Ypres (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The historic water tower on Dikkebusweg in Ypres, over 100 years old and protected since 2009, is for sale for €250,000–€300,000. Bought for €130,000 in 2022, its owners abandoned apartment plans. Now permitted for a vacation home with 3 units. Real estate agent Frédéric Verslyp confirms 2 interested buyers.
The water tower on Dikkebusweg in Ypres, Belgium is for sale. Officials mentioned that now its price is higher than when it was sold in 2022. The new owners wanted to turn it into apartments, but they changed their minds. Now, the tower has a permit to become a vacation home.
The owner mentioned that the plan is to make it into 3 different vacation spaces. But the tower itself is being sold as one big space. The buyer has to do any work needed to make it a vacation home. He said it’s an investment, not a ready-to-use vacation home.
It is a holiday home with 3 parts, but the water tower is sold as 1 whole. The intention is that the buyer carries out the work,
says Frédéric Verslyp
Is Ypres’ historic water tower set to become a vacation home?
According to the officials, the water tower in Ypres is a special place. It’s old and has a great view from the top, which is 34 meters high. The view is one of the reasons people are interested in buying it. They mentioned that getting to the top is hard because people have to climb up ladders.
According to Frédéric Verslyp, it’s unusual to turn a water tower into a vacation home in Belgium. It could be a good place to rent out for short trips, but people can’t live there permanently because it’s not in the right area. The tower is for sale for between €250,000 and €300,000. 2 people already want to buy it.
A holiday home in a water tower seems to me unique in our country. Also for me as a seller,
says Frédéric Verslyp
The water tower on Dikkebusweg in Ypres is over 100 years old. It was built to bring water from the nearby Dikkebusvijver to the people of Ypres. The tower can hold 500m³of water. In 2009, it was made a protected building. The tower is still in good shape.
In 2022, The Watergroep sold the water tower for €130,000. A family-owned business in Deerlijk bought it. They wanted to turn the tower into modern apartments to sell. But a real estate agent named Frédéric Verslyp said they changed their minds.
No one knows why they changed their minds. He mentioned that the tower might not be used even though it is important for history and could be a nice place to live or work.
Father and son wanted to build lofts to sell, but those plans have changed,
says Frédéric Verslyp
