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Helping hands are never far behind when you build your Tiny House together with the Kleine Klussers. And that’s a comforting thought, especially if you’ve never before taken on a major project like building a house. Don’t be daunted by that project either: it is very much possible to build your Tiny House yourself without any experience.
That being said, it is a very comforting and safe idea to have expert advice and good construction drawings at hand. You may want to outsource some parts of the construction as well and for all that and more you can depend on the Kleine Klussers: a team of experienced Tiny House builders who guide you as needed in the construction of your own Tiny House.
Who are the Kleine Klussers
Erik Poldervaart and his wife Parel built a Tiny House for their family of four. Maarten-Bas van Driel also built his own Tiny House together with his girlfriend. Both households started their ‘tiny housing career’ in the temporary Tiny House housing project Tussentij in Dordrecht, and are moving to the Keyenburg in Rotterdam this year.
Erik and Maarten-Bas came up with the idea to help others build their Tiny Houses. After building their own they had acquired quite the taste for building Tiny Houses and enough experience had been gained. They had also built up a large collection of tools together that could be put to good ude again. The idea was to provide a place where people can build their own Tiny House. A place where tools and support but also companionship is present. In April 2020, this idea became a reality with the establishment of ‘De Kleine Klussers’ and a workshop in Dordyard, Dordrecht. There they built a total of four Tiny Houses.
Erik: “Some people lack the confidence to start building their own Tiny House. Building together with people who have already gone through the process before is very pleasant. Building together is also a lot more fun than building on your own. We have lunch together, you share joys and sorrows during construction and you can buy materials together, which is also cost effective.”
The range of tools was expanded and this year architect Tom van Loon joined the team. Tom also built his own Tiny House together with his partner and they now also live in the Keyenburg in Rotterdam. The lines of communication are short and they carpool together to the new workshop in Bleiswijk, where they have space to simultaneously (help) build four Tiny Houses. The workshop is of course equipped with a large roller door of more than 4 meters high, so that the houses built there can easily be driven out of it.
Customized support
What parts of construction do you want to do yourself and what do you outsource to experts when it comes to building your Tiny House? It’s up to you, a lot is possible. De Kleine Klussers distinguish between two forms of collaboration: self-build and contract work.
Projects in which people receive support up to three days a week fall into the self-build category. You are then yourself responsible for planning and progress. It is possible to only rent a place for construction where you can use the available tools, and if your Tiny House is wind and watertight, you can choose to finish it outside.
You can also choose to outsource the responsibility for the planning and progress of your project to the Kleine Klussers, while you help build your Tiny House. Or you outsource the entire construction to them. These projects fall within the category of ‘contracted work’.
Good planning will get you far
An attractive part of the services of the Kleine Klussers is that they work with an extensive construction schedule that is sent to every customer. It describes all aspects of the construction, such as the facade, insulation, the roof, window frames, floor, interior, installations, et cetera. If you have never built a Tiny House before, it is quite difficult to make a list in advance of all that you have to do. This planning offers a great deal of guidance to novice and experienced builders. Based on the detailed list, the customer can determine which tasks he wants to do himself and which he wants to outsource. They also advise how much time each part takes on average, performed by the client or by the experienced Kleine Klussers. If later in the process it turns out that you can’t manage to do all the planned jobs yourself, you can always outsource more. That is a reassuring thought, especially for people who do construction next to a busy job or study.
From design to realization
With the arrival of Tom, the team now also has an in-house architect, which has expanded the range of services considerably. Tom can design your entire Tiny House for and together with you, but he can also only make technical drawings based on your own design or sketch. If you only have a vague idea of what your house should look like, Tom can help you get that idea crystal clear and on paper. In this way you can contract the Kleine Klussers for the entire process from design to realization.
Course
Soon the three men will start giving courses aimed at people who want to build their Tiny House themselves. In the day course ‘Build your own Tiny House’ you gain hands-on practical knowledge and experience with which you can make a flying start with construction. The course will be given in the workshop in Bleiswijk where all necessary tools and machines are available. At the end of the day you are ready to get started on your project with full confidence.
Open house
On Saturday October 23rd there will be an open day, where various self-builders will be present to share their experiences. You can view 3 Tiny Houses under construction, each with its own design. The program starts at 11 AM and from 2 PM the self-builders are present for questions and guided tours. At 5 PM the program ends. Sign up by sending an email to info@dekleineklussers.com or just drop by.
If you can’t make it on October 23, feel free to drop by on another day. Erik: “People are always welcome to come and have a look around and talk with us, they can also see the Tiny Houses being built.”
Of course you can find the Kleine Klussers on TinyFindy, and you can also find them on Instagram.
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