Houzz Tour: This Wooden House is Handmade By Two Students
Two German students built every part of this home – from the supply paths to the stovepipe – with their own two hands
While on vacation in Finland’s pristine wilderness, architecture student Timm Bergmann and urban design student Jonas Becker had an idea: Why not build a small bungalow right here? Full of energy and equipped with theoretical knowledge they were raring to put into practice, the two students created a retreat far away from the big city. They did everything themselves, from drawing up the plans, to building the supply roads necessary for bringing their materials to the site, to crafting every detail of the home. In the process they gained invaluable construction experience that will serve them well in their future careers.
Bergmann and Becker jumped in feet first, shifting gears from theory to practice and learning a lot about construction and Finnish permit processes along the way. “My mother owns a plot of land nearby,” Bergmann says. “We were able to lease the area where we wanted to build for a token amount. However, we still had to submit a building application, of course.”
The two students scraped together their life savings for the project, and the first draft of their plan served as their undergraduate dissertation.
The two students scraped together their life savings for the project, and the first draft of their plan served as their undergraduate dissertation.
“We were both in our sixth semester [that is, half way through their studies] and wanted to test out all the theory we’d learned, to see if everything really works the way you learn at university,” Bergmann says.
To keep to the tight budget of about $14,000, but also to get as much experience as possible, the two students planned and built almost everything themselves. “Sitting on the roof yourself, pulling a stovepipe through the ceiling and then sealing the roof – that’s something else. We wanted to experience these processes instead of just planning them in theory,” Bergmann says.
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To keep to the tight budget of about $14,000, but also to get as much experience as possible, the two students planned and built almost everything themselves. “Sitting on the roof yourself, pulling a stovepipe through the ceiling and then sealing the roof – that’s something else. We wanted to experience these processes instead of just planning them in theory,” Bergmann says.
See these smart, eco-friendly options for roofs
Their design is complex, but has a simple, minimalist effect. “The house is staggered so that you get a different view from each window,” Becker says. The four slightly offset rooms are spread over a total area of only about 280 square feet (26 square metres) and are surrounded by an impressive natural landscape.
The rooms are arranged for ease of use. The kitchen leads to a small living room, which is then followed by the bedroom and the sauna. The four rooms are identical, but rotated in relation to one another.
“There is always a wall on the tallest side and a double window on another side. These windows are also called ‘summerhouse windows’ in Finland. With their double glazing, they are totally sufficient [for keeping warmth inside], and they were easy to work with thanks to the solid wood frames,” Becker says.
Check out the pros and cons of double glazed windows
“There is always a wall on the tallest side and a double window on another side. These windows are also called ‘summerhouse windows’ in Finland. With their double glazing, they are totally sufficient [for keeping warmth inside], and they were easy to work with thanks to the solid wood frames,” Becker says.
Check out the pros and cons of double glazed windows
The students reexamined their plans repeatedly during the building process. “Sometimes ideas and changes only come up once construction is already underway,” Becker says.
“As we built everything ourselves, we not only cut costs but we were also able to make changes along the way. As a result, we extended the terrace, built the roof ourselves after all – contrary to the initial plan – and made the stove pipes ourselves,” Bergmann says.
“As we built everything ourselves, we not only cut costs but we were also able to make changes along the way. As a result, we extended the terrace, built the roof ourselves after all – contrary to the initial plan – and made the stove pipes ourselves,” Bergmann says.
The two set up a kind of base camp in the house where Bergmann’s grandparents once lived. As it has electricity and running water, it provided them with the infrastructure to prefabricate as many parts of the bungalow as possible without being dependent on the weather.
Are prefab houses the future of home building?
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“The house has a modular frame. In total, we installed 17 squared lumber frames. 18-millimetre-thick (0.7-inch-thick) plywood boards add rigidity, and they are connected to each other with other wood,” Bergmann says.
However, since no paths or roads led to the site, the two students needed a way to get themselves and their materials to the property before they could start building in earnest. “We needed a dock-like pathway to transport the building material through the marshy terrain to the building site,” Bergmann says.
So, they spent the first four weeks of their initial stay building an about 650-foot-long (200-metre-long) wooden walkway. They transported each component with a tractor from the base camp, over an about two-mile-long (3-kilometre-long) forest path before crossing the last 650 feet on foot.
However, since no paths or roads led to the site, the two students needed a way to get themselves and their materials to the property before they could start building in earnest. “We needed a dock-like pathway to transport the building material through the marshy terrain to the building site,” Bergmann says.
