Drasici, Metlika

The owners of this characteristic country house in the heart of a wonderful wine growing village close to Metlika in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia approached Think Slovenia in 2009 after struggling to make progress on the renovation of the house using locally sourced contacts. The owners wanted to convert the loft and the basement of this listed building into useable living space to create a comfortable 3 bedroom home. At the time of writing Think Slovenia had assisted the owners in agreeing land borders with neighbours, sourcing, contracting with and managing some excellent local architects who are preparing the building permission application.

"We bought a beautiful old house in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia.  We then spent three years trying to obtain plans and organise permission for the conversion and renovation of this property into a family home and achieved nothing but frustration and disappointment.  Pia and Dan came on board six months ago and already we have architects we are happy to work with,  border problems have been solved and the plans and permissions are now awaiting confirmation.  We can honestly say that before Think Slovenia were involved we were considering giving up on our family dream of a new life.  Pia's diplomacy combined with Dan's commonsense and clear approach mean that our dream feels achievable in the very near future. " Noel and Gilly (Scotland), November 2009.

Jiran Ltd

In 2006 Think Slovenia began assisting a Slovenian firm owned by four British families to build a portfolio of three tourist rental properties in Slovenia's Julian Alps. After assisting with the intial acquisition of the sites, Think Slovenia went on to assist in the complete renovation of one of the houses in Bohinj - sourcing architects, managing the tender process for builders and then project managing the works to completion on time and to budget. Works included installation of central heating, new wiring and plumbing, new staircase, floors & external landscaping. In addition Think Slovenia assisted in fully furnishing & equipping the other two buildings in Kranjska Gora which each have four apartments.

"Jiran is a Slovenian Company owned by a group of English people that has developed a portfolio of luxury apartments for the discerning traveller in Slovenia. These developments could not have happened without the incredible help received from Dan, Pia and team at Think Slovenia. From organising the initial land/building purchase, to assisting through the development of the appts, to furnishing them to a high standard and managing the rentals, Think Slovenia have done an amazingly good job. When small maintenance work on a property is needed, when a guest has a problem, when we need to obtain all the right permits Think Slovenia are there to sort out all the issues. We could never have achieved what we have done without Think Slovenia". Alan Halsall, Jiran Ltd.

Polsnik near Litija

Having purchased a lovely country house in Polsnik with the assistance of Think Slovenia in 2008, the Australian owners needed help to manage the renovation before coming to settle in Slovenia in 2009. Think Slovenia managed the tender process with four sets of builders and went on to project manage the works with the selected contractors, which included renovation of the roof, installation of central heating, re-laying terraces, installation of 2 bathrooms, kitchen and general redecoration. The owners are currently living in Slovenia full time.

"You can not begin to know how much we appreciate all of the help that Think Slovenia have provided us with the house to date. I dare say we would have not gone through with the project had you not been there. Its stressful enough as it is moving to a new country, though i know that we will settle-in in no time". Mark B, Polsnik.

Smartno, Goriska Brda

The owners of this charming cottage in the Goriska Brda wine growing region purchased it in 2007 with the help of Think Slovenia. We subsequently assisted the in obtaining architectural drawings and put the project out to tender to four builders. The owners wanted to be heavily involved in the project management but could not do so due to work committments in the UK so asked Think Slovenia to assist. The project was finished on time and to budget and works included construction of chimney, installation of woodburner, renovation of bathroom, installation of kitchen, new windows & general redecoration.

Think Slovenia have project managed the renovation of an old cottage for us.  The works have ranged from knocking down walls (involving a structural engineer) through to painting and decorating. Dan and Pia have been a fantastic help, reassurance and source of knowledge throughout.  They have interviewed builders with us to help with the language and given guidance on characters, translated and negotiated quotes, organised keys and trips to buy required items as well as giving us regular and informative updates on what is going on.  We never would have been able to do the works without them and certainly would have paid a lot more, and wasted significant amounts of time, had we tried.  Above all though, they have given us invaluable piece of mind throughout to the point that we only felt the need to visit the works twice during the building process and could easily have not got out at all.  The renovations have far exceeded our expectations and we are totally delighted.  Dan & Pia have worked incredibly hard, given us great value for money and made a scary and inaccessible process both easy and fun.  Of course, as with any building project there were difficult conversations to have and decisions to make, but all the hard work was done for us by having Dan and Pia on board and helping us through it.  I am not even sure how we would have gone about these had we been negotiating on our own.  I would recommend them to anyone considering tackling a renovation without local knowledge of the language, the laws or the people". Anna E, London UK

Bohinj Polje, Bohinj

Having purchased a delighful cottage just minutes from Lake Bohinj through Think Slovenia the owners approached Think Slovenia to assist in the management of works using a local building company which the owners had sourced locally themselves. The project involved installation of new bathroom, construction of a new entrance room and loft level sleeping area, installation of new windows and doors, replastering & general redecoration.

"Think Slovenia have looked after us every step of the way through our property purchase. They assisted us with all legal and monetary aspects together with helping us to source architects and builders to begin the renovation. They then liaised with our local builder to make sure we were all able to communicate properly throughout the project. Two years after buying our property, we have had it renovated and it is being rented out for winter and summer holidays. Think Slovenia are now our acting agent in Slovenia and we could not trust anyone further to look after the running of our Chalet.Without all their help, we simply would not be the proud owners of Chalet Planina. We highly recommend their services to anyone thinking or purchasing a property in Slovenia." Adam and Sarah D, London, UK