Riggend15

Hi
We are thinking in buying a building plot with planning permission in France, is it as simple to build out in France as it is in uk or would I be better buying a property to renovate ?

dmu

Hi, can't help with comparisons between UK and France, but it appears to be just as complicated to build anew as to renovate, at least from the Administrative standpoint.
Others more in the know will come along to advise, I simply wanted to say
Welcome to the Forum!

bigglesworth

You will get a range of views, but perhaps a bit more information on your ultimate plans would be helpful.
Myself, I decided to renovate. Big plus - nice large airy rooms (volumes) lots of character.
BIG minus - bank balance. Renovation is expensive, even if you do it yourself, and the strength of the Euro takes it back to the levels of two years ago. At the end of the day, you also have to accept that renovating old houses here is not something anyone here does for profit. There are the exceptions, but generally buying a house for x and spending y on it does NOT make it worth X+Y. Perhaps X + 10 percent if you are lucky.
Buying a plot allows you greater control over the amount of land. Bear in mind your age. If you are 30 not such an issue, but if you are in your 50s you will be surprised how quickly 60+ comes around, and all those lovely acres have to be managed.
We are very happy with our renovation. But be aware of the pitfalls. A renovation can be an absolute money pit. And an awful lot of maintenance in the future. Those sous-sols on the lotissements start to look awfully tempting. There is a reason French people love them.

cyrian

Hi,
You haven't said what area you are looking at but around us there are loads of "new build" companies that build bungalows or villas.
These are really popular with the french,
Their advantages are:
Modern insulation - lower heating bills.
Modern building standards - no timber beams for insects to eat.
Modern services - water; electricity and possibly broadband.
Modern "smart" electric meters.
Large rooms are all very well but consider the heating costs.
They come with exterior finishing including driveways; fences and gates.
Have a look around the towns in your chosen area for such builders.
Good luck.

Riggend15

Hi

Thank you for your reply , I can not quite work out this site so not sure if this is how I reply . Do you live in France ?

Kind regards Natalie

InVinoVeritas

Your best bet (financially) would be picking up a distressed sale but it depends what your priorities are and, of course, your preferred area.

Riggend15

We have been looking at Poitou-Charentes, as seems the weather is very similar to the Riviera but a fraction of the price . My husband is a builder so would be doing the work
Ourselves, and want to Very soon as we still have youth on our side , want to have a base in the uk and in France . We have a a few lovely renovation projects and land with planning so I guess we just need to fly out and do
Some more research.

bigglesworth

Depends what you want Riggend. I am in the Poitou Charentes. A lot on here will tell you there are too many Brits here. There are certainly a lot.
But there are reasons they are here. Some want the support of a large English speaking community - not the same of course if you plan on integrating, but many find that hard.
Many want the convenience of fast road transport back to the UK, a choice of several convenient airports and the old (and new) TGV connections to Paris and London. Also straight down to Spain in a few hours. We certainly wanted that. Not for ourselves, but so that our family could get here easily. That has worked well, we see MUCH more of them than we would in the UK or if we were somewhere more remote in France.
The weather is good in the summer. In the winter, like a lot of France, it is often damp and cold. An awful lot of French people come here for their holidays too. July and August are pretty busy. We are near the coast, not that far from skiing, plenty of plans d'eau for swimming, and surrounded by countryside. What's not to like?

cyrian

If you are replying to a specific post then use the "quote" button just under the post on the right. If it is a general reply then use the "new reply" button on the left.
If your OH is doing the building then he would have to use french tradesmen to comply with french standards and "sign off" the work. Otherwise you could have problems when you come to sell the property.
The electric and plumbing are totally different from the UK.
Plaster in France is different from plaster in the UK.
If you use french tradesmen then you benefit from a reduced rate of VAT - if you do-it-yourself then you pay the full rate of 20%.
In France, a building project has a large project board at the entrance with all the building warrants from the Mairie and there are dozens of them - unlike the UK.
Your OH needs to go round some building sites in France and pick up as much info as possible.
Good luck

Riggend15

Sounds ideal, was not aware of a lot of Brits out there so that's a good thing , I will need to learn the language and my son is 12 so not sore if we should move lock stock or let him finish school here and have it as a holiday home . Do you know what the high schools are like and do you need private health care in France

Shirtback

How fluent is your son's French? Even very fluent/bilingual he's likely to struggle to assimilate into French school &/or understand/catch up on the French curriculum at that age.

Healthcare: see long running sticky thread on the subject.

graham.miln

We are currently building a new home in France; you can see our building progress on https://loveallier.com/house/welcome

The building process has been the smoothest part so far but that is not to say it has been easy. Buying the land took two years and was time consuming and difficult.

Once you know where you want to buy land and build, try to find the local house builders. Search for terms including "construction maison neuve <your area>". These organisations seem very localised and should make building in their area easier. Some of them also sell house and land packages.

Riggend15

[QUOTE=graham.miln;11918322]We are currently building a new home in France; you can see our building progress on https://loveallier.com/house/welcome

The building process has been the smoothest part so far but that is not to say it has been easy. Buying the land took two years and was time consuming and difficult.

Once you know where you want to buy land and build, try to find the local house builders. Search for terms including "construction maison neuve <your area>". These organisations seem very localised and should make building in their area easier. Some of them also sell house and land packages.

Which part of France are you building , I clicked onto the link but nothing is coming up .

Riggend15

We do not speak any all , so would be sensible to just have a holiday home to
Start with then.

Riggend15

Glad I asked about building and registrations , probably be better buying something that is habitable and just needs some tlc especially being our first project , can always build something once we know more about the French way