In a little while, the residents of the brand new Tiny House street in Hardegarijp can move into their beautiful Tiny Lofts from Mill Home. After months of preparation, meeting the authorities, aspiring residents and neighbors, the houses have been placed. The street will be officially opened at June 12th. The opening ceremony will be performed by none other than Marianne Thieme and you’re welcome to come along!
In the past few weeks, the five Tiny Lofts for the Tiny House street in Hardegarijp were under production at the Mill Home Factory at Mill. The build of a whole series of Tiny House at once is a very special sight! For the residents of the houses these are exciting times. After applying, they had to wait to hear if they were selected. After that, they had to deal with the financial aspects. Now it’s waiting for the houses to be delivered. You might think that it’s no different than with a regular house. But this is a very new type of home, for a project receiving lots of media attention. I spoke with one of the very happy residents-to-be, Mirjam Aukema.
Mirjam first learned about Tiny Houses when she found my website and she got excited immediately. She thought that the Tiny House dream wasn’t on the cards for her yet. Being a pioneer, like the few Tiny House residents in The Netherlands, wasn’t her thing. At the moment she is living in an adorable courtyard in Leeuwarden, the city that has been her home for years. The – women only – courtyard consists of houses of about 35 m² and has a communal garden. So, Mirjam is no stranger to living small, and it won’t be that hard for her to declutter either. It’s a great place to live, but Mirjam is ready for something new. She’s a real nature lover: she spends a lot of time in nature with her dog, wearing her rubber boots. That’s what attracts her to Hardegarijp, the surroundings are beautiful and she’s always dreamed of living close to nature.
When Mill Home came out with the plan for a Tiny House street in Hardegarijp, she immediately applied as a potential resident. She couldn’t be happier when she found out she was selected: ‘I think it’s great this is happening in Hardegarijp, having the Frisians as front runner!’ She really loves the Tiny Lofts from Mill Home: ‘They put a lot of thought into the design and they’re really well finished-off. I couldn’t have come up with anything better myself’. What appeals to her is being able to live among nature in a Tiny Loft, but without having to depend on technics like in some off-grid houses. It’s all going really fast: she applied for a spot in the project in January this year, and she’ll receive the key of her home on June 12th. She’s expecting to be completely moved in to her new home on June 16th. She can’t wait to sit on her deck in her new rattan chair with sheepskin. ‘I can’t believe I’m this close to living there already!’
This week Mirjam will meet her last neighbor. She’s already met all the others, and with one neighbor she even went to IKEA in Groningen to buy some new things for their homes. She thinks the street will form a small but close community. She’s looking forward to having her own yard, which she doesn’t have right now. She’ll probably get a lot of visitors too, since there’s a lot of attention focused on this project. Fortunately she doesn’t mind, she’s already used to that by living in a courtyard. On the contrary: she thinks it’s really special to get in touch with all those people who are interested in Tiny Houses. She might even organise her own open houses. But first she’s going to settle down and enjoy her beautiful new Tiny Loft in Hardegarijp. I hope you enjoy living there and wish you all the best Mirjam. When you’re ready I’ll definitely stop by for a cup of coffee! ????
Do you want to be there for the opening of the Tiny House street on June 12th? You’re more than welcome! From 15.00h, you can visit the Tiny House at the Van Weerden Poelmansstraat 3 in Hardegarijp. Would you like to live in one of these beautiful Tiny Lofts, on a different location? You can let Mill Home know through their website: Mill Home, If five people are interested the team will set up a meeting with the local authorities to explore the possibilities.
This blogpost was written in cooperation with Mill Home. With thanks to Mirjam Aukema. Photo credits: Mill Home and Mirjam Aukema.
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