Central Amsterdam
Six apartments, details preserved
Work carried out: six homes fully rebuilt with monumental elements and ornament preserved.
View project
Service area Wassenaar
Renovation contractor in Wassenaar
Rotterdamse Bouwbedrijf handles remodelling and complete renovations in Wassenaar. From an inter-war villa in De Kieviet or Rijksdorp to a house in the village or on the edge of the dunes, with one dedicated team that is used to properties where the finish makes the difference and where the council reviews everything that changes on the outside.
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 Wassenaar
One dedicated team
Our own craftsmen run your project from start to finish. No rotating subcontractors.
Familiar with properties with character
From inter-war villas where the ornament has to survive the works to buildings inside a protected village area.
A clear price up front
A clear quote and a realistic schedule. Any additional work is always discussed first.
Our services in Wassenaar
How we can help you in Wassenaar
From repair and finishing to a home tackled as a whole. In Wassenaar it is often a large property whose detailing, services and comfort need bringing up to date. 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 detail counts
We carried out these projects in Amsterdam and The Hague. They are shown here because the demands are the same as in Wassenaar: older properties with ornament that had to be preserved, a crisp finish, and exterior work that has to carry the façade for years.
Scheveningen · The Hague
Exterior painting on the coast
Work carried out: timber repaired, primed and painted in an environment of salt and wind.
View project
The Hague city centre
Building rebuilt from A to Z
Work carried out: three floors and a former rear annexe rebuilt and 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 Wassenaar?
Arrange a no-obligation consultation. We come to you in Wassenaar, look at what is possible in your home and put together a plan with a clear price.
Renovating in Wassenaar
What makes renovating in Wassenaar different
Wassenaar sits on the beach ridges and at the edge of the dunes, and that is not just landscape: it changes the foundations, the damp behaviour and even the way exterior work ages. Add a housing stock unlike anything else in the Randstad, with many detached inter-war properties, generous plots and a council that reviews closely everything visible from the road.
Inter-war villas in De Kieviet, Rijksdorp and the village
The detached properties from the 1920s and 1930s are generous, solidly built and full of detail: bay windows, stained glass, panelled doors, a plastered fireplace and sometimes a tiled or thatched roof. The brief is almost never to extend and almost always to bring up to date: open up the layout, replace the services, renew the bathrooms and insulate the envelope without the property looking any different. That calls for a different order from an ordinary renovation, because here the repair work drives the schedule.
Founded on sand, and what that changes
Unlike the peat and clay areas, houses in Wassenaar generally stand on sand, usually on shallow foundations. That means no timber piles that can dry out, drier crawl spaces and less settlement. It also means an extension here can often be founded without piling, which saves cost and disruption. It is not a blank cheque, though: for a heavy extension or a basement, ground investigation remains necessary, and on the dune edge the soil build-up can change within a few metres.
Design review, protected village character and estates
Wassenaar guards its appearance closely. Large parts have protected status, there are many listed buildings and country estates lie at the edges. Everything visible from the road, from a dormer to a window layout, a roof light or the colour of the paintwork, is assessed. On the garden side there is usually more scope. We put the plan forward in advance and take care of the omgevingsvergunning, the Dutch building permit.
Exterior work in coastal wind and salt
The dune edge is a harsh environment for timber and render. Salt load and constant wind call for different preparation and for more frequent maintenance on the seaward side than on the landward side of the same house. We repair affected timber first and replace only what cannot be saved, working with systems rated for this exposure. We have done this work on the coast before, including in Scheveningen.
Insulating without changing the elevation
In a property with a protected elevation you insulate mainly from the inside and from above: roof insulation, floor insulation and internal linings where they fit, with glazing that suits the existing profile. Without a vapour-control layer and extra ventilation, moisture condenses behind the insulation, and in older properties that happens where you cannot see it. So we keep insulation and ventilation in one plan; see our page on window frames, insulation and energy upgrades.
Generous plots: outbuildings, pool houses and garden rooms
On the large Wassenaar plots the question is often not about the house but about what may stand separately on the grounds: a garden room, a pool house, a garage or guest accommodation. Rules apply to the height and to how much of the rear garden zone may be built on, and in a protected area or on an estate more conditions can be added. We test that before designing, because a plan that goes just over the line costs weeks of procedure.
Common mistakes in Wassenaar
- Ordering a dormer or roof light on the street side before the plan has been checked with the council.
- Planning exterior painting on the seaward side to the same maintenance cycle as the landward side.
- Insulating an older property internally without a vapour-control layer and extra ventilation.
- Designing an outbuilding and only then checking how much of the plot may still be built on.
Considering a renovation in Wassenaar? Take a look at our complete home renovation, plastering and finishing or bathroom renovation, browse our projects or arrange a no-obligation consultation. Besides Wassenaar we also work in Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden and the rest of the Randstad.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about renovating in Wassenaar
Do you work in Wassenaar and along the coast?
Yes. The Hague has been a regular service area for some time and on the coast we have carried out exterior painting in Scheveningen, among other work. Wassenaar sits directly alongside, about forty-five minutes from our base in Rotterdam. Our own team runs the projects, with no hired-in subcontractors.
How strict is the council in Wassenaar?
Strict on the outside, usually not on the inside. Large parts of the municipality have protected status and there are many listed buildings, so the shape, material and colour of anything visible are assessed. On the garden side there is normally more scope. We put the plan to the council in advance and arrange the permit, so you do not get stuck halfway through.
Does a house in Wassenaar stand on piles?
Usually not. Wassenaar sits on the beach ridges and the dune edge, so properties are generally founded on sand with shallow foundations. That means less risk of pile rot and drier crawl spaces than in the peat area. For a heavy extension or a basement, ground investigation is still needed, because the soil build-up here can vary over short distances.
Can you preserve original details in an older villa?
With this kind of property that is the starting point. Panelled doors, mouldings, ceiling roses, a plastered fireplace and stained glass can almost always be repaired, and that is cheaper than reproducing them. When plastering we cut in around ornament rather than smoothing it away, and anything genuinely lost we remove carefully so it can serve as a mould.
Why does exterior painting on the coast need extra attention?
Because of the combination of salt, wind and long hours of sun, the timber on the seaward side is under heavier load than on the landward side of the same house. That means the two sides need different maintenance intervals. We repair affected timber first, replace only what cannot be saved and work with a system rated for this exposure.
May we build a garden room or pool house on our plot?
That depends on how much of the rear garden zone may still be built on and on the height allowed. In a protected area or on an estate, extra conditions can apply. We test that scope before designing, so the plan fits within what is permitted and no weeks of procedure are lost.
How do you prevent damp problems when insulating an older property?
By treating insulation and ventilation as one plan. Internal insulation gets a vapour-control layer and the house gets extra extraction of moist air, for example in the bathroom and kitchen. Where possible we prefer to insulate the roof and the floor, because that is where the gain is and the elevation stays untouched.
Is your question not listed?
Call or message us. You will speak to someone who does the work himself.