Farm remodeling

Have you recently bought a farm, do you already own a family farm or are you still hesitating to live outside the city? Every building that is no longer so young will require maintenance. However, renovating a farm is not the same as renovating an apartment in the city center. We explain on this page how a farm works and what it entails.

The solution for the disposal of residual materials is simple; afzetbak.nl brings and collects containers for rubble, garden waste, wood and various other applications. Thanks to the simple way of choosing, clear rates and wide range, you can quickly start renovating any farm.

Order demolition waste container

Farm remodeling before and after

You can easily look up farms on the internet with photos before and after. They look impressive, even intimidating. The entire process of getting from "before" to "after" is usually not revealed. The question is whether that will help you further, because renovating a farm is always tailor-made. Unlike residential homes, farmhouses were once custom built for a specific purpose. A livestock farm will be built differently from a horticultural farm. In addition, it often concerns families who have built a custom home. This means that there is a great diversity in farms, if they are a bit older then the structural condition and state of maintenance can also vary widely.

It can be very inspiring to look at photos of farms before or after the renovation, but don't be blinded by these images. Your starting situation will be different, as will the end situation you want to reach. Be sure to see what is possible and make a wish list of your dream farm. Later you can go from dream to reality based on your assets, your budget and your ambitions.

Farm remodel costs

When mapping out the costs of renovating a farm, there are several paths to take:

Scrap and start again
Farm renovation / renewal
Keep the current state (as much as possible).

There are buyers who are actually mainly interested in the location where the farm is located. Once a suitable plot has been found, it is a matter of demolition, separating waste and depositing it in the correct disposal bin. Do not throw everything with the residual waste, because then the rate for a container is considerably higher. Especially if you have to dispose of large volumes of waste, waste separation will have a significant impact on the budget. At afzetbak.nl you can rent containers for no less than 13 types of waste streams. You can also choose the desired format per category. Estimating the amount of residual materials in advance is certainly recommended. You can of course have the disposal container collected and emptied more often, but if you rent a container that turns out to be much too small, it will cost you more than necessary.

Most people choose to renovate a farm. If it concerns a monumental farm, restrictions apply. You can't just start chopping and breaking. You can sometimes buy a monumental farm for a low price. Keep in mind that renovating the farm may cost more money than the original purchase price. Renovating simply means keeping what's good, replacing what's bad, repairing what could be better and adding what's missing. These are the 4 primary activities you will perform. You want to preserve the character of the building on the basis of modern methods. If the function of the building is changed from, for example, working to living or from a farmhouse to a bed & breakfast, you will have to carefully examine the possibilities together with the architect.

If it concerns a monumental farm, or if the building is in a good state of repair, you can renovate the farm with limited interventions. If you are considering buying an existing farm, you will call in a building inspector who will determine the state of repair. You can make choices based on this. In addition, you will also have an energy advisor come by who will calculate the energy performance of the farm. For example, in the small town of Hertme there is a farmhouse from 1933 that has been converted from label G to label A++++. In most cases this will not be feasible or profitable, but energy consumption is of course an aspect of growing a farm that you have to take into account.

Are you going to demolish part of the buildings and replace them with new objects? Don't just dump all demolition materials in the disposal bin, but look carefully at what you can reuse. For example, there may be wooden beams that you can reuse for other parts of the farm. However, there are limits to reuse. If you use wood that needs to be replaced after about 10 years, then reuse is of little use. Then consider whether you can use these materials for another application, such as a fence, furniture or a nice playground. With wood, pay particular attention to wood rot and other damage. Also take into account the presence of materials containing asbestos. You may not just throw polluting elements with the waste.

Farm growing ideas

Just as you can find many 'before' and 'after' photos on the internet, there are also many ideas to renovate your farm. Here are some suggestions ranging from improving living comfort to large-scale projects for ambitious owners:

You can maintain and renovate the outer facade as much as possible. This way you keep the original character. Inside you can furnish the house as you would make a 'normal' house. This way you benefit from that rural appearance with the comfort of a modern villa.
Depending on the year of construction, the windows may be quite small. As a result, you have less visibility and connection with the environment, you also have to switch on lighting quickly because there is little natural light. By replacing the windows and making them larger, you have a better view and more light. You will probably replace the windows with energy-efficient glass anyway, so make them a bit bigger right away.
Don't immediately think that all farms are big on the inside. Although the plot can be quite a few square meters, the living space of many farms is modest. By using light tones in the interior, you can make the room appear optically larger. This, in combination with incident light, gives the house a completely different look.
Are there any barns or stables that are no longer used for their original purpose? You can turn it into a beautiful stable for your own horses or transform the space into a real riding school. The quality of the adjacent buildings must be sufficient.
You can convert a stable or barn into a restaurant, party room, playground or museum. Entrepreneurial residents can use the available space and real estate in creative ways to generate income. Of course, pay close attention to the permits you need.
Solar panels or a heat pump are ways to generate energy yourself. There are even more possibilities to make efficient use of the farm and its surroundings. Solar panels on the roof will disturb the rustic character, not everyone likes this prospect.

