Building renovation that went wrong

As you surf the web you'll see very little about what can and does go wrong for people tackling renovation and building works on their own in the South of France. We think its better to be honest and direct with you. Its not a idyllic risk-free paradise, and the happy smiling locals are not all rustic charming and honest either. We've been called in many times to pick up the pieces after hasty building projects, poorly executed. So here are just a few that went wrong.

Where's the builder?

A renovation of a house costing over 60,000 euros cost a lot more when, after 4 weeks, the ENGLISH builder completely disappeared. The work was half done but the money was all gone. You can guess they never found out where he went. Action: renosud appointed a contractor and managed the renovation to completion in 4 weeks

Where to put the hole?

A "so called" project manager's materials handling on site was so bad, when renosud were eventually called in by the desperate owner, it took a day just to sort out which tap belonged to which fitting. Unfortunately the contractor assumed an expensive teak bathroom cabinet was for a single sink. Only after the hole was cut out did he realise that it was meant to have two sinks. Action: renosud took over the finishing works, but the teak cabinet had to be replaced.

Quality so bad, we nearly cried

A total house renovation costing 110,000 euros was of such bad quality we nearly cried with the owner! The 19-year old unqualified electrician sub-contracted by the happy smiling French builder placed sockets and  switches in the wrong places, and left bodged damaged walls everywhere. The placo (plaster boarding) was so poor some had to be re-done. The shower unit opened onto the bath and was fitted the wrong way around, two doors were fitted swinging the wrong way and there were scratches, chipped and damaged materials everywhere. Action: Unfortunately we were called in right at the end. We advised and supported the owner in an effort to reclaim money spent and correct poor quality. However, this was all too little too late.  Trying to get money back after the work is frankly, impossible.

Managing your own renovation work

If you decide to project manage yourself here are just a few insights that might help you deliver your project on time and on budget.

• Make sure you have a plan, better still get us to create one for you

• Specify as much as you can, contractors will nearly always use cheap fixtures and fittings, so make sure that is what you want

• Many estimates for general building works will not include final painting & decoration, so check first

• Select your builder carefully, ask around for advice

• Make sure all contractors working on your project have the Garantie Décennale (ten year insurance)

• Do not accept the builders word on Décennale insurance, get a copy of the certificate, and get someone to verify the policy directly with the insurance company. There are many scams around Décennale insurance, so check

• With some works, when you come to re-sell your property the Notaire may demand the insurance details that covers the work

• Get a shopping list of all your fixtures fittings and variables (such as tiles, taps, etc) together in advance and use the suppliers product codes to avoid confusion with the builder 

Control means nothing unless you have real clout

Make sure you hold back enough of the renovation cost as a final payment so that you have a hold on your contractor if you need them to make corrections in the finishing.

Once the builder has most of your money who is in control?

There's an old saying that the hardest work to  do is the work you've already been paid for. Just try and get your builder back to correct poor tiling when he's already has his money.