A Basque former musician who survived cancer has rebuilt a 300-year-old abandoned farmhouse in the mountains of Catalonia into a self-sufficient home.
Alain left his music career and signed a 30-year lease for the property, which had been empty since 1987 and had no electricity or running water. He said the building was closer to a ruin than a home.
The property now runs on solar panels and collects rainwater in a cistern. A custom system of pumps and pipes provides hot tap water, an installation Alain described as an epic undertaking.
Restoring the original design
He worked with a local carpenter to recycle original materials, including old oak roof boards. They dismantled, painted and replaced the beams, laid new floors and restored the kitchen and stables while maintaining the building's original aesthetic.
Another man, Arnau, said he enjoyed seeing the animals and the tranquillity of the area rather than breathing pollution, listening to constant noise and feeling the stress of the city.
Alain's goats and horses graze freely across the 220-hectare estate, of which about eight hectares are usable. The animals clear the fields and forests, recovering the mosaic landscape and helping to prevent wildfires. Alain said they could now walk through areas that were previously impassable because of the undergrowth.
International volunteers
The project, named Arcop Lamova on social media, hosts international volunteers who help with the renovation. Alain said hosting volunteers helped internationalise the project and allowed him to meet people from around the world and practice English without leaving home.
He hopes to restore more farmhouses so others can live in the countryside, and is currently seeking a new inhabitant for a spare room with an independent kitchen to join the project.
Living isolated in the mountains also brings significant financial savings. His friend Ramón, who spends time at the property, said he saved a lot of money there compared with the stress and consumption of the city, and used the quiet environment to practice fasting.
Despite the isolation, Alain said his first desire when he leaves the property is to return.
