On Saturday, September 19, about 40 people gathered at the Aktivitetshuset Kvarnen in Svalöv to learn more about abandoned houses. The day was aimed at anyone who wanted to know more about buying, renovating, and giving new life to an abandoned house.
It attracted a curious and varied group of participants. Here were both future abandoned house owners, people who are already renovating, and those who already have their own abandoned house.
Knowledge for both buying and renovating
The day began with two presentations that provided participants with knowledge and concrete tips for an abandoned house project.
Linnéa Stolle from Bevaring AB, also chair of the association Byggnadsvård in Skåne (BEVIS), started with a thorough presentation on what to consider when buying an old house. She also talked about what is important to keep in mind when the renovation begins.
Participants also received tips on how to maintain an old property once it is in use. This is just as important. The goal of every abandoned house dream is, after all, to create a living house that can remain and function for many years to come.
How do you finance your abandoned house dream?
Next up was Åsa Rodenburg from Sparbanken Syd, who talked about how the bank can help finance an abandoned house dream.
What do you need to consider if you want to borrow money? What should you keep an eye on? And what is required to get a loan?
A day for meetings and exchange of experiences
An important part of the day was to create a meeting place for people interested in abandoned houses. Therefore, participants had plenty of time throughout the day to mingle and converse during coffee and lunch breaks.
As soon as the coffee break started, participants began to talk and exchange experiences. There was no doubt that there was much to discuss!
At the place, instead, a local company just outside Marieholm, provided lunch.
From facts to inspiration
After lunch, we moved from hard facts to inspiration and personal stories.
Abandoned house rescuer Charlotta Eldh gave an inspiring presentation about how she and her family saved Nannys Manufaktur in Teckomatorp. When her family bought the house, it had been empty for over 30 years.
The presentation offered both laughter, inspiration, and some real wake-up calls!
After Charlotta's presentation, we invited three abandoned house rescuers onto the stage, all of whom are at different stages of their renovations. From left in the picture are Kristina Schultz and Johan Lindeberg, who are renovating an abandoned house in Marieholm together. Then Charlotta followed by Jesper Eklöf, who is renovating an abandoned house in Halmstadby.
Together they answered participants' questions about challenges, approaches, and conditions. The questions were many, and the answers provided valuable insight into what it means to take on an abandoned house and what is required along the way.
Thank you for a wonderful Abandoned House Day!
We at Leader Skåne Mitt Nordväst, and especially we who work with the project Hitta Hem in Mitt Nordväst, want to thank all participants and speakers who helped make Abandoned House Day an inspiring and educational day.
We hope that you left with greater knowledge and a clearer picture of what it means to take on an abandoned house.
The goal of the day was not for everyone to leave excited and ready to buy an abandoned house. Rather, we wanted to give participants a better sense of whether an abandoned house project suits them and what they need to find out next.
We hope that we succeeded in conveying that and that the Abandoned House Day provided you with new knowledge, inspiration, and perhaps a step or two towards your own abandoned house dream.
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