Off the grid tiny house experience in a Permaculture Food forest

Overijssel

40 • Updated 1 month ago

Help building an off the grid house in a Magic Forest Food Forest, Alternative co-operative community, Communal Garden, Smallholding, Tree nursery This little off the grid house has a piece of forest that’s about 1250 m² and needs lots of work. Maintaining the food forest, growing a lot of different species (including mushrooms), weaving trees into art sculptures, nursing young trees and ofcourse taking care of daily live. I’m working on expanding the little house, building a bathroom & kitchen with a mass heater and making the house into a living house of different trees in the spirit of The Living Village. (you can see it as a pre study/ experiment for a Living House). Work can include several tasks of the above, depending on what needs to be done and what will suit you, and even work at the places of friends in the forest. Short term stays for one willing worker at the time can be accommodated all year round, there is a small separate bedroom for you. There is a woodburned outside shower (see photo). English and Dutch is no problem. I will eat and serve mostly organic vegan food. I will expect that you can take care of yourself and live life positively. I hope you can help me make this world a greener place and see you in the magic forest. Watch our documentary here: https://youtu.be/7ywwSeSEV38 Green Greetings, Bouwie Food Forest designer, planter & permaculture teacher Man, Born 1975, steady relationship (not living together) Organic methods: I work with the permaculture Food forest system technique Certifications: It's not a commercial farm, but I don't use chemicals Type of work: Currently my biggest project is to build a bathroom & kitchen from the ground up (fire stoves included) Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Forestry

Wild foraging

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Bakery

Green Building

Renewable energy production

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Biological pest control

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

Former WWOOFer

0.1 Hectares | 0.2 Acres

WWOOF-Verified

Accommodation

1 WWOOFer

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Vegan

Length of stay

1 day (local)

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Bouwie

Member since 2019

Languages spoken: Dutch, English

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 2 days

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Overijssel

If we have an appointment I will instruct you with the final traveling details, train station Dalfsen is nearby.

My past WWOOFers

November 2025 • France

June 2025 • United States

1 - 5 / 35

Feedback

Kotaro

Japan • May 2026

Hi, chats I'm leaving this review with all my heart, appreciation, and love. I had my first WWOOF experience here, in this magic forest. I could smoothly adapt to this wonderul culture fortunately because of bouwie's effort, his own special character, and also people around him. I apprecite everything!! Thank you so much!! I had so much fun in here. Thank you bouwie, and people i met!!!! For wwoofers, You all can absolutely expect amaing experiences right here. You dont even need to consider things, just come and visit!! I will try to take advantage of experiences that i had for 2 weeks for my future! Thank you for reading. 😁🐕🔥🌲🏞️🌱💦

Christian

Germany • April 2026

Great host! I stayed for roughly two weeks in the month of April. Upon arrival I was greeted warmly with a smile and given a thorough tour of the forest and the house. Working together with Bouwie was a real pleasure and it was always easy to talk to him. The amount of work was fair and there was always a different thing to do, which was great because I could learn a lot of things. After work, we would always make a fire and enjoy some nice dinner that Bouwie prepared, all vegan and super delicious. I genuinely recommend this place to anyone who wants to experience a different way of living life and perhaps find inspiration for their own life.

Jeanne

France • December 2025

Staying at Bouwie's felt like a privilege to me. He's openminded and caring. I loved being surrounded by this forest and working with the flow. Since I came just before winter time it felt even more like an adventure. Learning about off the grid power system and water system allowed me to feel more confident about what I was able to do. We had really good time having diner next to the fire talking about everything. I also had the chance to experiment volunteering here as single volontaire and also together with other volonteers. And of course it's nothing the same but I do recommend both. You can learn a lot about yourself there and go behind your boundaries. And also have real human connections. It made me more conscience about how a house work and how it can impact nature and so how we could adapt it to still suits our need. I'm thankful for this time !

United States • June 2025

A stay with Bouwie is an experience unlike any other; it is a level of inner calm and peace you'd be hard-pressed to find in many other communities around the world. Bouwie is generous, kind, and wise, with a complex and beautiful perspective on how we ought to live in communion with each other and with nature – it's sure to inspire your own life choices as well! My regrettably short stay of 10 days was enough to view Bouwie's world through his eyes, visiting many of his friends and other gardeners living harmoniously and sustainably in the Forest. We worked at the local co-op community garden once a week and pushed forward on important home renovations, which will eventually increase the size of Bouwie's home by about 50%. We often had guests for dinner, and their stories were often moving and powerful; be ready to share your own experience and be open. It's a varied assortment of work, so my advice is to be spontaneous, adaptable, and culturally open-minded. You may take away many lessons you were not expecting to learn. The nearby town of Dalfsen is small, but it's very fun to explore if you are interested in Dutch history and biking around beautiful areas. If you want to eat delicious vegan food and meet beautiful, hard-working people, Bouwie's magic forest is the choice for you!

Nathan

France • March 2025

We want to share how beautiful we found Bouwie and his place! Under a canopy of oaks and acacias, the place invites you to disconnect. A timeless moment where we discovered a sober life, off the grid where nothing is missing and everything is useful. Bouwie is a fundamentally kind and human, who deeply loves life and nature. We had beautiful moment together who will remain in our memories. We highly recommand this experience and we will definitely come back again Nathan and Valeriane

Théo

France • December 2024

Good woofing, the food and the guy are so cool!!