When I purchased my vacation home/investment property in France in 2022, I was aware that it needed work, and I couldn't wait to remodel it someday. But I didn't have any money leftover after the purchase to do a remodel, so I just furnished & decorated it as fast as possible to get it listed on Airbnb so that I could start generating income.
After going through two very busy summers of renting out the property on Airbnb, almost everything went wrong. Between the air conditioner breaking in the height of summer, the massive leak that flowed from underneath the shower to my neighbor’s apartment, and the weird smell that randomly came from the bathroom, there was almost always an issue. I knew that these problems would go away after I remodeled, but it was painful having to deal with them as they popped up.
Finding a contractor who spoke English was not as hard as I thought it’d be. I happened to be shopping for supplies one day just after closing on my place, and I came across a man remodeling a clothing store in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer (just one town over). The store’s design was minimalistic and neutral - which was very similar to my style. I asked him if he worked on residential projects, and he said yes! So we exchanged numbers on WhatsApp and also became friends on Facebook. Then I left to go back to California a couple of days later.
I knew that I wouldn't be able to renovate my France condo 100% remotely
After learning my lesson in Arizona about the importance of physically going to the property to prep it for rent (click here to read more about that in one of my previous blog posts), I knew that I wouldn't be able to renovate my France condo 100% remotely. Instead, I strategically planned a few trips to Villefranche...
As I started to plan my next trip to France, I reached out to the contractor I met to see if he could meet with me during my visit. He was away on vacation while I was there, so he recommended one of his contractor friends to me. His friend brought another contractor friend (Igor) with him, and that’s who I ended up working with.
While I was in France during that trip, I had a few things go wrong in the apartment that needed to be fixed before the next guest could check in. Igor was able to quickly come out to diagnose and repair the issues (like the broken oven, exposed electrical wiring, and the shower door that fell off), and he did a great job.
Whenever I have clients in California who want to perform a remodel, I advise them to interview several different contractors and to see their work in person before they commit to hiring them. Even though I didn’t interview any other contractors, or see Igor’s work in any other properties, I felt that he did a quality job on the initial tasks that I needed help with - especially when the leak was coming from my shower and causing it to rain in my neighbor’s apartment below. He told me that the work would take 3 days, and it ended up only taking 2! It’s extremely rare for a contractor to finish on time, let alone ahead of schedule. I was impressed with his speediness and his workmanship. After I saw how he worked and communicated, I was confident in hiring him to renovate my place.
It's always good when contractors give recommendations, versus just being order-takers.
Before I went back to Cali, I met with Igor at the apartment to explain my vision (and to show him the vision board I made with Canva). We performed a detailed walkthrough of the property and he contributed recommendations along the way. It's always good when contractors give recommendations, versus just being order-takers. Not only is it helpful to understand things from their point of view, but it’s also smart to get other ideas from a professional.
He put together an itemized quote based on our discussion, and it was extremely detailed. I loved that he included at least 3 store recommendations for where I could go to shop for each of the materials, especially since I had no clue where to shop. I have NEVER seen such a detailed estimate from a contractor. It’s hard enough to get an itemized bid in California, let alone specific store recommendations for where to shop for materials. Most vendors just send the grand total for the scope of work, and they don’t break it down at all. Here's a snippet of the bid that I received from Igor...
After meeting with Igor and fine-tuning the items on the estimate, I went to shop for materials at the stores he recommended. I sent him photos of the specific materials I wanted, and he ordered everything in the quantities that we needed. Then I went back to California and let him and his crew start the work.
While Igor and his guys were working on the apartment, I didn’t have to do very much. He sent me videos once a week to show the progress that was being made, and he even added music to the videos since he knew I was documenting everything for my Instagram, and for this blog.
Throughout the 4-month remodel, we would touch base when needed, but it was fairly minimal. We mostly communicated via text and over the phone, and then my in-person visits were before the project started and once it was nearing completion. When we manage remodels for our clients, my business partner or I typically check on the property multiple times per week to make sure things are getting done. It was refreshing to not have to do that with this remodel in France.
The end result was even better than I imagined.
The end result was even better than I imagined it would be, and I'm so happy with the way everything turned out. When I was thinking about the design for this remodel, we did everything with the guest's experience in mind. From the moment our guests arrive to the moment they leave, we strive to ensure that they have an enjoyable experience. Some of these thoughtfully considered updates include:
The washing machine: it is a 2-in-1 machine that also dries clothes (in France, most machines only wash)
The bed has a pillowtop mattress with a mattress pad to promote a comfortable night's sleep
The bedside lights have switches on them so that guests do not have to get out of bed to turn off the lights
The kitchen is stocked with all the supplies anyone would need to cook basic meals (click here for my kitchen inventory list!)
The SMEG toaster and SMEG kettle were added to offer a little bit of luxury for our guests.
We also stocked the kitchen with essentials like pasta, olive oil & vinegar, coffee, tea and spices. After all, there is nothing worse than showing up to an Airbnb late at night when all the restaurants are closed and you have nothing to eat!
Now that the remodel is finished, I'm so excited to host our incoming guests! If you're interested in booking it for your next vacation, click here to book on Airbnb.
Please note - this post contains affiliate links.
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