I am pursuing building a house in Croatia. It will look something like the photo above, except with a garage in a basement, instead of the ground floor as in this photo. This is a quite common house design here. This is another big project (although more personal) that I have been working on. In Croatia you have to be your own contractor and get price estimates and hire all the subs. I am learning a lot through this process. This school year I have been working on the house plan with an architect, as well as interviewing installers and getting estimates for everything from electricity to plumbing to the heating system. I have come to the decision to build here for several reasons:
To have a place to host small groups of people who come to help us with various ministry projects.
To have some room to entertain, as well as provide fellowship events for church members and institute students.
To have enough extra space to host visiting teachers, as well as institute students who need a temporary place to stay from time to time.
To be able to host personal guests, as well as other missionaries who are passing through and are in need of some hospitality.
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| My building site |
Because I cannot get a loan from a US bank on a house in a foreign country and mortgages are uncommon and risky in Croatia, I have decided to raise the funds for the initial construction. I also will avoid long-term debt this way, especially good as I live on the generosity of other people. Once I get the house finished enough to be able live in part of it, I will gradually finish the house around myself with money that would otherwise have gone for rent. This is also the way Croatians build houses, gradually over a span of several years. Donations toward the initial house construction can be made at right on this blog.
