B&S New build Construction
interview with Ian Laverock
Find more about Renovations Projects in our interview with Iain Laverock
“What are the building restrictions in France? Can I build whatever I want?”
In France, every city has a « Plan Local d’Urbanisme », usually called PLU. This document is related to a map that organizes the land in different areas, such as « patrimony city center », « industrial area », « commercial area », « natural landscapes », « agriculture lands »… Absolutely all the rules about the height, the type, the use, the materials, the distances, the surfaces that are allowed and forbidden are described. As soon as you find a land, in order to collect all these rules, you can :
Meet an Architect that will advise you both on the rules applied to your land through his own experience and through a «Certificat d’Urbanisme». He will help you to find the good balance between your project, your budget and the potential of the land.
Meet the « Service Urbanisme » at the city hall of that specific area to get the informations through their services. They usually recommend you to ask for a « Certificat d’Urbanisme» too.
“What is the planning permission process in France? How long does it take? What happens if I make changes to the plans?”
Any housing construction requires a « Permis de Construire ». According to the rules applied to your land, this will take, between 3 and 5 months before you receive the decision from the city hall, according to the situation of your land, and the specific rules that the PLU defines. You want to change something on your projet afterwards ? No worry, you can ask for a « Permis de Construire Modificatif ». It will take another couple of months to be judged by the city hall.
“Is it something I am able to do by myself ? And how do I find someone to manage the project for me in France?”
In terms of Law, to make sure your new house respect the PLU and to make sure you won’t get surprises neither with your budget nor with the the feasibility of the project, any construction bigger than 150sqm has to be lead by an architect. You were planning to build a smaller house ? Don’t worry, architects can also help you to make the most of your projects, with all the personal care for your budget and your needs and respecting all the PLU rules : don’t hesitate to get in touch with us or our fellows.
“What are the average Project Management costs for a new build? And how is it organized ?”
There is no legal limit for the cost of an architectural project : each architect has his own price. But before you make your decision to work with one or another, you should read carefully what includes the proposal. Some of our fellows don’t follow the construction phase known as the tough part of the project for example. Therefore the cheapest or the fastest ones may not give you the care your project actually deserves. Talking about our own business : according to the complexity of your project (budget/needs/urban rules/calendar etc.) we define a cost that will include everything that depends on us : You will not have any surprise later on. About how a project is organized, here come the 7 steps we usually follow :
1 - The First Meeting
We collect all informations about urban rules, the conditions of the land for the foundations of the house, the infra-structures, the budget you have and the house you dream of. You are not sure about one of them or none of them? Don’t worry, through our experience we can help you to define more clearly any of them.
2 - The Proposal
Based on these informations we draw an « Esquisse », make a physical model, collect references etc. They will help us to show you the project we have imagined. As our client, you feel free to share all and any doubts, remarks, suggestions you may have on that base. From this conversation raises a project that fits perfectly your expectations, your budget and the PLU.
3 - The Permis de Construire
According to the rules of the PLU, we prepare the « Permis de Construire » and follow the evolution of the project, answering the eventual questions of the city hall until they give their final decision.
4 - The « Etudes »
Meanwhile the project is approved, we develop the project in every single detail. We define both the way things will be built and their finishing. We choose the materials together, according to some samples we especially asked for. At the end of this step we have two heavy files of Graphic Elements, such as plans, sections, façades, details, partial drawings, renders, photographies, models etc. and Written Elements, such as List Of Works, List of Materials, Calendar, Proposals etc. We are now able to give you a very close price for the construction.
5 - The Building Companies
As soon as the two files are done, and as soon as you have agreed with all the decisions they include, we start looking for building companies. We collect at least 3 proposals for all different parts of the project : structure, infra-structure, electricity, plumbery, walls, doors, windows, paintings etc… We compare them between themselves and between the amount we shared with you at the end of the « Etudes ». If the final decision to work with one company or another has to be yours, we usually recommend to take the closest to the average cost of the construction.
6 - The Construction
From the first day of construction until the very last, we follow the building construction in order to make sure that everything is done according to the project, the calendar and the budget. As an expert, we make sure things are built according to the « Bien Construire ». As our client, we give you regular news about its raise, ask your opinion on every detail that requires it and tell you when works has been correctly done and can be paid.
7 - Home Sweet Home
You can now enter and enjoy your new Home. You can feel the atmosphere you had seen in the models, the 3D renders and our sketches. You can enjoy the space, the functionality, the comfort, the light and the shadows, that we could only make you imagine until now. You are happy and so are we.
“How much are the average building costs in France (per m2)?”
This naturally depends on the level of your investment, the complexity and the location of the project. However let’s divide it in 3 general categories :
1- Low budget : 2000€/m2 (standard materials, simple forms)
2- Average budget : 3000€/m2 (many details are chosen to be developed with better materials, the kitchen, the bathroom, the fireplace, the terrace…)
3- Good Budget : 4500€/m2 and above (middle/high quality of materials in all the project)
“How can we be sure that the budget will be respected along its construction ?”
The only way to be sure that your project won’t cost you more than expected is to spend the good amount of time on the preparation of the construction on the « Etudes » phase. As architects, in our office we draw, work and study every detail of the project, exactly in order to avoid the bad surprises on the construction : The only reason of Extra-Cost is always the lack of « Etudes » before.
“I want to build a really unique house in France. What are the current trends for new builds in France?”
That is already a good start ! As architects we also deeply believe that every house should be unique. Unique because every family, every land, every project is different. This is actually what turns our job amazing. The needs of our clients are always the same just as they are always different. On the other hand, Architecture, by its own condition, has a very long relation with Time. Buildings lasts for decades if not centuries. Therefore, the choice of the materials and the shapes has to be timeless. For instance, in our own practice, we work with natural materials such as wood, tiles, stone, lime. We don’t hesitate to study the traditional construction techniques of the area. By mixing this knowledge with our present needs, in terms of comfort, security and technologies we make sure our architecture approaches this timeless quality.