Today the application for the environmental permit for my new Tiny House is done. Woohoo! Let me tell you, it took quite some work. Especially getting a correct BENG and MPG. But we did it, and today Woonpionier Menno is going to submit the application for me. With a bit of luck, I will have the permit at home in a few weeks and we can move forward!
Doing the math
How we arrived at a correct BENG and MPG calculation is quite a story. I will write a separate blog about it with the help of Patrick Dekker from ADEK Installatie Advies, because he made the calculations and was a humongous help. It’s a complex thing, the BENG is, and I had to make quite a few concessions to be able to meet it. I can tell you that there have been many consultation rounds before it was completed. This makes it even more terrific that Patrick was willing to do this for me selflessly, because he is very sympathetic towards the Tiny House movement. Thank you very much Patrick!
Patrick is certified to make the BENG and MPG calculations and is now completely at home in the matter regarding the challenge of having a Tiny House comply with the BENG. So, if you are looking for someone who can make a BENG calculation for your Tiny House, I can heartily recommend him! A big thumbs up to my designer Menno too, who worked very hard to get everything finished and submitted on time. Thank you, Menno. You are the best!
Next steps: appraisal and mortgage
Once I have received the environmental permit, I can ask Jan Peeters from Triodos for new mortgage advice. This time, for the cost of the lot and part of the costs of my new house. For that, I also need an appraisal report of the house and the lot, which is what Jolande from Eikenaar Makelaardij in Heino is working on for me. Unfortunately, that has also become more complex than it already was: Jolande told me that appraisals will be delivered differently as of October 1, 2021 and that various additional input is required, such as a technical report. All appraisers have had to take another exam for this, and it is expected that appraisers will drop out for that reason. Be aware of this if you are looking for an appraiser. In any case, the appraiser must be located in a 20 km radius around the property to be appraised.
My own piece of Earth
When all that is done, I can finally have the lot put to my name. For the first time in my life, I will ‘own’ a piece of Earth. How amazing is that! I am so excited and look forward to taking extremely good care of that part of the planet, and to turn it into a paradise for people, plants and animals. I am currently burying myself in companion planting gardening books. I find that very interesting.
I also requested a quote from Holsto Tuinen en Buitenleven in Olst for the construction of the framework of my garden, which I consider just as important as my house. The planting I can do myself and Buro Ruiter made a beautiful garden design for me. But I can’t do the big work that requires heavy equipment, such as building the semi-paved paths, and for that I would like to enlist the help of Holsto. The fact that they not only create gardens but also have a garden center with the widest range of organic planting material in the Netherlands, is an important reason for me to do business with Holsto. Bonus: they are located near the Olstergaard! How wonderful that I will soon be able to go very close to home for organic plants, shrubs, trees and bulbs. Only organic planting material will have a place in my garden, so that it really becomes a safe haven and delicious buffet for all insects and birds.
Almost time to start the build
And then… in January the construction of my house will start! It is being built by Gijs Blind and his team from Blind Werkt, in the workshop in Deventer. Gijs builds my Sprout including kitchen and bathroom in the workshop, after which it is transported to the lot. There it is placed on a screw foundation from PNL Circulair funderen, after which the greenhouse is attached to it. If everything goes smoothly, I can move in in March/April. Then the semi-transparent solar panels that form the roof of the greenhouse must be connected; otherwise I have no power 😉 That too is still a puzzle how best to do this. But luckily Bas and Antoine from PVOne are super enthusiastic about my project and are very nice to work with. They are dealers of the Hannover Solar panels that will be installed in my greenhouse soon.
Onwards, to Olst!
But first: I’m already moving to Olst in December!! I have found a very nice temporary place to live where I can stay for a few months, thanks to a very warm sweet woman. It is a stone’s throw from the Olstergaard, which means that I can easily go to my lot if I am needed there, and also can easily go to the workshop in Deventer. That’s great, isn’t it? It is also nice for Marloes that I already live in Olst when she moves to the Olstergaard with her Tiny House. Together we can explore the area.
There is so much more to tell. Today I am going to visit Laura and Diederik from Ladida architecten. They have won the Platowood design competition and are doing incredibly cool things with wood, like bend it in order to support plants growing against it. My facade will be a Platowood facade that I want to partially overgrow, so I asked them if they would also like to make something beautiful for me and they agreed.
On Friday I have an appointment with an interior stylist! I very much look forward to that. Because to be honest, I really need help in that department… So I enlisted the help of Dennis Belle. Dennis designed one of the Tiny Houses in Leeuwarden and did such an amazing job! With Dennis’ advice, I am sure that the interior of my house will be equally awesome. More on that later. Have a great day!
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