When it turned out to be financially unfeasible, they came up with not two-, but three-under-one-detached houses on the same plot, the timber frame construction became cheaper, namely prefabricated in the factory, and the young people did the carpentry and much of the work themselves. All to keep it affordable. They received the first financial push from the province to be able to pay the costs of the entire preliminary phase. De Bruin and Janson gave the audience a glimpse into all their experiences, because the 9 homes are now there.
Turenhout wants to boost collective self-construction and collective living. That is why the province provides interest-free loans to get self-build projects off the ground. And a special housing team helps the municipality with complex issues, such as self-construction by residents. According to Turenhout, much more is possible when self-construction is linked to house division and inheritance.
Drenthe is ahead of the rest of the country, notes Freddie Aldershof of CrowdBuilding. This is a non-profit initiative that provides collective self-builders, governments and experts with all possible information about building and living together. Aldershof: “Our site is a starting point for self-builders, home seekers, building land seekers, process supervisors, financing issues and has a road map if you want to start such a project as a CPO.”
“Drenthe is the first province with which we will collaborate and that is why there is a separate Drenthe page on our site with information about the Drenthe approach and experiences. There are stories of how collective self-builders have fixed it.” This is often done with the help of village interests in order to find a solution for affordable housing in small centers for local residents such as starters or elderly people who want to continue living in a smaller home in their own village.