Renovation contractor in Heemstede Heemstede houses, renovated in their own style

A garden village built on the 1912 plan

Much of Heemstede rests on the 1912 extension plan by Joseph Cuypers and Jan Stuyt, which guided the town, with changes, until 1940. On that basis Heemstede became a commuter town in the 1920s and 1930s, with winding streets, a lot of public green and spacious plots. The brick façades, characteristic roof shapes and decorative details show the influence of the Amsterdam School. Around the Heemsteedse Dreef, in the Schilderswijk, the Componistenwijk and the Indische Buurt, most houses belong to what the municipality calls the Heemstede type: substantial houses of similar size and height, with pronounced roofs and crisp brick architecture. Villa areas such as Marisberg around the Herenweg were designed for wealthier residents, and country estates such as De Hartekamp, Berkenrode and Ipenrode still shape the town.

Later Heemstede looks different again: flats from the 1940s to the 1960s around the Merwedeplantsoen, flats from the 1970s and 1980s along the Overijssellaan, and areas built from the 1990s such as De Glip and the Vogelpark. In those apartment buildings the owners' association (VvE) has its own rules for floors, acoustics and working hours.

What that means for a renovation

In a house from the 1920s or 1930s the value is in the details: the division of the window frames, the profiles, the roofline and the original dormers. Heemstede's design rules take the profiles and detailing of traditional Dutch timber frames as the starting point, keep the main division of the current or original frame when a façade changes, and in the special areas keep the profiles of pre-war houses the same. A new dormer has to stay a subordinate addition to the roof and be at most 1.75 m high; on the front slope of a Heemstede-type house, original dormers may not be made higher.

Inside, these houses usually ask for new installations, an upstairs bathroom that really works and a kitchen opened up towards the garden - without losing the stairs, doors and ceilings that give them their character.

What we do in Heemstede

• Complete renovations of family houses and villas, with one site manager from start to handover.
• Bespoke kitchens, or IKEA kitchens fitted with premium fronts and stone worktops.
• Bathrooms with walk-in showers, underfloor heating and natural stone.
• Built-in cabinetry, floors and stairs that suit the period of the house.
• Windows and doors with the frame division of the original.
• Extensions, loft conversions and dormers, including the permit application.

Permits and monuments in Heemstede

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, with the municipality's design rules in mind from the first sketch.

Heemstede has nearly 100 national monuments and 49 municipal monuments. Under the Heritage Ordinance in force since 15 July 2026, any change to a municipal monument needs a permit, while ordinary maintenance that keeps the details, materials and colours does not. The same ordinance allows the municipality to designate characteristic buildings and a protected village view, so we check the status of the address before we design anything at the front of the house.

Living in Heemstede and planning a renovation? Ask for a free visit - we reply within one working day. For a first indication of the cost, try our online quote calculator.