House

In the category House we will add pages for every major building step we have made; hence the name Built-it. We are a young and ignorant couple but these days housing is getting more and more expensive in Belgium (Europe).

Taxes

When you build a new house over here, you need to save up to be able to build your taxes. When you buy a property, you need to pay around 10% of taxes (so every time a property owner changes, the state charges its civilians). When you want to build a new building on that property you pay 21% BTW (translated as Value Added Tax) next to other smaller fees and taxes. If you die, your relatives pay an extra 3% to 65%. If they get your property, they pay that percentage on the taxation value of the property. In short: buildings are big business for our beloved State.

Stepping up

We want to raise our children in a good quality house (that’s also affordable) so we are totally renovating an old house to be our home. On mainland Europe, houses with a wooden structure are not that common. If you hire contractors to build a stud house, you are likely to spend a little more then using the brick/concrete traditional way. Wooden structures are only cheaper because they allow you to do much more of the work yourself. I happen to enjoy working in and around the house. The advantage of rebuilding/adding on to an existing traditional house is that we can combine the advantages of both. Brick homes are far more easy to keep cool in the summer due to their thermal inertia. A wooden structure on the other hand allows for more insulation which is important for the colder winters.

TL;DR:

Young people as off today can only afford to buy either a very small house or renovate an existing house in Belgium (for which the tax rate is ‘only’ 10+6%). We are not afraid of getting our hands dirty so it seems that we are going on a building adventure trip. New pages will be added for major steps and for those who want to follow our smaller updates: we will be posting blog articles down here.

Plans for total home renovation

A plan for a functional home Making a plan is a work in progress. The architect is guiding us very well in our journey. From the first meeting until the drawing of the current situation we didn't have the impression things were moving. Dirk (our architect) however hadn't sit still. He did a lot more...

Read more ...

The house to start with

Oorspronkelijke zolder This is what we are starting with. It's a typical Belgian old house. In the past they started with a small one-room house and people then added on to that. The result is a series of houses that Continue reading→

Read more ...

Attic renovation

Old attic Insulating the attic Isulation attic floor – glass fiber for air sounds – industrial rubber for contact noise Attic with sheetrock The attic The attic has been insulated by the previous owners with 12cm (4.7 inch) glass wool insulation in between the vertical studs of the roof. There's a staircase but the stairs...

Read more ...


Featured Posts
De inhoud

Pocket holes (Kreg jig JR)

IntroIedereen die onze projecten al een tijdje volgt heeft gezien dat ik gebruik maak van pocket holes. Het is een ...

Read More

Bosch PSB 18 Li-2 Accuboor-schroefmachine

Intro Ik gebruik al een tweetal jaar een 18V schroef-/boormachine van Bosch: de PSB 18. Als ik eerlijk ben: ik heb ...

Read More

Makita 2704 Tafelzaag

Makita 2704 Tafelzaag

Reden aankoop Ter vervanging van de Metabo TKHS 315-C heb ik samen met mijn vader de Makita 2704 gekocht. We besloten ...

Read More

Bosch PKS 40 - Stofafzuiging

Cirkelzaag Bosch PKS-40

Bosch PKS-40: Cirkelzaag Ik kocht de Bosch PKS-40 cirkelzaag omdat ik niet graag groot plaatmateriaal verwerk op de tafelzaag. Vaak werk ...

Read More