RENOVATING A PALACE Ep 1: Buying, Restoring & Moving Into our Grand Italian Apartment

Welcome to our new series, Renovating A Palace, following our journey bringing a large portion of a historic property back to life in Florence, Italy. The apartment tour and design plan have been covered in another video, so in our premier episode of this series we cover the mad rush of the initial 10 weeks of the restoration work before moving in.
This episode’s focus is on how we installed the Italian terracotta flooring, the painting of the walls, how we developed the plumbing & electrics, as well as the design and installation of our first bathroom. Join us as we battle against time and the weather to make the space habitable for our impending move-in date.
Instagram: @hellofromgiordan
#renovatingapalace #apartmenttour #livinginitaly

[@goodphone156]

You didn't buy a house, you bought a work of art.

[@fionamaffeo3838]

You guys are amazing and you should feel so proud…. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ This place is Everything

[@TakeTimeToTravel]

Beautiful! Love the choices that you're making! Subscribed so that we can follow along :)

[@lindamounts2193]

Just beautiful. I would have had to put maybe a white, to blend, full refridgerator on the left side of the kitchen and it would have been symmetrical with the right side door opening. I could never live with that tiny fridge. Lovely.

[@tommcallister7647]

Wonderfully done! Great decision to shift from the chevron to the rectangular design with the tiles. It is much more interesting (and visually calming).

[@invinciblecucumber]

Tiles are AMAZING!

[@NatiHerron]

An amazing restoration/renovation, I can’t wait to see how you finish your living quarters.

[@lynnmk2384]

Just remember Guys in the end it was worth it /what u done soooooo far is Beautiful

[@betsyrb2275]

I’m so happy for both of you! Not an easy task at all you had but you did an absolutely amazing job! Looking forward to your next videos on your renovation.

[@charlesfazio1240]

Wow, amazing transformation. I've only just started following you. Love your work. I look forward to seeing what you do with the other two apartments.

[@rubenlealfranco]

Wow! Just amazing, love the apartment, congrats to you both on your apartment, love the channel ! ❤️

[@amoreitaliano]

This is so beautiful 😍, well done for both of you, stunning job .

[@user-wj9jq2cb6s]

Very nice. Good luck. Loves from Moldova

[@ronniealex5523]

Blimey! Phenomenal work loving the channel, thank you and great luck xx

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thanks Ronnie! We’re almost at the finish line now, around six months after we’d started. So lots of exciting moments to share soon as I get round to editing it all :)

[@paivitiitta1884]

You're so brave , definitely a dream !

[@turanad]

Amazing!

[@chattykathie7129]

Wow can you teach others how to do renovation video as smoothly has yours. Very professional and interesting, showing us only what most people want to see. Great 👍

[@mikehammersley177]

Thoroughly enjoyed this ☺️

[@pattywest1]

The tiles turned out stunning & I love the frescos.

[@josephinecachia9774]

Wow. Love what you're doing with the apartment and love your channel❤. Florence is a beautiful city too so it's a win win to subscribe to your channel 😊 plus you have a very calming voice. Looking forward to seeing your progress which by your sneek preview is amazing. You certainly deserve to be proud of yourselves.

[@gwenscoggins1]

Beautiful place !

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Thank you for the video!

[@JohanB66]

What a job both of you have put in, well done! 👏 Can`t wait for a new episode 👍 You inspire me to renovate my apartment here in Stockholm 🙏

[@TheBritalianJob]

Disclaimer: it’s not easy 😂 but I can also guarantee it will be one of the most satisfying things you’ll ever do once it’s completed!

[@robertaarnold3519]

I' seeing this backwards because I saw the Romanilli first. Your finishes were exquisite.

[@PalazzoMarti]

Ciao! Thank you for sharing your journey in Italy. We have very much enjoyed all of your videos and just wanted to let you know that we will be here following you 🇮🇹❤️🥂

[@TheBritalianJob]

So wonderful to read this comment from you guys! I also see that you’re working hard at it over on your channel too. Fantastic stuff!

[@cleophea777]

Auguri ragazzi! bellissimo. cheers from Switzerland!

[@TheBritalianJob]

Grazie mille! Un saluto cordiale di Firenze 🇮🇹🇨🇭

[@bertoberto6696]

what a lovely place to live and what a great design taste you have , amaizing dudes. Greetings from Spain.

[@TheBritalianJob]

Muchos gracias Berto!

[@BackToTheStuds]

Hi guys! I found and followed you on TikTok and now here and it's lovely to enjoy your longer stories. The antiques market was a treat. And the drone tour of the beaches was delicious. I'd love for you to tell us about the history of the actual building at some point and how it was originally used. Hello from Brooklyn! Brad

[@keagleeagle821]

This is amazing I hope you will return to make more videos

[@relocatetoItaly]

This is simply amazing well done you guys for finding a way. The floors are ❤️❤️ You deserve a million views

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thank you! I’d say the work that we put into those floors deserves a million views haha 😄 but in all seriousness it’s as much a pleasure to capture the story as it is to share it with you guys on KZbin so at the end of the day the numbers aren’t so important, and reading feedback like yours helps keep us going ☺️

[@relocatetoItaly]

@@TheBritalianJob keep going . Take a look at my KZbin I'm also in Italy

[@fishermann1102]

i can listen to your voice for hours. Lol!

