Homes from 1881 to energy label A

VIOS Bouw has started a new project with housing corporation Portaal. In the Haver- en Gortestraat in Leiden, 27 houses from 1881, designed by the Leiden architect WC Mulder, are being renovated. They will be brought up to energy label A, but will also be given back their historic appearance.

Before the process could begin, there had to be at least 70% support among residents. Over 95% agreed to the renovation plans. Plan developer Roy Diks: "Communication with the residents and Portaal is very important in a project like this. In the preliminary phase we had many conversations and a sounding board group was set up. They read everything along before a plan goes to all the residents."

Together with Portaal, VIOS Bouw created an inspiration house, in which the aluminum window frames were replaced with wooden window frames in historic colors. "We examined the old layers of paint to arrive at the color that the window frames appeared to have originally. The house was also given the look of old sash windows, to approximate the look of the past as much as possible." The community was also invited to the test house and the response was enthusiastic.

Complete renovation inside and out

After this public support process, it was time for the real work. "We will renovate the 1881 homes and bring them up to energy label A. This will give the residents a sustainable and comfortable home, where heating costs will decrease." VIOS Construction tackled both the interior and exterior of the two housing types. The houses on Haver- and Gortestraat are partly single-family houses and partly back-to-back houses with an extension. Diks: "Outside, we are working on applying roof insulation to the flat roofs, also replacing the roofing and adding sedum roofs to the extensions. On the sloping roofs, in addition to installing an insulation package, we are also replacing the tiles. In the storerooms, we are installing insulating ceilings. Roof domes and exterior doors will be replaced. In addition, while maintaining the original appearance, work will be performed on the exterior facade. Here we do masonry, pointing and painting. Inside, we replace the aluminum window frames for wood with ventilation grids and HR++ glass. We will install draught excluders and new walls on the inside of the houses. The houses will also get new interior doors." Diks is far from finished: "We bring the hinges and locks in order and check and replace the electricity, water and gas pipes where necessary. For this we are installing new fuse boxes. We will do the painting work, replace the remaining softboard ceilings with plaster and the homes will get mechanical ventilation for good and healthy air circulation. We also make connections for electric cooking."

When the work is complete, the homes will be many times more energy efficient. "In addition, they will then have their historic appearance and monument status back." VIOS Construction has been starting up two homes per week since mid-March. "The work at one home takes an average of four weeks, with the exterior work running around that," he said. Around the construction period, the project should be completed. "The first homes have been completed and the response has been very positive. It is drastic for the residents, but they really get something beautiful in return."