Individual house: The 4 pillars of the construction contract

Building is a great adventure. But you shouldn't "go on an adventure" and not know how things will turn out. With the construction contract everything is well marked out and supervised. There is no room for chance. It is a guarantee of serenity and security.

The new, it is :

- comfortable
- functional
- adapted to your lifestyle
- compliant with construction standards
- environmentally friendly
- economical

1st pillar
An all-inclusive service

By signing a construction contract, you will carry out your project under optimal conditions:

- you will have only one interlocutor: the builder. You will gain in time and efficiency. It is him who will follow your file from A to Z, who will coordinate the interventions of the various craftsmen and professionals, will deal with the file of building permit... He is the one you should contact if you need information or an explanation on the progress of the construction. He will deliver you a turnkey house;

- The builder that you will have chosen will listen to you to answer your expectations and study with you all the aspects of the project (study of the town planning and environmental rules concerning your ground, design of a plan which will be specific to you, taking into account your desires and your needs (volume and repartitioning of rooms, state-of-the-art equipment, choice of materials, etc.), compliance with construction standards and use of the most efficient processes in terms of insulation and energy savings.

The good plan

It allows you to :
- visualize the outline and the rendering of the project
- make a forecast of the quantities of materials needed and budget them
- better communicate between the participants on the site
- settle any disputes by comparing the final construction with what was planned.

2nd pillar
A payment without (bad) surprises

Everything is written in black and white in the contract: the total cost of construction and the payment schedule. These payments are made according to a schedule based on the progress of the work:

- 5% of the price at the signature of the contract if the builder justifies a guarantee of refunding. This guarantee makes it possible to recover the sums paid if one of the suspensive conditions is not carried out, if the building site is not opened on the agreed date or if you exercise your right of retractation. If this clause is not included in the contract, not 5% but 3% will be paid at signature,

- 15 % at the opening of the building site,

- 25% on completion of the foundations,

- 40% on completion of the walls,

- 60% upon completion of the waterproofing,

- 75% upon completion of the partitions,

- 95% upon completion of the equipment work.

The remaining 5% is payable when the keys are handed over, unless you notice defects and express reservations. In this case, you will only pay once the defects have been repaired.

CCMI and increase in the price of materials

The construction industry is faced with a shortage of raw materials, leading to an increase in the cost of building materials. If, within the framework of a CCMI, the price of your new house is theoretically definitive, it can however evolve if the contract signed with the builder includes a clause of revision of the price. The terms of this revision are however very much regulated by law and must be brought to your attention before being reproduced in the construction contract. Moreover, this price revision can only be done according to the national index of the building all trades (index BT 01).

3rd pillar
A house delivered on time

This may seem obvious. And yet, some people have had bad experiences with abandoned sites or sites that drag on. With a construction contract, you are protected from this type of situation. It includes a guarantee of delivery at the agreed price and time. The builder must take out this guarantee with an insurer or a bank, for example. The guaranteeing institution undertakes to compensate you in the event of the builder's default, but also to do what is necessary to complete the construction of the house, by hiring other companies if necessary.

4th pillar
A construction under guarantees

Finally at home! You intend to enjoy your house. But it can happen that some "inconveniences" (more or less important) occur with the use. From the door handles that stick in your hands, to the intercom that doesn't work, to the cracked tiles or the sewage system that doesn't do its job... everything is under warranty. As long as you act within the deadline.
Valid for 1 year after the delivery of the house, the guarantee of perfect completion covers the defects and the apparent disorders noted at the time of the reception of work and those appeared during the year which follows this one. It doesn't matter what kind of defects or problems they are. It can apply as well to the floor coverings as to the doors and windows or to the pipes... During 2 years, the guarantee of good functioning applies to the equipment and materials dissociable from the good (shutters, doors, taps...). The ten-year warranty requires the professional to repair any defects that may occur within 10 years of the end of the project.
It covers construction defects or damage that may affect the solidity of the work, its inseparable equipment (which cannot be removed, dismantled or replaced without damaging the work) or which render it uninhabitable or unfit for its intended use.

Marie-Christine MENOIRE