Yesterday I shared a message from the newspaper AD about the new political program of the PvdD (Party for the animals) on LinkedIn, stating that they want to reduce livestock in the Netherlands by 75% and use that space for housing. There was some criticism about that. I have often noticed that there is a lot […]
What would I have done differently?
I think it is the most frequently asked question when people visit my Tiny House or come to one of my lectures: “what would you do differently if you had to do it all over again, if you would design and build your house anew?” In short: very little :) But I will explain that. […]
How to start a Tiny House initiative group
So you want to live in a Tiny House. And you have already realized that it is not that easy to find a place where you can legally live in your dream house. You can go to the municipality on your own to ask for a residential location for your Tiny House, but it is […]
Four years of Marjolein in het Klein
Today is the fourth anniversary of my blog, hooray! Wow, four years already. I can’t believe how time flies. So much has happened in those four years! For starters, I’ve published 346 blogs on Marjolein in het klein (and a few more on other websites). I’ve given about 70 lectures. I’ve seen the attention for […]
Youth and the future, part two
The reactions to my blog from last Tuesday call for a new blog as a response. Some people heavily agree with me, but others are outraged that I put all the blame on the older generations (in which I include myself). I would like to say something about that. First of all, this is my […]
Youth and the future
‘Youth has the future’. A (Dutch) saying I’ve heard all my life, but now I’m not so sure it’s true. Does our youth have a future left? And if so, what will it look like? We, the adults, are trying really hard to make that future less and less bright, with all our greed, with […]
Tiny House TEDx talk
Monday January 21st was the day, finally. After months of preparations, the very first TEDx event of Alkmaar took place in a sold-out Grote Sint-Laurenskerk. The crowd listened carefully to no less than 18 inspiring speakers, including yours truly, alternated with music and theater. It was an incredible day! The talks are now online on […]
Water, the big picture
Although we’ve barely had any winter so far, I’m already longing for spring. Even more so now that I’m lacking running water because my water pipe has been frozen solid for a week. Showering isn’t a big problem; I just take a shower at a friend’s every now and then. But having to use a […]
How much does a Tiny House cost?
On every open day I’ve had until now this question always comes up. ‘Looks great, a Tiny House, but what does it cost?’. That makes sense, of course, if you start thinking about a Tiny House for yourself or maybe for your children; the cost is an important part of the subject. Financing a Tiny […]
Simple living = more free time?
Some people seem to think that you have plenty of free time when you live in a Tiny House, and that it’s easy and simple. That’s what I thought too! But actually, living off-grid isn’t that easy. It means you have to spend more time organizing and maintaining basic utilities compared to a regular house. […]