The old barn becomes a new workshop. With the help of our friend Peter Mogensen from Denmark and a group of enthusiasts, sharing the principles of sustainable living, and sustainable construction in particular, we set about restoring and transforming the old barn on the grounds of Botanica Life Foundation.

First, we had to clear the space around the building and remove everything that cannot be re-used. We replaced some of the timber on the roof and treated the wood with linen oil. In some places we had to built up the walls with cob and stone and then plastered the whole building with clay and straw. We re-roofed using the old tiles, but before that, we installed under-roof wooden paneling to make the space inside nicer and cozier. We installed a new wooden door and added more windows. Some tasks still remain to be done. We need to place electricity cables and pipes for the water, and to make flooring from old, recycled bricks.

We had one week for the whole project but it was not enough. Some finishing tasks still remain to be done but the main work is completed, and we are more than happy. We sincerely thank all the participants of the "Construction and restoration with natural materials" workshop for the amazing work they did and the cheerful mood they brought to the workshop. We know some of them from previous courses at Botanica Life, and once again we enjoyed their company. We hope it was also useful and enjoyable for them. These are people in a strong relationship with nature, with a vision for their future, and it is in the direction of sustainability.

We also thank wholeheartedly Borislav Bankov and Jeyhan Dzhemilov, who came to help us with voluntary work, and without whom we would not have been able to complete the project.

We are grateful to America for Bulgaria Foundation which supports Botanica Life Foundation and its efforts to develop rural tourism in Nadarevo and the region. We are also grateful to the Velux Foundations which support our training initiatives.