After months full of stress, there he is: Henk’s Ukrainian dream house

Residents of Oostwoud were surprised on Friday morning when a huge low-loader grinds through the village. And then Henk’s new home still has to make the turn towards the final destination at Oosteinde. With a chainsaw, he personally provides the much-needed extra centimeters of space, by removing some shrubs.

It’s tight and exciting. Does it work or does it not work? After a few hours of fitting and measuring, the imposing crane can put the first part of Henk’s house in its place. At the end of a stressful day, the Ukrainian-made house is in place. It is a fitting conclusion to an already turbulent period for Henk.

five boxes

It will be 2019 when he takes a different tack. The owner of a Body Stress Release practice in Midwoud sells his house, packs his things and goes on a long trip. When he returns, he has five boxes of possessions left. He is aiming for a tiny house, preferably in Mid- or Oostwoud, and eventually buys a plot at camping De Kogge in Oostwoud.

The dreaming and development has already started. He requests two quotes and decides to take one last look on the internet just before signing. Then Henk comes across a company that is considerably cheaper. “While they offered the same quality. I immediately started thinking: ‘Isn’t this too good to be true?'”

But that is not it. He looks at other tiny houses made by the same company and is convinced. He has a small house designed, which is made in Ukraine. It is not really ‘tiny’ with 55 square meters. “Minimalism the Henkes way”, Avis laughs. It is agreed that Henk’s house – called ‘De Spijker’ – must arrive in Oostwoud on March 18.

But then it will be February and Russia will invade Ukraine. Henk is getting increasingly anxious, knowing that his house is in the west of the country. “I kept looking: what are the Russians doing? Are they staying in the East and in Kiev, or are they moving on? And what if the Russians do get there? What will they do with the house?”

The stress hits. The low-loaders that are supposed to transport ‘De Spijker’ are used to transport military equipment, drivers are not allowed to leave the country, Henk is told by his contact person.

Under police escort

It will then take several weeks before the convoy can depart. It takes a while before all licenses in Poland, Germany and the Netherlands are received. But last Sunday it finally happened. Under police escort, Henk leaves the shelter: on to home.

Five days, more than two thousand kilometers and many drops of sweat later, the house is in its place. Five kilos lighter, hours of nightly worrying have cost Henk. But: “With this ending, I would do it again.”