Renovation contractor in Zaandam Renovating Zaandam, from timber house to city flat

A town of Zaan timber houses

Zaandam, part of the municipality of Zaanstad, is known for its Zaan timber houses (Zaanse houtbouw). Many of its well over a hundred national monuments are wooden houses along the Westzijde and the Oostzijde. The Westzijde also has nineteenth-century villas and a row of wooden workers' houses from the late nineteenth century that the municipality made a municipal monument - one of the last two blocks of wooden terraced houses in Zaanstad. In the centre, the Inverdan plan has rebuilt the area around the station since 2003, with apartments and façades that echo the traditional Zaan style on a larger scale.

Foundations come first

According to the municipality, almost all pre-war homes in Zaanstad have short timber foundations, and dry summers and subsidence make those short piles vulnerable. The Rosmolenwijk has the largest foundation problems in the whole municipality. Before heavy work - a stone worktop, a bathroom with a new screed, a new floor or an extension - it pays to know the state of the foundation. The municipal Funderingskaart shows for homes built before 1951 whether the foundation has been surveyed or repaired, and the Funderingsloket gives free technical advice. Zaanstad has supported foundation surveys with subsidies for years; the Funderingsloket can tell you which scheme is open now. Foundation survey and repair is specialist work, and we plan the renovation around the outcome.

What timber and age mean for a renovation

A timber Zaan house moves more than a brick one, and its façade shapes the character of the street. A bathroom on a timber floor needs a stiff base and full waterproofing, and window frames and cladding call for proper joinery. For a national or municipal monument, changes beyond ordinary maintenance usually need a permit.

What we do in Zaandam

• 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 and underfloor heating, also on timber floors.
• Floors, stairs and built-in cabinetry.
• Windows and doors, including timber frames for older houses.
• Extensions and loft conversions, including the permit application.

Permits in Zaandam

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. For a monument, many internal changes need a permit as well. In apartment buildings, such as the newer blocks in the centre, the owners' association (VvE) has its own rules for floors, acoustics and working hours.

Living in Zaandam and planning a renovation? Ask for a free visit - we reply within one working day. For a first idea of the budget, try our online cost calculator or read the guide to renovation cost per m².