Schaerbeek 1030 · Brussels-Capital
Renovation in Schaerbeek.
Investment houses, bow windows, roofing, window frames, bathrooms, kitchens. Four storeys to put back true, usually without emptying the building.
- 01Work with people in placeA bathroom usable at all times
- 02CoBAT and exemptionsPermit file prepared with you
- 03Liability and ten-year coverCertificates handed over with the quote
- 04Quote within 48 hStart and finish dates in writing
What we renovate in Schaerbeek
One flat per level, one roof, and one facade for everybody.
Between 1890 and 1914 Schaerbeek covered itself in investment houses: four levels, one flat per floor, a wooden bow window on the front, a moulded cornice, a bluestone plinth. It was already rental property a hundred and twenty years ago, and many of these houses still are. That is what makes renovation here particular: the common parts belong to everybody.
So we start with what protects the whole building, before what improves one flat.
- 01Roof and corniceOne roof covers all four levels. It comes first, cornice and downpipes included, because a leak at the top shows up on the ground floor two years later.
- 02Bow window and framesThe bow window is wooden, it projects into thin air and glazes three sides: it is the first source of heat loss and the first thing to rot. Like-for-like replacement is exempt from a permit.
- 03Facade and repointingSchaerbeek's yellow brick cleans up beautifully. Repoint before insulating, never after, otherwise you seal the damp into the wall.
- 04Interiors, floor by floorWiring to standard, plumbing, plastering, floors, bathroom and kitchen. It can be done flat by flat, without emptying the whole building.
Financial support in 2026
In Schaerbeek, the communal supplement expired on 30 June 2025.
Let us be precise, because many sites still say otherwise. Schaerbeek had a communal supplement to the Renolution grant: 50% for front facade improvement, with a maximum of €400 per dwelling. That regulation expired on 30 June 2025 and, in the absence of a new regional framework and budget, no new application is being processed. The regional Renolution grants are themselves suspended.
What still exists
The 6% VAT rate, federal and untouched: dwelling over ten years old, private use, invoice to the end consumer. On a roof and cornice at €30,000 that is €4,500 against the full rate. And the Ecoreno loan from the Brussels Housing Fund, at a reduced rate.
The point that really matters here
In an investment house the roof, the cornice, the facade and the rising mains are common parts. So the quote has to be readable by a general meeting, item by item, with the ownership shares. That is where a Schaerbeek job is won or lost, not on a €400 grant.
We provide a quote that can be presented at the general meeting exactly as it stands, itemised, and a second one for your own private lot. That way you know what depends on you alone and what depends on the others, before you commit.
What it looks like
The same floor, once the bow window is back in service.
A restored bow window changes the whole flat: light on three sides, and the room that justifies the rent.
Where we work
The districts of Schaerbeek.
Schaerbeek runs from the Josaphat park to the edge of the Gare du Nord. The building type is similar; the contexts are not.
Josaphat
The finest rows of investment houses, facing the park. Well-kept facades, bow windows everywhere, and co-ownerships that are properly run.
Louis Bertrand and Bienfaiteurs
The commune's Art Nouveau avenue and its surroundings. Remarkable and often protected stock: heritage status checked before any pricing.
Terdelt
More residential and quieter, family houses from the twenties and thirties. Original roofs and frames at the end of their life across a whole street.
Helmet
A real neighbourhood, mixed stock, plenty of single-family houses to be put back true from floor to roof.
Dailly
Dense, close to the square, tall buildings and mostly rented flats. Work with people in place, organised floor by floor.
Brabant and Gare du Nord
A very tight fabric with shops on the ground floor. Demanding site logistics, deliveries booked early and parking reserved in advance.
Permits and planning
In Schaerbeek, the bow window is the sensitive part of the file.
Schaerbeek is in the Brussels Region, so the CoBAT applies. The order of 13 November 2008 exempts from a permit: renovating a room, putting up or taking down a light partition, redoing the electrics, the plumbing or the heating, changing a floor covering, insulating from the inside. As long as the number and layout of dwellings do not change.
Watch that last point: changing the number of dwellings needs a permit, even with no structural work. That is common here, where floors get split or joined. For the facade, like-for-like replacement is exempt, single to double glazing included; changing the colour or the visible material is not. Around the avenue Louis Bertrand, a protected building loses every exemption.
We first check how many dwellings are declared to the planning service, because a gap between that and reality always surfaces at the worst moment, at a sale or with an insurer. Only then do we price.
Frequently asked
What people ask us in Schaerbeek.
Do you work everywhere in Schaerbeek?
Across the whole commune, from Josaphat to Helmet, from Terdelt to Dailly and out to the Brabant quarter. Our address is chaussée de Waterloo in Uccle.
Can you work while the building is let?
Yes, that is the most common case here. We work flat by flat, with a bathroom and a kitchen always usable, and the written schedule in the quote says which week touches which floor.
Does the Schaerbeek communal supplement still exist?
No. It was worth 50% for front facade improvement, with a maximum of €400 per dwelling, and the regulation expired on 30 June 2025. Without a new regional framework, no new application is processed. The regional Renolution grants are suspended too.
Who decides about the roof and the facade?
The general meeting of the co-ownership, because those are common parts. We provide an itemised quote that can be presented at the meeting as it stands, and a separate one for your own private lot.
Can I split my floor into two flats?
That needs a planning permit, even without touching the structure, because the number of dwellings changes. We first check what is currently declared to the planning service, then we prepare the file with you.
Do I qualify for 6% VAT in Schaerbeek?
The reduced rate is federal, so it is the same everywhere in Belgium: dwelling over ten years old since first occupation, mainly private use, invoice addressed to the end consumer. We check all three conditions with you before pricing.
Your quote
Your quote for Schaerbeek, in 48 hours.
Tell us what you want to do. We come and measure within five working days, and the detailed quote follows within 48 hours.
- Phone0467 88 59 52
- E-mailinfo@freitasgroup.be
- AddressChaussée de Waterloo 838, boîte 17
1180 Uccle - Other tradeProfessional cleaning