building in france Unlike in the UK, there are very few small general builders, and work is carried out by individual artisans coordinated by the Architect. Artisans are usually sole traders or small family firms and are fiercely proud of their independence. They do not have the financial muscle of larger companies and so it is important to ensure they are well-established and reliable. Many artisans ask for a proportion of their money in advance to secure materials at the quoted prices. Under the French system it is the artisan's responsibility to produce the technical solution in compliance with building regulations and the architect's drawings. Registered artisans provide legal warranties on the quality and compliance of their work, similar to the NHBC system in the UK. It is for this reason that unregistered builders, UK or French, are to be avoided. a safe pair of hands Building projects take longer to complete in France than the UK. This is primarily due to the fragmented nature of the industry, allied to the fact that each artisan takes legal responsibility of his work. He accordingly has the right to prevent others from touching his work until he is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so. As a result, a house will typically take a year to build rather than the six months it might take in the UK. We aim to ensure that our clients get their project completed within their budget and within their timescale – contracts with artisans can include penalty clauses for late completion of work and retention clauses.