Rustic houses on wheels built by two young people in Ghelința, Covasna

I recently received photos of a house on wheels and was impressed by the authenticity of the 'old' included in it, the attention to detail. I thought they were photos found on the net, something nice to feast our eyes on. I immediately realized that it was not at all like that, but a house built in Ghelința, in Covasna County, built and decorated entirely by hand, with natural materials, wood and old salvaged objects, a house made with great passion by two young people in love with nature and freedom. My heart, as they say, remained in the house, so I took the tegutura with them to find out the story Sheperd Huts built in Transylvania.

Johanna and Attila, that's Jota Manufaktur, who think, design and build little houses on wheels

Johanna and Attila are two talented young people and their company is called Jota Manufaktur. Johanna, born in Austria and brought up in Germany, met Attila, liked his passion for wood and love for their native places and they stayed together here in Romania. They share the same love for nature, antiques, mountains and hiking. Johanna is a landscape architect and Attila is a carpenter, who grew up with his father and learned the trade from him. It quickly turned into a passion. Since then they have been constantly improving their skills and building something special.

Their love of nature led them to spend a lot of time outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the cares of everyday life. They went out alone or with friends, enjoyed wonderful evenings under the open sky, country parties and regretted every time it was over. They wanted to somehow make this joy last as long as possible. So they came up with the idea of building a house on wheels, a small cottage similar to those used in some countries by shepherds who took their sheep from one place to another. They did the project together and, as Attila was a very skilled carpenter, it wasn't hard for him to build the whole house himself. They finished and decorated it together using reclaimed wood from old barns, authentic antiques and natural materials.

The house turned out so well that they immediately received an offer to sell it in Germany. That's how they saw the opportunity and started custom-building. So far they have clients in Austria and Germany. They continue to work on their own, without forcing things and giving up the quiet life close to nature. They do not want to lose what actually brought them together and led them to this milestone in their lives.

Eco frendly cottages on wheels with all the necessary facilities

The cottages are built on a wooden structure with sandwich walls, insulated inside and outside so that they can be inhabited even in winter. They can be connected to water and 220 V electricity. They have electric heating, kitchenette, bathroom with shower with instant water heating and toilet. The entrance door, in two pieces that open separately, and the windows are made of solid wood, also by Attila, and the floors are made of pine wood. I use natural or as healthy as possible materials for construction. Together, they do everything from planning and design to execution and finishing. And for what they can't do themselves, they always turn to local businesses.

The houses are between 10 and 15 m² in size and do not need a Building Permit to be set up in the garden or at the edge of the forest. The toilets can be dry flush - the Norwegian compost system - so there is no need for a septic tank or connection to the sewage system. The houses have functional cartwheels that can be used to travel short distances. For longer distances, a flatbed is needed.

The photos we received were of the last house to be built, which was soon to leave for Germany. The client wanted an Eco frendly house and had clear requirements for finishing materials and insulation. It wasn't a difficult requirement as they were also advocates of natural materials and it wouldn't be the first time they had worked with them. They frequently worked with the Kreidezeit oils and waxes that they got from Naturalpaint. But this time they used a much wider range of their own natural products. The insulation was done with wood fiber panels from Gutex, inside the house was plastered with clay plaster from Agaton Lehm and painted with lime paint from Kreidezeit, and the wood was finished, as usual, with oil and wax from Kreidezeit. For the wainscoting paneling on the exterior of the house and for the entrance door they needed more special colors, so they asked Naturalpaint specialists for help. It was no problem to achieve the desired color using Kreidezeit oil-based exterior paints.

What makes the house stand out, however, is the antiqued finish on the windows and doors and the authentic old objects. The window is closed with an old ivary, the doorknob is one of those used by our grandparents, the sink - an old carved washbasin. They used old wood salvaged from an old family barn to build the bed, cupboards and poles. The fitted wheels are authentic - from an old wagon - and functional. Everything is as authentic as authentic can be, and the decorative objects are wonderful. They look like the set of a movie set in the days when the settlers conquered America, and you wait for the redskins to appear any minute. The attention to detail is remarkable. From what I understand from Johanna the next order is from someone who works in the movie industry, so their effort and talent has not gone unnoticed.

Looking to the future

Johanna thinks the houses are perfect for this time when values are shifting and we are increasingly letting go of have in his favor a fi. We discover that we can do very well with less and rediscover nature with all that it has to offer. It's the time when such a cottage can mean escaping to your grandparents' backyard, your mountain or forest edge office, or the way to work and unwind in your favorite places at the same time.

The success of the cottages led them to think of other simple ways to discover the joys of life. Next they will build saunas and mobile saunas with various heating systems. Johanna is very enthusiastic about the idea and anxious to present the first models. As good as they are, I can't wait to see them.

Good luck, Johanna and Attila!