New Build

[Michelle28]

Hi.  Finally after 13 months waiting we are now the proud owners of a piece of land near Bayeux.  We received the deed of sale last week.  A large, nationwide building company is taking on the build and I have a lot of confidence in them.  The whole project is being managed by an agency in London.  It has all taken so long that we have put things on the back burner a bit.  I have been assured that I do not need to worry yet about tax and inheritence laws but I am worried that things might start to move so quicky we may get caught on the hop!  Everyone I have dealt with has been very helpful and professional but do I need to employ a specialist lawyer/accountant or would this be a waste of money? The Notaire dealing with the land sale speaks English and is very approachable. Is this enough?

Thanks

Michelle

[Jo Jo]

Hi Michelle,

sorry cant help with advice re accountant but I have been advised to have legal advice re all the tax issues.  We are in the process of buying land in the Dordogne 24, and plan to use a company to build and project manage the whole thing, but it is early days yet and I intend researching a lot of companies to come up with the best one.  Can I ask who you are using and do they cover all areas or just yours?

 

Joanne

[Michelle28]

Hi Joanne

Our land is in 14. - the company we are using is Maison Familialle.  So far they have been excellent.  Everything seems very professional. I think they are throughout france.  They do have a website www.maisonfamiliale.com  .  Obviously we are at the very early stages as well.  We are hoping to get planning permission within the next 2 weeks.  

Let me know how you get on.

Good luck

Michelle

[Dreamers]

We are in the process of having a house built in 46 region through a large local company. We commenced the buying of land (through them) and the planning of the house etc, this was commenced in MARCH 2003 !, we finally received the full planning permission in JAN. 2004. Work started on the property in APRIL , and the build time is up to 14 months, so if all goes well (!!), we could be in by JUNE 2005. So that is over 2 years from start to finish, just to warn you that things do not move very quickly here.

[AGFIT]

Hi all I have just bought a plot of land near Poitiers 86 with planning permission any one know any GOOD builders in the area please, plus any tips or possible pit falls that might help

agfit 1995

 

[elkiton]

[quote]Hi Joanne Our land is in 14. - the company we are using is Maison Familialle. So far they have been excellent. Everything seems very professional. I think they are throughout france. They do have ...[/quote]

Hi guys,

Saw your post and wondered if you could spare a minute to answer a question.

My partner and I are pretty sure that we are going to buy in france, Limousin probably within the next 6 months. Do you have any comparison figures from your research of the respective costs of building new v renovation or pre renovated properties in France?

I ask because with the land prices being "reasonable" compared with the UK it would seem a viable way to go. - we tried to get a plot in UK for over 5 years, and watched the prices move away from us in the Thames Valley where I work.

Building in France could fulfill a dream we have...your thoughts?

Tony Elkin.

 

[Jo Jo]

Hi Tony,

We thought about both building and renovating, but decided on building for a number of reasons.  We have two small kids and cant leave them with anyone, so the time spent viewing plots of land was far less than time spent viewing actual buildings. Like you we have always wanted to build our own house in the UK but land prices are now ridiculous. We are not any good at DIY and couldnt spend the time needed to do it so we would have to employ professionals for everything, so it seemed to make more sense to start from scratch and employ a firm to build the whole thing.  At least you dont come across any unknown problems about any hidden nasties.

We have had various unofficial quotes which all seem to agree that roughly it costs 1000 euros per square metre to build. In addition there are all the connection costs which I thought a bit steep when I first read them but comparing with a friend who is building in the UK it would appear that France is still cheaper.

There are companies out there who project manage and build the whole thing and basically you pay and they hand over the keys at the end, I have been quoted a 10% charge on the total project cost.                

Good Luck

Jo

[Teamedup]

 

General things to remember about a new build:

Please don't forget about Assurance Dom Oeuvrage, it is expensive and should be taken during a new build. The builders insurance nor your own house cover usually covers for this.

Also, there may be hefty charges for electricity, maybe gas and phone lines to be linked to your home, it will depend on what sort of land you have bought and where. There will be some sort of charge, the how much will be the thing.

 

And the espace vert bill too, not sure if it is still called this, but for all taxe fonciere is not payable for the first two year, this is a bill that you need to take into account.

 

AND sometimes getting the foundations dug and the actual foundations being done are not included in the price of a builder building a home.

AND some builders don't offer very basic things like gutters in the price they give, check all the facts of exactly what is included in a new build. Sometimes it is cheaper to go with an initially dearer company as they include more things.

[elkiton]

[quote]General things to remember about a new build: Please don't forget about Assurance Dom Oeuvrage, it is expensive and should be taken during a new build. The builders insurance nor your own house cove...[/quote]

Jo, guys,

thanks for the info. At your estimated 1000 E psm build cost, and say an 1800 sq M house, that is £124K, plus say £25K for land and £10K for utilities, £160 approx total.

