Renovation Company on the French Riviera Côte d'Azur villas and apartments, from Menton to Saint-Tropez
The French Riviera is where many English-speaking buyers first fall for the south of France, and where renovation is least forgiving. A hillside villa above Cannes, a Belle Époque flat in Nice and a 1970s house in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez share the same coastline, but not the same ground, the same rules or the same building season. ACR Provence is a general building contractor that coordinates every trade on your project, so you deal with one company, one quote and one point of contact.
Our two agencies closest to the coast, in Le Cannet (Alpes-Maritimes, 06) and Trans-en-Provence (Var, 83), cover the Riviera from the Italian border to the Estérel and on to the Maures coast. This page gives you an overview of the area: how the coastline divides into distinct sectors, what makes building work here different, and where to find detailed guidance for your town.
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Four stretches of coast, four ways of renovating
Buyers often picture the Riviera as a single place. On the ground, it breaks down into sectors with their own architecture, access conditions and local planning habits. This is how we read the coastline before we price a project.
Whatever the sector, the first step is always the same: a visit of the property to understand how it was built, what condition it is in and what you want it to become.
Around Cannes, the housing stock ranges from 19th-century winter villas on the hills above the bay to 1960s–1980s concrete villas with pools on terraced plots. Owners typically want wider openings towards the view, reworked outdoor living areas and a complete interior refit. Plots are often steep and reached by narrow private lanes, which shapes how materials are delivered and where a skip can go.
Our Le Cannet agency sits in the middle of this sector. For town-specific advice, see our guide to villa renovation in Cannes, Mougins and the Cap d'Antibes.
East of the Var river, most foreign buyers purchase apartments: Belle Époque and Art Deco buildings in central Nice, and 1960s–70s residences on the hills with balconies facing the Baie des Anges. Works are governed by the building's co-ownership rules (copropriété) and by the managing agent (syndic), so timing, noise and use of the common areas must be agreed in advance.
Villas in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer or Menton often cling to very steep ground above the sea, with little parking nearby. Our dedicated page covers apartment renovation in Nice in detail.
The peninsula combines fishermen's houses in the old village, Provençal-style villas among umbrella pines and contemporary homes on large estates. Expectations on finish are high and local rules on the appearance of buildings are strict, particularly for roofs, colours and exterior joinery. The tourist season also sets the calendar, as several towns on the peninsula restrict building works in high summer.
Projects here are handled from our Trans-en-Provence agency. Read more about villa renovation in Saint-Tropez.
Between the Gulf and the red rocks of the Estérel, the coast is lined with holiday residences, 1970s villas and seafront apartment buildings, many of them second homes. Typical projects are full refurbishments before a first summer of use or letting: new kitchens and bathrooms, updated electrics and plumbing, reworked terraces.
Because many of these properties sit in wooded hills, any outdoor work must also allow for the legal brush-clearing obligations that apply in areas exposed to wildfire.
What makes building work on the Riviera different
A renovation that would be routine inland can go wrong on the coast if local conditions are not planned for from the very first visit. These are the points we check before writing a quote, and how we deal with each of them.
Close to the sea, salt-laden air attacks metal fixings, railings, window frames and exterior render much faster than inland. Fittings that last for decades in Aix-en-Provence can show rust stains after only a few winters on the seafront.
Many coastal towns restrict noisy building works during the tourist season through a local order (arrêté municipal); the dates and scope differ from one town to the next. Roads are congested and neighbours are in residence, so a project that slips into July can stall for weeks.
Much of the Riviera lies within protected landscapes, coastal-law zones or the perimeter of listed monuments. There, any change to the exterior of a building, from windows and colours to roofing and extensions, requires a prior declaration (déclaration préalable) or a building permit (permis de construire), and may need the approval of the Architecte des Bâtiments de France (ABF), the state architect who oversees heritage areas.
Terraced gardens, private lanes shared with neighbours and hairpin roads are the norm in the hills above Cannes, Nice and Villefranche-sur-Mer. Delivering a steel beam or placing a skip can call for a smaller truck, a crane or manual handling.
Most of our Riviera clients are not on site during the works. They need decisions asked of them at the right moment, regular news of progress and a company they can trust with keys and deliveries.
Villa or apartment: two very different projects
On the Riviera, the type of property shapes the whole project: who needs to agree, how the site is organised and which trades are involved. Tell us which situation matches yours.
You own a villa
A detached house, often with a pool and a garden on several levels, where you are free to organise the works as you wish within the planning rules:
- Complete interior renovation before moving in or letting
- New openings towards the sea view
- Kitchen and bathroom refits
- Terraces, pool surrounds and outdoor living areas
- Render and shutters restored in local colours
- Updated electrics, plumbing and air conditioning
Free quote within 48 hours of the site visit, with a firm price once signed.
Request a villa quoteYou own an apartment
A flat in a co-ownership building, where the managing agent and the building rules set the framework for any works:
- Full refurbishment of a Nice or Cannes apartment
- Opening the kitchen onto the living room
- Replacing a bathtub with a walk-in shower
- New flooring, electrics and joinery
- Coordination with the managing agent
- Photographic record of shared areas before works begin
We plan the works around the building's rules on noise, lifts and working hours.
Request an apartment quoteQuestions from Riviera property owners
Which parts of the French Riviera do you cover?
We work along the whole Côte d'Azur, from Menton and Nice through Antibes, Cannes and Mougins to Saint-Raphaël, Fréjus, Sainte-Maxime and the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, as well as the hill villages behind the coast such as Grasse, Valbonne and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Projects in the Alpes-Maritimes are followed by our Le Cannet agency, those in the Var by our Trans-en-Provence agency.
Can renovation work continue in July and August on the Riviera?
It depends on the town and on the type of work. Several coastal municipalities ban or limit noisy building works during the summer season, and the local order sets the dates and any exceptions. Quiet interior works are sometimes allowed. We confirm the rules for your address before fixing the schedule, and we generally advise planning the heavy phases between autumn and spring.
I live in the UK or the United States. How do I get a quote?
Send us your plans, photos and wish list through our quote request form. We then arrange a visit of the property, with you, your estate agent, a caretaker or a neighbour who holds the keys, and send you a free, detailed quote within 48 hours of that visit.
What is the 10-year warranty that French builders provide?
French law requires builders to hold ten-year liability insurance, the garantie décennale. For ten years after handover, it covers defects that affect the structure of the building or make it unfit for use, such as a failing beam, water coming through the roof or major structural cracks. ACR Provence holds this insurance and can send you its current certificate.
Do I need to be in France while the works are carried out?
No. Many owners on the Riviera follow their project from abroad. You will need to be available for the key decisions and, ideally, for the formal handover (réception des travaux), which is the date from which the warranties run. The rest of the project can be followed remotely.
Riviera towns where we renovate
Our teams travel along the whole coastline and into its hinterland. These are the towns where owners most often call on us:
Continue with a town guide:
Villa renovation in Cannes | Villa renovation in Saint-Tropez | Apartment renovation in Nice
Renovating elsewhere in Provence?
Go back to our English home page to explore the Luberon, the Alpilles, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.