Dreaming of a house extension in the Netherlands
A house renovation or moving. That’s a choice many people make after living in a house for a few years. A house extension could be a good option if you want to extend your living space. And, it is mostly cheaper than moving to a bigger house in the Netherlands. This makes an extension a good investment.
Prepare yourself
As any house renovation, the first thing to figure out is what your wishes and demands are. What’s your budget? How does the extension need to look like. What do you want to achieve with it? An extra work space, larger kitchen, bedroom or maybe an extra floor on your house?
My advice: go in detail. This will help with requesting quotations and limit unforeseen costs. And, inform your neighbours about your future house extension.
My neighbours wanted to extend their house. They informed us and asked if we had any comments.
For this, they needed access to our garden. The current shared shed needed adjustments and the fence would be replaced by a wall. The wall would be much higher than the existing fence. The wall meant more warmth in summer in our garden. So, I asked them if we could use climbing plants on the wall. This was okay. Also during the building period, I could shout out if something was desturbing us. Which was solved easily and fast.
Are you planning to extend your house? However, you have still so many questions about your situation. Then, it’s time for an online meeting for free. Just click here. No strings attached.
Budget
You can finance an extension with a loan or out of pocket. The choice is yours.
It’s not easy to estimate how much an extension will cost. It depends on the size, needed construction, accessibility of the place, permits, used materials, details and even the soil.
Good to take in mind: calculate 10% extra for unforeseen costs. It is an exception if there are no surprises.
Requesting quotations
When your wishes and demands are clear, you can start to look for reliable construction companies. In this blog, you can read more about finding the right company for the job. It is wise to ask at least two different companies to make a quotation for you. This will help to make the quotations more complete, and two persons see more than one person.
You may also hear different approaches, opinions, options and prices. This helps to make a decision and complete the quotations. It’s normal to ask for a revised quotation.
Out of my experience, this process will cost at least 3 weeks. And remind, the cheaper one isn’t always the best choice.
Not sure if the quotation is complete? Or if the price is reasonable? No problem. Just plan an online introductory meeting here. For an expert view on your quotation.
Design
In some cases, no drawings are made. However, in some cases, drawings are a necessity for a house extension in the Netherlands. This depends, whether a permit is needed or a construction calculation needs to be done. First, the construction company will start doing their preparations. This could be hiring an architect and constructor. Or, ordering materials. This can take a few months.
In the Netherlands, there are rules and regulations which apply for house extensions. For example: building sustainable and safe is required. Also, minimum seizes for toilets and doors are part of it.
Permit
Mostly, you need a permit for a house extension in the Netherlands. The permit is called: “omgevingsvergunning”. You can request it digitally on the website of the government, by using your DigID. Are you building on the front of your house? Or do you own a monumental house? You need a permit.
Some cases where you don’t need a permit. This could be: extending the house on the back of your house with a maximum of 1/3 of the surface of your garden. Or placing a dormer at the back of your house. However, this could be different in your municipality. Worth checking.
Good to know: in some cases, you need a permit too for placing a waste container on the street. Especially in the cities.
Building without a permit
In some municipalities, you can extend your house without a permit. This will depend on how large your garden is, the height of the extension, the distance of the extension to your neighbours etc. This is worthwhile looking into, because it saves time and hassle.
Subsidies
There are no subsidies available for extending your house. However, there are subsidies available when you add insulation to the current parts of your house. Check this blog for more information about subsidies.
Wait
Before the building period starts, it’s normal that there will be some time in between. Materials are ordered, and this can take a while. Also, finding the right people for the job can be a challenge for the construction company. A waiting period of 6 months is average at the moment.
During this time, a planning for the work is made too. Ask for this, so you know what to expect.
This waiting time you can use to decide what finishing you want. For example: the flooring or the colours on the walls.
It’s common that the first bills are sent to you in this phase. 25% of the total amount is normal.
Construction phase
Finally, the work starts. In this phase, you need a telephone number of the construction manager. Ask him for updates on a regular basis. The custom is that you provide a coffee machine, a kettle, coffee, tea and cookies. You don’t need to be there all the time. However, it helps when you are there now and then.
As, you may have noticed, the weather in the Netherlands changes a lot. This can also mean, that the construction phase can be a bit longer, due to the weather conditions. Especially with a lot of rain or low temperatures.
The last few weeks of the construction phase, could use extra attention. As this is the most intensive part when finishing the extension. Take a lot of pictures and note when something is different on what you agreed on.
Unforeseen circumstances
The most common unforeseen circumstances are:
1. Delay
There is always a chance for delay. For example: for laying the foundation, it should be dry weather and not freezing. Other things what I have seen happening are extra waiting times for delivery of materials, extra time needed for drying the floors or sick people.
2. Extra work
If there is extra work, ask for a written quotation before saying yes. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of situations where this caused trouble later on.
3. Delay on delivery time
This is also common. For example: you choose a type of flooring. However, instead of that it can come from the shelf, it needs to be produced again. And, it ends with waiting for several weeks for the materials.
Guarantee period
After the delivery, there will be a guarantee period. This could be anything between 0–30 years, depending on the company and the part of the house extension in the Netherlands.
Of course, the more, the better.
Exception: veranda
A veranda is used to have some more comfort in the autumn, spring and summer. There is no permanent heating. The roof is mostly made from glass and aluminium profiles. In some cases, you can shut the whole space with sliding doors.
For this, you don’t always need a foundation, the usual pavement is enough. The prices start from €1000 onwards and in most cases, a permit is not required to extend your house in this way.
Want to know more? Check out this blog.
Summary
There are a lot of ins and outs for a house extension. The first step is knowing what you want and need. After this, making a budget is necessary and asking some companies for a quotation. If the quotation is complete and signed, requesting a permit could be necessary.
Then there will be a time of waiting before the work starts. In that time drawings are made, materials are ordered and people planned.
The works begin with the foundation. And slowly you see your dream become reality. Take a lot of pictures, enjoy and keep communicating with the company.
Are you planning to extend your house? However, you still have many questions about your situation. Then, it’s time for an online meeting for free. Just click here. No strings attached.
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