Houzz Tour: A Handmade Home in Finland’s Wilderness
German students put their studies to use by building a 4-room house, from sketch to supply road to sauna stovepipe
Catherine Hug
5 September 2018
While on vacation in Finland’s pristine wilderness, architecture student Timm Bergmann and urban design student Jonas Becker had an idea: Why not build a small house right there? Full of energy and equipped with theoretical knowledge they were raring to put into practice, the German duo created a retreat far away from the big city. They did everything themselves — drawing up plans, building a road to bring materials to the site and crafting every detail. In the process, they gained invaluable construction experience that will serve them well in their careers.
Photos by Andre Boettcher Photography
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Timm Bergmann and Jonas Becker of Studio Politaire
Location: Lavia, southwest Finland
Size: 280 square feet (26 square meters) plus an outhouse
Bergmann and Becker built the house a bit back from a lake on an undeveloped forest plot in one of the more sparsely populated parts of Finland. “There was no electricity or water. No path led to the plot. We carried out a soil analysis and drew up a design based on the results, under the supervision of architect Jan Kampshoff,” Bergmann says.
House at a Glance
Who lives here: Timm Bergmann and Jonas Becker of Studio Politaire
Location: Lavia, southwest Finland
Size: 280 square feet (26 square meters) plus an outhouse
Bergmann and Becker built the house a bit back from a lake on an undeveloped forest plot in one of the more sparsely populated parts of Finland. “There was no electricity or water. No path led to the plot. We carried out a soil analysis and drew up a design based on the results, under the supervision of architect Jan Kampshoff,” Bergmann says.
The two students jumped in feet first, shifting gears from theory to practice and learning a lot about construction and the Finnish permit process along the way. “My mother owns a plot of land nearby,” Bergmann says. “We were able to lease the area where we wanted to build for a token amount. However, we still had to submit a building application, of course.”
They scraped together their life savings for the project, and the first draft of their plan served as their undergraduate dissertation.
They scraped together their life savings for the project, and the first draft of their plan served as their undergraduate dissertation.
“We were both in our sixth semester [halfway through their studies] and wanted to test out all the theory we’d learned to see if everything really works the way you learn at university,” Bergmann says.
To stick to their tight budget of about $14,000 and get as much experience as possible, the students planned and built almost everything themselves. “Sitting on the roof yourself, pulling a stovepipe through the ceiling and then sealing the roof — that’s something else. We wanted to experience these processes instead of just planning them in theory,” Bergmann says.
To stick to their tight budget of about $14,000 and get as much experience as possible, the students planned and built almost everything themselves. “Sitting on the roof yourself, pulling a stovepipe through the ceiling and then sealing the roof — that’s something else. We wanted to experience these processes instead of just planning them in theory,” Bergmann says.
Their design is complex but has a simple, minimalist effect. “The house is staggered so that you get a different view from each window,” Becker says. The four slightly offset rooms are spread over 280 square feet and surrounded by an impressive natural landscape.
The rooms are arranged for ease of use. The kitchen, left, leads to a small living room, which leads to the bedroom and the sauna. The rooms are identical but rotated in relation to one another.
“There is always a wall on the tallest side and a double window on another side. These windows are also called ‘summerhouse windows’ in Finland. With their double [panes], they are totally sufficient [for keeping warmth inside], and they were easy to work with, thanks to the solid wood frames,” Becker says.
“There is always a wall on the tallest side and a double window on another side. These windows are also called ‘summerhouse windows’ in Finland. With their double [panes], they are totally sufficient [for keeping warmth inside], and they were easy to work with, thanks to the solid wood frames,” Becker says.
The students re-examined their plans repeatedly during the building process. “Sometimes ideas and changes only come up once construction is already underway,” Becker says.
“As we built everything ourselves, we not only cut costs, but we were also able to make changes along the way. As a result, we extended the terrace, built the roof ourselves after all — contrary to the initial plan — and made the stovepipes ourselves,” Bergmann says.
“As we built everything ourselves, we not only cut costs, but we were also able to make changes along the way. As a result, we extended the terrace, built the roof ourselves after all — contrary to the initial plan — and made the stovepipes ourselves,” Bergmann says.
The two set up a base camp in the house where Bergmann’s grandparents once lived. Since it has electricity and water, it provided them with the infrastructure to prefabricate as many parts of their house as possible without being dependent on the weather.
“The house has a modular frame. In total, we installed 17 squared lumber frames. Plywood boards [seven-tenths of an inch thick] add rigidity, and they are connected to each other with other wood,” Bergmann says.
However, since no paths or roads led to the site, the students needed a way to get themselves and their materials to the property before they could start building in earnest. “We needed a dock-like pathway to transport the building material through the marshy terrain to the building site,” Bergmann says.
