Sotito's reforms

We got our house (Sotito) for a good price, but oh man did it come with problems... The previous owners—some Silvia Jato, known from many Spanish people for having entertained a TV show, and her husband, some even more obscure Eduardo San Román Montero, a dodgy businessman of some sort, apparently in debt with countless companies as we can judge from the amounts of recovery notes we receive to his name—trashed the place which appeared to have once been a little paradise of much grace and harmony. Apparently, as the agency that mediated the transaction told us, they wrecked it due to jealousy and vengeance issues as part of their broken divorce. We wouldn't bring this into the public space if it wouldn't be for the fact that we suffer more than we should from their private business, as detailed below, which is indeed material for those with an interest in such people, if any. For us, this page is more of a record of the main reforms post-acquisition of the property, but in many more aspects than it should, there is a direct association with Jato and San Romero Montero, which is the only place on this web where we want to see their names: that of the problems of the house.

Terracing

This is the first thing we solved, as this was the most obvious problem. The terracing was awful, not only or poor taste (plastic windows) but also of poor quality. We redid that anew, which took us one year round of work. Poor isolationRestored march 2025

Heating

We've been sold the house as if heating was good and functioning. It wasn't. The agency did a demo of radiators heating up at some of our visits but the truth of the matter is that many didn't actually work and the installation was a mess of botched fixes and several desperate solutions to make it work. The demonstration was done in bad faith. We are upset with that because if we had been told the truth of the matter—that the system was partly broken, obsolete and needed replacement—we would have been able to handle it efficiently. We first spent quite some amount of money and time to have various professionals inspect the installation. We started with the guy who had been in charge, who had stopped working on the system because he hadn't been paid by the previous owners and was in debt with them. He changed various (costly) elements, in various steps, and the system still did not function very well. Others came and commented that this didn't look very good (and with things like the thermostat set up upside down, so that its reading of the temperature was the complement of its actual value) but could be kept until it was completely broken down. Big mistake. In winter time, the inefficiency of the full setup was such that the full tank of propane, supposed to last all year round under normal usage, went down in less than two months with much restrictions on our sides as we knew the system was inefficient. That was 2500€ thrown away. We thus decided to make another bank credit to install a fresh new setup of aerothermy and solar panels. If we had known the real state (which the owners could not have ignored), we would have made a credit to include such a fix from the start and not lose considerable time and money in trying to keep it going, as well as spending most of the winter 2024-2025 in the cold. Several elements of the heating system brokenHeating system obsoleteIn progress of complete reform

Water leak

The house is full of water leaks. In one of the spicy stories of the previous Jato-Montero couple—this time from the gardener—one of the petty revenge of the creepy husband against Julia, who was fan of her garden that she was fixing personally, was to sabotage its irrigation system, severing tubes and pipes here and there. It was so bad as to be broken down completely when we tried to revive it, which ironically was preferable to a seemingly working system that would have gotten us in the above heating situation. We didn't pay attention to the water consumption from the start, but we later realized that there were many water leaks, which we initially attributed to the next (swimming pool) problem. At some point, the room at the bottom floor started to get all damp and wet, also showing signs of mold. Experts and assurance companies told us this could be natural humidity from the ground and we had to ventilate and keep it dry. We tried to do that and actually it could be kept somehow dry-looking, if you wanted to, which we believe is another 'hidden vice' that was on purpose kept willingly concealed, from people which at this stage we can only believe are petty criminals. There is a very short delay to denounce such misdeeds (6 months, by this time we hadn't even started to live on the premise) so we just have to contemplate from the healing house, how people of fame and fortune can be those of decadence and misery. The floor situation was so bad that, upon advice of my brother, we decided to connect the dot and attribute the water leak that we eventually estimated at over hundred liters per day, to be happening there, in this room, not in the garden. We had people break the floor and indeed eventually found a hole in a tube, buried below cement but which, in the course of time, would leak through and humidify the floor. Again something that the previous owners could not have ignored. But that was easy to conceal.

The main leaks of 150L/day were identified and solved. We installed keys on the garden water-intake from the canal de Isabel II to isolate various circuits.

We still have an unidentified amount of leaks of ~30L per day, and which appear difficult to locate (probably in the garden). Still, we would like to establish a map of the canalisations, also to make it circular and not waste water when drawing it worm.

