As a little boy, Claudio told his mother: “When I grow up, I want to buy a farm.” His dream came true because he bought the dilapidated farm on Zegdraaieweg. It didn’t look like much on the inside. But Claudio saw his dream house between the scotch and crooked floors.
Many Zoetermeer residents are familiar with the white farm on Zegschijneweg. During a bike ride or walk, passers-by regularly stop to see how the farm is standing, during and after the major renovation. “I could see what it should be like. And we succeeded,” says Claudio.
Everything was skewed and crooked
Claudio regularly cycled on his racing bike along the farm on Zegschijneweg. “During my 45-kilometer laps, the house regularly caught my eye. Suddenly I saw the farm on Funda. I went to have a look and really, it didn’t look like it. Everything was old and skewed. Previous residents lived in the front house with the bathroom on the ground floor. At the back of the farm was the cowshed with a slurry pit. Yet through the mess I could see how I could make it my dream home.”
Old radios
During the viewing, Claudio became acquainted with the home owner’s hobby. On the top floor was a collection of about 50 old radios. “I have two restaurants,” says Claudio. “The radios fit perfectly into the interior there. I told the seller that I was willing to pay a dollar for the house, but a large amount for the radios. I turned around the amounts for the house and the radios,” he jokes. “And then the deal was done.”
Ten containers with rubble
Claudio’s dream was not only to buy a farm, but also to grow it himself. “The floor was a drama. I did not understand how it was constructed because it consisted of several layers of concrete. There was also a mountain of dredge. I wondered several times if it was ever going to be okay.” As many as ten containers full of rubble came from the farm. Claudio built a new floor containing electricity, cables and underfloor heating. He installed insulation, new window frames, a beautiful staircase and a loft in the living room, two bathrooms, toilets, a kitchen and new bedrooms.”
concussion
In total, the renovation took two years. Claudio spent hours working on his dream house. “We only took over the central heating boiler, the fireplace in the front room, the stained glass windows and the wooden beams in the living room.” The renovation did not always go without a hitch. “I once fell from the top floor of the living room onto plasterboard,” says Claudio. “I had a concussion and cut my hand or fingers so many times that I lost count.”
From dream to reality
The garden has been re-paved and an outdoor bar is still in the works. As icing on the cake, Claudio had a new bridge built. “It is a copy of the old bridge. The builder has the text for me From dream to reality placed on it. It is exactly what it says.”
View the photos of the renovation of the farm on the following pages.