Joos Vromans and his wife Will live in a very special building in Alphen. Their Pieckhuis is located on Van Leuvenlaan. Joos (82) built it himself, it is inspired by the main entrance of the Efteling and the architectural style of architect Antoni Gaudi. He talks with satisfaction about living in their own fairytale: “We are very proud that we have been able to make this happen.”
Every day people stop at the burgundy-red fence around the house. They look in amazement at the colorful building with the gigantic high pointed roof, crooked corners and curves. “I have always tried to build something special, I thought the main entrance of Efteling was a very special building architecturally, and I wanted to do something with it,” the creator explains.
It had to be a nostalgic house with charisma and he also thought the average block boxes that were built added little to the street scene. “Even the aesthetics committee thought our design was great, they liked that something different was being built.”
“When they come from Amsterdam, I say: ‘Amsterdam doesn’t have this, this is here in Brabant.’”
Every year he gets thousands of viewers at his door. “But they never ring the doorbell. They stand at the fence and watch. Then I always ask where they come from. If they come from Amsterdam, I say: ‘Amsterdam doesn’t have this, it’s here in Brabant,” he laughs. “The question everyone is asking is: ‘How did you get the city to allow this?’ But the municipality is about the height and depth and so on, but ultimately the aesthetics committee is about the appearance.”
In front of the house there is a large fairytale book, also similar to the book with the Pencil at the main entrance of Efteling. Including an explanation of how the house came about. Joos personally processed 40,000 slates sawn to size for roofing, 45,000 hand-shaped stones and more than five thousand meters of planks.
“We have seven grandchildren, so I expect that some of them will want to live here one day.”
If you look up inside the house, you will see a kind of cart wheel with spokes as a ceiling. All made by hand by Joos, which took him about six years in total. His son did the fine carpentry.
What does Efteling think of its own Pieckhuisje? “I’ve never asked them, so I don’t know. But they can think whatever they want. This is not a copy of the main entrance either, it has been a source of inspiration,” Joos explains.
He and his wife Will hope to enjoy the home for years to come. For those who hope that the Pieckhuisje will one day be for sale, they may have to wait a long time. “It is not for sale and that will not happen. It has been notarized that it will remain in the family if possible. We have seven grandchildren, so I expect that one of them will want to live here one day.”
