Start your restoration and renovation project in France

Planning the Project

I am assuming here that you will more or less project manage the renovation yourself. Of course, many people hand the entire renovation across to someone else.  See Project Managers for a few thoughts on this.

As part of the process of obtaining planning permission you will probably have discussed the plans with an architect or architectural designer, and you will now have obtained approval for your project.

DO NOT START A PROJECT WITHOUT THE NECESSARY PLANNING PERMISSIONS!

Make sure you have lots of copies of the plans. Everybody from the electrician to the maçon will want a copy, and despite their promises to return the plans promptly, many will never be seen again. NEVER under any circumstances let the original, approved documents out of your possession, to be photocopied or for any other reason.

 So what do you do next?

You are eager to get things under way as soon as possible, and you may even have got quotes for some parts of the work while waiting for the planning permission to come through. If not, check the quotes page for information.

You might be living in a caravan on site or in local rented accommodation while the project takes place. This puts you under pressure, as you want things to happen immediately, and they don't.

Two 'semi detached cottages'. The one on the left has got the stonework right, the shutter colour right, and has used a wooden support for the overhanging roof.

This is important, because it can lead you to make decisions you might regret later. If you choose your workmen on the basis that they promise to start next month rather than in three months, you might not make the best decision. Why are they available so soon? Have they been recommended to you? 

What will you do when a month has come and gone and they have not started? Or the work has started and they have then disappeared for months on end? Will you pull out of the agreement and choose different workers, with further delays involved? Probably not. And if you think you will, make sure it is very clear and in writing that your accepting the quote is based on agreed start and finish dates.

If you use various different teams and companies for the work, you will need to coordinate them. Your carefully sketched out project plan showing 'electrician, two weeks starting 1st June, floor tiling, three weeks starting 30 June,' etc will change every week and you will need to keep those involved up to date with changes. If the tiler turns up to start and there is no floor to tile he will not be completely happy and you will go to the back of the queue again. Taking the kitchen and bathroom fitters with you.

 

Nonetheless you should prepare a realistic plan that lists all the material work involved, with anticipated start and end dates, and make sure that the jobs follow in the correct sequence. I have listed the major tasks and their relationship in time in the order of works page. You might like to use that plan as a starting point for your project, factoring in elements specific to your own project as required.