A guide to property renovations in France
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Loading... - Brielle Durand
- 06 Jun 2022
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Congratulations if you’re the new owner of a French property! Once you’ve bought a home in France, you have several options for renovating and decorating your French property. Here’s a guide on how to go about renovating, decorating and furnishing your new home; your legal obligations to maintain the safety of your property; and how to make a little spare money by renting out an empty outbuilding.
Renovations, decorations and fitting it out
You may move into your new French home and be completely happy with it the way it is. But it’s far more likely that you’ll want to make a few changes or even undertake major renovations. Either way, you’ll probably need to buy a whole host of household items to furnish and equip your new home.
Planning to keep the property for a relatively short time? Cosmetic changes (new color scheme or decorations) may be enough; if you’re planning on staying longer term, then you may want to carry out more major work. Always bear in mind whether the work you do adds value to the property. Ensure you have proper planning permission to carry it out. Ask at your local town hall (mairie) for the Code de l’Urbanisme, which covers all the French planning rules and regulations.
Whatever the level of work, plan and budget thoroughly, and always build in a contingency. Ask neighbours to recommend local tradesmen to carry out the works and always get several quotes (devis) beforehand. If you’re not going to be around all the time to supervise the works you’ll probably find that schedules will slip. See if you can organize someone to project manage in your absence. It’s a good idea to use French-sourced materials in your home. That way, they can be installed to existing services without any problems.
Here are some of the main places to go to buy what you need.
Building materials, fixtures and fittings and DIY
Whether you want to build or decorate an entire house or just need a hook to hang a picture, then head to giants like Bricorama, Leroy Merlin, Mr. Bricolage or Point P. Ciffréo Bona specialises in building materials, and Kiloutou has for hire all the equipment or machinery you need, from a digger to a damp detector.
While most of the DIY stores sell laminate and wood flooring and tiles, Mondial Moquette offers a wider range of flooring as well as carpets, while Saint Maclou specialises in flooring, carpets, wallpapers, and paints.
Castorama sells all things practical for inside and outside the house – including the kitchen sink. Lapeyre sells fixtures and fittings for kitchens, bathrooms and doors, and offers an installation service.
Household goods
When it comes to buying appliances and other household items, check out the huge French hypermarkets like Carrefour, Auchan and Leclerc. You’ll find at least one of them on the outskirts of almost every large town. They stock almost everything you’ll need to furnish your new home at great prices: TVs, phones, computers, white goods, kitchen appliances, bedding, crockery, DIY, garden furniture and more. Just about the only items you won’t find here will be indoor furniture, carpets, flooring and curtains.
Darty stores specialise in household appliances, TV/audio goods, and phones at competitive prices. Department stores BHV and FNAC are also worth a look for a wide range of household items.
Furniture
French chains selling sofas, beds, and other household furniture, household appliances large and small, and garden furniture, include BHV, BUT and Fly (also sells nicely designed kitchens). For cheap and cheerful, go to Conforama. Or there’s always IKEA.
Gardens
