A krukhuis farmhouse is a Dutch farm type in which the living quarters are extended out to one side. Seen from above the building gains a crank — kruk in Dutch. Where the living quarters are extended to both sides, the type is called a T-house farmstead.
Where the type belongs
The krukhuis belongs on the fertile river clay: along the IJssel and the major rivers, with the Tielerwaard as a well-known area. That is no coincidence — these are the districts where farmers earned enough for the living quarters to grow independently of the working buildings.
Why the extension?
There are two explanations, and depending on the region both are correct:
- Economic. In South Holland the extension served as a cheese dairy. From the second half of the nineteenth century cheese production became more important than hemp growing, and that called for a separate, cool working room next to the house.
- Social. Elsewhere the extension was above all a status symbol. A prosperous farmer showed what he had by letting the living quarters step clearly out of the building line of the working sheds, usually with the best facade facing the road.
Recognising it
- The crank in the plan — living and working parts do not sit on one straight line.
- A representative front facade on the extended part, with better brickwork, larger windows and sometimes a best room that was barely used.
- Deep overhangs above the barn doors in the rear gable, a feature especially noticeable in the Tielerwaard: the overhang shelters the doors and the loading and unloading from rain.
When converting
The junction between the living part and the perpendicular wing is the weak point in building terms. Two roof planes meet there in a valley, and that is where water gets in first. When buying or converting, check the valley gutter, the flashings and the condition of the timber at that point. Settlement also plays a part: the two parts were often not built at the same time and may have settled differently, showing up as a crack precisely in the internal corner.
Checks at the junction when buying or converting
- Valley gutter: Check when buying or converting
- Flashings: Check when buying or converting
- Condition of the timber at that point: Check when buying or converting
Related terms
- Farmhouse
- Cross-house farmstead
- L-shaped farmhouse
- Head-neck-body farmhouse
- Hall house
- Barn floor
- Overhang
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