In search of distinction

Dekker Kozijnprojecten, with its office located in the Zuid-Holland village Noordeloos, is a second generation family business. The management is formed by a two-headed team: Barry Dekker (technical director) and Marieke Koorevaar (general manager). Stedenbouw is warmly welcomed by Koorevaar, with an apple turnip with her coffee. She explains with a smile, "These apple turnovers from the Noordelos bakery are part of our corporate culture. Whenever I visit a project, a box invariably goes along for the colleagues."

It is typical of this company, I am gradually finding out. The team and working together is central to everything. Koorevaar: "Corona has made it harder to stay connected, but we've made every effort to keep doing that anyway. Keeping in touch with each other, on a working level, but also on a personal level. And, of course, with our clients. Virtually all of our projects are done in construction teams, so we are often in intense conversation and work with our clients over a long period of time."

Together with the residents

Dekker Kozijnprojecten focuses on a specific part within large-scale renovation projects: window frames, windows, doors, dormers, prefab elements and facade cladding. The team of experienced employees advises property owners and managers in the preliminary phase with the choice of products (wood, aluminum or plastic) and the elaboration of details. The project is then further developed toward the final form, possibly also on the basis of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), using product scenarios and a test house. Koorevaar: "We take care of the measuring, recording and supply of all products and materials. We do the execution with our own craftsmen and equipment, such as our construction cranes. Our working method is faster, causes less inconvenience to the resident and is aimed at limiting the physical load of the tradesmen. In consultation with our client, we ensure clear communication with residents. Our foremen on the project are the driving force and point of contact and have a high level of support among the residents and the team. They know better than anyone how important it is to work together with the residents. The quality of the work is guaranteed by means of an internal control system and KOMO certification, among other things."

Flexibility and solution thinking

The family business has been around for 46 years. Koorevaar: "We switched from a position as a new construction contractor to specific renovation party twenty years ago. In all those years we have learned a lot together about the challenges in renovation. But above all: what a beautiful profession this is! Renovation requires flexibility and thinking in terms of solutions. We went in search of distinctions. In the first place: what does it take to make us - and by that I mean: we as people on this globe, but also we as people in our immediate living environment - comfortable in a responsible and sustainable way? And secondly: how can we as Dekker Kozijnprojecten contribute to that? With this in mind, we have formulated spearheads in different areas: attention to the planet, attention to the well-being of the team and attention to the long-term effect of our work. A concrete question is, for example: how can we contribute to our employees being as fit as possible as they approach retirement? Or: how can we use old window frames that we demolish from homes for new products? How can we contribute to ensuring that the lifespan of applied products exceeds 40 or even 50 years? All in all, big questions, but very concrete. Thanks to our enthusiastic and knowledgeable team of employees, we have the opportunity to think about these and actually make a difference."