The Hallström family creates Sweden's most modern villa

A lot has happened since we last met the family. They have now moved from their terraced house to a large villa in Vallentuna. The family considered the renovation of the terraced house to be a pilot project; the goal being to renovate an old house in the most energy-efficient way possible. They succeeded in doing so and in 2018 they decided to sell the house and move on.

“We sold the terraced house because we had simply outgrown it. As the children grew older, the family were in need of a different type of house. This way we were also able to finance the renovation of a new eco-house.”

Total renovation  

They have now taken it upon themselves to renovate a villa of 255 square metres. The renovation of the terraced house evolved over time. The current renovation, however, they have planned in advance and in more detail. The new house is meant to meet all the needs that the family now has as the children are teenagers.

“The house will be completely renovated with a whole new layout and an extension that increases its surface area to 270 sqm. The basement level has been converted into living space and entrance floor. The garden has been remodelled and an eco-pool was added, among other things,” says Anders Hallström, the father of the family and the one who’s project managing the renovation as a sustainability consultant.

The new project started in 2018 and was planned to be ready in autumn 2020, but, due to the pandemic, it has taken longer.

“With the pandemic came material shortages, illness, restrictions and delayed deliveries. Then the main cable supplying electricity to our house suddenly broke, knocking out the entire electrical system and a number of products - not just once, but on three separate occasions! We now plan for the inauguration to take place in June 2022,” says Anders.

Creating the most modern house in Sweden  

The family’s goal is to create the most modern eco-house in Sweden. Anders says that they have involved a great deal of technology and innovations.

“An ‘eco-house’ as a term is usually associated with cutting back on technology. As the most modern eco-house in Sweden, we would instead like to utilise technology in order to save energy. The house has a shower that recycles water and heat. We have also set up solar cells that are integrated with the roof tiles and downhole heat exchanger, which is connected to the Smart Grid. That means that energy will be used when the price of electricity is the lowest. Another smart solution is that all rainwater is collected in a large tank and then used to water the lawn, among other things.”

New laundry room

The family has renovated the house’s laundry room from scratch. Now there is water-borne in-floor heating and a completely new layout for the interior. The Hallström family’s created a bright and spacious laundry room with the Nordic Swan Eco-labelled furnishings from Vedum.

“The terraced house lacked a good working surface next to the washing machine on which to fold clothes, so we’ve made sure to include that now. Next to the working surface, we have the ironing closet from Nimo, which can be discreetly folded open or closed. We also have three nice cupboards for storage in the laundry room.”

The drying cabinet from Nimo has been strategically placed opposite the washing machine. This means that the family can gain access to and hang the laundry directly from the washing machine in one movement, which saves time.

With two children in their teens and a child heading into their teens, the Hallström family does a lot of laundry. They only run full machines and do laundry when the electricity price is at its lowest.

“The drying cabinet from Nimo can hold a lot of laundry and it has a cleverly designed hanging system. We rarely need to turn on the power for the drying cabinet. The laundry still gets dry thanks to the clever hanging method inside the cabinet, which also saves space. Otherwise drying racks would’ve taken up a lot of space in the laundry room.”

Since we last met the Hallström family, they have gotten a dog. Anders says that the family often take the dog out and that their gloves and overalls get wet.

“The drying cabinet is perfect for drying wet outerwear after a dog walk.”

The future

Once the eco-house is inaugurated in the summer of 2022, it will be possible to follow the family’s life on social media and on the Eco Now House website. The idea is to inspire others to renovate and decorate in a modern and climate-smart way. Anders also plans to arrange screenings and events at the house.

“If there’s enough interest from others, we’d also like to summarise this endeavour to create the most modern eco-house in Sweden in a study that displays the climate footprint, energy consumption and other data that we’ve recorded during the construction process.”

Would you like to know more about the most modern eco-house in Sweden? Follow the Hallström Family at econowhouse.se. There you will also find links to social media, as well as information and tips on renovation and interior design.