[@alyalesber3168]

Lovely video! I learned so much. One question - how did you learn about historical restoration/preservation? I was wondering if there are courses one could take, or if experience would be best.

[@barbaragrace1992]

Please don't take too long with the next episode. I know you're busy but I'm very nosey. Lol.

[@TheBritalianJob]

This made me chuckle! Thanks for the support and can’t wait to show you what comes next :)

[@travelhikecryptorepeat]

Great video, well done guys 👏 We have similar plans to buy a house, renovate and move to Italy, but without much construction skills we do not know how to find trusted geometra or builders, so we are a bit hesitant 🙂

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thank you. And I totally understand your hesitancy… recommended professional contacts might be great, but in my experience it’s better to interview multiple different contractors before deciding. I’d say go for the one that you have the best instant relationship and connection with, because at the end of the day, when things go wrong - and they will - navigating those moments with contractors that you have a rapport with helps so much. The reason is that in italy… professionals only really go that extra mile to help you if they genuinely like you. And equally, if you ever piss them off - even if you are justified in your complaint - they will totally neglect you 😂 Professionalism is a very personal thing in italy, I’ve learned.

[@travelhikecryptorepeat]

@@TheBritalianJob thank you for the quick reply 🙂

[@andrebraun2891]

Great job! Are you gonna notarize the split up into smaller apartments? Some info on how to do that in Italy would be cool. Thank you

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thanks Andre! That’s a great question, I’ll be sure to cover it in a future video

[@ninianmacmillan-keith7435]

Well done chaps. What fantastic tiling you have done. I am in awe ! From the preview you seem to have the right idea on decorating too. I hope by subscribing this helps with financing . It would be nice to know what you paid for it but I understand that is a rather personal question. I live in the Scottish Borders and am thinking of moving to Edinburgh. From a large house to a two roomed flat ! Watching you has given me courage Best wishes

[@TheBritalianJob]

Hello Ninian, it’s so interesting to read your comment! I totally understand the desire to move to the heart of an art city, which I hear Edinburgh very much is like Florence in that way. There’s something about being surround by the architecture and that culture that produces so much more inspiration when it comes to designing the interiors of your city pad. It takes time, maybe many years of adding new character pieces or little features here and there, but you’ll notice your sense of design becomes so much more sophisticated in that kind of environment. I wish you the best of luck! And yes, every subscription helps. KZbin will allow me to start monetising my channel only when I reach 1,000 subscribers, so that’s the goal for now!

[@allanrinaldipaone9850]

I used to call my uncle Emilio Em, I was wondering if Em is Emilio, Emanuele? Love watching as you move forward together, baci.

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thanks Allan! Your second guess was spot on: Emanuele 😊

[@ashjarhussain2821]

Hope in the end u will make a video of complete house tour , fully furnished and decorated .

[@TheBritalianJob]

Absolutely, though it may take many months to complete such a big video!

[@leticiafaxas9434]

Can you share what is the color & brand of paint you used on the fresco room. Can not wait to see your decor patio and garden 🪴 bravissimo

[@TheBritalianJob]

Hello Leticia! The paint is called Trench 6 from a DIY chain in Europe called Leroy Merlin

[@robertaarnold3519]

Now I see it is for sale by Romanili

[@stevearnold8467]

I spotted that as well; it's a beautiful apartment but I was very surprised to see it listed.

[@53Patrick53]

Can you tell me what company supplied your terracotta tiles. Were they from Impruneta? What is the double tile which you had to separate called in Italian?

[@TheBritalianJob]

Hey Patrick! Yes the tiles are for Impruneta, just south of Florence. All terracotta tiles made in the Italian tradition are made originally as double tiles - that’s the shape of the moulds that they put into the furnaces. It’s basically twice as efficient to produce, which is why they are made that way. As for the seller, it was a private individual who we found while exploring Imprunta who happened to be storing excess stock, which we were able to buy up. So it was kind of a one-off. There’s a bunch of producers around there so you can do a bunch of site visits and simply chose your preferred supplier

[@53Patrick53]

@@TheBritalianJob thanks I appreciate your response.

[@raffaellapanella3642]

Congratulations, really impressive work!!! We are struggling to find a good cotto supplier, it would be great to know where is the cotto supplier you bought the cotto from, would it be possible to have the name? Thanks a million!!

[@TheBritalianJob]

The supplier we found is completely analogue, no phone contact or website 😂 but let me suggest that you google search “Imprunetta terracotta”, it’s a town just outside of Florence which has a bunch of companies and factories of cotto. Some are very expensive which specialise in the export market, but the smaller ones can have great prices. Good luck!

[@raffaellapanella3642]

@@TheBritalianJob thanks so much, I will do the search straight away! Again congratulations for your fantastic videos, they are absolutely amazing!

[@grassabrutta]

seems to me like other folk are doing the hard work whilst the lovebirds get to report it all on utube. That said, the job is a very nice one.

[@raymondpuccini8352]

How to renovate,? Have an abundance of cash!

[@azmaali5498]

Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo. 324 sentadillas son unos QQGIRLS.Uno muchas y un buen ejercicio. Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados 😍👍 Saludos desde la Cd.. de world 🌹😉💖 los mortalesl abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.k

[@andrewcooney2387]

Too many adds so I will not be following this adds are destroying all of these Vlogs

[@TheBritalianJob]

Thanks for the feedback. My channel only just got monetised yesterday so I’ll reduce the amount of ads for a much better balance :)