Planning
Properties,”planning permissions, renovation, conversion”, all terms that we have become more and more familiar with. Programs on television, articles in magazines, all add to the idea that there is little or no effort that cannot be spared to produce, at the very least, the home and the lifestyle of ones’ dreams. This is the first instalment of a realistic tale of how we changed a barn into our family home.
Anybody considering a renovation or conversion project on property in France will probably understand that the “paper chase” involved can be daunting. This can be evidenced by the officialdom involved in actually buying a property. This, compounded by language problems, could dampen the enthusiasm of even the most committed person.
When we bought our barn we were determined that, as much work, as possible, would be undertaken by ourselves. Our barn had the advantage of already having in place a ‘certificat d’urbanism’. This initial piece of documentation is vital as it details what you can do with your buildings and land, as well as what you cannot do. From this point we set about gathering information as to how we could apply for planning permission to convert our barn into our house. We listened to loads of horror stories, consulted architects and investigated various ways forward. At this point we decided to forgo the service of an architect on two counts. The first one being cost. We were quoted 3000 Euros plus TVA for an initial planning permission submission. Figures for managing the project would have been in the region of 10% of total build cost ! The second reason was something a little vague, but to us as important. We felt that by using an architect we were giving up, at the outset, a slice of ownership of the project.
Contrary to popular belief as an individual you can produce all documentation requisites. Planning dossiers, although complex, require a methodical approach, an ability to draw and a sympathetic ear to what is actually required in the finished renovation or conversion. All of these, I think, I have so I used them. With imagination and drawing expertise we managed to submit a planning dossier which, within eight weeks, was approved and returned. We were on our way.
If you feel that you would like to use my expertise on your project please feel free to contact me, or feel free to comment using box below. Maybe ‘ownership’ of your project is important to you and an understanding of this at the outset could save a lot of heartache and resentment later on.
(extracts of this article have previously appeared on Frenchentree)