1. Define the same scope for every contractor
Prepare plans, dimensions, photographs, known defects and access constraints. Separate essential repairs from improvements. Specify demolition, protection, waste removal, supplies, installation and finishing so that a lower price does not simply hide missing work.
Identify decisions that need an investigation before pricing: structure, water ingress, hidden services or hazardous materials. Do not cover a problem with new finishes before its cause is understood.
2. Check the company and its exact role
Distinguish design, coordination, building work and brokerage. Ask who signs your contract, who will be on site and who handles changes and defects. Check the legal identity of the company against its quotation and insurance documents.
A directory entry identifies a business; it is not an endorsement or proof of current insurance, certification or availability. Our local listings retain their source and collection date. Contact the business before relying on its address or services.
Explore trade responsibilities (French) · Directory sources and limitations (French)
3. Separate insurance, qualifications and guarantees
Check that the contractor’s insurance covers the activity and is valid for the start of the work. For major construction or renovation, discuss the applicable dommages-ouvrage requirements with an insurer before the site opens. Keep the policies, signed contracts and handover documents together.
RGE is a qualification for specified work and validity dates. It does not replace insurance or guarantee that your project receives a grant. Check the company, work category and funding conditions through the official services.
Official dommages-ouvrage guidance (French) · How to check RGE (French)
4. Confirm permissions for this property
Describe changes to surfaces, external appearance, uses and the ground to the local planning office. Check local planning documents and protections before ordering materials. Planning permission, condominium approval and private property rights are separate questions.
For an extension or structural alteration, have the design and investigations established for the actual building and parcel. A risk map is useful background, but it is not a foundation design or a site diagnosis.
Prepare planning enquiries (French) · Check recorded risks at an address (French)
5. Budget for the finished project and payment dates
Add studies, delivery, removal, reinstatement and any costs excluded from the quotation. Separate grants you hope to receive from funding already agreed. Also check when the money becomes available: a grant paid later does not necessarily cover an earlier contractor payment.
Our budget tool uses your own figures. It calculates totals and funding gaps without estimating building prices or grant eligibility. The inputs stay in your browser and are not saved by the tool.
Budget and quote comparison tools (French) · Official renovation funding information (French)
6. Inspect, record and maintain
Before work is concealed, arrange the agreed checks and take photographs with location references. Keep changes to scope, price and time in writing. At handover, compare the result with the contract and describe each reservation precisely, including its location and expected correction.
Collect invoices, product references, test reports, updated plans, notices and maintenance instructions. Schedule maintenance from the equipment’s instructions and applicable rules rather than using one interval for every system.
Printable project checks (French) · Handover and reservations (French)
Language and scope of this site
This page is an English overview. The detailed guides, business listings and tools are currently in French. Official sources should be checked for the rules applying on the date of your decision. A professional assessment remains necessary for choices that depend on the building.