My name is Magdalena and together with my husband Claes and my two children Mikaela and Max we found our dream location for building a house ia few years ago and this is our house building story.
ABOUT THE AREA TÄBY KYRKBY
Täby Kyrkby is a small town close to Stockholm city and is a beautiful place known for its rich history which goes back all the way to the bronze age. The Vikings had, during the 1000s, a strong grip of Täby which back then was a prosperous countryside. Through the 37 known rune carvings that exist in Täby today, we know alot about the Viking Age and the people from back then. The most talked about Viking of runic carvings was Jarla Banke – a viking who was the head of Täby and who lived in Täby Kyrkby.
We first moved to Täby Kyrkby in 2006 when Mikaela was born. Much of what we were looking for we found here such as close to nature, water, god public transportations, restaurants, a small town center with a bakery, grocery store, pharmacy, flower shop, and more. In addition, the environment was picturesque and gave a small town feel in the middle of the Stockholm area.
Highlights of the area:
Vallentunasjön
Just nearby is Lake Vallentuna which offers beautiful natural paths to walk in and is a popular skating area in the winter.
Nygårds Värdshus
In the countryside in Täby Kyrkby there is a small 19th century cottage called Skänkstugan and next to it is the manor – Nygårds Värdshus . The food is fantastic and the staff welcoming and friendly. We have a 10 minute walk to this lovely place!
Täby Church
Dating back to the 13th century, this beautiful church is located in the middle of Täby Kyrkby. Extensions took place during the 14th and 15th centuries. During the 1480s, the interior of the church was decorated with frescoes by the famous master Albertus Pictor and his associates.
Charming environments
All around Kyrkbyn are old beautiful buildings and nice small country roads with natural stone walls.
FINDING OUR DREAM LOCATION TO BUILD A HOUSE
In the autumn of 2014, we found a plot of 2,760 sqm in our dream location i Täby Kyrkby. We used to live in the southern part of Täby Kyrkby and now we wanted to find something closer to the center and schools. The plot had exactly everything we wanted, situated in a high and free location in the center of Täby Kyrkby. However, the plot was very overgrown and it was difficult to see any view, but when we climbed up to the attic of the old house on the plot we could get a feeling of what the view would be.
The dwelling house
On the plot there was a dwelling house that we chose to demolish as the condition of the house was in far too poor condition.
Little cottage
On the plot there was also a cute little cottage that we have chosen to keep. We currently use it as storage, but later on there are plans to renovate it and turn it into a guest house.
The last outdoor toilet in Täby Kyrkby?
There was also an outhouse on the plot that was used into the last of the uncle who lived in the house earlier. We think it must have been Täby’s last outdoor toilet that was located almost at the top of the mountain 
Charming paintings
Inside the old house there were paintings on the walls just inside the entrance. Very charming paintings of what we think would represent a painting of the dwelling house and a troll on the mountain 
Diary entries about animal and bird life
In the house we found a huge collection of diary entries with documentation from animal and bird life in the nature around the mountain from the 60s onwards. We chose to submit all these books to the Ornithological Society so that they can preserve the work for the future. We also had a flea market before we demolished the house which was well visited by friends, neighbors and others.
HOUSE EXTERIOR AND BLUEPRINT
Early house sketches
Great freedom to control the process
As the site was not linked to any developer, we could control the entire process ourselves and choose what suited us best. We invited several pieces, including Myresjöhus, Götenehus, A-hus, Trivselhus and an independent free builder.
We showed our own sketch and said that we wanted something similar to what we had sketched ourselves, but where the architect from the builder was happy to come up with his own ideas and suggestions. The choice fell on Götenehus, who were responsive and listened to our wishes while contributing their own ideas and expertise.
THE HOUSE IS DEVELOPING
That first time when the work finally starts is a very special time! Now, finally, everything you have longed for for so long should begin.
The surface is prepared and ready
When the work of building the house was finally to begin, it had become winter and very cold.
The plate in place
So fun to follow all the steps in the process. There are really many steps and a lot of basic work before the first parts of the house start to take shape.
The house parts arrive
This part was so exciting to follow! The house parts arrive and are put in place and the whole thing only took a few days. It is unbelievable that an entire house can be assembled so quickly.
The interior work begins
Once the house is in place, the interior work can begin. Many people involved in various parts of the work – carpentry, electrical and plumbing, painting work, tile and tile replacement, etc. The interior work took a total of just over 4 months to complete.
INTERIOR CHOICES AND PLANS
The floor plan
The floor plan is divided into three parts, a social part with large areas of living room, dining room and kitchen and a bedroom part with walk-in closet and associated bathroom with sauna and finally a separate part for children with social room, 3 bedrooms and a bathroom.
