The Hands and Heads of Renovation

This afternoon is the closing of the apartment I am buying in Nice. I can already hear the questions, so here are the answers:

Yes, it’s the second apartment I will own in Nice.

No, I am not selling the first one. I am keeping it for my daughter, and also it cannot be sold until the legal issues surrounding the Sanibroyeur toilet are resolved. (If you aren’t up-to-date, just Google my name and “sanibroyeur” and you’ll come up with many Nouvellettres® devoted to the topic!) Even so, I love this apartment so much that it would be painful to sell. It’s small (37.5m2), but it’s perfect…everything works just as it should, and everything has a proper place to be.

A Sanibroyeur Toilet

From the very beginning when I first saw this new apartment, and before I signed the “Compromis de Vente” (pre-sale agreement), I conferred with both my favorite architect and interior designer to provide an opinion of the apartment, and start the process of doing floor plans. I needed to know if the space could work the way I imagined.

The entire apartment needs renovation. It was clear that with a good architect, the floor plan could be greatly improved. I have a very good eye for space and functionality, perhaps good enough that I could or should have been an architect, but my training was in fashion design and graphics, so I prefer to leave the detailed floor plans to a bona fide architect who knows what I don’t know. Having professionals on your side means all the difference to success or failure.

I’ve seen it happen too many times when a new homeowner is “penny wise and pound foolish.” Recently someone who has done many projects and thought he could do it himself is now stuck with badly executed work, an unfinished project in which he is living like in a war zone, a legal battle that could go on for years and a huge sum of money spent, now mostly wasted. If he had hired an architect and designer/project manager, all of that could have been avoided.

Scene from the movie, The Money Pit

Do not expect to be able to live in a “chantier” (construction site) while the work is being done, either. Even the smallest of projects can be impossible to live with. Just let them do their job uninterrupted by inhabitants by living elsewhere while the transformation is taking place. It will cost you more time and money in delays and other issues than the cost of the auxiliary accommodations.

Le Palais du Soleil, before renovation

When you visit a property and think, “Oh, it just needs a new bathroom,” expect it to be a much bigger project than just that. You touch one thing, you touch it all. It’s not a good idea to do the work piecemeal—it will end up costing more than if you just do it all at once…the right way.

I love property that is a “wreck” and needs complete renovation. You buy it for less, the closing costs are less and then you get to do it just the way you want it. Sure, it takes time and energy to do that rather than buy something move-in ready, but you’ll end up with a much better property, rather than having to correct someone else’s architectural mistakes. If you intend on living there a very long time, then whatever you spend over and above your budget will be worth it over time.

Le Palais du Soleil, after renovation

Even the “marchands de bien” (property developers) who buy, renovate and flip a property, don’t do them to my standards. I call what they do “whitewashing” because they do a minimal amount of renovation, use mostly the same suppliers who can offer cheap materials, choose bland or colorless decor and don’t use an architect to do a smart job of organizing the kitchens or bathrooms. I see their mistakes on a regular basis…so you end up buying a new product at a high price and then you have to go in and fix it!

I did it myself when I bought my Nice apartment from a marchand de bien. I told him not to install his kitchen, even though I was paying for it, but he did anyway, so I then had to ask him to remove it. I wanted to design my own and not use his dumb ideas on how a kitchen should function. His kitchen was long and ran up against one wall taking up the entire living room space. Kitchens like that don’t function well because you end up walking back-and-forth, back-and-forth, rather than being able to stand in one spot and reach everything. Plus it means you’re always living in the kitchen if it eats up the entire living room. On top of it all, his style was very contemporary and shiny. It wasn’t the warm, homey style I had imagined for my space. So yes, it cost a lot of money to pay for his work that I didn’t want, but it was worth it. My kitchen is small, but a jewel to work in and look at. It was the right decision.

The kitchen at Le Matisse, Adrian’s Nice Apartment

This week I’ve spent quite a bit of time going over the floor plans, the electrical plans and elevations with the architect and designer of the new apartment. It takes time to get it right, down to the centimeter. Every single centimeter can count. We are discussing every detail of every cabinet, closet and drawer—how each will be used and what they will contain. We are discussing every light switch and every plug—you have to get the electrical work right the first time around. We will leave no stone unturned and that will produce the jewel of a property I am hoping for.

Le Palais du Soleil, simulation of floor plan

Our recommended architects and designers will visit a property with you free of charge, as long as you are serious about the property. If you need this advice for every property you see, then you can’t expect their time to be free.
Advice will be crucial if you want to ensure that air-conditioning can be installed, or a supporting wall can be opened. If you think the floor plan can be improved, then be sure to consult a professional.

It’s simple, too. Start out on the right foot, by investing in the foundation of the work with the architects and designers. The contractors can then do the job they know how to do best—build it. They are the hands. The architects and designers are the heads.

Use your head, too. Don’t try to do it yourself…unless you ARE the architect and/or designer!

Note: The photos and floor plans shown here represent our Fractional Ownership property, Le Palais du Soleil. The architect was Nicole Champagnol and the designer was Martine di Mattéo. Thanks to both of them for a brilliant job to turn a one-bedroom 54m2 apartment into a two-bedroom, two-bath jewel!

A bientôt,