The Clayhouse – The Beginning
Jan had visited almost all the Azorian islands before we finally met in Graciosa (except for the smallest and the largest), but he kept coming back to little Graciosa, the second smallest of all the 9. He had fallen in love with this island, he resonated with her energy. The calm and peace felt so healing for him.
And within the first week of exploring Her, he found the place he had been dreaming of. At the end of the small village Luz (Portuguese for „light“), surrounded by silent forest that had been untouched by human hands for maybe a century, with a foot path straight down to a tiny, magical bay, a secret place like it doesn´t exist a second time on this island.
He directly made efforts to buy a piece of land there, but the fisherman who tried to help him with that said in the end, that it is not possible, but he offered Jan to use part of his land for free, which was adjacent to the place Jan had intended to buy. It is much more land than I need, I don´t use it, the man said. He and his family became Jan´s new family.
So Jan started with big enthusiasm to fulfill a huge life dream: To completely grow his own food and build a healthy house completely made out of natural materials. To really find his perfect comfort zone.
Read also here (with Google translator) and here the articles about Jan´s journey and project.
He started with the garden, made a clearing in the forest and set up garden beds. Quite soon he could start to make the first harvests. It was when I first met him in January 2019 when he showed me the already impressive beginnings of his garden. And the place where he intended to build a tiny house from clay. Back then it was hard for me to grasp the idea. In my mind I had a picture of a small cave. Also, I had met many men with enthusiastic ideas but not much more than that… Also I had met many guests who were eager to move to Graciosa, to staying permanently and becoming part of the community, and in the end they couldn´t make it real. I had never met a Jan Backman before, though…
A magical place in the middle of the forest 
A mysterious tree with the trunk and branches twisted like strands of DNA. On the land of the fisherman and his family. 
The beautiful and half-wild path down to the little bay 
Along long-abandoned vineyards 
When you finally reach the ocean… 
You have a beautiful view on a small bay 
which invites you to just drop all your clothes and jump in. 
Jan climbing 
View to Serra Branca 
The sun sets over Serra Branca 
Jan begins to form a clearing 
In his beginning on Graciosa he lived in his boat Henrietta, later he moved to the tent, then he lived in some different houses where he was invited and also helped the owners with different works. In the house of my German friends, where I was also invited, we met for the first time. 
Jan´s hangdrum 
Strong Viking! 
Amazing view on Pico and Sao Jorge from the spot that was intended for the clay house 
Jan is taking care of the dogs from Sónia, the owner of the spirulina farm. Or are the dogs taking care of Jan? 
Connecting with the ground 
Some beetle larva 
Tough work 
But it wasn´t Jan if he would give up 
The making of the garden beds 
The garden beds are formed 
Fertilizing with sea weeds from the beach 
The first plants are growing 
The beginning of a herb garden 
Proud first harvests 
Here Jan and Karin were actually living in the farm (the owners were traveling and they took care of the house and the chickens), that is our Quinta Cheia now! 
Here Jan and Karin were actually living in the farm (the owners were traveling and they took care of the house and the chickens), that is our Quinta Cheia now! 
The marble plate is part of our modern kitchen nowadays. Here you see a mix of harvest from the clay house garden and the Quinta garden 
Me visiting Jan´s garden in June 2019 and getting a wonderful zucchini. In that time I was the one who was, on my own, taking care of the Quinta, oblivious that in a few weeks the owners would offer it to me to buy it.
When I met Jan again in June 2019 (I was still searching for a house for me and my then-husband), I already saw the foundation of the house, the roof was almost ready. The garden was really impressive. Jan was even delivering veggies to a small café.
In autumn 2019 (I had left already for Germany to fold up the tents of the three first decades of my life to finally move to Graciosa) he really went all for the house. His youngest son also came for a short visit and built together with him. In the beginning he also got help from Karin, who was his life companion for many years back in Finland and who had sailed part of the journey together with Jan. Karin and I had become good friends and I was impressed by her gardening and artisanal skills, but Jan and her had decided to go separate ways and so she finally left Graciosa.
So in the end it was only Jan who diligently worked into the winter months, to finally move into his house on New Years eve.
The main ingredients for the walls were clay, straw and water, which were mixed in a concrete mixer into a compact but malleable mass. Jan avoided any sharp edges and corners in his design, he went for natural, soft and curvy shapes. The windows and the door are formed directly into them. Jan used old windows and doors that were donated to him. He even used the door of a washing machine as a small window over his bed.
For warming the house he built a rocket mass heater which uses the fuel (the wood) extremely efficiently, up to 90% of the produced heat is used to heat the room instead of being lost through the chimney. He also constructed it that way that part of the floor is heated up and becomes a comfortable and warm clay bench.
Read here about Jan´s and my time in the clay house together (and how we became a couple)…
The view of the small village of Luz in the south of Graciosa from the new roof 
Work in process on the roof 
The roof, the important foundation to safely build the clay structure underneath 
The roof tiles laid out by hand, an immense job. Jan got old clay tiles for free. 
Preparing the clay, that Jan got directly from the island. The first load was sold to him by an inhabitant, who ripped him of and took a huge price for it, later he found better sources from supportive souls. 
Starting with the building of the clay structure 
View over the garden from the house 
Father and son building together 
What a fun project! 
This was the first project early in the year, build from a ruin: A little shed for the garden tools 
Excited visitors are examining the project 
Here Jan is going to build a compost toilet 
The little window over the bed corner: An old washing machine window 
Some beautiful lights 
The entrance almost finished 
The corner for the bed almost finished 
What a beauty, a one-of-a-kind piece of Art 
Finished from outside 
Being in alignment with what feels good for you brings happiness 
Part of the floor and the bench that will be heated from inside by the rocket mass heater 
First steps on the rocket mass heater 
The heat raiser 
The insulation of the heat raiser 
The front part is where the wood is filled in for burning. On the right the hollow bench to collect and efficiently use the heat and additionally give warmth, mostly by body contact 
In the end a barrel is put over the heater construction. Now just the furnitures and the rest of the floor is missing. 
Jan happily moved into his own home, the hard work of his hands 
Enjoying the view of Pico and Sao Jorge in the evening and morning from his bed 
Jan´s dinner preparations 
Another big step for Jan´s new eco-friendly life here taking roots: An electric cargo bike (another one for friend José) 
Me visiting the finished house in January 2020, innocently sitting on my friend Jan´s bed. In that moment I had no clue where the universe would lead me just a few months from here…
Read here about Jan´s and my time in the clay house together (and how we became a couple)…
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