Heart Of The House

More light and an even nicer house than they already had. That was on Ansje Thomas and Walter Verwiel’s priority list. They found nothing in the existing housing arsenal. Then they came up with the idea of building their own. Their self-designed house became so cozy that neighbors and friends show up at their doorstep every day.

Ansje Thomas was overjoyed in her old house. For her, moving was not an option at all, because living in a house with nice neighbors and stores within walking distance was simply impossible. Her husband found the house too dark, a recurring objection that finally made Ansje change her mind. Together they decided to look for another home. But that proved no mean feat, because if you are so happy with your own place, how do you find something even nicer?

Amstelkwartier

They tracked down self-build plots in Amsterdam’s Amstel Quarter through the grapevine. There they could realize the house of their dreams provided they managed to secure a registration, which they left to their daughter due to a vacation abroad. The couple were not the only ones who had their eye on a self-build plot. Days in advance, a line had formed that their daughter did not join until the day itself. Thank God a predecessor dropped out and it turned out that other applicants were aiming for another plot. Ansje and Walter were lucky with their second choice.

A long process

Ansje and Walter did not expect that obtaining a plot would involve a building process of at least four years. Just getting the land ready to build took two years. On top of that came the building itself. They commissioned an architect to design a light and open house with apartments upstairs that Ansje would rent out through Air B&B. At some point, when Ansje and Thomas got tired of waiting, they moved into a half-finished house. Ansje: “We had lived in a lot of different places before that, because we had sold our house much earlier. At the end we stayed with friends but I soon got tired of that.”

Worth the wait

The long-sought-after house in the long-awaited spot turned into a true dream home. The south-facing glass facade provides tons of light. And because of the voids you are in contact with each other everywhere. When Ansje is cooking, she can easily call out to Walter who is working upstairs on the mezzanine. At the heart of the house is the kitchen: Ansje’s domain. The hospitality-like layout with pots and pans up for grabs and a real pizza oven is exactly how Ansje, envisioned it. Ansje conveniently omits the fact that the installation of the oven did not go smoothly. Ansje: “In the end, the pizza oven is so worth it. Not a party goes by or we serve pizza.”

Cozy corners
Besides the pizza oven, the sitting area with cozy wood-burning stove also provides a lot of atmosphere in the house. The roof terrace is another place that worked out very well, they think. Unfortunately, the vegetable garden planned there leaves something to be desired; the greenhouse on the roof gets so hot that everything gets scorched. Now the couple uses the greenhouse as a roof terrace to watch the stars and skyline with a glass of wine in the evening. If one day the planned elevator is ready, Ansje will drive from the kitchen downstairs with a trolley of plates full of delicious food straight onto the terrace.

Look and feel
Even though Ansje and Walter’s interior has the right vibe, they certainly don’t consider it ‘finished’. Ansje: “We started with white walls and created the right atmosphere through our art and choice of furniture. But the bedroom, for example, which was completely open, felt like an aquarium. That’s why we put shutters there. We also had an extra window made in the outside wall, because during the design phase we hadn’t realized how nice it would be to also have a view of the water behind us.”

Optimal enjoyment
Needless to say, finding a lot and having a house built is not something you do “just like that. Just before installing the pizza oven, for example, it turned out that the flue could not run through the wall behind. Ansje: “The entire upper floor, in which floor heating had already been installed, had to be opened
up. Those are annoying things, but you forget them quickly.” Just like the leak that had occurred when Ansje and Walter had just gone away for the weekend. Upon returning home they found a layer of water all over the first floor. It is Walter in particular who then keeps his spirits up. “Apparently it has to be this way,” was his comment. Meanwhile, they are thoroughly enjoying their new place to live. They absolutely do not regret the idea of finding an “even nicer house with more light”!