description

La Finca del Carpintero was built by a Swiss carpenter and he based the construction on the principle of the three P’s. Planning, Precision, Perfection. Ernst, the carpenter in question, whose name means earnest, took the job of building his home in Catalunya very seriously indeed. He brought the wood from his home country, oak and cedar and pressed pine, and set about building his dream home. The open plan living area of 40m2 features precision roof panelling, oak floors, decorative window lintels, newly built bespoke kitchen, built in wardrobes and, what was extremely important, a hermetically sealed and insulated house. The temperature may be 30 degree outside but inside this Swiss built home, the temperature is 10 degrees less. The windows have a special 100mm camera which means the thermal properties of the house are off the charts while the windows themselves combine wood and aluminium in the frame. And in terms of heating, there is a highly efficient aluminium wood stove and burner that keeps the house warm and toasty because the carpenter believes in being warm during the winter months. All in all, the property has 150mt2 of panelled space, a sun room with barbecue and pizza oven and views of the sea. This leads to the open plan lounge and kitchen area, three bedrooms. The master bedroom has a recently modernized ensuite bathroom while the other two bedrooms share a second double and upgraded bathroom. The official sleeping capacity of the house is 8 people. And while this beautifully crafted interior was executed with Rolex like Swiss-precision, the question must be asked where did Ernst store the wood and where did he work and shape the wood for his house? We knew these were the two questions on the tip of your tongue and there is an interesting answer to both. The carpenter built two massive work-shops on an industrial scale. One composes a storage depot of 123m2 and the other is a 76m2 workshop fitted with all the saws and sanders any man who loves wood could dream of. The two barns are spectacularly made with huge pine beams, gates that hang from metal runners that roll effortlessy back to open onto a carpenters paradise. The property has the feel of a rural finca set in wonderfully maintained gardens but also there is a definite touch of industry and organization that sits easily in this country setting. And naturally there is much more to this well thought out property. There is a very large garage of 76m2 with bathroom for vans, cars and jeeps. Then as you move down towards the pool area, you pass the wood storage lean-to, before you come to an ample stone terrace made with Ulldecona stone, a 6 X 3.5 meter pool and a cute, bespoke pool chalet perfect for a barbecue, dining and chilling. Naturally there is a vegetable garden and a hen coup and just as naturally, are both precision made. The finca itself is set on 1.5 hectares of land, completely enclosed with a 1.6 meter high galvanized fence. It is even connected to the electricity grid although there is also generator back-up. And in terms of the very important consideration of water in the countryside, the finca has 110,000 liters of water storage in three separate cisterns to benefit from the heavy rains when it does rain in Catalunya. This is actually the story of rain in this area. Either it rains too much or not at all. So who is the ideal candidate for this finca? Well there are a few very different possibilities. Perhaps someone who has a business, would like to live in the countryside but have the storage space and workshops to run the business in the quiet surroundings of a rural setting. Or a buyer who likes the idea of taking the existing farm and converting the barns into spectacular accommodation for family and friends or even a centre for activities such as yoga or retreats. But whatever the motive, this finca was built by the Swiss carpenter and the three P’s are well worth a visit.