Knowledge: news and answers

Purely internal work that leaves the structure untouched usually needs no permit. As soon as you alter the load-bearing structure, change the volume or roof, change the building's function or enlarge façade openings, an environmental permit is required. Some minor works only require a notification. We test your plans against the municipal planning rules at the outset, so you know which route applies from day one.

A standard procedure without a public enquiry has a 60-day decision period once the file is declared complete; with a public enquiry that rises to 105 days. Add 4 to 8 weeks to compile the file itself: drawings, photographs, terrain profiles, the descriptive note and any required advisory opinions. A complete, correct submission is the fastest route.

In Flanders an architect is legally required for all works needing a permit that involve stability or the appearance of the building. Limited internal alterations or maintenance may fall outside that. We check this upfront so you never incur unnecessary costs.

An additional opinion from the heritage agency or the municipal heritage department comes into play. That means more consultation and more careful material choices, but it does not rule out a contemporary intervention. Our projects start from respect for what exists, which considerably improves the odds of a favourable opinion.

As a guideline in Flanders we work with roughly €800 to €1,400 per m² for a light renovation, €1,400 to €2,000 per m² for a thorough renovation including services and insulation, and more for a full renovation of a farmhouse or townhouse. The final figure depends on the condition of the building, the finish level and site accessibility. After a site visit we give a realistic range rather than a number that has to be revised later.

Usually as a percentage of the construction cost, depending on the scale and complexity of the project. For defined assignments — a feasibility study, a permit file or technical building advice — we work with a fixed price or a day rate. You always receive a quotation upfront with a clear description of the deliverables per phase.

For homes older than ten years the reduced 6% VAT rate often applies to renovation work. Flanders also offers grants through Mijn VerbouwPremie for roof, wall and floor insulation, glazing, heat pumps and solar water heaters. We take these into account when phasing the works, so you don't forfeit a grant through the wrong sequence.

By estimating early and updating that estimate at every phase. We work with a bill of quantities, obtain multiple tenders and present choices alongside their price impact. You decide on the basis of figures, not on the basis of a surprise at the end.

In five steps: (1) a no-obligation introductory conversation and site visit, (2) an analysis of the existing building with a feasibility check and first estimate, (3) sketch design and material study, (4) the permit file and tendering, and (5) construction with site supervision through to hand-over. After every phase you know exactly where you stand, what it costs and what happens next.

For a thorough home renovation, allow 3 to 6 months for design and permit, then 6 to 12 months on site. A farmhouse or larger property takes longer. Lead time is driven mainly by the permit procedure and contractor availability, far less by the design itself.

Yes. We compare tenders, guard the programme, inspect the work on site and monitor quality and invoicing through to provisional and final hand-over. You have a single point of contact for the whole trajectory.

Often yes, especially in a phased renovation where we deliberately keep a liveable zone free. Where the structure, services or roof are involved, moving out temporarily is usually more comfortable and cheaper, because the contractor can work continuously. We discuss this before the phasing is fixed.

Our office is in Grimbergen (Flemish Brabant) and we are registered with the Order of Architects, provincial council of Flemish Brabant. We take on projects throughout Flanders and in Brussels — from the coast to Limburg. A conversation about your project is always possible, wherever it is located.

Anyone who has acquired a home or apartment with EPC label E or F since 2023 (by purchase, gift, long lease or building right) must renovate it to at least label D. On 12 December 2025 that deadline was definitively extended from five to six years, including for transfers already underway, and the tightening path planned from 2028 is being scrapped. You prove the renovation with a new EPC. Source: Vlaanderen.be — renovation obligation for residential buildings.

Usually yes. Label D is an intermediate step; label A remains the 2050 target and the bar rises again at the next sale. Because insulation, joinery and services all interact, bundling those works into one considered trajectory is both technically and financially better than reopening the building every few years.

Mijn VerbouwPremie bundles support for roof, wall and floor insulation, glazing, heat pumps, solar water heaters and full renovations; Mijn VerbouwLening adds an interest-free loan for those who qualify, and in many cases the two can be combined. Fluvius also continues to pay grid-related grants. Amounts and conditions change regularly, so we check them against the official sources (Vlaanderen.be, Fluvius) at the start of your project.

Alongside the EPC per dwelling there is an EPC for the communal parts — roofs, external walls, the heating plant and other shared elements. The renovation obligation applies per dwelling and not to those collective parts, but in practice the owners association co-determines the label you can reach. We therefore align the design with the building manager early. Source: VEKA/Energiesparen — EPC.

We follow the official Flemish government channels (Omgevingsloket, VEKA, Wonen in Vlaanderen/VMSW) alongside NAV, the Flemish architects organisation, and Buildwise technical publications on ventilation, airtightness and detailing. Whatever matters for clients we summarise every month in the news section above, always with the source cited.

The grant was reformed to target support more closely at those who need it most, so owner-occupiers in the two highest income brackets receive less or no support for a number of works, and the per-measure conditions were adjusted. Because your invoice date determines which scheme applies, we deliberately plan the phasing of the works around it. Source: Vlaanderen.be — Mijn VerbouwPremie.

Yes. If you took out a Mijn VerbouwLening for the same works, you are obliged to state this in your grant application. The awarded grant is then set off against your loan instead of being paid out separately, and failing to declare it risks a reclaim. Source: Vlaanderen.be — Mijn VerbouwLening.

Not always. Works that do not require an architect and keep the protected volume below 3,000 m³ fall outside the EPB requirements. As soon as you touch the building envelope, the services or the volume within a larger scheme, the EPB obligation does apply. We check this at the start of your project so you neither pay for a reporter you don't need nor overlook one you do. Source: Vlaanderen.be — EPB requirements.

Put everything in writing: the contract, the quotation, site photographs and your correspondence. First try to reach a solution together with your architect; if that fails, a bill is under discussion to create a specialised construction chamber within the Consumer Ombudsman Service, intended to handle building disputes between consumers and businesses free of charge and out of court. Until it exists, we guide you towards an amicable settlement or, if needed, the legal route. Source: Embuild — Ombudsdienst Bouw.

Yes. The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires calculating the total life-cycle environmental impact of new buildings: from 2028 for buildings over 1,000 m², and from 2030 for all new buildings. If you are designing today, it is wise to anticipate this — the material choices you make now will determine your score later. Source: Buildwise — CO₂ performance.