Jr & Ginger

Creating a home part 3

In january 2016 we started with the reconstruction and restauration of the farm (house). We moved temporarily into the barn, where our office and warehouse for the Team is located.

It is amazing how fast the deconstruction of the walls and floors were realized, and how many containers filled with stones, wood and other debris were taken from the construction site. In some weeks we were ready to start building up again.

First we started with the flooring and the walls in the “barn” part of the farm. Getting the floor equalized, preparing the piping and building fundament for the new inside walls and for the isolation.

While being busy with the deconstruction inside we found out that one important beam was missing. So we immediately replaced this beam with a “new” old beam.

missing beam

the “new” old beam

After preparing the groundwork with equalizing, piping etc it was time to build the fundaments for the new inside walls. Finally the floorpan was visible. The outsidewalls were prepared and we could start with finishing of the floor, so we did not need to work in the sand anymore.

Piping first

Isolation second

Construction after

and we have a floor !

Working on a concrete floor was so much better then on the sand. And to have a floor it seems like you are halfway there…..(by that time it felt like). To start building up again gives an enormous good feeling of really creating something new and nice. The metal beams could be placed now and it was time to isolate and build up the new inside walls.

We decided not to place metal stud walls but we choose brick walls. Real genuine walls that the farm deserves. In such an old house we did not want to work with too much artificial products, but with real wood, bricks and genuine products. When the metal beams were placed we could also start with the new first floor construction.

In the part were the kitchen was going to be planned we decided to replace the roof with old beams and two window roofs to get more extra light. We also found the most beautiful brick wall behind a thick layer of all different kind of wallpaper and stuc. Bart did a great job by cleaning it all off and the wall showed its history, a real eyecather in the house.

When the walls were finished downstairs, it was time to do some little brickwalls upstairs and then all brick wall constructions were ready and we could start with isolating and finishing the roof upstairs. A lot of work, with real precision, because the old roof was definitely not straight and had a lot of flow. The new oak beam construction was placed to give the roof some extra support.

The upstair floorpan was definitiv now and walls could be placed. The house got it’s form back and it was good to see the progression. Our cat also liked to walk with us through his new home when we were making inspections every night.

While the lumberjacks were working on the roof and wall construction upstairs and placing the windows in the roof, the house became more and more a home. We need to make choices for kitchen and bathrooms. Not easy to make…there is so much choice. And there are so many decisions to make.

It is such an energizing proces to see the house become a home. Deconstruction is done in the shortest time of period from the whole proces, the building up takes the most of time, but it is a nice proces to follow. While finishing upstairs it was time for the final step downstairs, placing the floor heating and finishing of with a layer of concrete, which was going to be the final floor. It became perfect and the difference between a very modern style concrete floor combined with the authentic old floor tiles was beautiful.

After a period of time of leaving the floor to harden, and a necessary summerholiday break, the plasterer could start downstairs, while the lumberjacks finished of the woodwork upstairs.

When the new aluminium doors and windows were placed, this gave the house and especially the new living room, a transformation into a house.

A really nice adjustment to the house were the steel window at the kitchen and the steel doors between the hall and living room. Also the stairs were a real improvement, with the old wooden doors, that were originally from the attic.

When the woodwork upstairs was finished and the plasterer had finished the walls it was time for the painter, and then the house really became a home. We really had to work hard to have everything ready for him to paint. Doors were placed and the bathrooms finalized.

white tub with separate standing faucet

Black Faucets

We found out that behind a wooden plate stick to the original doors, there were real nice panel doors ! Giving them a nice paint and some new “old” style doorhandles made them match the house perfectly. An old door, originally form the barn, that was repainted by bart, was a perfect sliding door in the living room.

In the hall we used an old door from the house that was found inside a wall while we were deconstructing. With matching green and yellow glass to the tiles in the front hall which are also green and yellow. A real nice old paneldoor that we have taken away downstairs in the kitchenarea was used again upstairs. Time for the last step, placing the kitchen and moving in.

An old door from the house found inside a wall.

a downstairs door used again upstairs

master bedroom

new kitchen area

We have found our kitchen at Mandemakers keukens, an oak wooden VT wonen kitchen with steel grips. A white butler sink was added and a concrete look kitchen desk. All appliances were delivered by AEG. We really looked forward to move in !

new kitchen area

It is such a big project when you renovate an old farm and its barn. We moved in april 2011 and now when I am writing this blog we are 7 years later, april 2018. We live here now exactly 7 years, there is still some work to do around the house and even inside the house. We still need to restore the old kitchenarea and we need to unpack at least 60 boxes that are spread around the house, but we have done the biggest part. We told each other when we moved in that it was going to be a 10-years-project, so we still have 3 more years 😉

But when I look back to all the photos from the renovation I am definitely proud of what we have achieved already. It is a nice house to live in, a real home ❤

Here some before and after photos from the transformation of our home

missing beam

The history of our house – creating a home part 2

Featured by jrandginger, posted in Home

We bought the house in april 2011. We moved in, just did the necessary paintwork and made some low cost walls in the back part of the house for the office and warehouse for our company. We wanted to renovate the barn first (see my post Creating a home part 1) move the company in there and then start with the renovation of the house.

