Renovating a house in France (UK guide): costs, permits and more

Is renovating a French château on your bucket list? Or maybe you’re considering refurbishing houses in France and flipping them? We’re here to tell you everything about it and take you through the process.

In this guide, we’ll cover the pros and cons of renovating a house in France, break down all the costs and go through all the permits you’ll need to obtain. Also, we’ll tell you what you should be aware of before committing to anything.

Finally, since renovation can be chaotic and quite expensive, you’ll definitely want a way to make this process less stressful. The Wise account enables you to send large amounts of money between the UK and France for low, transparent fees*.

This means you could cover any upfront payments by saving on exchange rate markups or hidden conversion fees. And with the Wise account you can auto-convert your pounds to euros at the mid-market rate as you spend, to help you save even more.

Is it worth buying a house to renovate in France?

People choose to renovate a house in France for different reasons. Some want a holiday property or even a second home, while others plan to renovate in order to rent or sell property in France.

But before you make your decision, you should first consider whether renovating property is something that would work for you. Just like building from scratch, there are lots of things you’ll need to plan out and pay for.

To sum it up, here are the pros and cons to renovating a house in France:

Pros:

• Cheaper than new construction
• Faster completion time compared to building from scratch
• Allows more creativity than simply buying a home in France
• You could get financial aid through some schemes¹

Cons:

• Existing structures can limit changes

• Longer waiting times for additional permits

  

Where to purchase a property to renovate in France

If you want to make the buying process easier, hire an agent to help you find the perfect property for you in France. But if you’d like to look through some houses online alone, these are some famous French estate agents and property websites:

• Leboncoin.fr
• Pap.fr
• Seloger.com
• Bienici.com
• Green-acres.fr

What to consider when renovating a house in France

Refurbishing a house is challenging even in the UK, let alone in a foreign country. There’s always a chance that you’ll encounter a bump in the road, such as having problems with permits or not keeping up with your schedule.

So, something you should really ask yourself is whether this is something you’re ready to commit to, all potential pitfalls included. If you think you can do it, here are ten important things to consider to make your French renovation easier:

• Is it a protected or listed building?
• How does French planning permission work?
• How do property evaluations in France work?
• Do you have a renovation schedule in place?
• How to hire contractors for home renovations in France
• Do you have the right insurance?
• Do you have a contingency plan in place?
• Are there fees and tax considerations for renovating a house in France?
• Should you carry out a French house renovation yourself?
• What do you do if something goes wrong?

1. Is it a protected or listed building?

Some properties in France are considered historic monuments and have special status because of that. Even if your property is within 500m of a listed monument, it’s subject to construction regulations.²

All buildings and property with the historic monument status can be found in the base Mérimé, a database of French monumental and architectural heritage, which is maintained by the French Ministry of Culture.

2. How does French planning permission work?³

The exact permits you need depend on the nature of your project. You might need a Demolition permit (Permis de démolir), Development permit (Permis d’aménager) or a Prior declaration of works (Déclaration Préalable de Travaux).

You should apply for all permits at the local town hall. The approval process can last up to 3 months.

3. How do property evaluations in France work?⁴

Property appraisal in France is done by a notary. There are also some online websites and tools that can help you estimate the value, such as the database of real estate transactions that have taken place in the last 5 years.

4. Do you have a renovation schedule in place?

Having a strict renovation schedule can help you avoid many issues. Here’s the rough order you’ll likely want to tackle your renovation tasks in:

• Stripping out the interiors
• Structural work
• Plumbing, heating and electrical wiring work
• Insulation (if necessary)
• Flooring and plastering
• Bathroom and kitchen fit outs
• Painting
• Decoration, interior design and final touches

5. How to hire contractors for home renovations in France³

In order for your renovation to go according to plan, it’s important to hire reliable builders. You can look for them at a professional organisation such as the Fédération Française du Bâtiment (FFB).

6. Do you have the right insurance?⁵

There’s a special type of insurance in France called dommages-ouvrage. This is essentially construction insurance and it’s compulsory if you’re carrying out extensive renovation works.

7. Do you have a contingency plan in place?

Even if you create a perfect renovation schedule, some unforeseeable things can delay it, from the weather to sourcing materials.

That’s why you should always have a contingency or backup plan ready. For example, things like change orders, alternative materials or amendments to the original contract.

8. Are there fees and tax considerations for renovating a house in France?⁶

There’s a tax on all residential developments called taxe d’aménagement which you must pay. The amount you need to pay is calculated based on the type of project, size of your house and the local tax rate.

Besides this, the main fees you’ll have are the necessary building permits. Consider paying them with Wise, since your pounds will be automatically converted at the mid-market exchange rate for low fees*.

Your Wise account awaits

The standard 20% VAT is reduced to 10% for some renovation work. You can even get it to 5.5% if you make some energy conservation improvements.⁷

9. Should you carry out a French house renovation yourself?

You may be a builder yourself, or just tempted to cut labour costs by doing it yourself. However, in order to avoid as many issues as possible, it’s better to hire professionals to help you with renovating a house in France. This is especially important when it comes to making sure all the work meets legal requirements.

10. What do you do if something goes wrong?⁸

In case a bigger problem happens, make sure you seek independent legal advice immediately. Know that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can’t directly get involved in private legal issues abroad. However, they could give you a list of translators and English-speaking lawyers.

