They found a nice place in Sibiel and build a wooden house in the middle of the orchard

A few months after the birth of their first child, Smaranda and Andrei decided to leave Bucharest, to leave behind the pollution and hustle and bustle of the city to raise Gruia closer to nature. They didn't make plans, they didn't set deadlines, they let life flow, let them discover, let them get used to the area and the people. They chose beautiful areas to live in and met people like themselves, who had left the big crowded areas in search of peace and nature. Now, five years later, they are in Sibiel; they found a nice place and build a beautiful wooden house in the middle of an orchard.

"We left Bucharest, we wanted to live in the hills"

The first stop after leaving Bucharest was Săcele. It was perfect for a start because they were close to their parents and the house they found to rent was near the forest. But Gruia grew up quickly, he needed more than just the walks and adventure in the forest. The time was coming for him to go to kindergarten, and Smaranda and Andrei wanted a place for him to learn and develop without being away from nature.

They asked about options and found out about a kindergarten near Sibiel, Waldkinder, a place where children learn by playing in nature. And it was exactly what they wanted. Here they discovered a community formed around this kindergarten, with many young families with children, like themselves, who had left the big cities. They decided to rent an old log house in the area and try out life here by becoming locals. They settled in quickly, and while Gruia was in kindergarten and growing up exploring the local forests, Smaranda and Andrei were out and about in the area looking for a place to call their own.

I don't know how you found the land, but you found it. "Well, my father told me: talk to the postmistress or the priest because he knows everyone".

"We didn't get to talk to the priest, but we spoke to the postmistress and she showed us possible options." And two months after the move they found a nice place with an orchard and it was love at first sight. The trees were bearing fruit and it was quiet, being away from the major roads and even the busier part of the village. What's more, the site had utilities, electricity, a well and a small cottage that could be used to organize the future building site.

They decided to buy the orchard and decided to build a wooden house on stilts. They wanted to interfere as little as possible with the land, without destroying the garden and orchard by digging the foundations. The original plan did not suit the difference in ground level, the clay soil and the architecture of the house, but even so most of the trees in the orchard remained standing.

"We wanted a house made of natural materials"

They chose the wooden structure because they wanted to build quickly. They wanted to move into their new house within a year, but it wasn't that easy. Initially it was the approvals and permits that took longer than they had estimated. Then they made the plan thinking they would use hemp for construction and insulation, but the solution was beyond their budget. That's when they decided to look for other solutions. So they came up with Naturalpaint. Their interaction with the company was very helpful in finding the solutions they were looking for. They decided to use wood fiber to insulate the house, Gutex system giving them and alternative for OSB to close the wooden structure of the walls and roof. But the change of solution delayed things a bit because the plan had to be redrawn and recalculated according to the new materials.

"Our requirement to the architect was to make us a house that we could complete within a year"

The house was designed by a friend, an architect, based on their ideas. Andrei became a site foreman as well as a trainee craftsman, he even bought a moisture meter to monitor the humidity of the wooden structure in winter. He's the handy, eager-to-do type and is happy to be able to work on building their house himself. Even though the house plans looked like a game, with each wall made to be easily assembled, it was not possible to work with prefabricated walls because of the terrain. The steep slope and narrow road made it impossible for heavy trucks to access, so everything was worked on site with carpenters. In October 2021 the foundation was poured and in November, Andrei and two other carpenters erected the ground floor structure in three weeks.

He started building the house with friends, acquaintances and local craftsmen. Unfortunately, the lack of craftsmen led to downtime and waiting time. Good craftsmen have work scheduled months in advance and you have to wait in line. That's how it ended up that the closing of the walls will be done in the spring of 2022, when the craftsmen recommended by Naturalpaint, who have been working with Gutex natural systems, were able to join them.

"The house is a self-directed project, we decided to choose craftsmen according to their specialization and to do some of the work ourselves, that is me. I sit next to them, see how they do it, ask questions, look on the net, look for a Șoflete, ask Mr. Voșloban. If you have all the money at once, you move very quickly with this kind of material".

They want a energy efficient homenot passive. Andrei is very well informed, knows what he needs and wants not only natural materials but also modern and sustainable solutions. In addition to the wood fiber used in the wall structure and for the interior and exterior insulation of the house, they chose good quality double-glazed windows with six chambers in the frame and three layers of glass, fitted with sealing strips. The house will be heated with a heat pump, underfloor heating and they will use solar panels for water heating. Next year, they also plan to install photovoltaic panels.

"We want to move here by the end of the year"

The house has a ground floor with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a technical room, and upstairs the attic with a kitchen, dining area, a bathroom and a large play area. They chose this division of spaces because there is more light upstairs and the ground floor will be shaded by the orchard.

Smaranda and Andrei plan to move into their new house for Christmas. They realize they can't stick to their plan to have the whole house ready in a year, but they will finish the attic by then. They will move upstairs, while working to complete the ground floor.

We'll check back with them soon to see the progress, but in the meantime, we invite you to see the first part of their story in the video below.

Later edit. Part two - home after 7 months