Property Renovation

Some fortunate people are in the position that they have sufficient funds upfront to pay for both the property to renovate, and also for the renovation work itself.

For many others, the dream of renovating a property can’t wait until the funds exist, and the project needs additional funding. Therefore the problem of finding a mortgage and choosing the best financing method arises.

The following suggestions about French property mortgages apply mainly to those who are keeping their employment , and a home, in the UK during (and perhaps after) the renovation work. It would be difficult, probably impossible, to simply arrive in France without any employment and immediately get a mortgage to buy a run-down house to renovate. Read more

One day the project will actually be complete! When the workers are on the point of leaving, you need to check that all the work is completed as planned. Specifically, you need to check that the work has been completed as per the devis, and that you are satisfied with the work.

As the work has been progressing you will have been monitoring progress, and checking that things are happening as you expect. By a stroke of good planning, the entire workforce will disappear each day from midday to 2pm, giving you ample opportunity to check things over without looking as if you don’t trust them. It is worth doing this if possible. On one occasion we had doorways added that were 50cm too low; on another, a wall was built without leaving a hole for the window to be added later. These things do happen, and they are much easier to correct straight away than to alter them later on. Read more

Start with a large sheet of paper and a floor plan for your project. Even better get several photocopies so when all the lines and scribbling become to much you can start again! You are best preparing this plan although you will not be installing the system yourself, for the sake of clarity in discussions with your electrician.

Firstly designate the ‘critical’ sockets - those that must be in the correct position. These include the sockets for the appliances such as the oven, the washing machine, dishwasher, fridges / freezers, boiler and ‘above the work-surface’ kitchen sockets. The position of these sockets needs to be shown very accurately. Because all these appliances need dedicated electricity supplies from the main distribution box it is not possible to simply use ‘a spare socket’.
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I strongly recommend that you do not do your electrical installation yourself, unless you are a qualified electrician and familiar with French electricity regulations There are also regulations concerning this.

There are some factors you should consider when you buy an old property. See PLANNING AN ELECTRICAL LAYOUT (elsewhere in this electricity category) for some suggestions about how to approach the planning of your electrical system. See below for general information.

Old Installations

First thing, if your property has an old electrical installation, your priority is to get a qualified electrician to verify that it is still safe to use at all. Ancient ceramic sockets, dangling wiring, wooden conduits and plugs that fizzle when you unplug them are all often encountered. You will almost certainly want to replace your electrics if you have any or all of these.

I suggest getting this done at an early stage in the renovation process. Apart from the ‘physical danger’ aspects of an old wiring system, the channelling of walls to add new electrical wiring can be very disruptive to the entire house.
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The first consideration for doors, windows and shutters is that they need to be in character with the building, in terms of their style, and their shape and size. Study some of the other buildings of a similar age and style in your region, preferably those that have not yet been renovated, to determine the traditional style.

Adding new openings in an existing building

All new openings in walls for doors and windows require that a declaration of work be given to the local mairie.

If you are adding new openings to an existing building, so that doors and windows can be added, the big challenge is to add these new openings so that they appear natural for the building. With a project such as a barn conversion this is a significant problem, because the barns didn’t originally have these openings, so who can say what is ‘authentic’.

Look for clues. The age of the building is of course the biggest clue of all, and its style of construction. You will find that windows above a certain size were never added, or that windows were never symmetrical with each other. Stone lintels were usually only used for openings up to a metre wide or so, with wood lintels being used for any larger openings.
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Your first French experience of a DIY store (bricolage store) could be a daunting one if you are more used to Homebase type shops in the UK, which focus on paint colours, home ornaments, extension leads and light fittings, garden furniture and so on. These kind of ‘department store’ DIY shops are less common in France, although they are becoming more frequent around the larger towns.

The range of products that are available in French DIY shops is not necessarily smaller, but it is different.

Your bricolage store in France will have a smaller range of paint colours, for example. But if you want chemicals - acids, cleaning chemicals etc - you will find them all. The electrical fittings will look different - a light fitting or a wall socket will usually be sold as its component parts, rather than one pre-packaged socket. Unfortunately you can’t usually replace mauve paint with neat hydrochloric acid, so you need to adjust!

There is often an offputting range of devices and mechanisms for trapping and killing any vermin that enter your home, and a large selection of clothes for hunters will be available.
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Words and expressions on your French building estimate (devis)

When you have received a quote, assuming that you are using a French builder, it will be in French! Sometimes (often…always…) this can cause problems of comprehension, so in this section I have listed some of the more common expressions used, with their English language equivalent. The lists are divided as: ‘General’, ‘Building’, ‘Electricity’, ‘Plumbing’ and ‘Roofing and Carpentry’.

General

General
Apparent: visible

Devis: quotation for work

Diverse: various

Enterré: buried
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There are some items that you expect to see on all quotes you receive for your building works.

- The administrative details about the enterprise: name, address, phone number, SIRET number / SARL details

- The date the quote was prepared, and also the period within which the quoted price is valid

- A breakdown in detail of the goods that are to be supplied. This includes the quantity, the price per unit, and the number of units (e.g. 15 square metres of quarry tiles at 22 euros per square metre) Read more

Up-Front and Initial Payments

On one or two occasions we were asked for a small (10%) payment just as the work began, because the cost of materials involved was high. More frequently we were asked for stage payments as work progressed, but these never exceeded the value of the work already done.

We never paid anything in advance of the work beginning, or at the time of accepting a quote, and we never paid a large percentage of the total upfront. Neither should you. On the other hand, we always paid bills promptly when they arrived. Most artisans are small businesses, and can do without waiting months for you to pay. Word will get around the other tradesmen in the area pretty soon if you are a slow payer, or dispute your bills unnecessarily. Read more

Accepting Quotes and devis

Quotes need to be accepted in writing. If your written French is poor, a couple of sentences saying ‘We accept your devis of [date], number[ref]. Please confirm how soon you can start’ should be managed.

It is sometimes suggested that you try adding a clause that the quote be conditional on a certain start or completion date. I doubt if this will help you too much. Even if the dates (and the whole devis) are not rejected by the builder, there will be little you can do about it if the work does start late. Are you seriously going to take the plumber to a French court if he is behind schedule? I know some people like to try and insert penalty clauses in case a delay occurs. In my opinion, developing a positive relationship with your workers will get better results, but you may consider it worthwhile. Read more