Renovation contractor in Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart Renovating Aalsmeer, by the Westeinderplassen

A village made by peat and water

Aalsmeer grew out of peat digging. The Stommeer was drained in 1650 and the Hornmeer in 1674, which is now a residential neighbourhood. The Westeinderplassen, just over 10 km² of lakes and small islands, are what remains of the old peat workings: the islands are the strips where the peat was once laid out to dry. The peat soil proved excellent for growing flowers, and growers' houses along the old roads still show it. Kudelstaart, on the south side of the lakes, became a watersport village, with a Catholic church from 1870 that still shapes the village and Fort Kudelstaart, begun in 1890 as part of the Stelling van Amsterdam.

Monuments on the Uiterweg, newer homes around the centre

Aalsmeer has around a hundred monuments. The largest group of rijksmonumenten stands on the Uiterweg, the long road along the water: mostly nineteenth-century farmhouses and houses. In the Dorpsstraat and the Zijdstraat there are houses from the eighteenth century and from the 1920s, and the water tower with its art deco ornaments is a rijksmonument too. In the newer neighbourhoods, from the Hornmeer to Nieuw-Oosteinde, a renovation is usually about layout rather than heritage: a bigger kitchen, an extra bathroom or an extension at the back.

Insulation and new frames follow a nature calendar

The gemeente Aalsmeer points out that since 1 January 2024 it is against the law to destroy the nesting places of bats and birds such as swifts and house sparrows. In single-family homes, and in upper and lower flats up to the fourth storey, cavity-wall, façade and roof insulation and even the replacement of window frames may only be done by certified companies using the 'natuurvriendelijk isoleren' method. The house is first made 'nature-free', which is not allowed from 1 April to 1 August, and the gemeente names 1 August to 1 November as the best period to do that and insulate straight away. If your plans include a new roof, insulation or new frames, we build the rest of the renovation around those dates.

What we do in Aalsmeer and Kudelstaart

• Complete renovations of houses and apartments, with one site manager from start to handover.
• Kitchens: bespoke, or IKEA kitchens fitted with premium fronts and stone worktops.
• Bathrooms with walk-in showers, underfloor heating and natural stone.
• Floors, stairs and built-in cabinetry made to measure.
• Windows and doors.
• Extensions and loft conversions, including the permit application.

Permits and rules in Aalsmeer

Internal renovation usually needs no permit. An extension, a dormer or a change to the façade does: you apply through the national Omgevingsloket, and we prepare the drawings and the application. If it is not clear whether a plan fits the rules, Aalsmeer offers an omgevingsoverleg: a consultation in up to three rounds, from first idea to preliminary design, before the formal application.

A container, site hut, scaffold or other object on public ground needs its own permit, applied for through the Omgevingsloket at least eight weeks in advance, and 1.20 metres of pavement must stay free for pedestrians. Parking is free everywhere in Aalsmeer; in and around the Oude Dorp there are blue zones where you can usually park for up to two hours with a parking disc.

Living in Aalsmeer or Kudelstaart and planning a renovation? Ask for a free visit - we reply within one working day - or get a first price range from our online renovation calculator.