A young family purchased a former farmhouse in the village center of Heeswijk-Dinther in 2021. Originally built in the late 19th century, the house has been remodeled and expanded several times over time. Especially during the renovation in the 1970s, all original details were lost. Partly due to the addition of roof overhangs, the original characteristic village house was given a completely different look. And by installing a new cavity wall in front of the original facade, all the original masonry details were also hidden from view.
During the last renovation by the previous owners, a flat addition was added at the rear to the original main mass.
The first floor contained only living space above the front living area, and the floor above the original addition was not in use and accessible only by a loft ladder.
The new design assumes a number of interventions that, on the one hand, improve and expand the functionality of the floor plans and, on the other hand, would return the home to more of the village character of yesteryear.
On the first floor, the layout is changed in several places. A new spacious living kitchen with a kitchen island is created in the old addition. A large window at the front gives a view of the front yard and facade doors that can be opened create a nice open connection to the backyard.
The existing staircase in the entrance hall was steep and narrow. A new staircase with landing that leads into the living kitchen leads to a landing that is placed like a bridge in the void under the roof of the living kitchen. This creates space in the entrance hall for a toilet and place to put a baby carriage, for example.
The pitched roofs of the main building and outbuilding have been completely renewed whereby the asbestos-containing roof sheeting has been remediated and replaced with a well-insulated roof sheet. A new roof structure on the extension at the rear provides space for a spacious master bedroom, associated bathroom and technology and storage space. By giving this roof an overhang on the garden side, the volume of the roof structure could be maximized and a covered rear entrance is created on the first floor. A large window in the top gable gives a nice view of the garden from the bed and the large tree therein and skylights bring light into the bedroom, bathroom and stairwell.
The brickwork of the house will be repaired where necessary and then keim painted in a light white-gray color. Together with the blue braised hollow ceramic roof tiles and zinc gutters, this creates a calm and characterful facade image. Wooden cladding at the front door and slats at the large kitchen window form accents in the facade. At the rear, the new roof structure and the existing extension are clad with vertical wooden sections. This creates a layering in the facade finish that shows what the original house was and what the later addition is.
project site
Heeswijk Dinther | North Brabant
client
private
construction consultant
Gerard van Zutphen
design & realization
2021 –
