23-year-old Thomas couldn't afford to buy anything in the city. Then he had an idea for a holiday home

Parts of this interview are also included in the article 'Make the holiday home dream a reality: The bank advisor's best advice for buying a holiday home step-by-step'. Read it here.

In 2021, at the age of 23, Thomas Gustav Hedegaard began to make his dream a reality.

That dream wasn't necessarily a holiday home. As a young man living in Aarhus, it was instead the dream of getting a foot on the housing ladder that was on Thomas Gustav Hedegaard's mind. But with high prices for owner-occupied homes in Denmark's second-largest city, it was a long way off for the 23-year-old apprentice carpenter to be able to buy an owner-occupied apartment to live in.

"The romantic idea is that I sat in my apartment in Aarhus and imagined a holiday home and then thought, how do I get there, and in that order found out how to borrow some money. But it was actually more the money that decided that the holiday home was the possible project for me," he says.

During his training as a carpenter, he got an idea.

"It started with me, through my work as an apprentice, being able to see that there was a good business in renovating properties. I didn't have the finances to enter the market for apartments and other things around Aarhus, but what did I have money for? At one point we had built a large allotment garden that resembled a holiday home, and it cost about 300,000 in materials. And there I could also see that I might have the skills to do a lot of it myself. So if I could find a plot that matched some of the budget I had left over, then it might be possible."

The romantic idea is that I sat in my apartment in Aarhus and imagined a holiday home and then thought, how do I get there?

A dream holiday home for half a million

"I haven't had the financial means to build a house on paper," Thomas Gustav Hedegaard states. "But I have had them anyway, because I had a small saving. Then I went to the bank and said that I had found a plot out here that cost 125,000."

"I had sat down and made a calculation that allowed me to play with somewhere between 500,000 and 600,000. And you don't get any apartments for that. But you could get a plot for a couple of hundred thousand, and then there was actually room in the budget for me to be allowed to build a house on that plot. Then I would actually suddenly be able to make a good business that way," he says.

I didn't know how to build a house when I started. And I still don't. When I'm finished, I might know how to build exactly this house. But I would say that I think there are more people who can do this than you might think.

"So it was perhaps the dream of owning property that turned into a dream of a holiday home, because that was what was possible in that situation. And it's only possible because I can see a future where I can rent out the holiday home and thus cover some of the expenses."

After finding the plot on Djursland, Thomas Gustav Hedegaard began building his dream holiday home 'Under Fyrren' (Under the Pine) alongside his education – a self-proclaimed masterpiece, he calls the almost finished wooden holiday home on Djursland.

Craftsmanship and quality on a budget

The holiday home Thomas Gustav Hedegaard is building is not just any holiday home. It is a wooden holiday home with a focus on quality, craftsmanship, and sustainability. But how do you build one on a budget?

Having that expense of perhaps 500-600 kroner a month for a small storage room can save a lot of money in the long run. It's a place where you can save some money in such a building process.

According to Thomas Gustav Hedegaard, you do it first by trying things out – even if you don't have a background as a carpenter:

"I didn't know how to build a house when I started. And I still don't. When I'm finished, I might know how to build exactly this house. But I would say that I think there are more people who can do this than you might think."

And then by being persistent and spending time finding used materials – and setting yourself up well to get the materials in place. By finding used items, he has been able to choose quality solutions while also being the most economical solutions.

"I have bought used and been able to trade incorrectly measured windows, used doors, and a used floor, which are very nice materials that I wouldn't want to be without – but which have also been cheaper than if I had to go out and find new ones. And there it might be worth renting a storage room somewhere not too far from your holiday home, because you might stumble upon those five patio doors that fit your house perfectly at a somewhat inconvenient time.

"Having that expense of perhaps 500-600 kroner a month for a small storage room can save a lot of money in the long run. It's a place where you can save some money in such a building process," he says.

It was in a large villa in Holte where I think I was told it was a CEO at Goldman Sachs who had this house for 28 million. Then a big mistake had been made, and they had just been allowed to rip up that floor and make a new one.

According to Thomas Gustav Hedegaard's experience, the best places to find such items are Laurits.com, DBA, Facebook Marketplace, or Facebook groups where you can find leftover building materials or used items.

"In periods, I've looked every morning when the alarm rings. So while I'm making my breakfast, I've been online searching for VELFAC windows – Ribo 200, black outside, white inside – and then seen what has popped up. It's been almost daily for a period, because I knew it had to be the same model all the way around the house. Then I could use my break to quickly write if I could buy them, and then I'd drive to Haderslev after work to pick up a single window because it was the right color and only cost 500 kroner, and new might cost 3-4-5,000 kroner. So you just have to be there all the time, because the good deals disappear."

The best find he has made, however, is the beautiful Dinesen wooden floor found on DBA.

"So I ended up spending 30,000 on a floor, and that's a somewhat expensive floor to have in a holiday home. But that floor cost 200,000 new. It was in a large villa in Holte where I think I was told it was a CEO at Goldman Sachs who had this house for 28 million. Then a big mistake had been made, and they had just been allowed to rip up that floor and make a new one. So I think that was the best find."

You can follow the holiday home Under Fyrren on Thomas Gustav Hedegaard's Instagram @thomasgustavhedegaard.

Also read: Make the holiday home dream a reality: The bank advisor's best advice for buying a holiday home step-by-step