Building contractor in the South of Francefor owners and buyers living abroad
Buying a stone farmhouse in the Luberon or a villa above the bay of Cannes is often the easy part. Turning it into the home you had in mind while you live in London, New York or Zurich means finding reliable tradespeople, reading French quotes, filing planning applications and trusting that the site keeps moving when you are not there. That is the weight ACR Provence takes off your shoulders.
We are a general building and renovation company (entreprise tous corps d'état) working across Provence and the French Riviera from four local agencies. One contract and one project lead cover every trade — masonry, roofing, plumbing, electrics, joinery, tiling and finishes — from the first site visit until the keys are back in your hands.
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Five kinds of homes we take on for international owners
Most clients who contact us from abroad own, or are about to buy, one of the properties below. Each has its own building logic, its own rules and its own traps, so our first conversation is always about the house itself rather than a list of services.
What to expect
Thick rubble-stone walls, timber or vaulted floors and roofs covered in curved clay tiles. These houses need to breathe: cement renders and plastic-based insulation trap moisture inside old walls, so lime mortars and breathable insulation are the rule rather than the exception.
Typical works
Turning former barns or stables into living space, full rewiring and replumbing, reroofing, new bathrooms and a kitchen that works with the old structure, and restoring the terraces around the house.
What to expect
Salt spray, wind and strong sun wear out facades, metalwork and pool surrounds faster than inland. Plots are often steep, reached by narrow roads, and several coastal towns limit noisy works during the summer season.
Typical works
Complete interior refurbishments, facade and terrace renewal, pool and pool-house projects and new glazing. Our page on the renovation company for the French Riviera covers the coast town by town.
What to expect
Your flat sits inside a co-owned building (copropriété) run by a managing agent, the syndic. Anything touching shared walls, facades or pipes needs the owners' approval, and the building rules decide working hours, lift use and where materials can be stored.
Typical works
New kitchen and bathrooms, rewiring, new floors, sound insulation towards the neighbours and a reorganised layout within the existing structure.
What to expect
Narrow lanes, steps and no parking mean that materials are often carried in by hand or with compact machines. These houses are tall and slim, built against their neighbours, with shared party walls that call for careful work.
Typical works
Structural repairs, new staircases, roof terraces where the rules allow them, updated plumbing and electrics, and layouts that make small rooms feel generous.
What to expect
Built in concrete block on concrete slabs, these houses are structurally simple but often dated: single glazing, little insulation, closed-off kitchens and tired bathrooms.
Typical works
Insulation and new windows, wider openings onto the garden, a new kitchen and bathrooms, an extra bedroom or a larger living room, and a pool with its terrace.
French planning rules, explained for owners from abroad
In France, whether you need permission depends on what you change, where the house stands and how much floor area you add. We check these points during the first visit, and our in-house architect prepares and files the applications whenever they are required.
Protected areas and the ABF
Around listed monuments and in many historic village centres, the Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF), a state heritage architect, reviews every change to the outside of a building: render colour, window frames, roof tiles, even the shade of the shutters. In most cases the ABF's opinion is binding, so we design exteriors to fit local tradition from the outset.
Local zoning plans
Each municipality publishes its own zoning plan, the Plan Local d'Urbanisme (PLU), setting maximum heights, footprints, distances from boundaries and permitted materials. Two neighbouring villages can apply very different rules, which is why no project is priced before its plot has been checked.
The déclaration préalable covers smaller changes such as new windows, a new facade colour, a pool or an addition of up to 20 m² of floor area (40 m² in some urban zones). The standard review period is one month.
A permis de construire is needed for larger additions and new buildings. The standard review period is two months for a house and longer in an ABF area; an architect's signature is compulsory once total floor area exceeds 150 m².
Work on homes more than two years old can qualify for reduced VAT rates, 10% or 5.5% for energy-saving work, instead of the standard 20%, provided the owner signs the certificate required by the tax authorities.
Serious defects affecting the structure are covered for ten years after handover by the builder's garantie décennale insurance, and our guide to guarantees and after-sales service explains what each French warranty protects.
How a project with ACR Provence runs, from first call to handover
When you live abroad, you need to know what happens next and who answers for it. Every project follows the same six waypoints, and each one ends with a clear decision on your side before the next begins.
First call and site visit
Tell us about the property and how you plan to live in it: main home, holiday home or rental. We then visit on site, with you or with someone you trust, to assess the structure, services, access and planning constraints.
A free, itemised written quote
You receive a quote broken down trade by trade, with quantities and unit prices, so you can compare it, question any line or decide to phase the work over several seasons.
Plans and planning applications
Our architect draws the plans and, when the project requires it, prepares the déclaration préalable or permis de construire and follows the file with the town hall until a decision is issued.
One contract, one schedule
You sign a single contract covering every trade, with the schedule and the payment timetable set out in writing. If you are still buying, the start date is aligned with the signing at the notaire (the French notary who handles property sales); our guide to buying and renovating property in Provence walks through that timing.
Works carried out trade by trade
Heavy work comes first, then plumbing, electrics and insulation, then finishes, with our project lead making sure no trade waits on another. How photos and progress reports reach you abroad is explained in our page on project management for non-resident owners.
Walk-through and keys
We go through the house with you, or with your representative, room by room. Any points still to be corrected are written down and put right, and the legal warranty periods start from that day.
Eight questions to ask any builder before you sign from abroad
Whether you choose us or another firm, clear answers to these questions protect you when you cannot be on site every week.
Who is my single point of contact? One named person should answer for every trade and reply when you call or write.
Is the quote itemised by trade? A lump sum hides choices. Line-by-line pricing lets you compare offers and adjust the scope without renegotiating everything.
Who prepares and files the planning application? Ask whether plans and forms are included, and who deals with the town hall if the file has to be amended.
How are payments scheduled? The payment timetable should be written into the contract and follow real progress on site.
Which work is subcontracted? Many builders rely on specialist partners. Find out who they are and confirm that the main contractor stays responsible for the whole job.
Who holds the keys and secures the site? In your absence, someone has to lock up, protect furniture and check the house after a storm or heavy rain.
Can the works fit around your stays? If you spend the summer in the house or let it out, the schedule should leave those weeks free.
What happens if hidden problems appear? Old houses keep surprises behind their plaster. Agree in advance how extra work is priced and approved before it goes ahead.
Where we work in Provence and on the French Riviera
Four agencies keep our teams within reach of your property across four départements, the French equivalent of counties, from the Rhône delta to the Italian border:
Continue planning your project:
Kitchen and bathroom renovation in Provence | House extensions in Provence | Renovation cost guide
What every ACR Provence project includes
Free quote within 48 hours
After the visit, you receive a free and detailed written quote within 48 hours.
10-year warranty
Our work is covered by garantie décennale insurance for ten years after handover.
Every trade under one roof
Masonry, roofing, plumbing, electrics, joinery and finishes are coordinated by a single company.
Four local agencies
Salon-de-Provence, Cavaillon, Le Cannet and Trans-en-Provence, open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.
Tell us about your property
Send us photos, plans or the estate agent's listing, and we will come back to you with the next steps and a date for a site visit.