We planned it like this because we wanted to live in the house to find out what are the nicest places, where is the sun all day, which parts of the house are colder etc. Just to get to know the house better before making a renovation plan.

Once the barn was ready and the company was moved in, we started to make plans for the house. Because the house is a national monument we needed to get an architectural historical research done by a monument specialized company. It was really nice to read the outcome of that research and to find out the history of the house that we are living in.

The house, actually a farm, stands in a small village called Huisseling. Around 1205 it was first mentioned under the name “Huseniggen”. Until 1813 Huisseling is mentioned in diverse names like Huseninghen, Husewygen, Huijsling, Huesselingen…. From 1813 it is simply called Huisseling. When you look at the name (all villages ending on -ing) it is clear that this little village is very old, probably from the early Middle Ages (between 6th and 10th century). This little village is close to Ravenstein, a very old and historical rich fortified town with many old buildings, a windmill and there was even a castle in the past.

The farm is dated back to the first half of the 18th century. In one of the cross beams is the inscription G.E.M. ANNO 1736 IHS. We may assume that this inscription relates to the building of the core of the farm.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-034 — G.E.M. ANNO 1736 IHS

In 1759 there was an enlargement on the farm, you can see this on the 4th and last cross beam at the back of the farm. The inscription says 1759. Later, in 1770, the barn next to the farm was build. It is possible that in the 18th century other little barns have been build around the farm. On the 1st cadastral map there are 3 more small barns and a six-sided karn mill shown around the farm.

The people living in the farm that time, were living in wealthy times. After the expansion of the farm in 1759 and the building of the barn in 1770, they expanded the farm also with a reception room (in dutch : onderkelderde pronkkamer). Based on the facade work outside and the empire/neo classistic interior details this was between 1800-1810. Marcelus van Aar, living in the farm in 1810, was the mayor of Huisseling. It is assuming that he is responsible for the expansion of the farm with the reception room, that gave the farm more status (in dutch : herenboerderij). Because of this higher status the farm also got the name “‘t Heerenhuijs”.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-052 — Interior reception room with Empire Neo classistic details

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-055 — The reception room with basement on left side

The farm is shown on the 1st cadastral map of Huisseling from 1826. You can see the farm with the reception room attached and the barn. On the map is also shown 3 more little barns and the six-sided karn mill. The owner at that time was Hendrik van Aar, who also owned the plots around the farm.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-056 — Huisseling 1826

Research on the facade shows that in mid 19th century the facade of the living area is expanded with bricks (the right part and the attic part of the facade at the front and the facade at the right side). The facade at the left was still low. Probably there was wood covering before they replaced it with bricks.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-104 — The history is told by the facade

Also on the interior there was modernizing. Tiles were attached in the big fireplace showing steamboat and steam train. Also a tableaux of 4 tiles showing the lean and fat years. These tiles are dated 1850-1870.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-063 — Tiles with steam train 1850-1870

Remarkable is the detail in the facade on the front of the so called “fireplace-stones” (in dutch : haardsteentjes). These baked stones with an image in relief were originally used in the 16th-17th century in the back wall of a fireplace. Production was normally Liege or Antwerp, but later also in Utrecht. It is not clear if these stones come from an earlier fireplace of the farm, or are bought somewhere by Van Aar.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-065 — Fireplace-stone in the front facade

Also in the early 20th century the residents were having good times and in 1907 there was a beautiful expansion on the farm. A facade with a new entry (it looks like the door is from an earlier period, Empire style, probably used before in the expansion with the reception room). In one of the bricks is the inscription “A.V.D.M. 1907”. When you compare the bricks used with the bricks in the side facade, it looks like the side facade is elevated in the same period. In the interior the floor was tiled.

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-070 — The expansion in 1907 with door in Empire style from 1800

Huisseling_Daalderstraatj-073 — Rich decorated tile floorings interior 1907

In 1953 the walls of the barn-part of the farm were all replaced in brick. Probably before, the top part of the walls were in wood. In 1970 the interior was modernized, another place for toilet and bathroom, doors were covered with wood, new kitchen was placed and new ceilings were placed covered with timber (dutch ; schrootjesplafonds). In what used to be a cupboard bed (dutch : bedstee) stairs were placed going to the attic above the reception room, where small bedrooms and a small bathroom were made.

