4 ms·

People don't really live there, these are holiday/recreational homes. My family owns two of those islands with a holiday home. Typically you use them for the w

by t0mas88 2mo ago

People don't really live there, these are holiday/recreational homes. My family owns two of those islands with a holiday home. Typically you use them for the weekend. My mom for example lives in a busy city and has a small garden, she uses the holiday home as a weekend getaway and a place to keep the sailing boat. The Netherlands are small and this area is very central, about 20 minutes drive from Amsterdam or Utrecht. So most owners use it in the same way.

sundache 2mo ago
You're not allowed to live there officially, but some people do.
- t0mas88 2mo ago
  Yes but those mostly live landside, there are holiday homes at the edge of the lake as well. There was a plan to allow permanent use, but I think it now changed to only allowing it for people that already live there and no new cases.
  - CalRobert 2mo ago
    Seems a shame in a housing crisis.
    - retired 2mo ago
      There is a reason for it. Infrastructure, access roads, public transit stops, build quality, utilities. The Netherlands has very high standards for homes and the direct surroundings and these homes do not meet those criteria. You would also have significantly more emissions if people started living there which would go against the emission limits for nearby nature.
    - analog31 2mo ago
      Let me guess, no sewage disposal.
      - throw1234567891 2mo ago
        Imagine the postman every day…
    - dghlsakjg 2mo ago
      The housing crisis in the west is largely not a lack of land or places to build, but an issue of building being too onerous for a variety of reasons. Inaccessible lake homes being allowed to be used as a primary residence will not fix it.
      - keiferski 2mo ago
        Yeah earlier this year I biked from Utrecht to Amsterdam, and there are huge empty lots in the southeast part of Amsterdam. I don’t mean “charming natural areas,” I mean wide open lots next to gas stations and shopping malls.
- insane_dreamer 2mo ago
  > You're not allowed to live there officially why not?
  - gitaarik 2mo ago
    Because they're meant for recreational purposes, and those places usually don't adhere to strict guidelines the NL has for "living homes". But since the housing crisis, they have been actually allowing it in some places.
hn_throwaway_99 2mo ago
Curious, how does it smell? Living in an old dredged peat bog sounds like smell could be a challenge.
- spiderfarmer 2mo ago
  With standing water yes, but this is not standing water.
Epa095 2mo ago
I saw some photos with ladders from the water. Does people go swimming there, is the water clean?
- t0mas88 2mo ago
  Yes lots of people swim in both the lake and the narrow parts. The lake also has a few sand beaches that are popular in the summer. And designated swimming areas with shallow water for kids like this: https://share.google/5bko4Xpb0tzkfEChJ https://share.google/5bko4Xpb0tzkfEChJ There is an app to check water quality. In general it's fine to swim in, but at high temperatures sometimes algae form. That's common in lots of these kinds of lakes in the Netherlands.
hn_submit 2mo ago
Are they connected to the sewer system? Or do they discharge their effluence into the lake?
- hn_throwaway_99 2mo ago
  > Or do they discharge their effluence into the lake? Given this is the Netherlands and this appears to be a wealthy area, I'm quite sure they don't. Guessing they either have septic tanks or holding tanks that need to be pumped regularly.
  - ProllyInfamous 2mo ago
    I have a degree which allows me to work in few fields, but wastewater management is one of those fields (which I have worked in, front-line (directly) >gross<): no water is "clean" — it's varying shades of "acceptable" ---- There is a running joke (hundred+ years now) that the famous "Ruby Falls" on Lookout Mountain is in fact better named "Poopy Falls" – since the primary water source are the few hundred septic drainlines higher-up the mountain's-top. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls> ---- If you have any open cuts/sores, do NOT swim in any outdoor water.
Onavo 2mo ago
So this is the Dutch equivalent of a cottage?

by t0mas88 2mo ago

sundache 2mo ago

You're not allowed to live there officially, but some people do.

t0mas88 2mo ago
Yes but those mostly live landside, there are holiday homes at the edge of the lake as well. There was a plan to allow permanent use, but I think it now changed to only allowing it for people that already live there and no new cases.
- CalRobert 2mo ago
  Seems a shame in a housing crisis.
  - retired 2mo ago
    There is a reason for it. Infrastructure, access roads, public transit stops, build quality, utilities. The Netherlands has very high standards for homes and the direct surroundings and these homes do not meet those criteria. You would also have significantly more emissions if people started living there which would go against the emission limits for nearby nature.
  - analog31 2mo ago
    Let me guess, no sewage disposal.
    - throw1234567891 2mo ago
      Imagine the postman every day…
  - dghlsakjg 2mo ago
    The housing crisis in the west is largely not a lack of land or places to build, but an issue of building being too onerous for a variety of reasons. Inaccessible lake homes being allowed to be used as a primary residence will not fix it.
    - keiferski 2mo ago
      Yeah earlier this year I biked from Utrecht to Amsterdam, and there are huge empty lots in the southeast part of Amsterdam. I don’t mean “charming natural areas,” I mean wide open lots next to gas stations and shopping malls.
insane_dreamer 2mo ago
> You're not allowed to live there officially why not?
- gitaarik 2mo ago
  Because they're meant for recreational purposes, and those places usually don't adhere to strict guidelines the NL has for "living homes". But since the housing crisis, they have been actually allowing it in some places.

hn_throwaway_99 2mo ago

Curious, how does it smell? Living in an old dredged peat bog sounds like smell could be a challenge.

spiderfarmer 2mo ago
With standing water yes, but this is not standing water.

Epa095 2mo ago

I saw some photos with ladders from the water. Does people go swimming there, is the water clean?

t0mas88 2mo ago
Yes lots of people swim in both the lake and the narrow parts. The lake also has a few sand beaches that are popular in the summer. And designated swimming areas with shallow water for kids like this: https://share.google/5bko4Xpb0tzkfEChJ https://share.google/5bko4Xpb0tzkfEChJ There is an app to check water quality. In general it's fine to swim in, but at high temperatures sometimes algae form. That's common in lots of these kinds of lakes in the Netherlands.

hn_submit 2mo ago

Are they connected to the sewer system? Or do they discharge their effluence into the lake?

hn_throwaway_99 2mo ago
> Or do they discharge their effluence into the lake? Given this is the Netherlands and this appears to be a wealthy area, I'm quite sure they don't. Guessing they either have septic tanks or holding tanks that need to be pumped regularly.
- ProllyInfamous 2mo ago
  I have a degree which allows me to work in few fields, but wastewater management is one of those fields (which I have worked in, front-line (directly) >gross<): no water is "clean" — it's varying shades of "acceptable" ---- There is a running joke (hundred+ years now) that the famous "Ruby Falls" on Lookout Mountain is in fact better named "Poopy Falls" – since the primary water source are the few hundred septic drainlines higher-up the mountain's-top. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Falls> ---- If you have any open cuts/sores, do NOT swim in any outdoor water.

Onavo 2mo ago

So this is the Dutch equivalent of a cottage?