Renovating a townhouse in Brussels: the stages and the pitfalls

A typical Brussels townhouse — three façades, four levels, a central stairwell, rooms in enfilade — was designed for a way of living that no longer exists. Renovating one almost always means reconciling two contradictory demands: keeping what gives it value, and making a plan liveable that no longer is.

Start with the survey, not the drawings

Before anything is drawn, you need to know what you are buying. Four points deserve systematic checking: the state of the beam ends at the party wall, rising damp in the cellars, asbestos in floor adhesives and old pipework, and the condition of the roof structure. A proper survey costs a few hundred euros; a discovery mid-site costs tens of thousands.

The second survey is the heritage one. Check the architectural heritage inventory before imagining a new opening in a façade or a relocated staircase: a building on the inventory, even unlisted, strongly shapes what the authorities will accept.

The permit sets the calendar

In Brussels, most works that change the structure, the façades or the number of dwellings require a permit. Processing times, with public enquiry where applicable, run to months rather than weeks. One rule: the permit governs the site schedule, never the other way round.

Build the budget in three blocks

The first block is invisible: structure, roof, services, insulation. It is the one always underestimated and never seen. The second is the finishes: floors, plaster, joinery, decoration. The third covers fees, taxes, connections and the unforeseen — allow a ten per cent reserve, not five.

The reduced 6% VAT rate applies to private homes over ten years old under conditions; it is a large enough item to check with your accountant before signing.

The order of works

The order is almost always the same: strip-out, structure and roof, windows, services, insulation, plaster and screeds, joinery, finishes. Two recurring mistakes: fitting windows after plastering, which guarantees visible making-good; and ordering bespoke joinery too late, which leaves the site waiting six to ten weeks at its most expensive stage.

The five most common pitfalls

• Splitting the site into small separate packages. Every poorly defined interface becomes a dispute and nobody owns the overall result.
• Choosing finishes mid-site. A tile chosen late pushes back the tiler, the plasterer and the painter.
• Insulating without ventilating. A sealed envelope without ventilation produces condensation and, in time, mould.
• Replacing what could have been restored. A relaid period parquet often costs less than a new one, and is worth more.
• Ignoring the neighbours. In Brussels, a joint schedule of condition with the party walls before works avoids most disputes.

What we do

We run this kind of site as a general contractor: one point of contact, a quote itemised line by line and a schedule per trade. If you are still at the viewing stage, the most useful thing remains showing us the property.