The children’s part
Another thing we did was to build in an insulating inner wall against the children’s part where the main reason was to make the house less sensitive, which is otherwise a risk for single-storey houses. There was also an idea that the children would soon be teenagers with all that entails of loud music, friends and a greater need for personal space. In the children’s bathroom part there is also a terrace door where they and friends can go in and out themselves.
Walkin-in closet
One thing we really liked about the walk-in closet was that it is open from both sides and just as the sketch on the floor plan shows, it is appropriate to have the bed in the middle and open on both sides towards the wardrobe.
Get a living feeling in the house in a single-storey villa
Some things that we thought were important to keep in mind to get a living feeling in the single-storey villa were to build two steps into the living / dining room towards the kitchen. We have not regretted that choice for a second as it makes the whole house feel cozier and more alive.
Color – 2 shades lighter
A tip we got regarding the color choice was to choose 2 shades lighter than what we wanted and when you paint it on a large surface, it will be the color you have in mind. We had a very hard time deciding the color, especially in the bedroom. We had decided which shade we wanted on the samples and it was really difficult to take two shades lighter from the color we saw. But we did it and the result painted then became exactly the color we wanted
Electricity, technology and VA gathered centrally
In the middle of the house we have gathered all the technology, electricity and water and sewerage. Everything is hidden away in a sliding door wardrobe where there is also plenty of space for storage.
The entire house is controlled from this location including the sound system to the speakers which are located in the roof in central parts of the house and on the terrace outside.
Painted walls instead of wallpaper
We were first fully aware that we would have wallpaper set up in the rooms but it is very difficult to choose the wallpaper before seeing the house. So we decided to have the walls painted instead. If we later want wallpaper, it is much easier to put up on painted walls.
WE MOVED IN END OF MAY 2016
One Thursday at the end of May 2016, we took over the house, what a lucky day The 
feeling of stepping into your own dream house where no one has ever lived before is indescribable! Seeing everything you had previously only seen in catalogs and on drawings put together into a whole was fantastic and at the same time a little scary. Had we really made the right choice? Did everything fit together?
First year
The first time we had most focus on getting order inside the house. Furniture, furnishings and paintings would be set up. We quickly realized that it would take time and money to fill all the rooms and spaces with the furnishings we wanted as the house was much larger than our previous house. Even today we are not quite ready but it does not matter that it takes time. Better that it will be the way we want it than that it must go fast.
The plot is filled with blasted stone and gravel paths
The first year it was barely possible to be outside, especially on the back which consisted of the filling masses from all the explosives. The children were allowed to have the forest as a playground for the time being.
Our house today
A few years later we have know gotten settled in and had some time to work on interior design. Below are some recent pictures from our house interior.
The dream of a kitchen island
I have always had a dream of a kitchen island and now that we built the house, that dream could come true. We like to cook a lot and this surface really becomes a social gathering place where family and friends gather when the food is prepared.
Choice of materials in the kitchen
It becomes expensive when you have to build a house and make all the choices where everything you want to change costs more. We therefore chose to make some compromises that we thought would be easier to change in the future. One such compromise was to choose wooden benches instead of stone that we really wanted. Wooden benches are also very nice, even though we may one day choose to replace them with stone.
Ceiling height
To get a feeling of space, we chose to have a little extra high ceilings, it is consistently 2.70 m in ceiling height with the exception of the living room where it is up to 4 m in the ridge. When you have such a high ceiling height, we thought it was nice to have extra high floor moldings and we also chose ceiling moldings as we thought it looked more stylish without.
Fireplace
A real cosiness factor in the middle of the living room is the fireplace with a nice granite countertop in black that becomes a decorative piece of furniture. We placed the stove so that you can enjoy it both from the living room and the dining table.
The hall with Öland sandstone as clinker
In the hall, we chose Öland sandstone with the associated molding stone molding. It is a very durable material and looks like new a number of years later.
Large laundry room
I have never had a large laundry room and always wanted a larger one where there is plenty of room to handle the laundry. Now we chose to build a large laundry room of about 10 sqm with plenty of space and plenty of storage and benches. Feels so nice to finally have plenty of space to wash and fold laundry!
Choice of tiles
We chose for a long time between different tiles, but in the end the choice fell on light sandstone-colored tones on both the floor and the walls.
Choice of dresser
We chose the series flow from Vedum for the chests of drawers in the bathroom. Very happy with the choice as it gives a harmonious feeling in the bathroom.
House exterior and garden
If you are curious to know what we have done just outside of our house and in the garden. Please continue our journey here!
Our future projects
Soon we will start another project of building a new driveway and a garage with a little flat on top. Make sure to follow our continued journey by subscribing to blog posts and you will get all the latest on our new adventures