“It doesn’t work. They must not take this lightly. Find something else” was the message they got. The neighbors said the house was unfit to live in. – But now I’m sitting here. Victoria Narvesen Lied and the Venetian gang bought an abandoned farm from the 19th century, deep in the Valsøyfjorden in Trøndelag. – It is a large, beautiful house with a lot of history and charm. I like old houses and things with a soul, says the 25-year-old. The house has no running water, there are holes in the kitchen floor and parts of the foundation wall need to be rebuilt. But at the end of August, the Venetian gang of five moves into their new home. Victoria proudly shows off the farm and everything that came with the purchase of the house with the odd thing in it. – Vald family None of them are local, all of them have moved to the village. And they have never lived together – until now. – I see us more as a family than a collective. We cook together, we eat together, everything in the fridge is shared and we have an arrangement for the finances, says Victoria. Together with Eivind Nielsen, Aage Arnold Haugan, Alva Sjursen and Kasper Jebe Stensaas, they have worked on the old farm. From the left are Alva and Aage, Kasper in the middle, then Eivind and Victoria. Photo: Nora Abigail Svennebye And now they will create a life together in the house known locally as Gunnarstova. – Here we can create something together and everyone can help shape it according to their own needs. The self-selected family consists of two lovers and Kasper. On the first floor there will be a kitchen, living room, bathroom and common area, while they will each have their own parts on the second floor with bedrooms. Victoria and Eivind will live at one end of the house, Aage and Alva at the other. And Kasper, he will live in the middle. Gunnarstova is located in the heart of the Valsøyfjord in Heim municipality in Trøndelag. – It should go well as long as they are not just with each other. And then I have to try to find someone up here too, says Kasper about living with a girlfriend. – It’s so spacious that we can try not to pull on each other’s toes. Better agree on how we do things, says Victoria. The newly established farm collective sees almost only advantages in coming together to fulfill the farm dream. – It is a huge advantage both financially and in terms of work that there are many of us who buy in teams. It is a completely hopeless project to start on your own, adds Aage. And if there is a problem, they solve it when it arises. – It’s nice to have a big family to share work and thoughts with. When I have animals, I can take turns traveling away and taking care of them. In time, it may happen that there will be even more people who will fill Gunnarstova with life. – If someone suddenly decides to have a child, there are many people who can help with the children, says Victoria and laughs. “Tinder” for old houses When the Venetian gang found out that the garden was empty, they came into contact with the previous owners via the pilot project “Lights in old houses” under the auspices of the Ancient Heritage Association. – We match old houses and people. That’s what Runa Tunheim, leader of the pilot project in Heim municipality, says. The project matches those who are looking for a house with houses that are empty – as a kind of “tinder” for old houses. – Instead of it being out on the market and going to the highest price, I have the opportunity to find the right new owner and get a good deal. – There is a housing shortage in the district – it’s not that people don’t want to live here, adds the project manager. The garden was empty until the new garden owners took over. In Berre in Heim municipality, around 10 per cent of all the houses are empty. The pilot project exists in a total of six municipalities and in each of these at least the same number of houses are empty, according to the project. But there is no record of how many houses are empty in Norway. In 2012, Statistics Norway estimated that 200,000 dwellings were empty, but this figure is probably higher today. At the same time, the government reports that there is a housing shortage in this country. – I feel that there is great interest in finding a pearl and learning how to take care of it on your own. I feel that there is an increasing interest in doing things myself. More people move to the village and have a desire for knowledge. Houses that no one lives in “Lights in old houses” is a three-year national pilot project under the auspices of the Historical Heritage Association. The municipalities that participated in the pilot project are: Voss herad in Vestland Heim in Trøndelag Vinje in Vestfold Telemark Kvitsøy in Rogaland Rollag in Viken Sør-Aurdal in Innlandet. In each of the pilot municipalities, at least 10% of all dwellings are empty. The project has received grants from the National Archives, the Bergesenstiftelsen, the Husbanken and the Sparebankstiftinga Hardanger. The project lasts until