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 beautiful to delight our eyes. I immediately realized that it is far from being so, it is a house made in Ghelința, in Covasna county, built and decorated entirely by hand, with natural materials, wood and old objects recovered, a house made with great passion by two young people in love with nature and freedom. My heart, as they say, is still in the house, so I took the time to meet them to find out their story. Shepherd Huts built in Transylvania.

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

Johanna and Attila are two talented young people and their company is called Jota Manufaktur. Johanna, born in Austria and raised in Germany, met Attila, liked his passion for wood and love for her 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 a carpenter, having grown up with his father from whom he learned the trade. A job that quickly turned into a passion. Since then they have been continuously improving their skills and building special things.

Their love of nature has led them to spend a lot of time outdoors, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and everyday worries. They would go out alone or with friends, enjoy wonderful evenings under the open sky, have country parties and regret every time it was over. They would have liked to make this joy last as long as possible. That's how the idea of building a house on wheels came about, a small cottage similar to those used in some countries by shepherds who took sheep from one place to another. They did the project together, and since 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 wood salvaged from old barns, authentic old objects 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 building to order. So far they have orders from Austria and Germany. They continue to work alone, without forcing things and giving up their peaceful life close to nature. They don't want to lose what actually brought them together and led them to this milestone in their lives.

Eco frendly wheelchairs with all necessary equipment

The cottages are built on a wooden structure with sandwich walls, with insulation inside the walls and outside so that they can be lived in in winter. They can be connected to water and 220 V electricity. They have electric heating system, kitchenette, bathroom with shower with instant water heating and toilet. The access door, in two pieces that open separately, and the windows are made of solid wood, handmade, also by Attila, and the floor is made of pine wood. They use natural or as healthy as possible materials for the 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 and do not need planning permission to be installed in the garden or on the edge of the forest. There is a possibility that the toilets can be dry flush - the Norwegian composting system - so there is no need for a septic tank or connection to the sewage system. The houses have functional wagon wheels that can be used to travel short distances. For longer distances, however, a platform is needed.

The photos received were of the last house built that was to leave for Germany soon. 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 fans of natural materials and it wouldn't be the first time they had worked with them. They frequently worked with Kreidezeit oils and waxes that they got from Naturalpaint. But this time they used a much wider range of natural products from them. The insulation was done with Gutex wood fibre panels, 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 panelling on the outside of the house and for the front door, they needed a special colour for which they asked Naturalpaint's specialists. It was no problem to achieve the desired colour using Kreidezeit oil-based exterior paints.

What makes the house stand out, however, is the antique finish on the windows and doors and the old, authentic objects. The window is closed with an old ivory, the doorknob is one of those used by our grandparents, the sink - an old chipped basin. In the construction of the bed, cabinets and poles they used old wood salvaged from an old family barn. The wheels fitted are authentic - from an old wagon - and functional. Everything is as authentic as can be, and the decorative items are wonderful. They look like the set of a movie from the time of the colonists' conquest of America, and you're waiting 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 working in the film industry, so their effort and talent has not gone unnoticed.

Looking to the future

Johanna finds the boxes perfect for this time when values have reasserted themselves and we are increasingly giving up have in favor of a fi. We discover that we can do very well with less and we rediscover nature with all it has to offer. It's a time when such a cottage can mean escaping to your grandparents' backyard, your mountain or woodland office, or the way to work and unwind in your favourite places at the same time.

The success of the cottages led them to think of other simple ways to discover the joys of life. They went on to build saunas and mobile saunas with various heating systems. Johanna is very enthusiastic about the idea and eager to present the first models. As good as they are, I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Good luck, Johanna and Attila!