The smallest house in the Zaanse Schans, once occupied by a barge skipper and his five children… This house, the smallest in the Zaanse Schans, was built in early 1800 for a miller’s servant. It was later used as a farmhouse. An extension was built at the end of the house for use as a stable. Despite having only two rooms, the house was occupied by a family with five children. The condition of the cottage was too poor to allow it to be relocated in its entirety. Instead, it was dismantled and then rebuilt after restoration. Because the attic space is too small for habitation, the closet bed remained in the living area as a place to sleep. A strong social sentiment prompted Cornelis de Jong, a self-willed architect from De Rijp, to add a spacious barn with water and heating to the restoration plans. He even coined a clever ‘Zaan’ proverb – ‘Small house, big barn’ – to convince the Zaanse Schans Foundation Board of the need for the extra space. The masonry ‘poeren’ (‘pilings’), which were mounted on top of posts driven into the ground, are another notable feature. The posts forming the foundations for construction were placed on a layer of sand and initially stood about 8 meters in length. Later on, posts about 15 to 20 meters in length were driven through this layer of sand to reach the solid sandy Dutch soil. This enabled the construction of heavier stone buildings in these swampy areas.