the autumn of 2025, with the aim of a concrete proposal for a permanent national investment. “Lights in old houses” lasts until autumn 2025 with the aim of finding a concrete proposal for a permanent national initiative. Because there are many houses that are empty all over the country. The project manager says it is very positive that the Vene gang is moving to the village, taking care of the farm and creating their home in the Valsøyfjorden. And they themselves are very satisfied with the village. – There is room for everyone – not just here on the farm, but in the whole fjord. People are very positive, very inclusive and very willing to help. They are open to starting things and making room for me to make a life here, says Victoria. An old photograph of the farm house and barn. The dream of living more and working less Although there is a lot of work both to get it up and running the farm, they dream of a quiet life in the village. – We have to operate. A bit small, but good and base your life on that, says Victoria. Since they got together and bought the farm in rather poor condition and off the market, neither of them has taken out a home loan. – The best thing I have done is to find something that I have to work on and put a lot of work into to create our own. Instead of working outside to pay off the loan, she adds. And this is how they want life to be – to work less to have time to live more. Here, Victoria and her friends will create the life they dream of. – The concept of working 100 percent is actually a bit strange. If you think about it: you work a lot and earn well, but then you don’t have the time or energy to enjoy the money, says Victoria. Everyone in the Venice gang moves away from different cities in Norway to the small village. – I definitely want to do something for the village. I don’t understand why everyone is in town all the time. There is such a rush and time pressure and money pressure. Come to the village. None of us grew up in the village, but here I am. And I had a great time, says Victoria. Victoria is educated in organic agriculture and hopes that she can have her job on the farm when the time comes. In the meantime, she works a few days a week at the local grocery store and spends the rest of her days on the farm. – Now we have to use the workforce we have and be left with a great result that we are happy with and that we really feel at home in. But before they get that far, there is a lot of work to be done. Hollow in the floor and without water Parts of the foundation wall must be rebuilt, the floor in the kitchen must be replaced and one of the pipes must be demolished. The entire kitchen floor has to be torn up, it probably has to be piped as well. Now there is a hole right down to the basement and they have turned off the electricity. But fortunately they are quite useful. – We have assembled a good team to start such a project. That’s what Kasper, who works as a traditional carpenter, says. Aage is an apprentice in traditional boat building and Eivind is an apprentice in the same subject. It was the boat building that brought them even further up the Valsøyfjorden. Boat building and traditional crafts lured the gang to the Valsøyfjorden. But they move in long before the house is closed for the winter. Because they are not so particular about having the highest standard and plan to live in parts of the house while they renovate the rest. – What needs to happen before it is ready to move in? – Turn on the water, perhaps? That’s fine, but not necessary. We have managed. That’s what Victoria says before Eivind says that maybe they can connect the water again. – We have to make the bed, he adds. Has bought 40 years of work The feedback on the farm purchase has been many, but mostly positive. – People primarily say that I am brave. That we have bought us a lot of work, says Victoria. “But they’re young now, so it’s probably going to be fine,” there are also many who say. And they haven’t received any negative comments, or at least no one is saying it out loud. – We are mostly told that we have found work. And I have, but I don’t see it so darkly, says Aage. – There have not been any big surprises, but we have been prepared for a lot. Now I found out that the knots down in the loft room are a bit bad, says Eivind. They won’t be unemployed right away? – No, we’ll probably manage for 40 years before we run out. We won’t be bored. The garden is on 215 acres with peat moss, forest moss and the soil around the house and barn. When they have finished the house, it is enough to get started to get the garden as they dream of. – I will live here. It feels good and surreal, they say, laughing. Hi! Do you have feedback, ideas or tips for things I should write about? Feel free to send me an e-mail! All information will be treated confidentially.
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Move from the city in Austlandet to a dilapidated farm in Valsøyfjord – Long reading from news Trøndelag
