Several years ago, in 2005, we decided to buy a derelict farmhouse in the Belgium "kempen" area. We moved from a nice house in Neerpelt that I had just finished to a farm that didnot have any maintenance for decades. The complete interior was shot and basically what we bought was a lot of land, several walls and a roof in need of repair. Nevertheless, the location is almost perfect: in the countryside, close to our jobs etc. The buildings also give a lot of opportunities for making dreams come true. Growing up in the "Kempen", as a small boy, these "lang-gevel-hoeves" where around everywhere. During the years, I have seen them dissapear to make place for soul-less houses.

Our farmhouse has original roots from around 1680, the main house being build in the late 1800s and finished during the early 1900s. During WW-II, the farm housed a German base to stop planes going from England to the bridge near Geel. Immediately after WW-II the farm was extended with addional cow-barns and pig-barns. The 17th century original roots are still visible in reclaimed building materials for the main house.

Currently the main house is starting to be of a high-comfort level, and it is also a comfort to live there. This was only achieved after several years of hard work. Now, we are continuing with the barns and the garden.

To the left you can see a before-after image pair that mainly shows the work on the roof and south garden.