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Maximum 2 positions for motivated fit young (wo)Men, who enjoy physical outdoor work and can integrate into our little (Family). This property was abandoned for 15 plus years so there is much restorative work to be done, including maintaining and starting new projects. Various projects and work are influenced by daily weather and the seasons.
4 hours of help per day
Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.
Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens
Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.
Animal Care: Help look after and take care of animals.
1 day off per week
Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.
Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.
Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.
Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.
Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely
Intermediate English
Between 18 and 50 years old
Only hosts solo volunteers (doesn’t accept couples or partners)
European Union Passport
United States visa or citizenship
Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa
Our finca, borders a regional Park, was owned by a Spanish family for almost 200 years. After the death of Juan el Pastor (as known by the locals), the family patriarch in 2003, it had been abandoned. Fifteen years later, we found this property after looking for almost 2 years. We fell in love with the magnificent views, the natural park, Sierra de La Pila, and the surroundings. It's secluded yet not isolated. Our dogs Biscotti, Lilly and Poppy love to run in the mountains, when allowed, and our cats, Yoshi and Kitty, love to come on walks too. Over the years we added goats, chickens and guinea fowl to the property so it feels like a proper farm now.
Our goal is to restore the old finca to an ecological refuge and to build a new house to compliment the old one.
We chose to first make the old house liveable, which mainly consisted of cleaning it out and fixing the many leaks in the roof, then adding some home furnishings. It is simple but quite cozy. With the pot belly stove, it is toasty warm in winter and being a traditional stone building, cool in the summer. We are currently preparing the site of our new living quarters. Once the new build is complete we will fully restore the original farmhouse.
The house is totally off grid, our electricity supply is generated through a solar system and we collect all our water from a local fuente, a mountain spring. So water conservation is something we take very seriously. This water we use for drinking, cooking, washing and showering. We do have a pump connected to our water storage so we do have water on tap which enables us to operate the gas hot shower. Living off grid does not mean we have neglected having some modern conveniences. They come in the form of a refrigerator, freezer, washing machine and stable wifi.
Cutting, removal of overgrowth on the terraces.
Mulching and composting.
Excavation of the building site. Currently focusing on the first stage of the build which is the garage. A multiple use building.
Maintenance of the olive and almond trees, including harvest at the required times of the year.
Maintenance of the vegetable garden, planting and at the required times of the year.
Walking the dogs and general care of the other animals that call our property home.
Repairs and rebuilding of the terrace walls using traditional drywall techniques.
Preparation work for the winter fire wood.
Chipping of wood not suitable for fire wood.
Water collection from the local fuente.
We have other projects that have not began as yet, though these projects may be able to get started if we have the time and or the right volunteers with the right skills or motivation.
Responsibilities not included in the work hours
Keeping your room clean and tidy.
Sharing in the cooking and cleaning of dishes used for meals.
"copy/paste" applications will be automatically rejected.
Please introduce yourself fully.
Explain to us why you think our property is a option for you.
English and Dutch are the main languages spoken here.
We are both at different levels of Spanish.
We cannot teach you Spanish.
We are focused on living with nature.
This includes food as medicine and agriculture methods.
Candidates with a openness to topics and ideas that are outside the mainstream are prefered.
A willingness to learn new concepts even if they challenge your existing beliefs is highly valued.
Making your bed in the morning and keeping your room tidy is a small act of respect that we expect.
You are expected to participate in meal preparation and cleaning up after.
4 hours of work is equal to one main evening meal and a comfortable bed to sleep in.
We are happy to provide breakfast and lunch if you are happy to work for it.
We work with you and have our own work to do.
The more you do the more we give.
We only accept applications from individuals.
At any given time you maybe sharing our guest room with one other person
