Up on the Roof: A (Not So Big) Move

A year ago, we were just getting ourselves settled into life here in Spain. I shared some about our quest to find housing before we arrived and the difficulty we encountered trying to find a place to rent. Eventually, we were able to sign the lease and get into a home.

Ellee watching the sunset from the side yard.

We liked the house. We have enjoyed the space to spread out, host friends and family from afar as well as many dinner parties. The location was fantastic given our strict lockdown for nearly 3 months. We had space to get outdoors despite the restrictions. Really the only draw back was the cost of the rent and the fact that the landlord (with whom we had no contact) and the rental agent who was our liaison were not fixing anything that went wrong. An initial selling point was the solar water heater which we thought would save us money. We didn't have any other choice, really, because we were desperate for a place to live. Nevertheless, as it turns out, the solar water heater had never even been plugged in or programed and no one ever came out to do so. Upon our arrival, our neighbor informed us that the previous tenants in our house had tried to use the fire place and the entire upstairs filled with smoke. He strongly encouraged us to not try it, and to see about getting it repaired. We never used it and it was never repaired. Despite regular requests, the air conditioning which blew out hot air was never fixed. There was an open space in the wall above our bed which was home to a noisy birds nest, along with some electrical issues and a leak in the roof… we weren’t getting anywhere. I wanted to stay for the area and the space, but it was frustrating to pay monthly and get no service in return.

At Christmastime, we met the owners of the other side of our duplex. They came to Jerez for a visit and repairs after their tenants had vacated their property. They have a son not much older than Kyle, and they stayed for a few weeks. Kyle thoroughly enjoyed having a friend around! And to add to the thrill, they spoke English…. Real English like they speak in England because they live there. I mentioned to the owner our desire to stay in the area and our hopes to talk the landlord down a bit on the rent, since we had discovered we were paying more than our neighbors.

About eight weeks ago, as I was communicating with the owners of the other side, she mentioned their desire to re-rent their property. She offered us first priority if we wanted to swap houses when our lease ran out. Initially I thought it might just work in our favor as leverage with our current landlord. I hoped we could tell him we had an offer at much lower rent and see if he would match it and let us stay. Unlikely, but one can hope. I didn’t really want to hassle with moving. However, it quickly became apparent that the best choice was to just make the switch. We couldn’t beat the reduction in rent, along with the fact that we personally knew the landlords next door and their desire to maintain their property - all things that couldn’t be said for the people with which we were currently working.

I laid in bed thinking about all the stuff that needed moving. I have moved a lot of times, and I knew this would be easy in comparison to squeezing our lives into 50 lb suitcases. But to have to touch every item in the house again…. I wasn’t excited. And all the stairs! The houses are tall and narrow, with three stair cases each. Then it occurred to me. We could pass our things across the balconies!

If this doesn’t scream hillbillies, I don’t know what does. But it worked! We moved the basements by going out the basement door of one side and in the doors of the other. We moved the first floor by carrying all our things out the back doors, out the garden, in the garden and through the back doors on the other side. Then, we secured a ladder across the balcony of our bedroom floor and passed everything from laundry baskets full of bathroom essentials to bed frames and mattresses across. The most nerve-wracking of all was watching the guys from church pass my hammock across the roof top balcony, with one young guy scooting across along with it to guide it over the shingles. I am glad I don’t have a picture of that moment because it made me feel sick. The kid and the hammock and I all survived.

It was no small effort and it took me about a week to move it all. I say “me” because Jono helped as he was able, but unfortunately he was taken out by some kind of brutal food poisoning the whole week of moving. Maybe he planned it that way, just to see how much I could really carry on my own since I’m always asking him to lift the heavy stuff. A group of guys came from the church to help move the bulky furniture. Naturally, we had to move the hottest week of the year thus far.

I dropped probably 5 lbs.

So we’ve come to the other side. It’s identical, only a mirror image. Still trying to get my brain to work backwards. That's the only thing I have to get working. The air works. The garden is nicer, with a big beautiful tree perfect for a tire swing. There are a few fancy upgrades in the kitchen and laundry room. There are screens in the windows so we can leave them open without getting eaten by mosquitoes. The solar water heater is functioning. The house has WiFi included. We have been reliably informed that the fireplace works. To my knowledge, there are no birds’ nests in the walls. And we are paying less. It’s a win-win-win-win-win!