An oasis  in the #närhetsliv 

In the middle of the villas on Sävastön, Nea, Olof and their two children have their own rural oasis. The timber house from the middle of the 19th century has been renovated and rebuilt into the dream home in the local area.

Nea Goldkuhl and Olof Pettersson were looking for an old farm to renovate and did not really have a thought of Sävast. Nea grew up in Fagernäs, Olof comes from Luleå and old farms can usually be found in small villages. But then Nea’s aunt found this renovation object between two residential blocks on Sävastön and the pieces fell into place.

– It’s nice to have neighbors, but still we got an old farm. Many people are surprised that we live in a residential area, inside the yard it feels like you are still alone, says Olof.

The old timber house from the middle of the 19th century was sold as a holiday home, in the autumn of 2010 when it all started. Then the house had been without heating for 15 years, it had rained in and there was no water or sewage and hardly any electricity. Inside, time had stood still for 40 years.

– We probably knew in part what we were getting into for my parents and my aunt has done a similar job. And we had not started a family yet, so it was just the two of us. We canceled our gym cards when we signed the contract and then we started, says Nea.

Tile stove in the basement

The beams was replaced, as were the logs that had gone bad and the floors were dug out to cast a new slab with underfloor heating. For a while, the heavy walls hung in ropes.

– There was a time when we went below the thresholds more than above them. Here in what is today the living room, we found a basement that was filled up with sand and there was a tiled stove at the bottom, so we thought we would restore a tiled stove here, says Nea.

They renovated windows, additionally insulated, replaced the facade and roof, installed new fireplaces and sanded the old timber walls. They made an extension where they drew in water and sewage and today there is a kitchen, bathroom and laundry room.

Nea and Olof had set a schedule of three years for the downstairs but managed it in two years, two months and two days.

– We got hubris in the summer and planned a New Year’s party and then it was just a matter of pushing ourselves. If you wanted to hang out with us, you did this. Then you had to help and bring coffee or pizza, says Nea.

They have completed the upper floor since the second child Knut was born. In addition to children’s rooms, there is also a living room and sleeping loft for the parents.

– With the result in hand, it was completely forced. We stood and painted until three at night, I went down and breastfed a little and then I got up again. But then it’s not really that hard, we mostly think it’s fun, says Nea.

Thrives best with projects

To remember everything, they have made a book with pictures from the various phases of the renovation.

– Here is my dad in the mud and here, where the window is, here is my room, says 4-year-old Birk and points.

When they moved in, the large yard was covered with sly and forest, turning it into a garden has also been a huge job. There are now large green areas for the children to play on, a strawberry hill, fruit trees, a chicken farm and a large greenhouse with space for both cultivation and togetherness.

– It’s like your own little crawl in stuck in a context. I love the countryside too, living alone has its charm, but we are very social and like to have people around us. We can go over to the neighbor and have a coffee but we also have our own little oasis.

The latest project is the environment around the greenhouse with seating, gravel, plantings and growing boxes. Next is the barn to be saved.

– We are at our best when we have a project. Here you can always do something, I love being out in the barn and stuff, says Olof.

Like old things

Recycling is a recurring theme throughout the home. The greenhouse is made of windows from Nea’s dad’s old garden store, the hen house is an upcycled barn and the floor upstairs has been moved up from downstairs. Everywhere there are beautiful old mirror doors, found in different places and many times the walls have had to be adapted to them. A lot of the furniture in the home had been left by the previous owners, others have been received by family and friends and some things have been bought second-hand. Some fun details are the row of small cabinets from Boden’s old bathhouse, the kitchen lamps from Jägarnaserien and the Dux sofa that has been in the family for half a century.

– Houses like this have quite a lot of character of themselves, their own soul. I who think that it is fun with interior design and to create atmospheres think that it is quite easy to work in the style that we like. I rarely have a plan drawn up, I just go on feeling, says Nea.

The whole family is very happy that they ended up in Sävast. When Olof works in Boden and Nea in Luleå, the situation is perfect. They think the area is quiet and safe and they are close to their parents.

– There are many families with children, several good preschools, a great store, several different bus lines, school up to nine and four restaurants. In addition, it is close to nature. It is also fun to live in a place where you feel that things are happening, says Olof.

– And it is close to my friends and my preschool, Birk adds firmly. #

The home: Timber house from the middle of the 19th century with an extension from 2010 and a total living area of about 200 square meters divided into six rooms and a kitchen, on Sävastön south of Boden.

The family: Nea Goldkuhl, 32 years old, marketing coordinator, Olof Pettersson, 36 years old, train driver, Birk, 4 years old, Knut, soon 2 years old, the cats Truls and Pusi Anker and some hens.