Meet ‘n’ Greet #2 with Marjolein in het Klein, from the Netherlands

Looking to be inspired by tiny house living and wanting to live tiny in a house of your own here in Europe?

This Meet ‘n’ Greet series is a collection of interviews from various European countries with people that have chosen the simple tiny lifestyle! 

Next up is an interview from:

Marjolein in het Klein, living off-grid in a Tiny House in the Netherlands. 

“As a Tiny House pioneer Marjolein is an ambassador for the Tiny House movement in the Netherlands. It is her mission to get the people in the Netherlands acquainted with the philosophy behind the movement and to make living Tiny legally possible throughout the Netherlands.

Since February 2015 she has been working towards having her own mobile, bio-based and self-sufficient Tiny House in which she has been living fulltime since May 2016.

On the road to fulfilling her dream of living tiny, she introduced the Tiny House movement to a large number of people in the Netherlands by blogging and through many media appearances.

Now that she is living in her dream home she continues to write about her experiences on her blog ‘Marjolein in het klein’, which can be translated to ‘Marjolein in miniature’.”

Photo by Alina Bouma

What inspired you to build a Tiny House?

A desire to live in a more sustainable way, to reduce my ecological footprint, live surrounded by nature and have the financial freedom to follow my heart.

Plus, I just love the way Tiny Houses look!

The possibility to have my home designed and custom build for me to fit my personality and lifestyle was also a very attractive prospect.

Photo by Marjolein in het klein

What kind of building experience did you have before your Tiny Build started?

I lived in a rental 3-bedroom terrace house.

I have never built my own home and my Tiny House was custom build for me.

How long did the entire project take?

My journey started in February 2015 and the build started in February 2016, by May 22^nd my house was ready and moved to the location where I still live in it.

What was the total cost of building your Tiny Home?

I have found some great sponsors so it is an estimate, but if I would have bought everything full price my house would have costed somewhere between 50.000 and 60.000 euros ( 375 – 450.000 dkk ), including installations and furniture.

Photo by Marjolein in het klein

What are your monthly living costs in your Tiny House?

The land I currently live on was temporarily given to me for free by the city of Alkmaar.

I have no electricity or water bills because I live completely off-grid.

I’m still paying off the loan I got for my house each month, by June 2021 that will be done.

Photo by Marjolein in het klein

The housing association I started (we have a pilot here in Alkmaar with 5 tiny houses) asks each Tiny House’s residents to pay 100 euros per month for shared expenses such as community garden materials, we bought a communal garden shed et cetera.

If you had to start over would you build your Tiny House yourself?

No, I am not a builder so I would never build my house myself.

I have different talents 😉

Is Tiny House living here to stay in general? Or is it a fase that minimalistic individuals will grow out of?

Most definitely. More and more people are becoming aware that our society is not functioning well and we are taking way too much resources from our planet.

We need to find a way to live that is well balanced: not damaging to eco systems and ourselves.

That is not to say that people who live in a Tiny House will do so for the rest of their lives.

As your live changes you may feel the need to opt for a (slightly) bigger house in a later stage.

But living in a tiny house will teach you valuable lessons that you will bring with you.

Lessons about following your heart, about sustainable living, about being connected with nature and the people you love.

See more on this in Marjolein’s Ted X talk : ‘Create More Space to Live by Downsizing Your Living Space’.

Best tip for someone wanting to live a Tiny House but not sure if it’s something for them?

Read a lot about the subject!

There are many blogs, YouTube channels and books available.

Visit Tiny Houses that are lived in.

In the Netherlands there are several Tiny House villages that organize open house days. Talk to the residents, ask questions, and feel how the space feels to you.

For Dutch readers I have an online course that leads you though the many steps that you need to take when you want to live in a Tiny House, which are not just about the design and build but also about decluttering, finding out what is important to you about your home, finding a location to put your Tiny House, dealing with municipalities, legislation, financing et cetera.

Read also a Meet ‘n’ Greet #1 with Small Living Magazine Editor, Raymond Kool. 

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Thanks to Marjolein in het Klein for sharing her perspective and story for the Meet ‘n’ Greet Series – Tiny House in Europe. 

Would you like to read more interviews of people living in Tiny Houses in Europe? 

Add your email in the sidebar and I’ll let you know. 

More to come!