Want to continue living in your own village, but cannot find a home within your budget. In 2022, four friends from Sleen were looking for an affordable home in the village. It turned out to be impossible, so they thought: we’ll do it ourselves. And now the time has come: the four friends are neighbors.
Jesmer Warmolts lives at number 15, Arjan Goeree at house number 9 and Nordin Hoving at house number 13. Two years ago it was still a large horse arena. And now there is a row of houses. “This is where the large water puddles were located where the horses were standing at that time,” says Jesmer Warmolts.
But there is nothing left to see. “And that’s not the only thing that has changed,” says Hoving. “All four of us started alone, and now three of us have a girlfriend. Buying a house in Sleen on your own is almost impossible, with the two of us you can do much more.”
Building that didn’t happen by itself. “People tell you that it is tough or say: you are still going to experience tough times. You don’t think about that yourself. You see everything through rose-colored glasses. But when it was almost the end, I was also almost the end. It was tough,” Warmolts reflects.
And a house is never completely finished. Warmolts: “I’m still working on building a carport at the garage.”
By building themselves, the friends can continue to live in their own village, and that is important for them. Hoving: “We have our football, our associations, and activities here. And we want to continue to work for that. And that works better if you live in the village itself.”
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