went to the city to study, I thought that I would never return, but… never say never Having seen all this beauty, we called the owner, who lives in Italy, and immediately offered a deposit,” says 33-year-old Tatyana.

According to the owners, there is a hill, a forest, and a luxurious garden near the house, which they try to replenish with new fruit trees every year. There are also small beds with flowers, herbs, cucumbers and cabbage; this year a small lavender field was sown.

— Why did you decide to move to the village?

— In general, I say that we are a “gypsy family” because this is our fourth home. Previously, we lived with our parents, and then rented an apartment in the center of Chernivtsi on Kobylyanska Street. In the end, we decided that it was time to get something of our own.

Important

“We were deceived”: the owners bought a house for $750 thousand, but cannot sleep there (photo)

— Did the renovation cost you $10,000?

— Yes, but almost everything was done with our own hands. And we must take into account that not all the things in the house are new: some were given or given to us, some of the furniture we found and restored ourselves, for example, an armchair. In addition, the roof, doors and windows remained from the old house. The most money was probably spent on plumbing, because we have two bathrooms – on the first and second floor. As for heating, we had to abandon the idea of ​​installing a wired wood boiler, because it is very expensive – about 5-7 thousand euros. Instead, infrared panels were used.

— So you don’t have gas?

– No, but there is a stove and a fireplace – they kept warm all winter, in the future we plan to install solar panels.

— During the blackout period, the stove probably became a godsend.

– Very cool thing! It really helped us out in the winter – you add firewood 2-3 times and it stays warm all day long. We cooked food on it and even lit it today because it’s cool outside.

— How long did the renovation take you?

— About a year and 3 months. My husband and father-in-law first came here on weekends and did a little something, and then we had to get specific – we even invited craftsmen to arrange the second floor. By that time, we had already moved out of our rented apartment and were living in my grandmother’s old house, but the children had to go to school in September, so we had to hurry.

— Where did Vadim learn to make repairs? He is an interface designer by profession.

— He didn’t study anywhere, but his father is a jack of all trades. Mom said: “Vadim, you watch and learn,” and he waved it off: “I’ll pay and people will do it for me.” Now that he has his own home, I am sure that no one will do it better.

— Where did you find all these designs?

— We often see interesting ideas on Pinterest, but you can’t exactly copy them, because the layout, conditions and terrain are different. Something needs to be tweaked, put together, and creative thinking needs to be involved.

— I saw that you are using a projector instead of a TV. Is this a combination of authenticity and modernity?

— Yes, but we are not a family that watches TV, and we don’t use a projector often. He stood until my son learned to turn on cartoons himself and demanded cartoons, but I am against this, because I think that they spoil the children’s psyche and make them more irritable. The projector was removed altogether for the summer – there is something to do outside.

— What would you change or do differently now?

— Vadim, if he had known earlier, would have installed pipes from the fireplace to heat the entire second floor, because so far the heat only goes to the bathroom. I would think about installing plastic windows, they are easier to clean. Although I understand perfectly well that they do not fit here at all. Everything else suits me.

— What are the advantages and disadvantages of moving from city to village?

— To be honest, there is not enough urban development, that is, parks, squares, cafes, cinemas and theaters. There is nothing special to diversify your leisure time. There isn’t even a place where you can just walk with a stroller. As for the advantages, this is nature, fresh air, your own raspberries, spring water in the tap, which does not need to be filtered or boiled. Well, children can always run out into the street; you don’t have to gather them for a walk for a long time, like in the city. It’s also easier with animals – get whoever you want and as many as you want. It’s not a problem.

There is an opportunity to ride a bike, admire the beautiful scenery or go mushroom picking. Although everything that I now name is more popular with those over 30. Young people are not very interested in hugging trees or listening to birdsong. The desire for peace and harmony usually comes with age.

— Perhaps there are not enough clubs for children?

— A little, although my girls go to art school, and I am very pleased – they teach pysankari there and often go out to paint in nature. Boys can be enrolled in football and karate. In general, the level of clubs is lower than in the city, but the prices are not bad either. In addition, you can sign up for some classes online.

Important

A woman remodeled an old house and increased its value by £1.7 million (photo)

— I know that you opened your own bookstore-cafe in the village?

— Yes, we don’t have many books, but it’s comfortable and cozy. There are locals who have become friends with our sellers and come in every day for coffee and dessert. There are also regular readers who buy one book and then come back for more. Tourists often stop by out of curiosity. They say they like everything.

By the way, Tatyana and Vadim are now building a guest house on their site, which they plan to rent out. The couple are raising three children – 11-year-old eldest daughter Victoria, 9-year-old Evelina and Roma, who will soon turn 2 years old. In addition, they have a dog, Milk, a cat, Mikey, and a British cat, Basti. Before the full-scale invasion, the family loved to travel around Europe, but now they travel around Ukraine, discovering its beauty.

This year, blogger Ivanka Dyachuk went to visit the Zaitsev family and showed in a YouTube video how they live.

Let us remind you that earlier Focus wrote about a woman who remodeled an old house and increased its value by £1.7 million. Claire Totman became interested in design from a young age. She later founded her own business and now remodels old houses into modern ones.