If you are looking to self-build a house in France, there are a number of very useful resources for calculating the likely build costs. The elements include the price of land, standard building materials estimates, the cost of services and utility connections, as well as fees for building permits and property taxes.

I recently spoke to François Brunner & Olga Sanina, widely regarded as the best young Architects in the South of France. As award-winning Architects who run renovation and new build construction projects across Southern France, I took the opportunity to get an update on the likely construction costs of building a house in France in 2025.

How much does it cost to build a house in France?

Olga: This naturally depends on the level of your investment, the complexity and the location of the project. However let’s divide it in 3 general categories :

1. Low budget : 1300€/m2 (standard cheap materials, very simple forms)
2. Average budget : 1500€/m2 (many details are chosen to be developed with better materials, the kitchen, the bathroom, the fireplace, the terrace...)
3. Good Budget : 1850€/m2 and up (middle/high quality of materials in all the project)

François: The other thing that you have to factor into the equation is the price of building land in France. The table below gives a pretty good estimate of the current prices in France for constructable land. You can see that there is a wide variation between regions. Also, within regions you will also see wide variations in the price between desirable locations and rural plots. It is simply a case of supply and demand. For the right plot of land to come up, you may need to wait several years. Generally, you are more likely to find building land come available on lotissements (small housing estates) surround villages. The advantages of these plots is that they generally come with services supplied (electricity, sewage connection, water) and local road access. But the plots themselves can be more expensive and you may find that there are local building regulations to ensure that the houses on the estate have some uniformity in style, construction materials, etc. Individual plots can be found, but you really need to be on the ground talking to local people

How do we make sure the house build doesn't go over budget ?

Olga: The only way to be sure that your project won’t cost you more than expected is to spend the good amount of time on the preparation of the construction on the Etudes phase. As architects, in our office we draw, work and study every detail of the project, exactly in order to avoid the bad surprises on the construction. In my experience, the only reason for Extra-Costs is the lack of "Etudes" before.

François: If you think about it laterally, when you are building a new house you are putting €300,000, €400,000, €500,000 into the ground. So to spend this sort of money and not get a proper geometric study of the ground itself is crazy. The topography and geology of the ground not only determines what you can build, but how you build it. Clients sometimes see paying for a full Geometric study of the soil as wasted money. But it could be the most important €1500-€2000 you will spend on your house. It represents just a fraction of the build costs, yet it will be the one thing which will ensure that the house doesn't move or crack over the first 5-10 years. It could also save you money as well. Without a geometric study, an Architect will be conservative with the depths of the foundations to prevent problems. But maybe the soil condition doesn't require such deep foundations. So my advice to prevent the budget going over at the end of the project, is to spend the necessary money at the start of the project: hire an architect, order a geometric study, pay for builders to properly cost the build (and not just do a quick pro-forma estimate).

How has the recent conflict in Ukraine affected house building costs in France?

François: That is a very good question. Certainly with the squeeze on energy in Europe, we are already seeing the prices of building materials increasing. But perhaps the biggest difference we are seeing is the price of steel. We just didn't realise how dependant the European market was on steel production from Ukraine. Sometimes we have created a specification for a certain type of steel beam, but now we cannot even get accurate costings because the prices of steel are changing daily if not hourly. It can also affect building progress, in terms of waiting for steel products (which are usually integral to the building work).

As an Architect, what this is forcing us to do is to look at alternative products, such as the use of composite beams, composite pre-fabricated panels, etc., which now are becoming more equivalent in price. So yes, unfortunately, this conflict in Ukraine is effecting everything we do.

Paddy Gibbins, Managing Director of Artaxa Real Estate in France, warns buyers to be very careful that staged payments are adhered to. He explains that it is normal in France to pay:

• 10% of the build cost to the builder to 'break the ground'
• 20% for the foundations
• 30% for the ground floor
• 30% for the first floor and roof installation
• The remaining 10% is held back for the final fittings.

One would normally expect that this 10% is the builders' profit so they will be keen to make sure everything is finished off so that they walk away with some money.

"In reality, the builder takes their profit from each stage of the build, so the final portion that is left is just regarded as 'hassle money'. My advice would be to build in lower staged payments at the start and keep back a larger portion for completion and sign-off. This way you can keep more control over the builder".

Even better would be to include specific "snagging clauses" in the construction contract.

Finally, you must insist from the outset that the builder you use has a valid insurance coverage (called Assurance Decennale). Since 1978, it has been the law in France that all builders constructing houses must have a suitable insurance certificate which covers the construction for a period of 10 years. In reality, whilst most builders will say they are covered, producing the certificate maybe another thing.