Swimming pool leak

We have also been told the swimming pool was working and in good state. We had a professional inspect it who advised us to change the pump and filter, as well as to refurbish the room for depuration, which we all did. When time came to use the pool, it couldn't be cleaned properly as there is a leak in the depurating circuit. The pool itself doesn't seem to lose water, but filtering the water would make its level drop, requiring constant refill. Again something that the previous owners could not have not noticed, but that was easy to hide: clean the pool at great water losses to make it look crystal clear, and say nothing about the problem, crossing fingers for six months. This leak, for a long time, had been our main suspicion of the water leak problem (above), which we didn't think was a leak from the canal but an extra consumption from refilling. We had someone inspect the system and he identified a leak in the garden, fixed it, but stopped at the very first problem he found, so 1) failed to address the filtering process and 2) failed to see the numerous other leaks. This remains an open problem that we need to address.

The gravity of the problem has to be assessed, the problem itself identified and fixed.

On 22 April (2025), someone (Jorge) checked the pressure in the pipes, finding no leak in skimmers and the two return circuits. The receptacle has various problems which need repair but can't explain the huge leak. He couldn't check the sinkhole because of its unusual shape but says it's unlikely to lose from here for reasons I do not quite remember (flow going upstream). The valvula de cambios thus becomes the leading suspect, throwing out a bit of water due to insufficient isolation between the various circuits. This can be checked on the pool is repaired and filled again by operating with the pipe open. If that is the reason, this piece needs being changed.

Electricity

The electricity was another terrain of expression for the Montero husband to spite his Jato wife. A lot of cables were cut and let loose. It was actually dangerous. At this stage, we feel happy that the devilish couple didn't cause harm and kill someone by sabotaging hazards of this type and entrusting it as a home for a family with toddlers to live, as if everything was normal, when it was a mine field. We found many shorts, especially in the garden, and the current would go away when it rained. Again, not something you can fail to notice. We had again a full series of electricians inspect the place and restore it to at least working conditions. We still have flickering time to time which we are unsure why. The full circuit might need re-inspection again. remove shorts, add the ground to sockets, fixed problems when raining, sanitize the circuits.may need further inspections/repair.

We have persistent flickering in the downstair area after heavy rains. This seems to be voltage tension (light of the oven switches itself on by itself). Exact cause unknown (electrician suggests ghosts).

Garden

The garden, as explained above, was apparently the main arena of dirty tricks between the couple. It was in a sorry state but also a testimony of a past grandeur. The owner before the Jato-Montero ugly parenthesis, appears to have been someone of great taste. A lot of his trees have been later cut down, badly, with stomps in the way, which I am still in the way of removing. Some trees were rotening on foot, like a palmera behind the pool. The extent of the garden is so big that we have a dedicated blog to keep track of its rebirth. under revivalirrigation systemremove useless pipes, cables, previous installations not maintained by previous ownersstomps, dead trees.artificial grass (in poor state).

Conclusions

The reform of Sotito tells us more about human nature than about housecaring. To everybody who like our house, see it first as the result of great labour and many worries, including those imparted by the pettiness of people of great wealth, who appear to be experts in spoiling what their insignificant fame brought to them. This is scary because such people are those in charge of the world, in particular politicians, and of course, Montero was once elected in Colmenar Viejo, where he coordinated a delegación de Seguridad, transportes y juventud, which makes you shiver when you see the immaturity of the specimen. We don't mind the obvious flaws of the house, its below-market price was the reason for it, such as holes drilled all over the places to have crappy locks condemn access from one party to the other, or to fight the alcoholical problems which—someone else summoned from the list of contacts we gathered, told us—were many in this house. We mind, however, the deliberate treachery, the lies, the criminality of people who you would assume have at least an instinct for pretending dignity, given their public-figure status, but who are, on the opposite, less respectable than the delinquants from the streets. Our part in it is one of redemption. Undoing all the chapuzas, finding and fixing all the booby traps, bringing the house back to its former glory and prestance. Each time we accomplish the reparation of a sabotage or of a hidden vice, we utter: take that, Montero. We have little interest in who did what, but their reputation is that Silvia was a rather appreciated figure in the village, someone with a Rebecca allure and an artistic nature, and that the ugly character of the story is San Román Montero, who couldn't cope with the woman and passed his nerves on her house instead.