testimonial — Kristel and Peter and her brother live next to each other in two semi-detached Skilpods

Kristel is one of our biggest fans. The kind who, if she sees a casual passerby admiring her home, would walk out to tell them all about Skilpod. She lives with her partner Peter in on one side of a combination of half-open Skilpods. Her brother Marc lives on the other side.

Originally, she was looking for an apartment, but she quickly dropped that idea. Someone had told her about Skilpod once, and it had stuck in her mind. She went on a quest for a new home in all the usual places, Immowebsites, Biddit, anything you could think of. In the end, the solution turned out to be closer than expected: her sister who lives in the US owned a piece of building land in Belgium that she could buy.

She already started dreaming of a #144, but finally opted for a combination of two half-open #100 Skilpods. Her brother Marc was looking for a home at the same time, and they managed to get the building lot subdivided at the same time as some other administrative matters. Because it is a sloping lot, they were able to expand the Skilpods with a basement. Ideal for Marc and Peter, who can make good use of the extra space for their work equipment. They can store a car and trailer, several bicycles and so much more.

Fun fact: Marc works in construction himself, so he was in the perfect position to see if Skilpod was doing a good job. After talking to a former Skilpod employee, he was convinced it would be an investment with top returns.

In the end, Kristel is very pleased with the half-open combination.

"Skilpod diligently went over the possible variations in left and right with us. We chose not to mirror the two sides exactly. That way you have a different view each time depending on which side you approach the house from."

The only downside to her choice was that not everything was ground floor. But even that turned out better than expected. "We landscaped the yard so that a wheelchair can always get upstairs, and you can drive the car all the way to the front door. That's nice for bringing in groceries, but also when my mother visits with her walker. She can easily get around everywhere up here."

Space is plenty. Her dining area has a large table that seats eight, enough for the whole family or a group of friends. There's always room for someone to join them.

"On holidays, with an extra table, we can even get 15 people in here easily. We did put an extra fridge in the storage room for all the food and drinks."

So she recommends everyone to go to an open workshop or visit a show home to get a sense of the space. "It's bigger than it looks."

why Kristel loves Skilpod

• You don't have to choose much. I didn't want to think too much. Some may see that as a disadvantage, but for me it was a big advantage.
• The windows are very low maintenance and very reflective. You can't really look inside, which is nice for privacy.
• The price was correct from start to finish. What was on the quote is what I paid. That is the single biggest advantage of Skilpod.

what we noticed

• The pool in the garden. Yes, we're jealous.
• How Kristel with clever use of space managed to set up 3 full-size bedrooms in her Skilpod. Handy for when the kids and her sister from the US come to visit.
• The fun homemade staircase at the back door, which incorporates the tiles from the patio.

Published: 22 November 2023