There is a chance that you will not always live in your Tiny House where it is now. Perhaps the location is only available temporarily, perhaps the flow of tenants is desired, perhaps you would like to move to a different type of home, larger or in a different location. For TinyFindy I looked for experiences of Tiny Housefuture pioneers with moving.
Some go to another region or even another country. Sometimes they leave their house behind for the next enthusiast, there are also Tiny House residents who take their house with them to the next place. What are the main reasons for taking this step and what challenges do you encounter?
Return ticket Rotterdam port – Dronten estate
‘Our first place to live was a vacant lot in the middle of a green village, surrounded by the industrial port of Rotterdam,” says Tiny House pioneer Jan-Willem. ‘Noortje and I knew in advance that we could stay there for 1.5 years. That is why we paid close attention to staying ready for the move until that moment and did not implement all kinds of interventions such as an underground water tank.’
After 1.5 years they left for an estate in Dronten. ‘A beautiful place to live where we really created an idyllic picture. Small living, in the middle of nature. We really learned there what it is like to be dependent on your environment and your off-grid systems.’ They helped on the estate by pruning, caring for animals, mowing grass, in short, nature management: ‘In the Netherlands there is only cultivation. landscape. That starts with the water level, which we artificially keep at a certain level.’
Inspired by the beautiful surroundings, they started dreaming about their own place. Preferably above sea level, where they could go one step further in self-sufficiency: ‘Unfortunately, the organization no longer gave us the space to look for this. Due to the changing conditions, we left the estate and returned to Rotterdam where we could temporarily stay with friends.’
De Kroon Rotterdam
They have always been able to take their house with them: ‘Getting rid of the house and moving was relatively easy, because we were on wheels. We have been very lucky with help with transport, temporary shelter, storage and finding new housing. It was a mental challenge to pull our house out of the mud after 2 tiring Corona years and head to a new destination.’
In Rotterdam, where Jan-Willem works, they were able to temporarily store their house. The city campsite left and Jan-Willem and Noortje were asked to think about the outdoor space at that location in combination with Tiny Houses. ‘This ultimately led to the possibility of turning our house into a manager’s home. I literally sawed our Tiny house in half and turned it into a new concept.’
This new opportunity also gives Jan-Willem the opportunity to get started with all the ideas that he could not continue with on the estate in Dronten: ‘I really wanted to experiment with thermal mass under the house and with a solar chimney.’ a plan in the outdoor area of “de Kroon”. ‘This is a place where various creative companies are together and where I can experiment with living arrangements and invite people to stay for a maximum of 3 months. In addition, the idea arose to provide training in the field of future visualization.’
Living in an apartment
Because they were unable to register at the site of their converted Tiny House, they started looking for another solution to their address problem: ‘We were given the tip to take a look at a Central Living initiative. It was clear to us that living in a community would be the next step. So this was an excellent opportunity to give substance to this through a “normal apartment”. Also because of our 3-year-old daughter, we wanted to choose a place where we don’t have to just leave.’
They now live in a social rental home in Capelle, where they are also registered, without having been on a waiting list for 10 years. ‘The advantage of Centraal Wonen is that you are selected by the residential group. This was actually the only way for us to obtain a home in the short term in these times of housing crisis. We were very lucky with the house that became available, and the connection between our personal story and the wishes of the Centraal Wonen organization.’
Jan-Willem sleeps 1 or 2 nights a week in the manager’s home (the renovated Tiny House) in Rotterdam: ‘It serves as a place to sleep, so that I can be on location as a manager, but it is also a fallback option for our family if necessary. is.’ The manager’s house is now also available for rent during the weekends for conscious guests who want to experience what it is like to stay in an experimental tiny house.
Collaborating with Jan-Willem
Jan-Willem has a tip for people who would also like to embark on a Tiny House adventure: ‘Do (too) many uncertain things at the same time from a natural feeling of confidence! But also think carefully about ownership. Make sure that not only is your house yours, but also that you have a say in the place where you land. Do not place your housing security in the hands of other organizations where changes in direction may take place. If you enter a temporary “uncertain” situation, continue to search for your next option. 5 years fly by and if you take action in the last year, you are actually too late. New initiatives take a lot of time, make sure you can take that long breath and rest.’
Jan-Willem has started to focus on training in future visualization. With his experiences of the tiny house adventure, the tiny house academy and the freedom to dream endlessly, he founded Visveld.nl. With this company he helps organizations learn to visualize a hopeful future. Interested? Send a message to open@zichtveld.nl
Jan-Willem: ‘We focus our future visualization on a piece of land where we can set up a self-sufficient community. We have given ourselves until 2028 to achieve this. Around that time we want to take all the buildings on the Kroon to a beautiful place in nature with beautiful people around us.’
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