FAQ

General

WHAT DO YOU NEED AN EXOBOX FOR?

An EXOBOX provides additional living or working space and can be anything you want it to be.

  • A place for a noisy teenager to play the drums.
  • A peaceful spot to practise yoga.
  • A place to banish your better half’s rattling bike on rollers to.
  • A place to go to when your dog has taken over your favourite reading spot.
  • A place to host your in-laws when they come to visit.
  • A welcome solution when you are tired of bills lying around on the kitchen table.
  • A showroom for your wine collection.
  • The ideal place for friends to sleep over when they have had a drink too many.
  • A place to receive clients for your secondary activity.

The choice is yours.

An EXOBOX comes with a 100 mm thick insulation layer in all walls. Cables for electricity, internet and water mains connections are neatly tucked away in the walls. Depending on what the EXOBOX will be used for, we install the necessary pipes, flooring, wall cladding, heating, air conditioning, bathroom, etc. 

These three types of EXOBOX units serve different purposes and therefore require different degrees of finishing. A tiny house and a garden office call for a different interior finish than the storage space of a pool house serving as a pool technical room. A combination is of course also possible. A garden room in your pool house, with a toilet and shower. Or a storage space in your tiny house.

Every EXOBOX is custom-built by our team. The maximum size of one unit is 48 m² (12 x 4 m), to allow it to be transported. An EXOBOX can however easily be coupled and stacked. Possibilities are limitless.

Every EXOBOX is built and tailored to the customer’s needs. After all, everyone’s needs are different. As the possibilities that EXOBOX offers are endless, an EXOBOX can easily be custom-designed to serve different functions.

The EXOBOX leaves our premises fully assembled and ready to use and is hoisted into place with a crane or crane truck. In short, there is hardly any work left to do on site. Once the EXOBOX has been placed, we immediately connect it to the power grid and, if needed, to the water mains.

If your tiny house, garden office or pool house is located in your backyard, you do not need to hire an architect. Except when the EXOBOX is used as a residence and exceeds 50 square metres in size.

You also have to call on an architect when the EXOBOX is attached to your house. In that case, the volume of habitable space changes, which means that you are required to obtain an environmental permit.

General rules regarding exemptions or notifications (at Flemish level only)

Exemptions

In certain cases, an exemption from the environmental permit requirement for the erection of detached outbuildings in the side and/or rear yard applies if, and only if, a number of conditions are met, i.e.:

  • The total surface area of detached outbuildings per dwelling may not exceed the maximum of 40 square metres. Note that already existing detached outbuildings are also taken into account when determining the total surface area.
  • The exemption applies only if the detached outbuildings:
    • do not exceed 3.5 metres in height (i.e. the total height measured to the highest point of the outbuilding)
    • are erected entirely within a 30-metre radius of the dwelling
    • are erected in the side yard at a 3-metre distance from the plot boundaries
    • in the backyard are not closer than 1 metre from the plot boundaries or are erected against the dividing wall on the plot boundary without modifying the existing dividing wall
  • The exemption does not apply if the detached outbuildings are erected in a spatially vulnerable area.
  • The municipality may however impose additional requirements. Therefore, be sure to consult the municipal authorities.

So:

Suppose you want to put up an EXOBOX in your backyard, where a 15 square metre greenhouse is already located. The exemption decree allows for the erection of an EXOBOX that is 25 square metre in size (as 15 + 25 = 40) and lower than 3.5 meters in height without an environmental permit or notification being required. Provided you meet all the conditions from the checklist.

Absolutely! Our team will guide you through the entire process. We conduct a preliminary on-site visit to analyse the situation and sit down with you to draw up a detailed plan that meets your every need and want. We draw everything out in 3D and on a floor plan. If the design fully fits your needs, we build the EXOBOX and see to its installation. We also provide concrete bases or screw piles if needed.
With our extensive technical expertise in landscaping and carpentry, we can also lay the necessary utility lines to the EXOBOX or lay a nice terrace next to the pool house.

Nope, no need. We are a one-stop shop. We gladly take charge of the organisation, planning and execution. That means that you will have one single point of contact and one coordinator taking final responsibility.

Techniques

DOES THE EXOBOX REQUIRE A SOLID FOUNDATION?

The EXOBOX consists of a steel frame, so it is sufficient to fix it to a few anchor points. Concrete bases are not needed.

The EXOBOX can easily be lifted thanks to the steel frame and the screw holes at the four corners of the roof. Depending on the situation and the access to the garden, we use a crawler crane or a crane truck. At the time of installation, the EXOBOX is already fully assembled and ready to use. The only work left to do on site are a few final touches and the connections.

Every EXOBOX comes with a number of small heating elements. If you use the EXOBOX as a garden office or tiny house, we can equip it with a heat pump with heating and cooling capabilities.

The roof of the EXOBOX consists of corrugated zinc plate, which is perfectly suitable to secure solar panel mounts to. We advise you to mount the solar panels at an angle to maximise their efficiency.

Yes, every EXOBOX comes with a 100 mm insulation layer in the floor, ceiling and walls. Will it be used as a living area? Or are there specific requirements? We will gladly adjust the thickness.

It is perfectly possible to install a green roof on the EXOBOX. It provides additional insulation and blends nicely into the greenery of your garden.

The EXOBOX features a steel frame, making every type of finish possible. The sturdy support structure allows the use of materials that in other cases would be too large or too heavy to clad such units with. Just think of timber, aluminium, mirrors, etc.

Every EXOBOX is personal. Every detail in the EXOBOX – from flooring and wall cladding to switches and lighting – can be customised. We will be happy to show you the various options and take you through the aesthetic and technical process of designing the EXOBOX.

Our EXOBOX team consists of a landscaper and a cabinetmaker. We will be happy to advise you on the best spot for the EXOBOX and the design of the garden. All that is needed for the EXOBOX to blend in with its surroundings. We can also take care of finishing the landscaping afterwards.

Prices

HOW MUCH DOES AN EXOBOX COST?

Depending on the intended use of the EXOBOX, the materials used and the finish, prices vary between 1,800 and 2,200 euros exclusive of VAT/m².

  1. Assistance in the permitting process, including surveying, plotting and 3D.
  2. All-inclusive service during the building process.
  3. Your EXOBOX, fuse box and heating included, completely ready to move in to.
  4. Connection to water mains, sewerage, power grid, home automation and internet.

The modules we deliver are always fully finished. We do not supply hulls or other intermediate solutions for we firmly believe in the quality of our all-in package. In the design and the techniques, as well as the entire process from plan to installation. We provide an all-inclusive service, we won’t go for less.

You are of course free to make adjustments to your EXOBOX afterwards, at your own responsibility.

Still a question for us?

Tell us what your wishes are and we will design your EXOBOX to match them perfectly.
We will sit down together to see how to position your EXOBOX to its best advantage in your garden.
All is possible, nothing is obligatory. It is OK for you to relax and let us handle everything.

Let’s talk!