In my next post I will show photos of how it looks like now, after the renovation we started january last year. We are almost ready to move in and make it a home again. Because of the rich history of this house, for me it always feels like a house of the time. Now we are living in it, we add style from this time and we keep the house and all its beautiful historical details in good shape. But there are many more residents before and after us, making and under keeping history. I feel glad that I am part of that history 🙂

Creating a home Part 1

Featured by jrandginger, posted in Home

In 2011 we bought an old farm in Huisseling, The Netherlands. The house is actually a state-monument dated 1733, as signed on one of the big wooden beams. The barn is a municipal monument from 1770 (we found out when we were deconstructing). A big project but very exciting !

The house was old and dated, it definitely needed some good care and renewal. The barn was a real barn with stables, hay on the first floor and cesspits full of sh….. We decided to go live and work in the house just as it was (cold and humid…) and first start with the reconstruction of the barn. This project we started in 2012 and it was a big project. At first we needed to have the roof taken of by a company specialized in asbestos removal.

After that we needed to take down some walls but unfortunately the other walls collapsed and at last the only thing left was the wooden construction of the barn. An impressive strong construction, really beautiful to see. It is amazing when you see how they build in 1733.

Then the rebuilding started, groundwork, fundament, outside walls and inside walls, a metal construction to carry the new floor &roof, floors, electricity plan, plumber plan and a complete new thatched roof. Actually the process of construction reminded me of when I studied for fashion academy and did couture. Putting garments together felt like the same. Make a plan, draw the construction, find the right material en putting it together.

Finding and choosing the right material was a difficult but fun process for me. There are so many choices to make and for a perfectionist like me that was not easy. I had an image and idea in my mind what it should look like in the end, so the big search took a lot of energy. But seeing the process and the improvements also gave a lot of energy. For some links to the architect and the material companies we worked with see below.

In the beginning of 2014 the barn was ready to become an office and warehouse for the Team. It is amazing how fast new situations become normal. It is 2017 now and we are working in this office for 3 years and I never think back about all the hard work and the way it was when we bought it. Only now when I see the photos from before and after I realize how many work we have done. Last year we started reconstruction on the house which is almost finished now as well, I will share this in “Creating a home part 2”
soon. It is sometimes good to look back and see what you have created already ! And there is so many more to create 🙂 I hope you enjoyed reading this article.

The Team

Construction material

Interior design

Kitchen

Architecture

London City Trip

27 April 20202 May 2020 by jrandginger, posted in Travel

Travelling

Mother and Daughter city trip

In March last year I visited London with my daughter Ginger. We made it a real shopping trip, no touristy sightseeing, just enjoy shops, coffee and food.

We flew out of Rotterdam-The Hague Airport (very small and convenient) to London City Airport with British Airways.

From London City airport it was just a small ride by train and underground (approx. 30 minutes) to our hotel. We were staying in the San Domenico House in Belgravia. A lovely old building with beautifully designed rooms furnished with antiques, paintings and classical furniture. This boutique hotel is located only 5 minutes from Sloane Square and fashionable Chelsea. After a very friendly welcome in the lobby, where the burning fireplace gave an immediate feeling of coming in a warm home, we were brought to our room, top floor and with our own balcony. A perfect start of our trip.

We were given the cutest room with a balcony and a lovely view over Belgravia. After settling in we went for lunch at the Elan cafe at Brompton Road. A stylich cafe, pastel coloured, gold details and full of flowers. These flowerswalls were something that we saw a lot around London in the following days. We had a lovely lunch, sandwiches and I ordered a beetroot latte. A very soft , rich creamy coffee taste. Subtle.

After our lunch we walked up to the famous Harrods Warehouse. If you visit London and you like shopping, this is definately a must visit. The building is beautiful, immense large and all luxury brands are available. Clothing, jewellery, beauty products, home and furniture and a large section of food. The walk from Elan Cafe to Harrods, both on Brompton Road, is packed with beautifull shops and restaurants.

London in march was already filled with blossom and the soft pink colours contrasting to the white buildings looked so lovely. Walking around London (or most of the cities actually) is giving me always a sense of happiness. Just enjoying the stroll, no need to hurry and just enjoy the architecture, the nature you find and the lovely shops and restaurants you see while walking around, I like it a lot.

‘London in march was already filled with blossom and the soft pink colours contrasting to the white buildings looked so lovely. Walking around London, or most of the cities actually, is giving me always a sense of happiness.’