Not only can you renovate the house, you can also convert a farm shed into a home. This requires more planning and entails higher costs, but it also offers more possibilities. You can turn an old barn into a house to live in, you can make an indoor swimming pool or sauna or a party and wedding hall. If you have or can get a permit, you could start a hotel and convert a barn into several apartments. It is important to assess the structural quality. An old barn or stable will not be made to the specifications associated with a residential home. In addition to insulation, you will have to take into account the quality of the foundation, facade and pipes will also have to be laid. An old barn therefore offers a lot of possibilities, but these are accompanied by quite a few challenges.

Renovate old farmhouse

Age does not say everything about the quality of a property. There may be a lack of maintenance, but perhaps the materials used at the time are of very good quality. When renovating an old farmhouse, the first priority is to determine which parts are in usable condition and which parts need renovation. A list of priorities will then appear on which you can put a price tag on every improvement. Patching up what is actually worn out would be a waste of money, sometimes you have to tear down first and then build again. Once you have mapped out what you want to keep and what you need to renew, you can rent the containers at afzetbak.nl to easily dispose of the residual materials. Because we deliver and pick up quickly, you as the owner can keep your attention on the project. We take care of the further processing of the waste. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact us.

Farm house renovation

There are two types of farms. On the one hand you have the farm as a business. Think of horticulture or livestock farming. These companies usually have a lot of land, there are large stables or barns and the living space is limited. If you want to turn this into a farmhouse, you will mainly expand the living space. So think about expansion or construction. If it concerns an old house then it is possible that the ceilings are quite low, you can certainly think about expanding in height. If it concerns a farmhouse without a company, the renovation will show more similarities with a regular detached house. The building will be easily accessible, making it easy to install machines or place storage bins. If you want to spread the work, consider whether you need containers to deposit waste for a longer period of time. The costs for the disposal bin increase the longer you use it. At afzetbak.nl we think along with you about the most practical and affordable solution. Feel free to ask your question via our contact form.

What does an average farmhouse actually cost? You have probably already realized that 'average' and 'standard' do not apply to farms, there is no amount that really gives you guidance when purchasing a residential farm. For about 450,000 euros you can already find a nice farmhouse but in original condition. We are talking about gas heaters and thin panes instead of HR+++ glass. In other words; you can start cheap but you are certainly not done if you want to enjoy modern luxury. For the better maintained farmhouses you have to think more towards 3 million euros. You pay for the plot, for the buildings and the state of maintenance. You can combine living with working. This can be a home office, for example, but this depends on the destination of the object you are buying. You may not just start a shop on a plot with an agricultural destination.

You will have noticed that the government wants to reduce the number of farms. This is a complex matter, but basically the decision-making is linked to CO2 emissions. Industry, housing and farms all produce CO2, the intention is that CO2 emissions at national level will be greatly reduced. In addition, there is a need for land to build new houses. If you want to take over a farm or buy a residential farm, you will undoubtedly keep a close eye on this matter. There are arguments on both sides and diverging interests. The fact is that the number of farms will decrease, the way in which this will take place is not clear. There are initiatives to buy out farmers, but so far little use has been made of this. This is partly due to poor communication from the government and a distrust of the farmers towards the government. Once a basis has been laid for fruitful consultation, it is possible that a number of farms will cease their business activities. What does this mean for buying a farm?

If more farms cease their activities, a number of scenarios are possible. Households can sell their businesses but continue to live in the same place. A number of farmers will probably move to another place. Several (small) homes can be built on the plots, which means that more residential areas will arise in rural areas. It is possible that the number of farms for sale will increase, but this is not certain. If former farms cease their activities and the land is used for other purposes, the number of available buildings may also decrease. What will happen will affect prices for farms. These can rise or fall depending on what exactly is going to happen. And nobody knows that. However, it is clear that if you want to buy and renovate a farm now, you buy the plot and the building on the basis of the current conditions and legislation. If you are not on time, there may be a street with terraced houses in 10 years. So you will have to decide for yourself whether buying a farm is the best choice for you at the moment.

A farm never stands alone, even if you only see grass and forest around it. Pay attention to the accessibility and possible nuisance from companies in the area. The roads in the rural area are not always passable, so you will have to take this into account when choosing a car. The range of shops is less and delivery services do not always arrive at these addresses. Internet may not be as good in some areas as you are used to in the city. Afzetbak.nl delivers throughout the Netherlands, including farms. So you can count on us! This doesn't mean it's always a struggle outside of built-up areas, there are just unique challenges you have to take into account when you're going to grow a farm.