A tiny model

Last Friday we had a design session! Laurens and Vincent came to Oudkarspel to show me a model of my home and to continue brainstorming. Unfortunately, Lena couldn’t join us; students are pretty busy these days. Especially if you are setting up an architecture practice in addition to your studies, as well as doing all sorts of activities for Tiny House Nederland. Huge respect! Vincent has also officially joined Tiny House Nederland and is now part of the design team. I’m feeling very grateful about that! Vincent is studying structural engineering in Delft and knows a lot about construction. He recently wrote an article about loadbearing construction in Tiny Houses. I picked Laurens and Vincent up from the station so that they wouldn’t have to sit in the bus for half an hour. I served them some food on the sofa first: parsnip-pumpkin soup and cottage pie. Quite delicious even if I say so myself! They finished their plates, so I think it was good ;)

Then: the model! What a great house it will be, and how very helpful to see it in 3D and to scale! The window measurements are not yet finalised, and they could be bigger, but I really like the row of windows at the top as they will let in lots of light. The big hole near the sofa is where the garden doors will be. I would like a little more wall and less window in the short end; I think that would make the sitting area feel more secluded and really cosy. Built into the stairs there will be a fridge and additional storage. Next to the kitchen there will be a wood stove; the countertop is not yet finalised as I don’t think it will work above the stove. Too warm and it may inhibit flow of warm air. The design isn’t yet final; but according to our planning, it will be by December. We aim to start building in February in order to complete by the end of April. How wonderful; a new spring in a new house!

As far as the row of windows at the top is concerned, it’s not yet certain whether those will all become windows or roof panels. I consider it critical from a safety standpoint that there is an emergency exit from the loft. And that there is sufficient ventilation. Also, a cat flap is important because let’s not forget, this will also be Hella and Jack’s house! :)

Some more exciting news: I’ve been asked whether I’m interested in participating in a television program….I can’t say much about it yet until I know it’s a sure thing but I am really excited at the prospect and can’t quite keep the news to myself! Hopefully more about that soon.

Sustainable Living, Modern Living

Last Wednesday I was in the Alkmaar library where they organise a ‘Sustainable Living in Alkmaar’ evening each week. The theme that evening was modern housing and I was able to contribute, together with Niels Koning, to lead a discussion on Tiny Houses. The evening started with a really interesting presentation from Ecodorp Bergen after which people could join in groups to discuss the topic of modern housing options. There were many questions about what the possibilities are regarding location, and the legal regulations, but also topics like heating. I think this is a fantastic initiative from the library, and the turnout was amazing! Great to see that sustainability has such a following.

TTIP demonstration

I was in Amsterdam yesterday to participate in the TTIP demonstration, together with Bernie and Maria from the ‘Our Tiny House Adventure’ blog and Henk Eshuis from the ‘Tiny House Henk’ blog. Laurens and Lena were there too, together with more than 7000 others who don’t want the horrible TTIP to be ratified by the government. It was great!! Finally, we are standing up and taking action. If you don’t know what TTIP is, please do your research! One of the speakers, I can’t recall which one, said this: ‘ this is the biggest threat I have seen in all these years’. It’s a serious threat to us all; only large corporations stand to profit from it. It’s very bad news for our health, jobs, food safety, nature, animal welfare, you name it. It seems to me those are sufficient reasons to dive into the subject, don’t you think?

 

Well, the ink has dried up for today! This afternoon I am going to the ‘Gaaf Groen Popup Center’ in Alkmaar. There is some cool stuff going on there and today I have a day off from rehearsing with my band King Custard, so I am free to go! It’s also open on other days but Sundays are always extra special, so I’ve been told. Lots of other things are being organised there like a jumble sale. On November 22^nd I will be playing there with my band! Woohoo!! :)