Start with the home you need at the end
A repaint, a replacement kitchen and a complete renewal of services are different projects, even in the same 60 m² apartment. First decide whether your funding must cover finishes only or a home ready to occupy. List the rooms, items to keep, products to replace and furniture or appliances you need before moving in.
Write down the city, floor, lift, parking and whether the flat will remain occupied. Ask every contractor to price that same starting condition. A floor-area rate is useful for an initial conversation; a commitment requires quantities, specifications and exclusions. “Complete renovation” alone does not tell you whether the bathroom fittings or kitchen installation are included.
What published figures can actually tell you
Houzz’s 2025 France survey reports a median annual renovation spend of €18,000 for 2024 among its renovating respondents, a group of 500 owners. This is spending on varied projects by Houzz users, not a nationally representative price for fully renovating 60 m². See the study, pages 4 and 11.
For your decision, collect several local quotations following a site visit. Compare what each price buys, including preparation and waste. A quote with fewer included operations can look cheaper while leaving you with a larger amount to fund. Do not multiply a household-spending statistic by the area of your flat.
Build one cost schedule without counting the same work twice
| Category | Include | Boundary to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| Surveys and design | Measurements, relevant investigations and design | Who specifies and coordinates the work? |
| Strip-out and waste | Protection, removal, handling and disposal | Is waste already in each trade’s price? |
| Electrical work and plumbing | Defined circuits, routes, fixtures and tests | Which fittings are owner-supplied? |
| Substrates and finishes | Preparation, flooring, tiling and decoration | Measured wall area differs from floor area |
| Kitchen and bathroom equipment | Named products and installation | Exclude anything already priced elsewhere |
| Project costs | Delivery, access, cleaning, accommodation | Which costs continue if the site slips? |
Give an unselected product a provisional allowance, a quantity and a decision date. “To be chosen” is not zero. For each line, mark whether the amount is an estimate, a received quotation or an agreed price. That keeps uncertainty visible without inventing precision.
A complete calculation for an illustrative 60 m² flat
| Cost group | EUR |
|---|---|
| Surveys and design | 2 000 |
| Strip-out, protection and waste | 3 500 |
| Electrical work and plumbing | 12 000 |
| Substrates, partitions and ceilings | 6 000 |
| Floors, wall finishes and decoration | 9 000 |
| Bathroom equipment and installation not above | 5 000 |
| Kitchen, appliances and installation not above | 10 000 |
| Delivery, final cleaning and site coordination | 3 000 |
| Works and equipment subtotal | 50 500 |
| Illustrative contingency, 10% of subtotal | 5 050 |
| Temporary accommodation and storage | 2 400 |
| Total funding to arrange | 57 950 |
The example excludes structural work, windows, whole-home energy renovation and loose furniture outside the kitchen. The contingency is a chosen calculation assumption, not an official percentage. If a survey already identifies a necessary repair, give it a cost line before calculating the remaining contingency.
The arithmetic is 50,500 + 5,050 + 2,400 = €57,950. Dividing by 60 gives about €966/m² for this specific funding package. It does not turn the example into a market rate.
Read VAT line by line
In metropolitan France, qualifying improvement work in housing completed more than two years ago may attract 10% VAT; qualifying energy work may attract 5.5%. The normal rate is 20%, with exclusions and technical conditions. An older flat does not make every purchase eligible. Ask the contractor to identify the treatment of each category using the tax authority’s guidance.
Materials bought directly by the owner are normally charged at 20%; eligible installation can receive a reduced rate. Since 1 March 2025, the customer certifies the relevant conditions on the quotation or invoice rather than on the old separate attestation. Confirm the facts before signing that certification. See Service Public’s explanation of direct purchases.
Separate the forecast from money already paid
Suppose electrical work was estimated at €6,000 and then agreed at €7,200. Replace €6,000 with €7,200 in the forecast. A €2,000 payment against that contract leaves €5,200 to pay; it does not increase its cost to €9,200. Track the agreed value, payments and outstanding balance separately.
A grant application is not cash in your account. Keep the gross amount to finance, expected assistance and its payment date in separate fields. Check cash available against each due date, especially when a supplier needs payment before delivery.
Before accepting the budget
- Resolve the largest unknowns through visits, investigations or specifications.
- Request comparable itemised quotations with taxes, timing and exclusions.
- Add accommodation, storage and your own purchases to the contractor totals.
- Check the remaining uncertainty and choose a contingency you can actually finance.
- Review the forecast after every accepted change; reduce optional work before ordering if the funding limit is exceeded.
The official quotation guide explains the documents to request. Keep the resulting schedule in a spreadsheet or Reno Pro, linking each expense and recorded payment to its stage. The app guide explains the available fields; the scope and suppliers’ offers still determine your project’s price.
Sources and method
- Houzz France — Étude Houzz et la Maison France 2025
- Service Public — Devis et contrat de travaux
- DGFiP — TVA des travaux dans les logements
- Service Public Entreprendre — Taux réduits et achats directs de matériaux
Sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Worked cost tables are editorial examples, not average market prices or contractors’ offers. Tax explanations concern metropolitan France.