Agniesebuurt · Rotterdam
Top-floor flat from shell to liveable
Work carried out: new layout, herringbone floor, steel pivot doors and completely renewed building services.
View project
Service area Alphen aan den Rijn
Renovation contractor in Alphen aan den Rijn
Rotterdamse Bouwbedrijf handles remodelling, extensions and complete renovations in Alphen aan den Rijn. From a 1970s home in Ridderveld to a house in Kerk en Zanen or a building on one of the ribbons along the Oude Rijn, with one dedicated team that knows what a high water table means for insulating, founding and damp in the ground floor.
5 starreviews from our clients
500+ projects delivered
10+ years of experience
- Our own team of 20 to 30 craftsmen
- One price, no surprises for extra work
- 1-year guarantee on the renovation
Why Rotterdamse Bouwbedrijf
A contractor who knows the reality of renovating in Alphen aan den Rijn
One dedicated team
Our own craftsmen run your project from start to finish. No rotating subcontractors.
Familiar with building on wet peat
From damp crawl spaces and floors that feel cold to extensions that have to be founded on piles.
A clear price up front
A clear quote and a realistic schedule. Any additional work is always discussed first.
Our services in Alphen aan den Rijn
How we can help you in Alphen aan den Rijn
From a bathroom or an extension to a home tackled as a whole. In Alphen aan den Rijn it often starts under the floor: damp, cold and a crawl space that works against you. Click through to the service you are looking for.
Full Home Renovation
From teardown to turnkey by one dedicated team.
View serviceHome Extensions
More living space, from foundation to finish.
View serviceRoof Extension
A full extra floor.
View serviceBathroom Renovation
Complete and fully watertight.
View serviceKitchen Renovation
From design to installation.
View serviceDormer Installation
More space and light in your loft.
View servicePlastering & Finishing
Walls and ceilings plastered smooth or ready to paint.
View serviceWindow Frames, Insulation & Energy Efficiency
Better comfort and a better energy label.
View serviceOur work
All projects
Work where the basics came first
These projects are in Rotterdam. They are shown here because the approach is the same as in Alphen: the basics first, meaning floor, pipework and ventilation, and only then the layout, the wet rooms and the finishing, all in one project.
Rotterdam-West
Building converted into five apartments
Work carried out: an entire building remodelled inside and out into five self-contained homes.
View project
Tarwewijk · Rotterdam
Apartment fully renovated
Work carried out: new window frames, toilet, tiling and finishing, handed over turn-key.
View project
Reviews
What our clients say
5 starreviews from our clients
Would you like a result like this at home?
Tell us what you have in mind. You get a free quote, usually within one working day.
How we work
From intake to handover
01
Intake & design
We visit, listen and think along with you about layout, materials and budget.
02
Quote & schedule
You receive a clear quote with a clear price and a realistic schedule.
03
Teardown & shell work
Stripping out, structure and shell work. The foundation of your new home is in place.
04
Services & finishing
Services, bathroom, kitchen, plastering, floors and painting.
05
Handover & guarantee
We walk through everything together and hand over turn-key, with a guarantee.
Curious what's possible in your home?
Request your free renovation planLooking for a renovation contractor in Alphen aan den Rijn?
Arrange a no-obligation consultation. We come to you in Alphen aan den Rijn, look at what is possible in your home and put together a plan with a clear price.
Renovating in Alphen aan den Rijn
What makes renovating in Alphen aan den Rijn different
Alphen aan den Rijn sits in the middle of the peat meadow area, with a water table that in many places is just below ground level. That does not make a renovation here look different, but it certainly feels different: under the floor, in the crawl space and in everything that has to be founded. The municipality is also large and varied, from the 1970s districts to the old village cores and the ribbons along the Oude Rijn and the Gouwe.
The crawl space is wet, and you feel it upstairs
In large parts of Alphen the groundwater sits so high that the crawl space is periodically flooded or permanently damp. That moisture evaporates and travels into the house through joints and pipe penetrations: a cold, clammy floor, a musty smell in the meter cupboard and higher humidity throughout. Ordinary crawl space insulation performs badly there. What does work is sealing the ground, usually a membrane or a shell layer with a membrane, combined with insulation against the underside of the floor and airtight sealing of the penetrations.
Floor insulation in the right order
Anyone who simply sticks insulation under the floor in these conditions traps the moisture and moves the problem to the joists or the screed. The order that works here is: dry the crawl space and seal the ground, make sure the space can ventilate, then insulate, and finally close off the penetrations. That is more work than a single insulation measure, but it is the difference between a warm floor and a moisture problem you cannot see.
