The floor is giving way underfoot, the windows are draughty, and the bathroom smells of damp when you open it up after winter. The holiday home is supposed to be easy and pleasant — but a neglected house is the opposite. And every year you wait, the bill gets bigger.
Here is an overview of what holiday home renovation costs, and what makes most sense.
What defines the typical holiday home?
Most Danish holiday homes were built between 1960 and 1990. Typical features:
- Timber frame construction. Lightweight walls with timber cladding and 50–100 mm insulation.
- Low foundation. Often on piles, concrete supports or a simple strip foundation. Crawl space with risk of moisture.
- Roofing felt or fibre cement. Roofing felt on flat roofs, fibre cement panels or corrugated sheets on pitched roofs.
- Minimal insulation. 50–75 mm in walls, 100 mm in loft — designed for summer use.
- Simple plumbing. Small water heater, simple shower, often with a septic tank or holding tank.
- No vapour barrier. Many holiday homes from the 1960s–70s lack a vapour barrier, which causes moisture problems in insulation and structure.
What does it cost?
New roof: 80,000–200,000 DKK Roofing felt lasts 20–30 years, fibre cement must be replaced due to asbestos risk. New roof with roofing felt (cheapest) or steel panels (longer lifespan). Check the roof structure for rot before laying new material on top.
Insulation: 30,000–100,000 DKK Top-up insulation of loft (extra 150–200 mm): 10,000–25,000 DKK. Walls: 20,000–60,000 DKK for internal lining with glass wool and new vapour barrier. Floor: 15,000–40,000 DKK for insulating the crawl space from below.
New bathroom: 60,000–150,000 DKK Wet room waterproofing, new floor with falls, new pipes, toilet and shower. In holiday homes with a septic tank, check whether the existing system can handle the increased load.
New windows: 40,000–100,000 DKK Old windows with single or double glazing. Replacement with triple energy glazing gives markedly better comfort — especially in spring and autumn.
New facade: 40,000–120,000 DKK Timber cladding needs painting every 6–8 years. Neglected timber is attacked by rot. New cladding in cedar, larch or pressure-treated timber — or fibre cement panels for low maintenance.
New floor: 20,000–80,000 DKK Many holiday homes have timber floors on joists with moisture damage. New floor with proper insulation and vapour barrier underneath.
Complete renovation: 5,000–12,000 DKK/m² — for a 60–80 m² holiday home: 300,000–960,000 DKK.
Moisture — holiday homes’ number one enemy
Holiday homes stand cold and empty in winter. This causes moisture:
- Condensation. Cold air holds less moisture. When temperature fluctuates, moisture condenses on cold surfaces — walls, windows, roof structure.
- Crawl space. Moisture from the ground travels up into the floor structure. Without ventilation and a ground vapour barrier, it attacks insulation and timber.
- No heating. An unheated home with moisture causes mould. Frost protection (5–8°C) is the minimum — but 10–12°C is better for the structure.
The solution: better insulation, proper vapour barrier, crawl space ventilation, and minimum heating in winter.
Rules for holiday homes
Holiday homes are in designated holiday areas with specific rules:
- Plot coverage ratio: Typically 15% — a small building footprint. Check the local plan.
- Year-round occupation: Not permitted unless you are a pensioner or have year-round status. Insulation is legal, but year-round habitation requires a permit.
- Building permit: Extensions, new roof with changed form, or facade changes require a permit. Maintenance and insulation normally do not.
- Coastal protection: Holiday homes within 300 m of the coast fall within the coastal protection zone. New buildings and extensions require a dispensation.
Which holiday homes are most at risk?
Houses from 1960–70. Minimal insulation, missing vapour barrier, often with fibre cement roof (asbestos). Greatest renovation need.
Houses close to water. Higher air humidity, risk of flooding, salt in the air that wears on materials.
Houses used infrequently. The longer the periods without heating and ventilation, the greater the moisture damage. A holiday home used only four weeks a year deteriorates faster than one used every weekend.
Houses with unlawful extensions. Many holiday homes have been extended without a building permit. This can cause problems at sale and with insurance.
Sequence and timeline
Renovate in the right sequence:
- Roof and structure. Ensure a watertight roof and sound load-bearing structure. Rot in rafters and beams requires immediate attention.
- Building envelope. Insulation, new windows, vapour barrier. Make the house tight before spending money on interior renovation.
- Plumbing and electrical. New pipes, drainage and electrical installation.
- Interior. Bathroom, kitchen, floors, surfaces.
Plan work in spring (April–June) — dry weather and a long building season. Many contractors have waiting lists in holiday home areas during high season, so book early.
A holiday home of 60–80 m² can be completely renovated in 4–8 weeks with good contractors. Sub-projects (new roof, new bathroom) each take 1–3 weeks.
Energy consumption and finances
An unrenovated holiday home typically uses 8,000–15,000 kWh/year if heated to frost protection level in winter. With insulation and new windows, consumption can be halved.
Many holiday homes have direct electric heating — the most expensive way to heat. An air-to-air heat pump (15,000–30,000 DKK) reduces electricity consumption by 50–60% and provides both heating and cooling.
Rental income and finances
Planning to rent out the holiday home? The renovation can be tailored:
- Robust bathroom with large tiles (easier cleaning) and a sturdy shower enclosure
- Hard-wearing floors — vinyl or pressure-treated timber flooring
- Good insulation — the rental season extends by 2–3 months if the house can be used in early and late season
Rental through agencies typically yields 50,000–150,000 DKK/year for a renovated holiday home in a good location. This can finance part of the renovation over 5–10 years.
How to move forward
The holiday home is often simpler to renovate than a year-round home — smaller area, simpler structure, fewer installations. But moisture problems are greater, and the rules are different. Start by finding out what the house actually needs, so you spend money in the right place.
Insulation is one of the most effective measures in holiday homes — especially roof and floor. And if the holiday home has moisture problems, it may be related to the structure: read about damp in walls and rot and fungal decay.
Sources: Bolius — holiday home, Danish Energy Agency