Dear Supporters, Friends and Kind Strangers!

We are a family of four, and we never imagined we would ever have to launch a crowdfunding campaign. We have always tried to get by on our own; we both work hard, but now we have hit a wall that we cannot break through on our own. Please take two minutes to read our story!

We started out with big plans...

Just before Covid, we bought an old family home in need of renovation. Our dream was to build a modern, energy-efficient and eco-friendly home for our children. During the renovation, we had the future in mind: we installed modern heat pump heating and a heat recovery ventilation system. We wanted our house not only to be our little nest, but also to be environmentally friendly and sustainable in the long term.

...then came the war and the price hikes.

As the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, the price of building materials skyrocketed. Our budget, which we had carefully calculated earlier, was suddenly worthless. When I saw that we were running out of money, I didn’t give up: I did whatever I could on the house with my own two hands. After work, at weekends, working day and night, I worked on it to save money.

We tried to grasp at every straw. We also applied for a free insulation scheme. We had high hopes for it, but by the time we could have got hold of the materials, the whole scheme had simply been cancelled due to a shortage of raw materials and rising costs. And by now, all other sources of funding have dried up.

Why is this such a problem?

However high-tech and energy-efficient our heat pump heating may be,without insulation our house is simply cold.The walls radiate the cold, and the heat escapes. At present, the house lacks waterproofing, full façade insulation, and loft insulation too.

We both work, but the cost of living has risen so much that we have no chance of managing to complete the renovation. On top of that, our car recently broke down completely, which was the last straw. It pulled the rug out from under our feet. We simply cannot see a way out of this situation.

What exactly are we raising funds for?

To finally make our house a liveable, warm home, we need a total of €55,000. Due to the house’s specifications (110 m², 6-metre-high walls, old sand plaster), the cost of the work, as calculated by experts, breaks down as follows:

• Preparatory work:Removal of the old, crumbling sand plaster and re-plastering of the walls (to ensure the insulation adheres)
• Facade:Modern, 25 cm graphite thermal insulation (materials + labour)
• Plinth:Waterproofing around the base and salvaging the XPS plinth insulation
• Roof:Insulating the pitched roof with 25 cm rock wool to prevent heat from escaping into the street
• Finishing:Installation of guttering, delivery of materials and a contingency fund for unexpected (hidden) costs

Please help!

It was a very difficult decision to go public. But for the sake of our children and our home, we must put our pride aside. Any small contribution – whether it’s the price of a coffee or sharing our campaign with your friends – is a huge help to us.

Please help us put a ‘roof’ over our heads so that our hard work is not in vain, and we can finally lay our heads down to sleep in a warm, safe home!

We are deeply grateful to all our supporters!