When it comes to buying a second home in France, it’s essential to consider not just the location, but also the amount of work, as well as the cost, of maintenance. It can make it hard to find the perfect property, and more and more buyers are considering a different option – these expert tips for creating an ideal second home in France will ensure you spend more time enjoying yourself and less time working to maintain your property.
Your dream house in France
House hunters quickly learn that they’ll need to compromise on their wish list, whether it’s location, the number of bedrooms or the amount of work required. But instead of ‘we could make this work’, why not make it exactly right?
“France is a fantastic place for a second home,” says Tom Easdown, a French-registered architect and MD of French Plans, founded in 2002. “There’s everything from snowy mountains to the Mediterranean, metropolitan cities to swathes of countryside where you can’t see a single neighbour. You’re almost guaranteed to find a location that suits you, but that doesn’t mean you’ll find your ideal property.
“Most buyers find a property that ticks some of the boxes and accept that they’ll have to compromise on the rest. As an architect, designing your own home seems perfectly logical to me, but many people don’t even consider it.”
One of the reasons buyers don’t consider designing their own home is that they imagine it’s beyond their budget, but Tom explains that the opposite can be true.
Expert tips for creating an ideal second home in France
“Essentially, your wish list becomes a specification list. By designing your own home, every penny of your budget goes into positive actions. You’re not spending money reshaping or adapting an existing property, trying to make it what you want. You’re also avoiding potential expenses such as discovering rotten timbers under the plasterboard, faulty electrics or sanitation that doesn’t meet requirements.
“We can help with the entire process. From the first steps of finding the right area and plot to commissioning reliable tradesmen and the finishing touches of cost-efficient lighting, an architect-designed home can focus on getting you the best value for money. And when you’re working with a bilingual team from the beginning, there’s no stress with the paperwork, because, hopefully, there are no surprises” says Tom.
“Generally, buyers underestimate how much maintenance is required on a property even if nobody is living there. Just think about all those minor jobs you do without really thinking about it: sweeping leaves, fixing gates or shutters, touching up paintwork and clearing gutters or drains.
“There are set rules to consider with a second home, for instance – avoid flat roofs, as these require regular, ongoing maintenance: they might be cheaper to build but, particularly with a holiday home, it’s a false economy. Windows, the façade, guttering, wastewater and more need to be considered. For instance in many rural areas, you may not have access to a main sewer system, and a private drainage system will need to be installed and maintained. We’ll find a way to make things work for you.”
Heating your French home
More than 65% of our energy bills (ADEME) goes on heating alone. This means that your choice of heating and the quality of insulation are vital to managing costs. It’s especially important with a second home that cannot rely on residual heat.
“Thermal performance and insulation are key elements of any new design,” agrees Tom. “Most with second homes just want to turn up and enjoy being here as soon as they arrive, not spend the best part of a week getting the house up to temperature. Ideally, you’ll install a heating system that reacts instantly if you’re turning up out of the blue, or a smart system that you can turn on remotely.
“We also guide clients through the right insulation, which is a vital decision on second homes. Choose well, and even if your house has been empty for several weeks it might not be as cold, so it will heat up more quickly – which saves you money.
“In many parts of France, the climate means that you’ll need to think about how you keep your house cool. Again, getting the initial design right, siting the house to face the best direction, understanding insulation and choosing the best glazing for your windows can all make a big difference.”
Size isn’t everything
How much space do you think you need? Tom and the team, have worked with hundreds of British and American clients over the years, and say that this is one of the hardest aspects to be realistic about when designing your own home.
“The quickest route to low maintenance is only to build what you need,” says Tom. “Many of us want to maximise our living space but if you don’t need two spare bedrooms, why build them?
“It applies to the outside, too. Many of our British clients are thrilled to find a plot that will give them a huge garden, because land comes at such a premium in the UK. However, all those acres have to be maintained and if you’re not living there, the land quickly becomes overgrown and unmanageable. Do you really want to spend the first week of every visit clearing the weeds and strimming grass? Wouldn’t you rather be unpacked and enjoying the sunshine?”
Future-proof your second home in France
“Future-proofing your home is about anticipating future needs so you can build a home that will work for you long term. This might include designing a home you can continue to live there beyond the point where you can no longer go upstairs. We’ve had a few of these requests recently, either for new properties or for adapting ground floors and creating walk-in wet rooms.”
When you design a low-maintenance second home in France – it’s a unique opportunity to create something that’s perfect for you.
To find out more about designing your own low-maintenance property in France, visit French Plans, where you’ll also find free guides and helpful information.
