For her internship at the end of her university degree, Sophie had the opportunity to spend six months in the US. She had a great time, and was able to experience Halloween the way it’s supposed to be, just like she’d seen in the movies. It’s traditional in America for the streets to transform into rows of haunted houses, each more elaborately decorated than the next, and for residents to dress up as all kinds of different characters. This year, to mark the occasion of Shauna’s arrival in Luxembourg, Sophie is planning to invite her to a US-style Halloween.
Getting the most out of your home renovation
Sophie used to dream of a house with a big kitchen garden where she could grow vegetables and pretty rose bushes to her heart’s content. When she and Marc found their home, it wasn’t in the best condition – but they jumped at the chance to sign on the dotted line without really thinking about how much it would cost to repair. Now, a few years later, they have finally decided to tackle their renovation project.
It was the house’s character that Marc loved. From the pretty parquet flooring in the hall to the colourful mosaic bathroom tiles, a loft space with huge development potential, a garage and a garden – all in a gorgeous location. After just one visit, he and Sophie could already see themselves starting a family there.
That was six years ago: and, since all the previous owners did was general house maintenance, the time has come for Sophie and Marc to start their renovation. If they went one step at a time, they would never see the end of it – instead, they want it done and dusted.
After all these years, they still love their house as much as ever, but they can’t ignore the fact that their energy bills have shot up (and not just since the arrival of baby Lily, either). The house dates back to the 1930s, so all Sophie and Marc need to do to save some money – and more importantly, reduce their carbon footprint – is renovate.
In addition to a greener home, they want to make their renovation project sustainable and energy efficient too, so they turned to their bank for advice.
For Sophie and Marc, turning to their bank for advice on their renovation project was a natural choice. Firstly, they wanted to know how much they were going to be able to borrow for the work, bearing in mind they had already taken out a loan for the house six years ago, and secondly, they had heard from neighbours that the bank also offered advice on sustainable projects.
They soon had an appointment booked to discuss their renovation ideas with their adviser.
During the meeting with their adviser, a simulator specially designed for new builds and renovation projects was used to give Sophie and Marc plenty of valuable information. Not only did they obtain a list of all the grants that their project was eligible for, but they were also told everything they needed to know about the various grant applications they had to fill in, including whether to submit them before or after the work took place.
Grants and subsidies for renovation projects and new builds
Although Sophie and Marc already vaguely knew about public grants, their adviser also told them about the private grants available. He even walked them through how to get them, as well as providing an estimate of the total grant amount they could be eligible for, making their project an even more appealing prospect 😉.