Schaerbeek is an open-air museum of Art Nouveau, while presenting a rich range of architectures including magnificent bourgeois houses and more contemporary buildings.
Region: Région de Bruxelles-Capitale URL: https://cula.be/renovation/schaerbeek
In Schaerbeek, CULA breathes new life into your home, respecting its unique architectural character while integrating modern comfort. We offer recognized expertise for renovations that combine charm and efficiency.
Schaerbeek is known for its wide avenues lined with townhouses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often with Art Nouveau or eclectic façades (Avenue Louis Bertrand, Square Riga, Place Dailly). The municipality also has more modest housing neighbourhoods and apartment buildings. Several buildings are protected.
Renovating apartments in divided townhouses, refitting bathrooms and kitchens, restoring floors and mouldings, insulating the roof and loft, bringing the electrics up to standard. Many owners also renovate to let.
Ornate façades (sgraffito, bluestone, timber joinery) need careful work: suitable cleaning, repointing and painting, windows replaced in keeping with the style. For a protected building or one in a protection zone, a permit and the heritage department's opinion (urban.brussels) are required. We tell you at the visit what is free and what needs authorisation.
In Schaerbeek we mostly renovate mansion houses and Brussels houses with ornate facades. For the projects we see most often here, expect in general: a full renovation of 150 m² (standard range): €191,000 to €238,500; renovating a 70 m² facade (standard range): €5,500 to €11,000; a complete 6 m² bathroom (standard range): €13,500 to €19,000. Amounts include 6% VAT (home over 10 years old), for a site in average condition. The exact price depends on the property's condition: we set it after the free visit.
The RENOLUTION grants will not return: the 2027 regional budget, agreed on 4 October 2026, plans zero-interest loans for energy renovation instead, expected in spring 2027. On obligations, every Brussels home will need an EPB certificate and must reach class E (275 kWh/m²/year) by 1 January 2033 at the latest. And since 1 June 2025, no oil boiler may be installed during works.
Can an Art Nouveau façade be insulated from the outside?
Generally not: external insulation hides the façade's details and is in principle not accepted on a heritage façade visible from the street. You insulate the roof, the garden-side walls or, if needed, from the inside while dealing with damp.
Is an electrical inspection compulsory?
When a home is sold, an inspection report of the electrical installation is compulsory in Belgium. If the installation isn't compliant, the buyer must in principle bring it up to standard within 18 months of the deed. Better to include it in the renovation budget.
How can you improve the EPB of a mansion house without touching its facade?
By insulating from the inside or at the back, insulating the roof and replacing the windows in keeping with their original design. For a notable facade, these choices are discussed with the municipality before applying for a permit.
CULA (CuLa Enterprise General) is a general renovation company founded by Tomasz Cutter, based in Dilbeek on the outskirts of Brussels. We operate throughout Belgium for residential and commercial renovation projects.