Before
After
Six years.
Two pairs of hands.
The house had been standing empty for fifteen years. A family property in the village of Srbinjak, central Istria — stone walls intact, roof still holding, but nobody living there. In 2017, Perica and his father Boris decided that was enough.
What started as a renovation became something larger than planned. The original architect didn't work out. So they took the drawings, adjusted them, and started doing the work themselves. Boris had construction experience — he brought Perica in. "We learned as we went," Perica says, "and genuinely enjoyed the time together."
Bad contractors, mistakes redone twice. "We touched every screw and stone in this house," Perica says. "I had never held a screwdriver before. After three years I could nearly open a construction firm." Six years from first plans to last coat of lacquer. Worth every one of them.
"I had never worked in design, nor knew how to hold a screwdriver. After three years of this, I could almost open a construction company."Perica Šuran, Villa Qualia
