Buying an apartment to renovate: estimate the works before the offer.

Why price the works before the offer.

For an apartment that needs renovating, the real price is the sum of two amounts: what you pay the seller and what the works cost. Making an offer without knowing the second is negotiating blind. An estimate, even an indicative one, changes the conversation: it tells you whether the asking price leaves room for the works you want, and it lets you argue for a lower offer with figures rather than an impression.

The calendar pushes you to move fast: in Paris, a well-located property can go within days. Hence the value of reading an apartment from the first viewing, then having the estimate confirmed by a contractor before you commit.

What to look at during the viewing.

A purchase viewing is not a site survey, but a few points are enough to gauge the scale of the works:

• Electrics. The consumer unit, the presence of an earth connection, the number of sockets per room. An old installation is redone entirely, and it is an item you no longer see once the walls are closed.
• Bathrooms and drain stacks. The condition of visible pipes and, above all, where the bathrooms and kitchen sit relative to the building's stacks. Moving them away from the risers is possible, but costs more.
• Structure. Cracks, sagging floors, walls you would like to open. A load-bearing wall can only be opened with a structural study and the co-ownership's approval.
• Windows and heating. Original joinery to restore or replace, individual or shared heating. Windows are visible from outside: replacing them often depends on the co-ownership and, in some areas, on the opinion of the Architecte des Bâtiments de France.
• What carries value. Parquet, mouldings, fireplaces, ceiling heights. They are often what justifies the purchase, and restoring them is generally wiser than replacing them.
• Common areas. Staircase, lift, façade: their condition announces the co-ownership's next works.

The documents that weigh on the budget.

Before the preliminary contract, the seller provides a file of technical surveys and the co-ownership documents. Three readings matter for the works:

• The surveys. Lead survey for buildings constructed before 1949, electrical and gas installation reports when they are over fifteen years old, asbestos survey if the building permit predates 1 July 1997, energy performance certificate (DPE). They price nothing, but they tell you where to look.
• The minutes of recent general meetings. Works voted or planned: façade, roof, lift, risers. Check in the preliminary contract who pays for works already voted.
• The co-ownership rules. They define what belongs to the common parts and what requires authorisation, and sometimes set rules of use such as working hours.

If you plan to let the apartment, the DPE matters too: since 1 January 2025, a G-rated home can no longer be let under a new lease, and the timetable set by the Climate and Resilience Act extends the rule to F, then E ratings. Energy-performance works then belong in the budget.

The budget per square metre.

Our prices are per square metre, excluding custom millwork (+€500 to €700/m² for a complete project, €600/m² on average) and design. Here is what our 2026 grid gives for three sizes; these are worked examples, not the budget of an actual project.

The item-by-item breakdown is in our article on the cost of a Haussmann renovation. If you are buying in the 16th, our page on apartment renovation in Paris 16th covers its specifics.

Have it priced before you sign.

A grid gives an order of magnitude; only a professional who has seen the property can say where yours sits. Two ways to work with us:

• The estimate form: four questions, an immediate range based on our grid, and a contact who replies within 48 hours.
• The on-site advisory visit, free and without commitment: we tell you what is feasible, in what order and for what order of magnitude, before you commit to anything.

If you go ahead with the property, we then produce a detailed estimate, item by item. That is the document you use to make choices, and to negotiate.

From contract to keys.

The period between the preliminary contract and completion, often around three months, is the best time to prepare the works. Most of our clients sign the design phase during that period so that works start the day they get the keys: drawings, choice of materials, co-ownership authorisation if needed, ordering custom pieces, which take eight to sixteen weeks to make. The works then take four to eight months depending on size.

To go further: how long an apartment renovation takes, permits for renovating in Paris and, on the seller's side, the works that add value before a sale. Our projects show what these apartments become, and our page on apartment renovation in Paris describes how we work.

Four frequent questions.

How do I estimate renovation costs before buying an apartment?

By combining a price-per-m² grid, which gives the order of magnitude, with the view of a contractor who has seen the property, to place yours within the range. At W.A.R.D: €1,800 to €2,200/m² for a complete renovation and €2,400 to €2,800/m² for the high end, excluding custom millwork and design.

Can I negotiate the price of an apartment that needs renovating?

Yes, and a written estimate is the best argument: it replaces an impression with figures. It does not guarantee the seller will agree, but it stops you overpaying for a property whose works were underestimated.

Which surveys should I read before buying an apartment to renovate?

The lead survey (buildings constructed before 1949), the electrical and gas installation reports when they are over fifteen years old, the asbestos survey (building permit before 1 July 1997) and the energy performance certificate (DPE), plus the minutes of recent general meetings for co-ownership works voted or planned.

When should the renovation contractor get involved?

Ideally before the offer, for a first reading of the property, then during the period between the preliminary contract and completion for design and a detailed estimate. Works can then start the day you get the keys.