After our visit at Harrods we went to the Knot Churros in South Kensington. A colourfull cafe where Ginger decided to take an enormous blue coloured Freakshake topped with candycane floss and for me a cappucino, to balance it out… The cafe was quite busy and we had to wait 20 minutes before we could have a table. But the neighbourhood is nice to walk around while waiting.

After our sugar dose we took the underground back to Sloane Square, close to our hotel. We had a nice italian meal at Caffe Concerto at Kings Road. Back in the hotel we got into our bathrobes and slippers, offered by the hotel, and put on our facial masks we bought at Boots earlier. Time to relax from a perfect first day in London.

The next day we decided to have breakfast in the neighbourhood before walking to Peggy Porschen on Elisabeth Street. We went to Colbert on Sloane Square, it felt like a parisian style brasserie. The walk to Peggy Porschen, the pink coloured cafe was through beautiful Belgravia. Lovely architecture from the majestic white buildings contrasting with the green of the parks and small gardens. Also Elisabeth street is very nice to stroll around, a lovely street with small shops and cafe’s. I loved the entree of the Moyses Stevens flowershop, another flowerwall. We also visited Mungo & Maud, a lovely dog and cat outfitters shop. We bought some biscuits for our labrador, Bram.

Peggy Porschen was on both of our wishlist. This beautiful pink coloured cafe, instagram famous, with their lovely decorated entree and delicious little pastries, cupcakes, tarts and cookies. We were lucky to have a table outside and we ordered some delicous goodies, not a typical lunch, but the prettiest.

After our delicious lunch we walked back to Sloane Street, where we visited Jo Malone, my favourite perfume brand. I discovered this brand at the Bijenkorf and it stole my heart. The natural scents of their products, all possible to layer with eachother, is the best. Their stores are completely decorated in their classic black and white design, the products all displayed in nice cabinets. They have a counter where they can show you their products and even give you a little hand and arm massage, while using their product. If you are in the possibility to visit one of their stores, I highly recommend it. Their packaging is also stunning.

Sloane street and Sloane square are full of nice shops, like Maje, Cloe, Emilia Wickstead, more the exclusive brands. We decided to walk to Baywater street. It started to drizzle a little, so we picked up an umbrella from the hotel and put our shopping bags at our room. We have had a lot of fun making photos at Baywater street. Do you like to make colourful photos, please visit.

After our fun at Baywater street we walked back King’s Road to Sloane Square. where we took a taxi to Oxford street. King’s road is also a nice shopping street, we visited Gap, Nike, Kiehl’s and Lululemon.

Oxford street is one of the biggest shopping streets in London, with big chain stores like Zara, Topshop, Urban Outfitters. We walked over to Selfridges for dinner at Aubaine Restaurant. This restaurant is inside Selfridges, decorated with lilac flowers. Lovely place in a very nice store, with good food. We ordered the Aubaine Burger with a side order of sweet potato fries, which were covered with feta cheese crumbles and pomegranate seeds. A combination that was very nice.

After some shopping at Oxford street we decided to have a dessert at Sketch. Also seen on Insta, this pink restaurant with the beautiful mosaic floor was on my wishlist. No idea, if we were allowed to visit (since it was quite late and ginger was only 14) we walked over there. The man at the entree allowed us to enter for a dessert, I think he thought it was quite funny. It is a very extraordinary place, the entree is already amazing and the pink restaurant feels very elegant. Pink walls, pink velvet chairs and a beautiful mosaic floor. The ceiling has a big round glass window. The walls are decorated with sketches. We had a seat at the bar and ordered two desserts, they looked like art, tasted like heaven. Ginger thought it was quite an experience. Especially the bathrooms, they are extraordinarily. White stairs leading up to a colourfull glass ceiling, where egg shaped bubbles are the toilets….you just have to visit this place once…

Time to go to bed, we took a taxi back to the hotel. In the lobby from the San Domenico House we took a cup of tea both before going to our room. This lobby is very nice, fireplace always on and a big samovar with hot water for complimentary tea. We just had the best day !

The next day we flew back home. We stayed two nights in London, but 3 would have been better, I suggest. We still have some addresses on our wishlist for the next visit. I do suggest flying to London city airport, very convenient when visiting the city. And when you fly back the look at the runway is spectacular. The area where our hotel was located is also a good suggestion. If you like specialty shops, quite neighbourhood and nice caffes and restaurants, please visit Elisabeth street and the area around Sloane Square.

I am writing this blog one year later and the whole world is currently in lockdown. When we all will be back in ‘normal’ life again, we all don’t know. But probably it will take some while and travelling in the near future will definitely change. Therefor I am even more thankful for this nice trip I made with my daughter. Lets hope the world will be better soon. Health first, stay safe all.