There are now about 100 tiny houses in the Netherlands and that number is only going to grow. The STEC group has researched the tiny houses and has come to the conclusion that tiny houses is more than just a trend: it is a permanent phenomenon. According to Monique van Orden, author of the book Tiny Houses - less house, more life has several reasons.
Climate change
First, we live in a time of climate change where people are more aware of the ecological footprint they leave behind. For example, by living smaller, you consume less energy. In addition, the tiny houses are often off grid and are made from biobased material.
Economic crisis
Secondly, the 2008 economic crisis has driven us quite a bit. We no longer want the burden of a high mortgage in a housing market, which apparently can collapse at any moment. We want a house that we can pay off in one go or where at least half of our salary does not go. In addition, less house is less room for equipment, so there is also financial profit. Profit that can be stopped in experiences, because they seem to become more important than ownership. It is not for nothing that consumption, relaxation and minimalism are the trends of the moment.
Freedom & independence with a tiny house
The third reason why we want to live small is simply because we want to be free and independent. We no longer want the government and project developers to decide for us how we should live. We want to determine it ourselves. You can design a tiny house with the help of an architect, a designer or yourself according to your wishes and standards. That means that you can actually see who is the resident on the outside. We put the five most special tiny houses in the Netherlands at your fingertips:
The Tiny Wikkelhouse house of Henny
Henny lives in a winding house in Almere. This house is made entirely of cardboard and then equipped with a kind of Goretex layer, making the house 100% waterproof, but still breathes.
Interior of the wrapping house
Tiny house design of Wendy & Timothy
Wendy and Timothy are two people in their thirties who live in Noordwijk. He is a designer and you can see that in the house: there is a real lighting plan and the house has design wallpaper, which is imported from America. There is also a small ship's piano in the house.
'Climbing wall', tiny house of Elke
Elke lives in Westbroek, near Utrecht. She had three wishes for her house: it had to have a climbing wall, a roof terrace and a skylight so that she could look at the stars from her bed. That has all succeeded. Her house was once in an American magazine because of the design.
Workshop' tiny house of Monique and Melchert
Monique van Orden (writer of the book Tiny Houses) will live in Den Helden with her husband Melchert in their tiny house. The house is not finished yet, but the design is. Because Melchert is a painter, a studio was indispensable. Their house will be the first tiny house with an 'artist in residence'. Inspired by the Asian fishermen's houses
Waste tiny house
Henk had been thinking for years with the idea of building his own sustainable house. He has managed to make a tiny house for 1000 euros of demolition wood and found materials in Wageningen.
By: Wyke Potje . Photos by: Bluemonque
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