So, they spent the first four weeks of their initial stay building an about 650-foot-long (200-metre-long) wooden walkway. They transported each component with a tractor from the base camp, over an about two-mile-long (3-kilometre-long) forest path before crossing the last 650 feet on foot.
This was an exhausting and time-consuming job, and Bergmann and Becker did almost everything themselves. “We built almost everything on our own, but friends from Germany came every now and then during the construction phases to help us out,” Bergmann says. In return, the volunteers received the unlimited right to stay at the bungalow.
The two students placed the bungalow on a foundation of galvanized water pipes. “A contractor from the area welded them together,” Bergmann says. “Except for that, we tried to use as much natural material as possible, and also to reduce the non-essentials to a minimum.”
The two students placed the bungalow on a foundation of galvanized water pipes. “A contractor from the area welded them together,” Bergmann says. “Except for that, we tried to use as much natural material as possible, and also to reduce the non-essentials to a minimum.”
There is no electricity in the house, but it is outfitted with a small metal wood-burning stove and a sauna stove.
There is no running water in the house. “We are currently building our own water filtration system. The water from the lake is potable,” he says, though it is currently full of sediment. “In future, water will be passed through a simple sediment filter and then heated in a 30-litre water tank integrated into the sauna stove.” In the mean time, the pair bring bottled water with them. A composting toilet is located in a detached hut.
The interior of the plywood-covered rooms is simple and unpretentious. “The table, armchair, couch and chest of drawers already have long lives behind them,” Bergmann says. This furniture used to stand in his grandparents’ house, and makes this little place comfy and cozy.
“We actually adapted the modules to the dimensions of the furniture,” Bergmann says. “The spaces were built so that everything would fit perfectly. For example, the bedroom unit is exactly 2.02 metres (6⅗ feet) wide to make sure that the mattress would fit. We also measured the chest of drawers before planning out the size of the room.”
Find out which type of plywood to use where
There is no running water in the house. “We are currently building our own water filtration system. The water from the lake is potable,” he says, though it is currently full of sediment. “In future, water will be passed through a simple sediment filter and then heated in a 30-litre water tank integrated into the sauna stove.” In the mean time, the pair bring bottled water with them. A composting toilet is located in a detached hut.
The interior of the plywood-covered rooms is simple and unpretentious. “The table, armchair, couch and chest of drawers already have long lives behind them,” Bergmann says. This furniture used to stand in his grandparents’ house, and makes this little place comfy and cozy.
“We actually adapted the modules to the dimensions of the furniture,” Bergmann says. “The spaces were built so that everything would fit perfectly. For example, the bedroom unit is exactly 2.02 metres (6⅗ feet) wide to make sure that the mattress would fit. We also measured the chest of drawers before planning out the size of the room.”
Find out which type of plywood to use where
Custom features – the kitchen bench and a closet in the bedroom – were also built by the two students themselves.
“We wanted to show that a house does not have to be big,” Bergmann says. “Building something beautiful does not have to be expensive,” Becker adds. They want to communicate their values with their design, and show that it is possible to build a house even without extensive practical experience.
“We wanted to show that a house does not have to be big,” Bergmann says. “Building something beautiful does not have to be expensive,” Becker adds. They want to communicate their values with their design, and show that it is possible to build a house even without extensive practical experience.
It took three summers of work before the building passed inspection by the Finnish building authority, in the autumn of 2017. “Time was a decisive factor,” Bergmann says. “After the first summer the house was winter-proof, but the interior and the ceiling insulation were still missing.”
The pair are already planning their next projects with some other classmates, this time for clients: A guest house with a sauna in Finland and a larger summer house in Potsdam. Soon, they will be graduating and embarking on their careers. Still, the lakeside house remains a very personal retreat “for fishing, reading and foraging for berries,” Bergmann says.
The pair are already planning their next projects with some other classmates, this time for clients: A guest house with a sauna in Finland and a larger summer house in Potsdam. Soon, they will be graduating and embarking on their careers. Still, the lakeside house remains a very personal retreat “for fishing, reading and foraging for berries,” Bergmann says.
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Mumbai Houzz: This Architect’s Home Has a Different Take on Minimalism
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Timm Bergmann and Jonas Becker of Studio Politaire
Size: About 280 square feet (26 square metres), with an additional outhouse
Location: Lavia, in the southwest of Finland
Becker and Bergmann built the house set back a bit from the lake shore, on a completely undeveloped forest plot in one of the more sparsely populated parts of Finland. “There was no electricity or water. No path led to the plot. We carried out a soil analysis and drew up a design based on the results, under the supervision of architect Jan Kampshoff,” Bergmann says.