DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR OZORA PIKORUA RETREAT
Creating a special retreat away from the hustle of everyday life has been a dream for ASANA for years. Discover how we're building our Ozora Pikorua 'wholebeing' retreat in the Hungarian countryside and about some of the challenges along the way. And what's the significance of the name?
The nearby village of Ozora gives its name to the Ozora Festival which takes place close to our site. This annual, summer 'psychedelic tribal gathering' started in 1999 to commemorate the total solar eclipse.
The Pikorua is a Maori symbol representing loyalty, friendship and love, signifying the strength and beauty of enduring friendships. For ASANA it also has a deeper meaning and acts as a symbol of remembrance for the close friends we have lost.
MAGICAL WRECK TO MAGICAL RETREAT
Follow the transformation from run down smallholding to tranquil retreat in the beautiful Hungarian countryside.
2017-2024:THE INSIDE STORY
Take a look at the internal transformation of the main house and discover how the pods were born.
CHECK OUT OUR UPDATES BELOW
Find out more about Ozora Pikorua by following our Hungarian adventure and updates below.
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR HUNGARIAN ADVENTURE
DECEMBER 2017
We first discovered our property in Igar, Hungary at the end of a 6 day property viewing trip in December 2017. In fact, it was the very last property we viewed and definitely not what we had in mind.
Instead of a holiday home we had found a run down smallholding set in 2 acres - a 'magical wreck' Kathy called it - but with the potential for so much more. Within days of arriving home our offer was in and accepted!
JULY 2018
Purchasing a property in Hungary after Brexit through our limited company created a bigger challenge than we might ever have imagined including finding a Hungarian Embassy registered notary.
Luckily we had a great team in Hungary to manage the purchase and the various legalities that inevitably arise. After 7 months our purchase was finally complete but the site now resembled a jungle!
Now that we had secured the purchase we started to plan out the central part of the site.
The land to the left we would leave in the hands of our neighbour Laci (László) and keep the grassed area to the right. The woodland we would leave untouched.
In our original plan we would convert the old barn into a yoga studio and build our pods in a semi circle creating a mini-village. As things worked out our plans would have to evolve!
NOVEMBER 2019
2019 was the year when work properly got underway. The focus was on preparing and installing the new services - electrics, water and sewage. As the site is not connected to mains sewage this included the installation of two huge septic tanks, each one 7.5 cubic metres!
A new electricity supply was installed and cables threaded through the main house cob walls with extensions in place ready for the second building and our guest pods.
APRIL 2020
By the beginning of 2020 the central part of the site was cleared and levelled. Unfortunately we had to wave goodbye to the barn. The poor state of the foundations and structure meant we simply could not rescue it.
Meanwhile, as COVID paralysed the world; our countryside location allowed work to start on raising the roof on the rear building by 50cm and extending it to add additional guest bathrooms.
JULY 2020
As Gabor and his team worked on the guest building in April, work started on the first of 5 guest accommodation 'pods'. (Why Pod 2? That's its place on the original site plan.)
Following our outline design, our carpenter Feri spent the next few months crafting this beautiful timber pod, clad in reclaimed tiles. By July 2020 the door was on and Feri moved on to the biggest new construction on site - our external multi-function space.
SEPTEMBER 2020
At the heart of Ozora Pikorua is the central multi-function space. Originally conceived as a simple pergola, the final design is a 100m2, partially enclosed to provide both light and shelter for everything from yoga practice to event hosting.
Once again Feri brought our ideas to life with his amazing skills as a carpenter, blending traditional materials and design in a unique building.
JANUARY 2021
Despite facing the vagaries of the Hungarian winter work started on the main house to change the internal layout and create a small suite to use for more permanent accommodation. This involved using part of the veranda to create a lobby area and small bathroom and a new opening into the main bedroom.
At the same time work started to create new entrances, a guest dining room, kitchen, storeroom, bathrooms and utility space.
OCTOBER 2021
After being away from site for so long due to lockdown it was great to return and see the progress. Although work had slowed, the house and part of the guest house had been rendered and stud work and boarding was complete on the main building.
By now Pod 4 was also nearing completion (just out of shot) and we turned our attention to plans for 2022, sorting out priorities and balancing work schedules and funding.
