Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Lacing up power and water


How do you make an alcove for an electricity meter without first having electricity?

A conundrum that ENEL (Italy’s electricity supplier) don’t seem to have taken into account. The hole needs to be substantial – around 50 by 30 cm and 30 cm deep. They want it nicely finished before they’ll connect us. (Unless we’d prefer to pay the connection twice – once for the building site, and again when works finish? I decide 600 Euros for one connection is probably enough to spend.) And the most difficult part of this puzzle, the walls are metre thick stone.

Our geometra calmly encouraged us to get the electricity and water “allacciato” or “laced up” before he brought the builders to start work. Resourceful we are, but chipping away at a stone wall by hand seems silly.

We didn’t even try. Time ran out, the builders arrived, and brought a generator. Now there’s a solution.

Our budget for the works so far:

Previous total EUR 152

Temporary door materials EUR 32

Chain and padlock EUR 8

Two folding chairs EUR 34

TOTAL EUR 226

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