In an older Amsterdam building the price is often decided by what is behind the walls and under the floor, so that is looked at first.
What a renovation includes
A renovation can be as small as a new bathroom or as large as stripping a whole house back to the structure. All trades go into one schedule, so the plumber, electrician, plasterer and painter follow each other in the right order.
- New layout: removing walls or adding a bedroom. For a load-bearing wall a structural engineer first calculates the beam that is needed; that calculation is part of the plan.
- Installations: in older Amsterdam buildings the fuse box, water pipes and drains are often due for replacement. It makes sense to do that while floors and walls are open anyway.
- Attic or basement: turning an attic into a bedroom with insulation, stairs and daylight. If there is not enough headroom, a dormer or roof extension may be the answer.
- Finishing: plastering, painting, window frames and insulation can go into the same quote.
Bathroom renovation in an Amsterdam apartment
A bathroom renovation covers demolition, moving pipes, waterproofing, tiling and fitting the sanitary ware, and all of it can go into one quote. In an apartment the VvE (owners' association) often has a say: drain pipes and load-bearing parts of the floor are usually shared, and you may not work on them without the consent of the owners' meeting. Replacing only tiles and fittings inside your own apartment usually does not need consent. Your splitsingsreglement, the building's division rules, gives the final answer.
Materials from before 1994 can contain asbestos. As the owner you are responsible for having it removed, usually by a certified company that also files the demolition notification. Have it checked before demolition starts, so the job does not stop halfway.
Kitchen renovation: facelift or a new kitchen
A kitchen renovation is either a facelift of the existing units or a complete new kitchen, and the price difference is large. A facelift keeps the cabinets and replaces doors, drawer fronts and the worktop; a new kitchen also means demolition, new pipes and electrics. Price indications are on the renovation costs page.
Moving the kitchen to another spot means new drains, water and power, and in an apartment the drain route can again involve the VvE. Check that before you order a kitchen.
Renovating an older Amsterdam building
The year your home was built decides a lot. Wooden pile foundations were mainly used before 1970, and the City tracks subsidence with measuring bolts in the façades in almost every neighbourhood inside the A10 ring road. If you plan a heavy intervention, look for signs of foundation problems first.
Access is the other Amsterdam factor. A skip or scaffolding on the street needs an object permit, applied for at least 7 working days ahead, and heavy lorries need an exemption in the heavy traffic zone. In an upstairs apartment without a lift, demolition and deliveries are planned so the stairs are blocked for as few days as possible.
Permits, VvE and living at home during the works
Much work inside the existing walls needs no omgevingsvergunning (building permit), but a load-bearing wall, a façade change or a listed building can change that. Even without a permit, the work must meet the national building rules (Bbl) and neighbour law. Do the Vergunningcheck for your address on the Omgevingsloket at the start.
Whether you can stay at home depends on the scope. During a renovation of one floor it often works; during a full renovation without a working kitchen or bathroom it usually does not. Agree in advance which weeks the home is unusable.
If something unexpected turns up during demolition, you should be shown what was found and what the options are. How extra work (meerwerk) and payments are handled, you settle per project; the quote spells it out.