The architect bought a house in Buøya on Rødøy in Nordland for a penny – NRK

In 2015, Kent Karlsen put the dilapidated house he had inherited from his grandmother up for sale. For a penny.

When NRK reported it, it received more than 200 inquiries from interested people.

The buyer became an architect who talked about the big plans and who knew the area before.

Anita Valrygg had no doubt that this was the house she wanted. He had been looking for an old house in Nordland for a long time.

– As soon as I saw the house I knew it was the right one for me.

The house was in worse condition than expected

There was a lot to do in the house that had been empty since the 1970s.

The south and west walls were taken over by the wind, and there were holes in the ceiling.

The house is the only one on the island that does not have water or electricity, so the first priority was to create a place where they could spend the days they were there.

The renovation project itself has a 5-10 year time perspective, but considering they live in Copenhagen, Valrygg thinks they have come a long way.

– It is a life project that has given us an important task in life and that is why we love being here, says Valrygg, who is originally from Mo i Rana.

Positively surprised

Both she and her fiancé have lived in various places abroad and have received a network from all over the world.

TIn recent years, they have invited people from Australia, Mexico, Denmark and California to Gjerøya’s home.

As a host, she is concerned that those who come to the island feel comfortable in contact with nature. For many, it is not a matter of course.

– It is a great joy to see how people can experience so much and change their attitude in just one or two weeks. People have shed tears when he left here.

Anita’s fiancée Thomas was born and raised in Paris.

He works as an economist and had no experience with construction projects before. Anita admits that she was afraid the project would scare him.

– We were there at Easter, it was very cold and the storm had devastated the house during the winter. When we got to the island, he started working on the house, non-stop for 11 hours.

His reaction was better than expected.

When we got to the shelter at night, he sat completely still for an hour and smiled. “I will spend all my time and all the money I earn from my work on this project,” he said.

Deputy Mayor Bjørn EJ Pedersen in Rødøy believes that it is good for people to come to the islands and earn a living.

– It is better with a house that is restored, cared for and is alive, than a house that is there until a storm arrives and takes it away.

More and more houses in ruins

Oskar Puschmann is a landscape geographer at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy. He has traveled extensively and has photographed landscapes all over Norway.

She says that not many people do the same as Anita and her fiancé. The trend is centralization. People move from districts to cities, and then there are more and more abandoned houses everywhere.

More than eight in 10 now live in urban areas. Against 76.7 percent in 2000.

– Overall, I think it’s a scary trend. Here in Ås, there are plans to expand the city center from 600 housing units to 6,000. A tenfold increase in a relatively small area! The inhabitants come from the villages, says Puschmann.

– It is the entire capital of the landscape that has been built over many decades and generations, and that is made up of both buildings and well-managed land, which is in poor condition, he continues.

– Exciting

Several municipalities have strategies to counter this. Some people try to get people to move to the municipal center, rather than outside the municipality.

An example is Sørfold. They offer cheap pitches here to keep people from moving to and from Fauske or Bodø, Puschmann says.

– What’s exciting now, and what can turn the crown into a positive, is that we’ve gained nearly a year of experience with people in home offices. The head office has come to stay. It also allows you to live elsewhere.

– Perhaps it is a trend that areas with more pigs can retain people because the workplace can be located there.