Adding floor space to your home? The four most common ways to expand a house are additions, extensions, outbuildings and roof extensions: new constructions on top of, attached to or beside the existing structure. This is exactly what we do.

Certain extensions and outbuildings can be constructed without a permit under the amended national legislation. However, additions and roof extensions always require a permit.

The difference between an addition and an extension is not always clear, and the words are often used interchangeably outside of official documents. However, we believe that an extension is actually a kind of addition. In the Netherlands, the term “extension” is generally only used when the added structure is built at the back of the house, extending from the house itself. An added structure built on the side of the house, or in an L-shape, is usually referred to as an “addition”. Our company follows that distinction.

Essentially, an outbuilding is a free-standing structure in the garden. There are legal definitions based on architectural principles that determine when the structure is considered an outbuilding and when it is a barn or garden shed. This has to do with the degree of habitability, and more specifically the presence of gas, electricity, water and heating.