English-speaking contractors for your Riviera home
Energy work, renovation and pools across the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var. We put you in touch with contractors who work in English, so you get a written quote you understand.
Finding a contractor who works in English is harder than it looks
There are good heating engineers, electricians, builders and pool installers on the Côte d'Azur. Many of them don't work in English, and the ones who do aren't always easy to find. Getting comparable quotes in a language you understand, with everything in writing, takes time you may not have.
English-speaking owners here run into the same problems again and again: quotes that don't itemise the work, contractors who disappear after the first visit, and grants they didn't know they could claim. That's what we're here for.
How getting quotes through us works
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Tell us about the job
What you want done, roughly where the house is, and a sense of budget if you have one. One short form.
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We introduce a contractor
Someone who works in English and knows the local rules, with RGE (the state's approved-installer label) or IRVE (the qualification for fitting EV chargers) certification when the job needs it. Where we can, we find you more than one.
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You get a written devis and decide
You deal with the contractor directly and sign only if the devis (written quote) suits you. We make the introduction. The contract, the work and its guarantees are between you and them.
Every kind of work on the house
Each section explains the work, what pushes the price up, the French rules that apply, and what to ask before you sign.
Home energy
Most Riviera homes now heat with a heat pump, and the same unit cools the house in July.
Explore Heating
A single split cools one room. A multi-split runs up to eight rooms from one outdoor unit.
Explore Cooling & Ventilation
The Riviera gets more sun than almost anywhere in France. Panels here can also charge a battery, a car or the hot-water tank.
Explore Solar
Many older Riviera houses need electrical work before a heat pump or EV charger can go in.
Explore ElectricalRenovation and outdoor work
Houses built for summer lose their winter heat through the roof, the walls and single glazing, and those are what move a DPE (energy performance certificate) rating.
Explore Insulation & Windows
On a home over two years old the fitting is taxed at 10% and the appliances at 20%, so the devis should split them.
Explore Kitchens & Bathrooms
A full renovation brings in an architect above 150 m² and dommages-ouvrage insurance before work starts.
Explore Whole-house Renovation
A pool over 10 m² needs a declaration at the mairie (town hall) and one of the four safety devices French law allows.
Explore Outdoor & PoolsWhat homeowners ask before requesting quotes
If your question isn't here, send it with your request and we'll answer it directly.
Not strictly. But getting accurate quotes, understanding what's included, and signing a proper devis (written quote) is much harder when there's a language barrier. Technical terms like groupe de sécurité, ballon thermodynamique or tableau électrique (fuse board) don't translate naturally. Contractors who work regularly with English-speaking clients tend to communicate more clearly and document the work better.
The main one is MaPrimeRénov', a government grant for energy-efficiency work. As a single measure it now covers mainly heat pumps; insulation and solar water heating are fundable only as part of a whole-house rénovation d'ampleur project. To access it, your contractor must hold RGE certification. There's also the CEE scheme (a credit from energy suppliers) and a reduced TVA (French VAT) rate of 5.5% or 10% for qualifying work. The amounts change, so ask each contractor which rates apply when you get your quotes.
Yes, as long as the property is in France and is your principal residence (résidence principale). MaPrimeRénov' is available to property owners regardless of nationality, but secondary homes don't qualify. The property's DPE (energy performance rating) affects how much you're eligible for.
Ask for the RGE number to be printed on the devis. The France Rénov' directory at france-renov.gouv.fr/annuaire-rge confirms it in a minute, should you want to. A certificate is a starting point, though, and says nothing about quality. You also want local experience, references and a written devis before any work starts. Before we refer a contractor, we check décennale insurance (the compulsory ten-year building insurance), RGE and IRVE where the job needs them.
Often, yes. A pool over 10 m² needs at least a déclaration préalable (planning declaration), and so does a terrace raised on one side, which is common on a hillside plot. Near a listed monument or in a protected old town, the Architecte des Bâtiments de France reviews the plans as well. Our pages on pools and terraces give the size limits.