French house renovation costs

Now that we’ve covered some things you should consider, let’s answer the question - how much does it cost to renovate a house in France? We’ll go through individual refurbishment expenses and tell you how much you can expect to pay on average.

How much does a new roof cost in France?⁹

Replacing the roof during your French house renovation will cost you approximately between €180 and €250 (£150 to £213) per square metre. The full cost depends on the material and the roof angle.

How much does flooring cost?⁹

Changing the flooring during your French house renovation will likely cost between €20 and €250 (£17 to £213). You can also expect to pay another €10-€25 per square metre (£8.5-£21) for floor preparation.

Cost of fitting a kitchen in France?⁹

The removal of an old kitchen and installation of a new one costs from €350 to €1,000 in France (£300 to £850). This is the price per square metre and it doesn’t include the cost of the kitchen furniture or appliances.

Cost of fitting a new bathroom in France?⁹

The price of a new bathroom in France ranges between €500 and €1,500 per square metre. on average (£425 to £1,275). A partial bathroom renovation shouldn’t cost more than €750 (£640) per square metre.

How much does it cost to paint an entire house in France?⁹

Painting the interior of a house in France will probably cost from €20 to €30 per square metre (£17 to £26) or between €5 and €25 (£4 to £21) if you use wallpaper.

If the walls and the ceiling are damaged, you’ll need to pay for their preparation as well, which generally costs between €25 and €50 per square metre (£21 to £43).

How much does it cost to rewire a house in France?⁹

If you don’t need to completely change the electric wiring in your house, you’ll be able to get away with paying between €100 and €210 per square metre (£85 to £180). However, a more thorough electric renovation costs much more, since replacing an electrical panel costs between €900 and €2,500 (£765 to £2,126).

Cost of converting a loft in France¹⁰

This can vary significantly, since it involves all of the other costs we’ve listed. For reference, an average 20 square metre loft conversion in the UK costs between £20,000 and £30,000, which is around €23,500 to €35,200.

Cost of renovating a château in France¹¹

Refurbishing a château is much more expensive than renovating a regular house. Some estimates are that you’ll need to spend between €1,000 and €2,000 per square metre on this (£850 to £1,700).

If the château only needs some light interior work, you’ll probably manage to halve the expenses.

How much does it cost to renovate a gîte or cottage?

For instance, if you’d like to renovate a cottage in the French Alps, this will probably cost between €1,500 and €3,000 per square metre (£1,275 to £2,550).¹² If you choose a cheaper location, you could even pay €200-€300 per square metre (£170 to £255) for light renovation.¹³

How much does it cost to renovate a house in France

Let’s list the main expenses in your French renovation:

Renovation type 🔨	Average cost 💶
New roof	€180-€250 (£150-£213) per sq.m
Paint a house	€20-€30 (£17-£26) per sq.m.
Kitchen fitting	€350-€1,000 (£300-£850) per sq.m.
Bathroom renovation	€500-€1,500 (£425-£1,275) per sq.m.
Rewiring	€100-€210 (£85-£180) per sq.m. for partial rewiring

How to pay for renovating a house or property in France

You should now have a better idea of how much it costs to renovate a house in France and what it can look like.

Renovating comes with various expenses, from paying contractors to permits and materials. Using a Wise account to pay for all your costs can aid you in avoiding any hidden fees and help you cut costs on currency exchange.

Though it’s not a bank, an account with Wise is an alternative to traditional bank accounts. You can send money between the UK and France at the mid-market exchange rate for low and upfront fees*.

No more getting caught out by hidden mark-ups to the exchange rate as Wise provides a clear view of how much money will arrive at the other end. That means you can use what you save to cover more of your renovation costs.

There’s even dedicated support for high amount transfers to move large amounts of money to France and our team of experts are ready to help with every step of your transfer.

Make your transfer

FAQs: Renovating and refurbishing a house in France

Let’s answer some common questions about renovating a house in France:

Is renovation and building work expensive in France?

It can be, especially if your house is in a big city or in the south of France.

Is it worth investing in French property?¹⁴

Since the French market is rather stable, investing in French real estate may be worthwhile. Though you should always seek professional financial advice before investing in real estate.

What is the garden shed tax in France?⁶

The garden shed tax or taxe d’aménagement is a tax on all residential developments. It applies to everything from swimming pools to garden sheds. Always thoroughly research which taxes will apply to your renovation in advance. Find out more about how buying property abroad affects your taxes.

Do you need planning permission for a greenhouse in France?¹⁵

Any space over 5 sq.m. requires a permission, including greenhouses.

Can you negotiate house prices in France?

Yes, it works in a similar way to the UK, unless someone insists on a fixed price.

Sources used:

1. Service-public.fr - info on the ‘MaPrimeRénov’ scheme
2. CompleteFrance - buying a listed property in France
3. ExpatFocus - France property renovation
4. Service-public.fr - price of a house or land in France
5. Expatica - home insurance in France
6. Monaco Life - info on ‘taxe d’aménagement’ known as ‘garden shed tax’
7. French-property.com - VAT relief for property renovation
8. Gov.uk - UK guidance for buying property abroad
9. Hello Artisan - price of a renovation per m² in 2024
10. GreenMatch - loft conversion price
11. Sifex - information on buying a château in France
12. Architecte Patrimoine - renovation of an Alpine chalet
13. Renovation Man - Chalet renovation
14. France Tax Law - investing in French property
15. French Plans - French property planning

Sources last checked on date: 29-Aug-2024