Ridderveld and the 1970s housing stock
Ridderveld and the surrounding districts were built in series in the 1970s: narrow kitchen beside the stairs, closed-off living room, store room against the rear wall and a shallow roof with an unused loft. The interventions that pay off most are opening the kitchen up to the living room, replacing the store room with an extension and making the loft usable with a dormer. The wall between kitchen and living room is often load-bearing, so it needs a structural calculation first.
Kerk en Zanen and the younger districts
Kerk en Zanen and the later expansions date from after 1990 and are already reasonably insulated. There is little to gain in the envelope there and it comes down to the shortest-lived components: kitchen, sanitaryware, silicone joints, the ventilation unit and window hardware. Because the bathroom and the kitchen come out anyway, that is the moment to adjust the layout and update the electrics.
Founding next to a house that stands on piles
The houses stand on piles reaching the sand layer and therefore stay level, while the garden, the terrace and older extensions settle with the peat. The familiar result is the step at the back door and the crack between an extension and the rear wall. We therefore found a new extension on piles. For a light garden room or veranda a founded slab can be enough, but only if it stays structurally clear of the house.
The old cores and the ribbons
Aarlanderveen, Zwammerdam, Boskoop and the buildings along the Oude Rijn and the Gouwe have a different stock: older properties on narrow, deep plots, some listed or character-defining, often on timber piles. The same applies there as in any historic core: inside there is plenty of scope, the council reviews changes to the façade, the window frames and the roof plane, and the foundation is assessed before money goes into finishes.
Common mistakes in Alphen aan den Rijn
- Fitting insulation under the floor while the crawl space is still wet.
- Sealing the crawl space without making sure it can continue to ventilate.
- Founding an extension on shallow footings while the house stands on piles.
- Opening the kitchen up to the living room in a 1970s home without a structural calculation.
Considering a renovation in Alphen aan den Rijn? Take a look at our complete home renovation, window frames, insulation and energy upgrades or extensions, browse our projects or arrange a no-obligation consultation. Besides Alphen aan den Rijn we also work in Rotterdam, Gouda, Leiderdorp and the rest of the Randstad.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about renovating in Alphen aan den Rijn
Do you travel from Rotterdam to Alphen aan den Rijn?
Yes. Alphen sits at the northern edge of our service area, about forty-five minutes from our base on Doklaan. We work there with our own team and no hired-in subcontractors. On a renovation of any size the distance is irrelevant; for a small one-off job we will say honestly up front whether it is practical to schedule.
Our floor is cold and the crawl space is wet. What do you do about that?
Deal with the crawl space first, then insulate. That means sealing the ground with a membrane or a shell layer with a membrane, making sure the space can still ventilate, and sealing the pipe penetrations airtight. Only then do we insulate against the underside of the floor. In that order the floor becomes noticeably warmer and the clammy air disappears; the other way round you trap the moisture.
Can we have underfloor heating if the crawl space is damp?
Yes, but not before the crawl space is dry and the floor properly insulated. Underfloor heating over a poorly insulated floor above a wet crawl space mostly heats downwards and responds slowly. We therefore always combine it with ground sealing and floor insulation, and in a renovation we prefer to install it while the floor finish is coming out anyway.
How are homes in Alphen founded?
The post-war and younger homes stand on concrete piles reaching the sand layer and stay level. In the old cores and along the ribbons, buildings often stand on timber piles, which only last while the pile head remains under water. For those buildings we have the foundation assessed before starting a complete renovation.
Why is our garden sinking and the house not?
Because the house stands on piles resting on a firm sand layer, while the garden sits on the peat and clay above it. That layer compacts and therefore settles. You see it as a step at the back door and a terrace sloping away from the house. With an extension we found on piles, so the new space does not pull away from the existing rear wall.
What is due in a Kerk en Zanen home?
Usually the shortest-lived components: kitchen, sanitaryware, the silicone joints in the shower, the mechanical ventilation unit and window hardware. Insulation generally needs little attention in these homes. Because the kitchen and bathroom come out anyway, this is the cheapest moment to adjust the layout and update the electrics.
Can you put a renovation and an energy upgrade in one quotation?
Yes, and that is usually the sensible route. If the floor, walls or ceilings are open anyway, insulation, draught sealing and adapting the ventilation cost a fraction of what they cost separately later. The quotation states per item what will be done and what it costs, so you can decide what to do now and what to leave for later.
Is your question not listed?
Call or message us. You will speak to someone who does the work himself.