Alma-Via Guesthouse Restoration
The Alma-Via Guesthouse Restoration has taken a long time – but that is all part of our story now
The Alma-Via Guesthouse Restoration was a three-year-long endeavor. And somehow we know, we will never be truly finished. But here is a high-level overview of what has happened so far.
Preparing, and raising the Restaurant Barn
Of all the steps necessary during the Alma-Via Guesthouse Restoration, the raising of the barn was arguably the most spectacular.
Handmade roof tiles from Apoș
The Alma-Via Guesthouse Restoration would not have been complete without authentic roof tiles.
As far as we can see, a traditional Transylvanian saxon house needs roof tiles made from “plain tail” or “beaver tail” tiles. We had to replace thousands of roof tiles as only about half the old ones could be reused.
The roof tiles we could reuse were placed facing the fortified church to ensure an undisturbed “classical” village view from the church.
The horse helps to pepare the clay
Natural swimming pond creation
Creating a natural swimming pond was completely optional. Honestly, there were many more important projects waiting to be done. But we created the pond anyway because we believe it is the perfect addition to our garden both visually and from an ecological perspective. We seemed to be right as many of our guests love to use it.
A natural swimming pond is more complicated to create and to maintain than one might think.
We got a really knowledgeable Architect
Jan Hülsemann is the most detail-oriented person we know. That is a good thing for an architect. He really knew what he was doing. He always seemed to be in control. That was a great fit for us since we were beginners in the old building restoration business.
Jan loves to share his vast knowledge and we had countless great discussions about how to proceed. We really liked working with him.
Same book, different languages, different look:
Jan Hülsemann is well-known for his expertise
Before we met Jan we already knew his book. It is the defacto “bible” for dealing with old buildings, specifically the Transylvanian country house.
If you have anything to do with restoring old houses you probably have, or should have this book.
