Dina Tersago builds own pool house: “We had to pump at night to get the basement dry” | showbiz

“During corona we decided: we should enjoy more at home.” And so Dina Tersago and her husband Wim rolled up their sleeves to build an impressive pool house in their garden with their own hands. “From basement, over shell construction to finishing: we actually did everything ourselves”, the former Miss Belgium tells Birgit Van Mol in ‘The holiday home’. Fortunately, the couple already had some experience to fall back on. “We once helped to refurbish a building for a charity of which I am the godmother, ‘A touch of Rose’. I learned a lot then. That’s what I really wanted: I like being able to do a lot of things myself. That is very satisfying,” says Dina. “Wim is very handy and taught me a lot. And so we decided to do a lot ourselves while building our house. We realized that we could really squeeze the budget that way. And then you are also in control of the timing. So it was immediately clear to us that we would also build the pool house ourselves.”

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An architect drew up the design – on the instructions of Dina and her husband Wim -, then it was up to the couple. “We flew in ‘full box’ with a friend who is a carpenter. Last year we put the timber frame and from there we built everything ourselves. Everything has gone through our own hands, down to the electricity and plumbing.” A serious undertaking, which lasted about a year. “We were constantly working on it: before and after our hours and on weekends. Sometimes we left somewhere even earlier to get some work done. Every spare moment we had has gone to our build. That was sometimes really tough,” admits Dina. “Renovating is fun, but sometimes you also have setbacks and then it really is a chore. Like when we had to pump at night during that wet summer to get the cellar dry again. Eventually our children also said: ‘Do you have to work in the garden again?’ But now they do enjoy it, of course, and they also see that nothing comes for nothing.”

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In any case, the result should be there. The pool is the perfect place to swim laps. Or – if the children are there – to do a ‘bomb’ in the water. The pool house looks very luxurious, with toilet, shower, storage room, cellar and a fully equipped kitchen. “Then we can eat here in the summer without having to go inside all the time,” explains Dina. “We have everything we need there.”

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So no long journeys for Dina and her family, but a ‘staycation’. “Vacation for me equals sitting in my garden and quality time with my family,” says Dina. “That is the most important thing for us. During the summer I mainly work a lot, and then I want to be able to enjoy my own garden.” ‘Quality time’ is therefore really the key word. “When I come here in the garden, I always have an instant holiday feeling. This is really our cocoon where we can relax. We put blood, sweat and tears into it, but also our souls.”

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She also drew inspiration from her work as a presenter of housing and renovation programs such as ‘House made’ and ‘Blind bought’. “Not for the rough works, because we were already able to do that”, it sounds. “But I did get inspiration from the candidates for the interior. Like: oh, we can also try that painting technique. And I sometimes sent photos of our progress to the candidates of ‘Made at Home’”, she says. “They were also renovating and they liked that I showed that I was also working hard and suffering. And sweating and cursing. But Wim and I have now sworn to the children that we would stop,” laughs Dina. “It is also a promise to ourselves: now it has been good, now we have to start enjoying it.”

Also watch the other episodes of ‘The Holiday Home’:

VIDEO. Zuhal Demir shows her holiday home on the coast: “Since I became a minister, I don’t want to go too far”

EXCLUSIVE. Josje Huisman shows her self-built holiday home on wheels: “My son Kamari loves it!”