So they spent the first four weeks of their initial stay building a wooden walkway about 650 feet long. They transported each component with a tractor from the base camp about 2 miles on a forest path before doing the last 650 feet on foot.
However, since no paths or roads led to the site, the students needed a way to get themselves and their materials to the property before they could start building in earnest. “We needed a dock-like pathway to transport the building material through the marshy terrain to the building site,” Bergmann says.
So they spent the first four weeks of their initial stay building a wooden walkway about 650 feet long. They transported each component with a tractor from the base camp about 2 miles on a forest path before doing the last 650 feet on foot.
This was an exhausting and time-consuming job. “We built almost everything on our own, but friends from Germany came every now and then during the construction phases to help us out,” Bergmann says. In return, the volunteers received the unlimited right to stay at the house.
Bergmann and Becker placed the house on a foundation of galvanized water pipes. “A contractor from the area welded them together,” Bergmann says. “Except for that, we tried to use as much natural material as possible and also to reduce the nonessentials to a minimum.”
Bergmann and Becker placed the house on a foundation of galvanized water pipes. “A contractor from the area welded them together,” Bergmann says. “Except for that, we tried to use as much natural material as possible and also to reduce the nonessentials to a minimum.”
There is no electricity in the house, but it is outfitted with a small metal wood-burning stove and a sauna stove.
There is also no water in the house. “We are currently building our own water filtration system. The water from the lake is potable,” he says, though it is full of sediment. “In the future, water will be passed through a simple sediment filter and then heated in [an 8-gallon] water tank integrated into the sauna stove.” In the meantime, they bring in bottled water. A composting toilet is located in a detached hut.
The interior of the plywood-covered rooms is simple. “The table, armchair, couch and chest of drawers already have long lives behind them,” Bergmann says. This furniture used to be in his grandparents’ house, and it makes this little place comfy and cozy.
“We actually adapted the modules to the dimensions of the furniture,” Bergmann says. “The spaces were built so that everything would fit perfectly. For example, the bedroom unit is exactly [79½ inches] wide to make sure that the mattress would fit. We also measured the chest of drawers before planning out the size of the room.”
There is also no water in the house. “We are currently building our own water filtration system. The water from the lake is potable,” he says, though it is full of sediment. “In the future, water will be passed through a simple sediment filter and then heated in [an 8-gallon] water tank integrated into the sauna stove.” In the meantime, they bring in bottled water. A composting toilet is located in a detached hut.
The interior of the plywood-covered rooms is simple. “The table, armchair, couch and chest of drawers already have long lives behind them,” Bergmann says. This furniture used to be in his grandparents’ house, and it makes this little place comfy and cozy.
“We actually adapted the modules to the dimensions of the furniture,” Bergmann says. “The spaces were built so that everything would fit perfectly. For example, the bedroom unit is exactly [79½ inches] wide to make sure that the mattress would fit. We also measured the chest of drawers before planning out the size of the room.”
Custom features — the kitchen counter and the bedroom cabinetry — were also built by the students.
“We wanted to show that a house does not have to be big,” Bergmann says. “Building something beautiful does not have to be expensive,” Becker adds. They want to communicate their values with their design and show that it is possible to build a house even without extensive practical experience.
“We wanted to show that a house does not have to be big,” Bergmann says. “Building something beautiful does not have to be expensive,” Becker adds. They want to communicate their values with their design and show that it is possible to build a house even without extensive practical experience.
It took three summers of work before the building passed inspection by the Finnish building authority in fall 2017. “Time was a decisive factor,” Bergmann says. “After the first summer, the house was winterproof, but the interior and the ceiling insulation were still missing.”
The students are already planning their next projects with some other classmates, this time for clients: a guest house with a sauna in Finland and a larger summerhouse in Potsdam, Germany. Soon they will graduate and embark on their careers. The lakeside house will remain a personal retreat “for fishing, reading and foraging for berries,” Bergmann says.
The students are already planning their next projects with some other classmates, this time for clients: a guest house with a sauna in Finland and a larger summerhouse in Potsdam, Germany. Soon they will graduate and embark on their careers. The lakeside house will remain a personal retreat “for fishing, reading and foraging for berries,” Bergmann says.
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Fantastic result! Respect your resourcefulness, determination and design smarts.
It belongs to us, the cabin as well as the property.
We build an external compost toilet because there is no canalization existing and too far away from the next road. In Scandinavia and Finland summer cabins are made for short periods as for the weekend or 2-3 weeks holiday. Geniunely the sauna is also the washing room with warm water. Thank you for your interest.