Would a declaration de travaux be required for this?

[jrhartley]

Hello

Could I pick more experienced renovators brains on this one?  Next year I'd like to kick off some renovations on my property.  At the moment, my house is built into the side of a hill.  I'd like to firm up the cave area and floor above by replacing the current crumbling stonework with a retaining wall and a dalle on top of that.  Also, outside the house, I'd like to do something similar - replace the bulging stone wall that is holding a bit of garden / hill back, with some more heavy-weight industrial concrete blocks, and lay some drainage to take the water round the side of my house, rather than entering into my cave.  To be clear, as the house is built into the side of the hill, nothing would change that would be visible.  The terracing of the garden would change marginally (it would no longer be crumbling and bulging stone, but supported properly). Am I right in assuming that I can just go ahead and get a quote for these works and proceed without a declaration de travaux or any other paperwork from my mairie?

Also, wereabouts is the current SH (surface habitable) of my property recorded? - I've checked on my Taxes Foncieres sheet, my account @ the impots website and also on my compris de vente but I can't find it anywhere.  Will it be at the mairie or at the cadastre? [my point being - how would they know if I had augmented my interior floorspace?]

thanks

[Nick Trollope]

Re: D de T. Probably not, as you are only undertaking repairs. Unless your property comes under the historic monument rules (ie. are you within 500M of a church or other HM?). You could always ask at your Mairie. You will probably (should!) find them very helpful and should a declaration be required, will/should help you with the paperwork (D de T's are free).

Re: SH, this should be recorded on your Acte Authentique or Attestation de... ...

But, unless you give them cause, "they" will never find out/care about what you have done inside your property. Beware of the 170m2 limit, however. If, like us, you are proposing to make a lot of changes, then it really does pay to involve your Maire from the outset and to be honest with him/her. We live in a small village about 3 doors down from the Mairie and we literally pop-in when we have a query - they always have or find the answer and appreciate the fact that we ask... Of course, you might not be as lucky as us.