Comparable Potton "kit" houses in the UK are around £120K errected inc foundations, but land in the TValley is £180 - £250K a small plot, say 1/10 - 1/8 acre, if you can get it.

Rough costing, would seem that France is about 1/2 price of Uk at current rates.

FYI, to make you guys with places out there feel good.....I drew up plans to renovate a bungalow near Reading Berks earlier in the year, taking the roof off and adding double gables to turn 2 poky rooms into 4 bedrooms, one with an ensuite, still within the original footprint of the house, and no structural changes downstairs. the first quote was £180K, and the lowest £120K.

The builder said they have so much work available with extensions that he was using the "new build, double storey" costs as his quote yardstick for everything, and it would be a year before they could start...and yes it was a reputable builder! 

Tony E.

[BJSLIV]

I think the main danger in newbuilding in France is that because land is cheap, it is easy to get carried away, and build something that costs more than its realisable resale value. Its not like the UK where if you can get a plot, and build something, there is a virtually guaranteed profit.

It  isn't a problem if you are in for the long haul, but anyone who buys land , builds and then needs to make a rapid return to the UK could easily find themselves making a loss.

The fact that newbuild attracts VAT at a full unreclaimable (unlike the UK) 19.6% is a further disincentive.

All this written from the warmth of my French newbuild

 

[Piprob]

Our new house in the Languedoc (Haute Valley) is 132.5m floor space, plus a basement garage of 56m square.

In round figures and at 2001 prices it was £80,000 for structure, including services plus £30,000 for fit-out, including 2 bathrooms with wc, a separate wc, and a fully fitted kitchen. In with the price was also 50m square of terrace paving and groundworks.

 

 

 

 

[Isles]

Michelle

We have bought our land in 24 region.  We are using IGC building company and have been very pleased so far.  Their office in  Sainte Foy have just taken on an young english woman, so the language is not a problem (now).

We have an english speaking legal contact although he is not qualified to practice he can give some good advice.  He told us that for making a will we should use the notaire we bought the land through if we were happy with the way we were dealt with.  As for inheritance law, he told us what would suit us best (all circumstances need individual consideration) and told us to deal with it next time we are out there.

And, yes, it is a slow process having a new build but think how many years you could spend renovating

Den

[M3GS]

Hi Everyone,

I am just about to make a offer on a plot in the Lomagne region, and I have been trying to find out - without much success - what the going rate should be.

The asking price is Euro 10 per sq metre including agents commission, planning permission and a full managed builders/Notaire liaison service etc.

I have seen land on the other side of the village at Euro 7.8 but without the same outlook etc. Not really in the same class.

I would appreciate any guidance/experience from other members, as I don't want to go in stupidly low at the outset!

Thanks in advance.

Roger

[Blackadder<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>Blackadder<BR>Keighley and Creuse]

Roger,  from my thinking....re the above query,

If you want a second home or somewhere to rent out, buy an existing building to do up..

If, like us you want a home in France for when you retire or are moving pre retirement,  i would think that an acre of land with full planning permission etc for £25,000 is good value. You can look at it two ways of course...there will be cheaper plots and you can sort the legwork/notaire/plans yourself to save money..or you can equate it to any land anywhere in the UK which would be at least 4 x that figure, without the view no doubt.

If you are happy with the plot, its location, the whole deal basically, go for it.

Of course there are still barns etc with several acres that are cheaper than that....

[M3GS]

Thanks for that reassurance Blackadder.

I have made an offer this afternoon on a plot of 3900 sq metres. The views are superb from all angles and I am hopeful of success.

Over the past week I have viewed renovation projects of all types and habitable houses with various degrees of work required etc, and have concluded that best value for me would be a new build, with all that this implies - no draughty winters - modern underfloor geothermic heating etc. and a blank canvas to start. We intend to use it as a holiday home for 2-3 years and then move lock stock and you-know-what after that. Another factor in this is that my wife suffers from rheumatoid arthtritis, and a home witha minimum of stairs and steps with mod cons is a priority.

As I was typing I have just received a call from the agent to say that my bid was successful!

Now the trials and tribulations really start, and I guess that I will be making much use of this site over the coming months - hopefully putting something back in as well as taking out.

Thanks once again!

Roger

[Blackadder<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>Blackadder<BR>Keighley and Creuse]

Fantastic.

Bon Courage as we keep getting told.

I'm sure it will work out fine and with your wifes' condition a new designed for you, non damp home must be the best option. I don't hold with all this about profiteering from property and I like the French for trying to limit this. Our house is our Home, its irrelevent to us how much it's worth because it is a happy house and we intend staying in it until our move to France in 2015!!When we will adopt the same thinking for our new home over there.

Let us know how you get on with the various aspects, in e-mail if not as running 'we're building a house' thread.