Renovation project management in Provence for owners who live abroad
You are in London, New York or Zurich; the house is near Aix, in the Luberon or above Cannes. ACR Provence runs the renovation on the ground for you: one contact who books the trades in the right order, visits the site every week and reports back in writing, from the first survey to the final handover (réception).
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- One point of contact
- Weekly site visits
- Written site reports
- 10-year warranty
What goes wrong when nobody is on site
A renovation in France brings together a mason, a plumber, an electrician, a joiner, a plasterer and a painter, and often several more. Each one is a separate business with its own diary. When the owner is a thousand kilometres away, small gaps open up: the plasterer turns up before the electrician has finished the wiring, a pallet of tiles waits in the rain, a question about socket heights sits unanswered for a week. None of this is dramatic on its own. Added together, it is how a spring project slides into the autumn.
Our job is to close those gaps. As a general building contractor (entreprise générale), ACR Provence carries out the works with its own teams and vetted partner trades, and coordinates all of them itself. You take the decisions; we organise everything that has to happen between them.
If the purchase is still under way, our guide to buying and renovating a property in Provence shows how to fit the works into the buying timetable.
The service is run from our four agencies in Salon-de-Provence, Cavaillon, Le Cannet and Trans-en-Provence, as part of the everyday work of our renovation company in Provence.
Anthony Gratton, our bilingual project manager
In the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, ACR Provence works with Anthony Gratton, a project manager (maître d'œuvre) who speaks English and French and has more than 30 years of experience in building and site coordination in the South of France. For an owner who does not speak French, he translates more than words: he explains how French trades, suppliers and town halls actually work, and where a small misunderstanding would cost weeks.
He follows each project personally in Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Monaco, Grasse, Mougins, Valbonne and the nearby villages. For the coast as a whole, see our page on our renovation company on the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur).
Four jobs we do while you are away
Managing a renovation from another country is not one task. It breaks down into four responsibilities that run side by side for the whole length of the works.
Scheduling the trades
Booking each trade in the right order, confirming dates the week before, and re-planning quickly when a supplier or the weather moves the calendar.
Keeping the budget visible
A quote broken down trade by trade, spending followed against it, and any change priced and sent to you before it goes ahead.
Checking quality on site
Regular visits to compare the workmanship with the quote and the plans, before one trade covers up another's work.
Handing over properly
A formal handover visit, a written list of defects to be put right (réserves) and the documents you will need later.
Who coordinates a renovation when you live abroad?
Owners in your position usually weigh up three options. The right one depends on the size of the project and on how many French phone calls you are ready to make.
| Criterion | ACR Provence as general contractor | Independent maître d'œuvre + separate trades | Managing the trades yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contracts you sign | One | One with the maître d'œuvre, plus one per trade | One per trade |
| Who you call when a problem appears | Your ACR Provence contact | The maître d'œuvre, then the trade concerned | Each trade, one by one |
| Site presence while you are abroad | Weekly visits | Depends on the mission | None unless you travel |
| Language barrier | English-speaking contact in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes | Depends on the professional | High |
| Suited to works involving several trades | Yes | Yes | Not recommended |
Five stages, from first survey to handover
We visit the property, list the works and agree a realistic budget, ideally during one of your stays in Provence.
Each trade (lot) is priced separately, so you can see exactly what you pay for and adjust the scope before signing.
We check whether the works need a prior declaration (déclaration préalable), a building permit (permis de construire) or the approval of the heritage architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France, ABF), then build the calendar around the town hall's decision.
Site visits, a written report after each one, and every decision sent to you for approval.
A final walk-through, a signed handover report listing any defects, and follow-up until each one is corrected.
What you can expect from ACR Provence
An owner who is not on site needs predictability above anything else. These are the points we build the service around.
One contact
One person who knows your file and answers for the whole site, instead of six trades to chase.
English on the Riviera
In the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes, your project manager speaks English as well as French.
A budget you can follow
A detailed quote, spending tracked against it, and changes flagged to you before they are made.
A schedule that is checked
A realistic calendar reviewed at every visit, so a slipping date is spotted early.
10-year warranty
Structural work is covered by our 10-year building warranty (garantie décennale).
Four local agencies
Salon-de-Provence, Cavaillon, Le Cannet and Trans-en-Provence, covering the Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse and Alpes-Maritimes.
Managing a renovation from another country: your questions
Do I need to be in France while the works are going on?
No. A common arrangement is to attend the first survey and the final handover, and to follow everything in between remotely. Choices such as tiles, stone or paint colours are easier to make in person, so we try to group them around your visits to Provence.
Is a maître d'œuvre the same as a project manager or a general contractor?
Not quite. A maître d'œuvre is usually hired to design or coordinate the works on the owner's behalf without carrying them out, which is close to a British project manager. A general contractor such as ACR Provence carries out the works itself and coordinates them too, so a single company answers for the result, much like an American general contractor.
What does it cost to have someone manage the works?
For an independent maître d'œuvre, market fees generally fall between 5% and 12% of the cost of the works, depending on the scope of the mission and the complexity of the project. Overall budgets are covered in our renovation cost guide for Provence.
How will I know what happened on site this week?
After each visit you receive a written site report (compte-rendu de chantier) covering progress against the schedule, points to watch and any decision waiting for your approval.
Who signs the handover if I cannot travel?
The handover report (procès-verbal de réception) can be signed by someone you appoint in writing, such as a relative or your property agent. Signing it starts the legal guarantee periods, so it is never a mere formality.
What happens if a defect appears after the works?
It is handled under the French legal guarantees attached to the works; our page on guarantees and after-sales service explains them for owners based abroad.
Areas covered from our four agencies
Remote project management is available wherever ACR Provence works:
The towns above are examples: ask us about your village if it is not listed.
Planning a renovation you cannot supervise yourself?
Tell us about the property, the works you have in mind and when you are next in Provence. We will suggest how to organise the project and send you a free quote within 48 hours.
What each site report tells you
The written report is your window onto the site. It stays short, and it always answers the same four questions.
Where are we?
Progress trade by trade, compared with the schedule.
What is waiting for you?
Choices and approvals needed before the next visit.
Has anything changed?
Any change to the scope or the cost, priced before it is carried out.
Who is on site next?
The trades booked for the coming week.
Documents to keep from quote to handover
Before the works
The signed quote (devis), the contractor's insurance certificates and, where needed, the town hall's decision on your déclaration préalable or permis de construire.
During the works
Every site report, and every priced change you approved.
At handover
The signed procès-verbal de réception, the list of defects and confirmation that each one has been corrected.