JUNE 2022
After a short visit in spring we returned in the summer to focus on the back of the site. After the partial collapse of the old barn we felt it was important to stabilise the hillside and open up the space for additional development. Enter the Great Wall of Igar!
The steel reinforced concrete block (and concrete filled) wall is a daunting 4.5m high and almost 14m long but without it the site would be in serious danger of a future landslip. Not good in the middle of a yoga session!
NOVEMBER 2022
In June we had sourced a new door and window for the private room in the main house from a local reclamation yard. The plan was to add a balcony to create more space and take advantage of the southern aspect.
When we returned in September the door and window were in; by November the balcony was ready too! We could now enjoy our home from home; staying and working on site instead of finding local accommodation whilst we cleaned up at the start of every site visit.
FEBRUARY 2023
Work at home kept us away from Hungary for much of 2023 but early in the year we reached another milestone with the delivery and installation of the multi-purpose decking for the central structure.
The deck consists of super strong composite boards fitted to an aluminium frame, bolted to a concrete base with a rubber sandwich between. With an expected life of 25 years this is one job we shouldn't need to repeat any time soon!
OCTOBER 2023
For our visit in October we committed to moving Igar from a builder's yard to something closer to the dream. The late autumn sunshine and extra help from Laci and his son Balint soon helped us transform the site.
And of course, it's only natural to repay the debt with an invitation to join us in the refurbished and mostly finished dining room for a glass or two of the local brew, Palinka. Here's to 2024! Egészségedre!
DECEMBER 2023
Howard's visit in December didn't go quite as planned. After bright cold weather, things turned wet as Howard flooded the front of the site by accidentally knocking open a water valve overnight. Neighbours rallied to his rescue with electric pumps, clearing the flood just before a short power outage. Phew!
And then snow started falling unseasonably early - and never stopped! By the time Howard slid off the site two days later to head for Budapest it was 6" deep. Roll on 2024!
APRIL/MAY 2024
As plans for summer gather pace we have been busy preparing the site for a rapid transformation. Our spring visit involved organising teams to complete the groundworks, rendering, kitchen, bathrooms and pod fit out.
Before all that it was time to take back control of the land after six months of growth with days of cutting, strimming, raking and mowing. After a short break we'll be back to complete each of these key aspects of the project.
JULY 2024
This summer, with new teams in place, work has moved ahead at a terrific pace! Here's are some of the main changes we've seen.
Site cleared and levelled, new paths laid and parking area created.
Main house rendered, chef's bathroom and pantry fitted out.
Two guest bathrooms and utility area tiled and equipped.
Pod floors and electrics installed and pods furnished.
All waste removed, caves cleared, grass mowed or trimmed.
And to finish we hosted a multiple birthday party for our Hungarian 'family' and friends with delicious porkolt cooked in a traditional bogrács.
SEPTEMBER 2024
The long hot summer continued throughout August and early September making it hard to work for long outside. Nevertheless, we continued with the groundworks by creating a protective trench at the rear of the main house and then moving tons of soil to improve site levels ready for seeding.
The final piece of the jigsaw (for this year at least) came in the form of our cooker. Designed to cater to larger numbers it required specialist installation by our electrician Laci. We expect to make a final visit before year end to lock down the site but we are now all ready for 2025!
NOVEMBER 2024
For the final trip of the year Howard returned to see how the seed we planted in September had fared; the answer was a little too well!
Three days of mowing and strimming finally brought the main central area under control, and how amazing to see the wonderful greening by Mother Nature? The newly grassed areas really help bring the project together.
So now it's time to close down the site, drain down the systems and look forward to returning in Spring 2025 for the next phase of our Hungarian adventure.
MAY - JULY 2025
After returning to Igar this spring our focus has been on creating a comfortable place for future guests and have installed air conditioning (and heating) in the main communal spaces and added bright new tiles to the dining room.
To improve aspects of the main house we've cleared decades of accumulated rubbish from the loft and cut back the trees that were starting to encroach on the main house and Summer KItchen.
After a summer break we'll be back to finish the Summer Kitchen building to provide two guest bedrooms, two more bathrooms and a storeroom.