2_2_DiscoverBenelux_11_November_2014_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 06/11/2014 23:08 Page 64
Discover Benelux | Special Theme | Dutch Architecture & Interiors
ABOVE: Expanding your home can be surprisingly rewarding and affordable with a rooftop or side extension. PORTRAIT: From left to right, Bas van den Broeck, Maarten Innemee and Jeroen Lange.
Make your house a bigger home TEXT: MYRIAM GWYNNED DIJCK | PHOTOS: STUDIO SCHAEFFER
There is a way to avoid the hassle of moving, while getting a substantial increase in space: building a home extension. More and more people in the Netherlands are discovering its benefits, whether it’s on top of the roof, alongside the house or at the back. “You’d be surprised how much is possible, even for the more limited budgets,” says Maarten Innemee enthusiastically. Together with Bas van den Broeck and Jeroen Lange he founded Studio Schaeffer BNA, an architecture company that specialises in home extensions. They are also the driving force behind verbouwjeeigenhuis.nl, a website for home owners who want to build an extension. “We love working with private home owners, every project is a one-off. As opposed to corporate projects, most of our clients pay for the projects with their own money
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so the details and finish are extremely important,” Innemee says. Thanks to a change in Dutch construction laws in 2010, regulations are hardly an issue either. Innemee explains: “Extensions only need to comply with the rules from when the original structure was built. Building on top of a house from the 1970s allows for more options than current construction laws do for new-builds.” One project Innemee remembers fondly is a double roof extension on a round, corner home in Scheveningen. Two home owners on the top floor joined forces to build an extension big enough for three rooms and a large sun terrace each. “We raised the brickwork by half a floor and constructed the extension in a bold, black aluminium material with large windows. The result is a modern, contrasting appearance that suits the building,” he says.
If a full extension is not an option, Innemee and his team also offer to build ‘tuinkamers’ or garden rooms. Generally, extensions have to stretch the full width of the property’s roof. So a garden room is a combination of a small closed space and an open, pergola construction. Innemee: “The structure is straightforward, lightweight and often doesn’t require a new roof, so it’s quick and cost effective.” Innemee and his team also organise free walk-in sessions every week, in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and Leiden. Without making any commitments, home owners can stop by and talk through extension ideas with expert architects. “We make sure the team present knows the city and is familiar with its buildings,” states Innemee. “We want to be open towards our clients and these sessions are really popular.” www.verbouwjeeigenhuis.nl