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Babysitting, gardening and painting an old house in Strömsfors near Uddebo, Sweden

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: 1 week or less

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    READ THIS FIRST

    We don' t consider unpersonal messages. If you contact us, please tell us what attracts you specifically in this project, and how our project/lifestyle matches you. Also explain how you can contribute. Nice to meet you! :)

    About us:
    Karlien (writing this) is from Belgium, born 1981 and Kalle is swedish, born 1984. Our daughter Scout came to this world in june 2023. I am a teacher who started studying again and now i am diving deep into the wonders of mind and brain by studying cognitive neuroscience, other interests are fermentation, gardening. Kalle is a programmer. We have three friendly cats, Kjell Chomsky, Kapooschka and Melkersson. They rule the place. We grow our own vegetables, try to create a forest garden and fix the house, all of which is a long term project.

    About the house and surroundings:

    It is a beautiful house build in 1908. It was part of an old industrial village, which is still reflected in the surrounding. Nowadays Strömsfors is a tiny village (population under 50), divided by the stream Assman (really!) which has two hydropowerplants here. All the industry is gone, shops and schools shut down, lots of houses are empty or just used as summerhouses. But since some years tides have turned! Now there are several collectives and lots of people moving in rapidly!

    The nearby village Uddebo (3 km) is very lively and has an organic bakery/pizzeria, concerts, joga classes etc. Around Strömsfors and Uddebo there is lots of forest, good for mushroom and berry picking, but there are also swimming places, a public owned sauna, etc. It is good to have a car to get around, but we have bicycles.

    The house i bought here stole my heart, the oldness, the memory of an old industry neighbourhood is charming. But so much work, and so much space! We now have 3 super cute runner ducks who worked hard to free us from slugs.

    HELP WE NEED THIS SUMMER:

    1) Painting the house: Almost done, but one last part of the house needs to be scraped, washed and painted with traditional linseed oil paint.
    2) Bad weather job: renovating old windows - i will teach you!
    3) in case you are experienced in taking care of toddlers, you can babysit :)
    4) we have a big garden and there is always some gardening work involved as well. This includes weeding, and in july building a natural stone wall and in august harvesting.
    5) we installed a water pump but need help to dig a ditch for electricity connection to the well.
    6) in case we travel: house-sitting (feeding cats, ducks, watering)

    We like to do things together, eat together, play a game, make a walk, we will be working on the house together. But we also need a lot of own time and space. So we like guests who can respect that and don't expect us to entertain constantly. It is good if you can work independently. Also, we travel some days in july and need a house sitter then.

    Other info:
    We are vegans and appreciate it if you can respect that we don't consume animals in our house. It is good if you have a car to get around with, but you can borrow a bicycle. Family with children are also welcome, but we don't have beds for more than 2 adults and one baby.

    Time is too precious to waste on racist, homophobic or self-obsessed people. Otherwise, we welcome everybody <3

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Babysitting and creative play
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    House sitting
  • Interests

    Interests

    LGBTQ
    Politics / Social justice
    Culture
    Pets
    Sustainability
    Vegetarian or vegan
    Music
    Books
    Cooking & food
    Gardening
    Hitchhiking
    Animals
    Camping
    Nature
    Yoga / Wellness
    Mountain
    Dancing
    Outdoor activities
    Hiking
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    To do: there s lot of nice people living around here, in summer there s a lot of swimming, sauna, hiking, camping, it is nice cycling here (you can borrow a bicycle) but it mostly depends on what you like to do, we ll find something! There s several places with workawayers around, so it could also be possible to organise activities for all the volunteers.

  • Au pair

    Au Pair Help

    Further details can be found here

  • Help

    Help

    HELP WE NEED THIS SUMMER:

    1) Painting the house: Almost done, but one last part of the house needs to be scraped, washed and painted with traditional linseed oil paint.
    2) Bad weather job: renovating old windows - i will teach you!
    3) in case you are experienced in taking care of toddlers, you can babysit :)
    4) we have a big garden and there is always some gardening work involved as well. This includes weeding, and in july building a natural stone wall and in august harvesting.
    5) we installed a water pump but need help to dig a ditch for electricity connection to the well.
    6) in case we travel: house-sitting (feeding cats, ducks, watering)

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Dutch: Fluent
    Swedish: Fluent
    French: Intermediate

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    A double bed in a room in the house.

    About food: We are vegan, and don't feel comfortable with meat in the house and are obsessed with fermented food. Lots of homegrown in summer. The bar is quite high when it comes to food in this household :)

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    How to get here:

    we are about 40 km south of Borås. There is a busstop at 200m from the house called Strömsfors Svenljunga (bus between Tranemo and Svenljunga).

    By train:
    The closest train station is Limmared, connected to both Göteborg, Malmö and Stockholm. From the trainstation someone will have to pick you up.

    By bus:
    The regional public transport will take you all the way to Strömsfors from Göteborg, Borås or anywhere else in Västra Götaland. You can take a bus from Göteborg Nils Ericson terminal all the way to Strömsfors, it will take about 2 hours.

    By air:
    The closest airport is Landvetter (Göteborg).
    From the airport you can either travel in to Göteborg central and from there take a bus to Strömsfors.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We have a gravel and flat parking spot for campers. There is a composting toilet next to it.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    Our cats rule the place and our ducks roam free! If you have an animal that can respect that and is not too wild, and you plan to stay in your own campervan, you can bring a pet. In our house we want to keep the space for our cats.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • My animals / pets

    My animals / pets

Host ref number: 591262977887

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Photos

The image depicts a lush garden bed, featuring large green plants, rocks, and flowers, situated in front of a white house with a red window frame.
The image depicts the side of a white house with a wooden deck and stairs, featuring a window, air conditioning unit, and a garden with flowers and plants.
The image depicts a garden with a hose running down the center, featuring a variety of plants, including broccoli and grasses, with a person's shadow in the foreground.
The image depicts a serene rural scene, featuring a dirt road, a small shed, and a red barn, set amidst lush greenery and trees.
The image depicts a large white house with a red roof and blue dome, nestled among trees in a rural setting.
The image depicts a serene backyard scene, featuring a swing, grill, and garden, with a house and trees in the background, evoking a sense of tranquility.
The image depicts a garden bed with a pile of wood and a white van in the background, set against a backdrop of a driveway and a stack of firewood.
The image depicts a white cylindrical object with a handwritten note, featuring a brown substance on its surface, set against a blurred background of trees and foliage.
The image depicts a woman standing in front of a tree stump, with a pile of wood on top, in a yard with a house and trees in the background.
The image depicts a rustic garden with a stone wall, a raised bed, and a house in the background, showcasing a natural and earthy atmosphere.

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