Home projects, natural building, gardening and animal care in Molkom, Sweden

Details

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  Description

  Open spots: Year 2023 from May all open :)
  
  We prefer people with knowledge of German or Swedish because it makes it easier to communicate on the construction site, as my father hardly knows any English.
  
  You need to be a handy person. It's more fun for both of us.
  
  We are a family (2 adults and 2 children) living in the Swedish countryside surrounded by forest and with a lake in front of the house. Our place is a really beautiful spot and it feels a bit like vacation every day : ) There are hiking trails directly behind the house and more in the north and south of the lake. Canoeing, fishing and bathing in the lake are other activities you could do in your free time. Cycling too. Or ice-skating and skiing in wintertime. Ängsbacka is nearby if you are interested in personal and spiritual growth.
  I have a collection of different instruments if you like to play (piano, guitar, bass, accordion, french horn, drum set : ) or we could do some crafting, sketching or painting on paper or canvas together.
  
  We moved from Germany to Sweden in 2012. And in 2019 my father moved here too. Recently he moved into his house - Yeah! The house is build 1860 and is still under reconstruction right now. That is where the most work is and mainly why we are here on workaway.
  We eat together in the evenings and share the workshop, the shower and the laundry room with him.
  
  Often there are more people living at our place. If no workawayer is using the room, we rent out a room in the main house and another room in the annex (but that room is a building site right now). Right now we have a housemate living in the room in the mainhouse and the room in the annex is used by Workawayers.
  
  At our place are cats, a dog and chickens around and you will meet sheep too at my fathers place. There is a snake living upstairs in his terrarium but you won't meet him unless you really want to : ).
  
  I am working as a teacher in afternoon school at Backa freeschool (a holistic school for a sustainable life, backafriskola.se) that I started together with a group of other women in 2015. Back in Germany I worked as an architect. My partner works still as an architect and started his own business in Sweden. Now he also offers carpentry services through his company. We are working part time.
  
  We like outdoor-life and hiking, especially in wintertime. In our free time at home we like to built things, create things, renovate in the house and annex. We chop wood and do some gardening. There might be more work for you to find there : )
  And besides all that we do the everyday life things too : ) We even cook (preferably with the organic vegetables from the cooperative farming) although we don't like the everyday cooking after a long workday. So help with this task is very much appreciated : )
  
  I have a very sensitive nose and react to strong fragrances, especially artificial ones but also to certain natural ones. The best thing is to leave perfumed products and incense sticks at home right from the beginning. This also applies to perfume in shampoos, shower gels, hair wax etc. And in fabric conditioner!

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We love to share all our experience with you. Just show/say what you are interested in. About building. Living in Sweden. Starting a school. Being at Ängsbacka and part of the extended community. Crafting. Painting. Making music. Taking care of children. And animals. Baking bread. Making soap and ointment. Felting. Making fire with a bow. Ice-bathing. You could develop your canoeing skills and discover the Swedish landscape.

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  Help

  I just put a check mark on all the things we would appreciate help with. It doesn't mean that you have to do all that and it doesn't mean that there is always help needed with all the tasks.
  
  The main task is building:
  - helping at my fathers place with building up the kitchen. Finish the last things inside the house. Complete the facade. Paint with eco-color. Electric installations. Its 3 km to his house and you can get there by bike or walking.
  - helping at our place with reconstruction the annex, build a brick-wall, install the heating floor, finish the facade. Preparations for the greenhouse like producing concrete elements that should be used as retaining wall, earthworks.
  There are endless tasks with building : )
  But of course we appreciate help with gardening, taking care of the dog, the chickens and the cats and the major cleaning in the home too.
  
  It's 25 working hours per week. Usually you will work at my fathers place, 5 hours a day, 9am to 3pm with one hour lunchbreak. It is possible to change days if this suits our/his/your plans better. It's possible to work more some days and get an extra day off or to reduce the amount of hours and work more days a week. We want to take your needs into consideration and make your stay as pleasant as possible.
  
  The general tasks that arise from living together are not included in the working hours, just like in normal life. Usually one day a week is your cooking day, where you prepare dinner for everyone living with us. If cooking is not your thing, we are open to other solutions. If you love cooking a lot, we are more than happy if you want to cook more than once : ) We are usually very grateful if you lend a hand and, for example, sweep up, help clear the kitchen mess or wipe down the table, empty the dishwasher, the compost, the garbage buckets, etc.
  
  Covid19:
  It's no big deal in Sweden any more. Do you have questions let me know.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  German: Fluent
  Swedish: Fluent
  English: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  I really like words and what you can do with them. And I like teaching. I could and would like to teach you German and Swedish, but I have realised that I don't have enough time and energy to do it intensively. You could learn by listening. We adults speak a lot of German with each other and the kids. The kids mostly speak Swedish with each other and us.
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  Accommodation

  We have two rooms and can accommodate two parties.
  
  You would either stay in a small cosy bedroom by 8,5m2 in the main house or in
  a small room in the annex (the rest of the cabin is still a building place partly).
  
  The big room by 29m2 (with own kitchen) in the main house is not available right now. Our housemate lives there.
  
  The bedroom in the main house is furnished with a single bed, an armchair and 2 cupboards. We share the kitchen, the bathrooms, the two living rooms and the laundry room.
  
  The room in the annex is furnished with a bed by 140cm, 2 armchairs and a cupboard. We share the kitchen, the bathrooms, the two living rooms and the laundry room.
  
  In all rooms there is good internet connection.
  
  By agreement you have the opportunity to use the sauna, canoe, printer, a bike, to grow vegetables (if you are staying a longer time : ), to play the piano, guitar and other instruments, create in the workshopspace and much more.
  
  We are non-smokers and wish to smoke away from the plot if you need to smoke, its not allowed in the rooms.
  
  Are you travelling with children and you are interested in our project just ask if it is possible to stay with your children. We will check the possibilities together and hopefully find a solution that feels good for us all.

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  What else ...

  It's a shop in Molkom, nearby in Tidafors is a great second hand shop and there is one in Molkom too, in Karlstad you can find a lot of possibilities for activities, events, shopping, museum, galleries, restaurants. 3 km from our spot is a bus station where the bus to Molkom/Karlstad in one direction and to Filipstad in the other direction is passing. In Molkom you have the possibility to catch two more busses. And from Karlstad you can get everywhere by bus, train, flight.
  
  We will be happy to pick you up from Molkom. The bus stop is called Molkom Graninge. From Karlstad, bus 400 (final destination Filipstad), bus 401 (final destination Molkom) and bus 300 (final destination Hagfors) go to Molkom. The bus station in Karlstad is diagonally opposite the railway station. At the railway station there is also a bus stop where at least the 400-bus passes.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Please ask about it. So that we together can check if our possibilities fits for your kind of work.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  Please ask about it. So that we together can check if our possibilities fits for you.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Depends on the pet. Just ask.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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