Introduction

The desire to build my own house made me decide to study Architecture.
In 2000 I graduated as a Master in Architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Rotterdam, the Netherlands after I had obtained a Bachelor degree in Architectural (Structural) Engineering a few years earlier.
Building my own house became a kind of quest and a journey to be enjoyed.
I'm not in a hurry.

We live in a fascinating world and I prioritized opportunities to explore it over the urge to settle.
My house was not going to be built in the Netherlands and on my travels I always wondered whether I could live and work in the country I was visiting.

My working career was devoted to the desire to learn.
I have worked as a Tradesman (Carpenter and Concreter), and Foreman on site, and as a Surveyor, Architectural Technician, Structural Engineer, Lead Engineer, Project Architect and Project Manager.
All are skills that would enable me to build my house myself and I hope all experiences will contribute to me being a good Architect.
I consider myself fortunate with the people I have met and the diversity in projects I have been involved with.

In the summer of 2010 I visited New Zealand and I fell in love with the country; New Zealand ticked all boxes.

With a recession in Europe and after the earthquakes had hit Christchurch, it was obvious that I was going to live and work in Aotearoa.

Early 2013 I found employment in Dunedin and, after immigration issues were sorted, I started "My own house" project in my spare time.
I started collecting and restoring extraordinary, funny or beautiful second hand construction elements with the idea to assemble them into a house at a later stage.

After a career move had taken me to Christchurch,I got allured into viewing an earthquake damaged house in the Richmond suburb, although not being interested in buying a house at all.

The house was built a 100 years ago by stonemasons Muschamp and I connected with it.