Hi, can anyone advise if I can resubmit existing plans? I failed to do enough to satisfy the continuance of the Ouvre de Chantier… it seems a pity to go through the whole process of drawing up new plans - and paying for them. I understand that I will have to reapply for CU and PC but want to use my current plans. Does this have to be done by the same architect? he may have retired by now!
thanks for any advice
Fiona
I’m wondering in what way you have failed. Whether you have been officially advised of failure or are you just assuming… ??? How old are your Plans…?
(no need to answer, I’m just musing… trying to get a handle on this…)
Whatever… the Mairie is probably the best place to discuss your situation.
They will be au fait with current legislation etc …
Perhaps your Plans will still conform… or perhaps there have been changes to the normes (or whatever) which will mean new Plans are needed… who knows…
From my own experience, I would say that it does not have to be the same architect drawing up new Plans.
New Plans would be just that…
Finding out about your previous Architect… would be a good step.
Is he/she still in business and able to take responsibility for the old Plans and any possible amendments?
When you get talking to the Mairie… it might be useful to have some answers ready…
and I would seriously suggest you make contact asap…
Best of luck
Hi,
many thanks for replying. contacting the Mairie was my first step, it’s a very small village, she knows the situation well. She advised that as no work has been done in past several years the Ouvrier de Chantier is expired.
I want to submit the same set of plans - but I believe that this must be done through an architect, surely a different one will not want to submit my existing plans, I cannot trace the original one as yet.
An architect is required if your finished project ends up having habitable space of more than 150m². This is lower than it used be so even if your project didn’t need an architect previously it may now need one.
Clearly, you can use an architect for any size, not just those over the DIY limit.
When we restored our cottage / gite (four walls, open to the sky) I drew up all the plans and photos and submitted them, but then we had a very helpful woman in the sub-prefecture who somehow managed to bring the dimensions of our property in just below the limit. Not quite sure what she did, but meeting face to face was very helpful.
Many thanks for this, I will look at the plans again. I really only want the PC and CU so that I can sell the property, I’m getting a bit too old to consider the project now.
Many thanks for this information, I’ll look at the plans again although I’m not sure i can ‘shrink’ them without expert help.
My understanding is an architect is needed if the total space goes above 150m2
Is this the case even no building work is needed - I’d love to convert the space above our garage into a media/games room.
No construction per se is needed, the garage is attached to the house and accessible via a door from the kitchen but “finishing off” would be needed - studwork, insulation and plasterboard on the wall shared with the house, plasterboard and insulation to form a ceiling, a Velux (so that needs permission from the Mairie anyway) and maybe a log burner (as the house central heating does not extend to the garage, plus putting in some sockets and a new staircase which is niceer and less steep than the existing access, which is basically constructed from unplaned rough cut timber.
I could do 90% of the work easily myself, the catch is that the house is *already* 150m2 so my gut feeling is I need an architect to be involved even if it seems total overkill.
So, do completely “internal” projects amounting to a bit of fit and finish still need an architect in the above circumstances?
Btw I think on another thread I saw it’s not legal to sell a woodburner in France after this year? I think what I saw said pellets only.
Wouldn’t surprise me - lots of particulates from them but a free-standing stove is otherwise ideal for small spaces.
This is insane, surely not!!! Wood pellets are SO expensive and going up every year. I’ll be furious if this happens! I’ve not read anything about this anywhere!
I thought it was fuel boilers after 2022
Yes it makes us captive.
Some would say we need the gilets jaunes for this, if true. As it would be yet another example of a Paris and big town based elite that’s got no idea of how people in rural France need to live.
If they make a space formerly not counted as habitable space into such, then yes. However, there are many such additional spaces that have merely arrived quietly…
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Yeah, right 
If you are seriously considering selling… and merely want to Sell with Existing Permission… explain this to your Mairie and ask how you might safeguard the building rights on the land…
There certainly used to be something (I forget the official description/title) which one could apply for, which granted Building Permission on a parcel for (I think) 7 Years and this was not with any submitted Plan… just outline/vague permission.
Thus, you would have time (7 years?) in which to sell the “Plot with Building Rights” (whatever) … and it would be for the Buyer to decide just what he/she wanted to build…
This might prove cheaper than you putting in Plans (for which you will be charged by the Architect and again by the Council…)
as I say… best of luck…
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