‘My daughters also want to learn to saw, sand, drill and carpenter’

Image: Nine IJf

Belle Dijkstra (42) is married to Peter (46) and mother of three daughters: Skye (almost 11), Hayley (8) and River (almost 4). She has her own construction company: Builder Belle.

“If I go to the hardware store, my daughters are eager to come along. They enjoy looking at tools at least as much as shopping for new clothes. They also want to learn everything themselves: sawing, sanding, drilling, carpentry. They regularly come to me with a self-designed blueprint for their bedrooms – ‘Can we make this loft bed?’ – and then we’ll get to work together. After fifteen minutes the Barbies are brought in and mom can finish it.

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Construction

I have always been interested in building construction from an early age. Still, I chose the teacher training college and for years I did kyokushin at top sport level, a hard form of karate in which you try to knock someone out. That extreme suits me. I like to seek out the tension, want to challenge myself. As a builder, I also opt for the challenging work: renovating kitchens and bathrooms, making a conservatory or taking the roof for repairs.

“I like to seek out the tension, want to challenge myself”

Eighteen months ago, after twenty years in education, I was looking for a new challenge. Construction soon came to an end during a career orientation process. Most construction training consists of four days of work and one day of school – not very convenient, with a family. That is why I did an internship with a contractor and eventually started as a self-employed person. Still by his side, because he has a large customer base, years of experience and an arsenal of tools. We mainly work on renovation projects. No prefab parts that you have to assemble like Lego, but custom work because every house is different.

Versatile

It is sometimes disparagingly thought that builders only work with their hands, but it is much more than that. You have to keep your head up: make calculations, have knowledge of materials, come up with creative solutions. After all, you never know what you will find behind a wall or under the floor in old houses. That versatility makes the profession fun.

“At first many children were shocked when I took out my drill, but now they think a woman in construction is quite normal”

I also regularly give building workshops at primary schools – how do you make an insect hotel and how do you build a wooden playhouse? With this I hope to show children that the possibilities in construction are endless. At the same time, I have a nice role model. In the beginning, many children were shocked when I took out my drill, but now they think a woman in construction is quite normal.”

This article appears in Kek Mama 08-2022.

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