It was in an article in Skånska Dagbladet that I first became aware of Marieholm and the couple Kristina and Johan. The article hardly painted the village in a beautiful light; on the contrary, it was about how many properties there are that are neglected. One of the examples was a yellow brick villa with boarded-up windows. However, there was a comment from the owners, stating that they were fully renovating but that it takes time, as they want to do it in a good preservation manner. This caught my interest, and I contacted them. I was curious to see and hear a different picture of the village than the one painted in the article.
From the capital to Marieholm
Kristina and Johan are active in the art industry and moved to Marieholm from Stockholm in 2018, as they had found a large space to conduct their business in. That it became Marieholm was partly, but not entirely, a coincidence. They had three criteria when searching for their new place: there needed to be a primary school, a grocery store, and a train station. All of that existed in Marieholm.
During their first years in Marieholm, they got to know the village and eventually also became familiar with the little yellow brick villa that they passed by sometimes. It was located at the end of the old main street, and they always thought there was something special about it. Over the years, they also witnessed the decay, which easily happens with houses that stand empty.
Demolished or saved
But then came a day when the rumor reached them that the house was about to be sold for demolition. The owners had passed away, and the house had ended up in an estate, along with several other properties in the village. They felt it was time to act. Said and done, they contacted the woman who was listed as the new owner and made a bid. They had saved up capital that was originally intended for installing geothermal heating in their other property, but they chose to invest it in the little house instead. In this way, they could buy the house without loans for 250,000 kronor.
The house had been uninhabited for at least 50 years when they took it over in 2022. When they stepped inside, they encountered dry rot, pests, and rooms filled with debris. For many, it would have been a nightmare, but the couple was not intimidated. With the help of a local builder, they went through their ideas and plans for the house and received confirmation that they were realistic. From there, their journey began – not fast, not easy, but with a belief that they would manage it.
The renovation
The house is from around the 1880s, and the couple wants to preserve as much of its soul as possible. They therefore adhere to preservation techniques and have chosen to keep all rooms as they are, except for moving a few door openings a couple of decimeters. It is a balancing act between preserving what exists and adapting it to the needs one has today.
When I arrive there, most of the floors are open down to the foundation, as they are in the process of filling them in according to the recommendation from the craftsmen. They have also started to add insulation to the walls, which they have stripped down to just the brick, with 50 mm lightweight concrete. Such material is perfect to find used online, as it is often leftover from other constructions. They have traveled back and forth on ads and pieced together their need for insulation in this way, which has indeed taken some time but saved them money. It is an example of how, with time, patience, and creativity, one can keep costs down on a renovation.
Not to rush
I ask how they handle the times when resistance or setbacks arise – how do they manage to keep the flame alive? The quick answer is short: they do not stress. They have no previous experience of renovating houses, so it takes time at the beginning, but they are learning all the time. They gather knowledge from books, YouTube, and consulting knowledgeable craftsmen. They reason that it cannot get worse than the condition the house was in when they took it over. It can only get better. They also work a lot in periods – more in the summer and a little less in the winter – depending on how their other lives and jobs look.
Since they have not taken any construction loans on the house, there is no elusive stress to finish and make the house livable by a certain time. This allows them to pause when their energy runs low, wait with certain tasks until they have found the material they need used, and to test and redo. They try to work strategically by taking one room or one task at a time, so it does not become overwhelming. But it does happen that they get tired of it all. Then they can either go home or switch to another, temporarily more enjoyable, task. They also have a lot of support in each other and believe that it would have been much harder to do this alone.
Some wise advice along the way
There are many ways to do things, and somewhere you just have to choose which method you want to go with and start. ”If you listen to everyone, you can't do anything,” Kristina notes. Their advice to others who are considering starting this journey, or are in the midst of it, is just to start. You will learn along the way. ”You have to be allowed to make mistakes to learn,” Johan concludes.
This portrait is written within the LAG-owned project Hitta Hem in My Northwest, with the aim of showcasing living examples of what a vacant house can enable for real people. Do you know of a vacant house, do you own one yourself, or are you inspired by Kristina and Johan to take on one yourself? Go to the project's page and find out how you can take the first step.
Go to Hitta Hem's homepage