The free site visit at Parus: from request to quote

Step 1: your request

You can start in three ways: the quote form on our contact page, a phone call, or a WhatsApp message to +31 6 87 61 60 78. The form asks for your name, phone number and a short description of the project. Optionally you can add your address, the service, the floor area, a budget range, your preferred start date and photos.

The more you tell us, the better we can prepare. A few photos of the room and a sentence on what you want already say a lot. What is there, what should come and when. We get back to you within 24 hours to make an appointment.

Step 2: who comes and how long it takes

At Parus the owner, Stas, comes to look himself. That is a deliberate choice. The person who has seen the home writes the quote and then oversees the work. So no information gets lost between a salesperson and the team doing the job.

How long a visit takes depends on the project. For a toilet or one wall it is short. For a whole floor, an extension or a full renovation we walk through the entire home. Allow enough time to ask questions calmly. If you live in a city centre, let us know where we can park and whether there is a lift. That tells us straight away how materials will get in during the work. We work in Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, The Hague, Utrecht and the surrounding area, up to about 70 kilometres around Roelofarendsveen.

Step 3: what we look at

A renovation stands or falls with what is under the finish. So we look beyond the surface. We measure the room, check the condition of walls, ceilings and floors, and find where pipes, drains and electrics run. In an older home we knock on walls and sometimes lift a skirting board or floor hatch.

For homes built before 1994 we ask about asbestos. According to IPLO, the government information point, buildings from before 1994 are presumed to possibly contain asbestos, and demolition work then needs an asbestos survey. We would rather discuss that at the visit than halfway through demolition.

• Room dimensions and ceiling heights.
• Condition of the substrate: cracks, damp, hollow spots.
• Pipework, drains and the position of the soil stack.
• Meter cupboard, circuits and earthing.
• Structure: load-bearing walls, joists, floor build-up.
• Access: stairs, lift, parking, space for materials.

Step 4: your wishes and the rules

Then we talk about what you want. Which finish, which materials, which budget and which timing. Where possible we show what the choices mean. Microcement or tiles, parquet or vinyl, an inner stud wall or external insulation. You do not have to decide yet, but the more concrete the wish, the more precise the quote.

We also look at what plays a role beyond the technical side. In an apartment there are the VvE (owners' association) rules. If you rent, you need the landlord's permission. If the work affects the facade or structure, a permit may be needed. You can check this with the permit check in the Omgevingsloket, the national permit portal. Where needed, we arrange permits with the gemeente (municipality).

We also ask about your budget. Not to fit the quote to it, but to make choices that suit it. With a clear budget we can say where it pays to invest, such as pipework and waterproofing you will never see again, and where you can save without losing quality. If you do not know yet, we discuss what drives the price. Read more in what determines renovation cost.

What you can prepare

Good preparation makes the visit shorter and the quote more accurate. You do not need drawings made. But it helps to have a few things to hand.

If you have seen examples you like, keep them on your phone. A photo of a bathroom or floor that appeals to you says more than a description. If you do not know yet what you want, that is fine too. Then we think along with you.

Also make sure we can reach everything. Clear the meter cupboard, and also the loft hatch, the crawl space or the cupboard with the boiler if the work involves them. Those are exactly the places where we see how the pipes and electrics run and what state they are in. That way we do not need to come back a second time and the quote can follow sooner.

• The year the home was built and any old drawings.
• For an apartment: the VvE regulations and house rules.
• For a rented home: the landlord's permission or the request you plan to send.
• Example photos of finishes and materials.
• Your preferred start date and times you will be away.

Step 5: the quote and the planning

After the visit you get a detailed quote with all costs of the work. Every item is written out, so you can see what happens and in which order. No obligations, no surprises afterwards. How to read a quote and compare it with another is explained in reading and comparing renovation quotes.

If you agree, a contract follows with all arrangements. Then we order materials and fix the schedule. In a renovation with several trades we guard the sequence: first demolition, pipework, electrics and insulation, then plastering, tiling, flooring and painting. See the order of works in a renovation for why that order is fixed.

After the visit: no pressure

A visit commits you to nothing. You can read the quote at your own pace, ask questions or compare another quote. At the visit we also say honestly what we would not do, or what could be done better another way. A client who hired us twice wrote: "They put aluminum profiles and changed lights on 2nd floor for me. Both time work was done perfectly in terms of quality, time, reliability."

Want to book a visit? Fill in the form on our contact page or first read what a full renovation involves. We are available Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00 and reply within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions