Nigel and Shirley Heyward had lived in a number of places but when they arrived in Croatia they instantly knew that it ticked all the right boxes. Shirley says: “We travelled around the country a lot before deciding that the Istrian peninsula was the place for us.”

The couple looked first for a property in the Peljesac peninsula and on the island of Hvar, near Split, but found both places too expensive to buy a home. They wanted to set up a holistic retreat offering aromatherapy, reflexology and life coaching and realised that Istria was also ideal for walking, canoeing and sailing, with the bonus of five airports and a good road network within easy reach.

They looked at several old stone houses, using Croatia Property Services, and were impressed. “They didn’t charge for viewings like other agents, so we could easily have extended our search if we hadn’t found the right property straight away.” But fortune smiled and in the small village of Diklici, 15 minutes from the historic resort of Porec, the couple were captivated by a 200-year-old semidetached stone house with an adjacent outbuilding. It was spread over three floors on a large plot of land and, undaunted by the scale of the renovation task ahead, they bought it for £62,000 in the summer of 2005, setting aside £125,000 for the cost of the restoration work.

Nigel says: “The outside walls were sound, but it needed to be completely gutted, underpinned and rebuilt. There was water and electricity, however, so we just needed to connect the gas and telephone.”

They sold their three-bedroom semidetached house in the UK for £232,500 in August 2005. Shirley says: “We couldn’t wait to get started but liaising with Croatians is not a straightforward business. They’re incredibly friendly but the work ethos certainly tested our patience. Our solicitor was so busy that we never knew what was happening until the last minute. Then our final property payment went astray and was found in a clearing bank a few days later. We had to pay £126 for the privilege.”

In October 2005 the Heywards returned to Croatia to find an architect and a builder, and agreed a completion date of May 2006. However, heavy rain brought work to a standstill in April and when the completion date overran by two months, adding £10,000 to the original quote for building work, the couple decided that Nigel should stay in the UK doing his printing job, flying back regularly to help Shirley.

Shirley says: “I’m amazed at what I achieved on my own. I organised builders, decorated, laid floors, helped fit the kitchen and wall tiles and built garden walls. It saved us a fortune.”

By October the house and the outbuilding were complete. Rendered walls (the fashion in the Sixties) were removed and the brickwork cleaned before the local stone was repointed.

The Heywards now live in the outbuilding, and the four-bedroom main house is used for their paying guests. The couple grow their own grapes, which their neighbours collect and then produce what Shirley says is “some of the best wine we have ever tasted”.

Nigel says: “Making the wine has also helped us make friends with our neighbours — the Croatians are very hospitable. All the dramas we went through to make the place habitable have been forgotten and for us the house represents a real labour of love.”

Visit www.retreatincroatia.co.uk for more information on the Heywards’ retreat. www.croatiapropertyservices.com

Times recommends

• Second homes: credit crunch casualty or money-spinner?
• How I built my own sliding house
• Top 10 incentives for house buyers