What plot of land should you choose
to build a chalet?

Are you planning to build a chalet and wondering which plot of land to choose ?

When it comes to land, building a wooden chalet is no more complicated than building a conventional house. In both cases, however, the choice of land can have a significant impact on the final cost of construction.

The type of land chosen for the chalet dictates a number of structural requirements that will impact on the construction budget for your wooden chalet, particularly in terms of earthworks and masonry. The type of framework, the choice of wood and even the volume of timber are all largely unaffected by the specific characteristics of the site. A whole range of information is therefore needed to carry out a proper feasibility study for your wood chalet construction project, and some elements require paying technical studies, which are not always covered by land vendors.

 

Impact on the construction budget

Generally speaking, when planning to build a wooden chalet, the first step is to consult the PLU of the municipality where the project is to be carried out. This is the regulatory framework for construction. It must be scrupulously complied with in order to obtain building permission from the town hall: the famous ‘permis de construire’, without which nothing is possible.

 

The constraints of the PLU

The PLU sets out the criteria to be met when building a wooden chalet, including the authorised height of the house or chalet, the setbacks from neighbours or the road, the thickness or slope of the chalet roof, access to the chalet or parking, the choice of materials and colours for the exterior of the chalet, and many other aspects, starting of course with the authorised building area on the chosen plot. Depending on the zone in which your building plot is located, you may be subject to certain obligations or restrictions when building your wooden chalet, which can represent an unforeseen cost.

So before you decide on which plot to build on, it’s very important to gather all the information you need beforehand, so that you have a precise description of what you can and can’t do in terms of building on the plot you’ve chosen for your chalet.

 

Technical studies

The second crucial point in your wood chalet construction project is the study of the structure and quality of the soil. This is carried out by a specialist design office (of your choice), which will measure the geological parameters of your plot of land, such as the hardness and stability of the soil, the presence of rock or water in the subsoil and other geotechnical elements that will provide details of the precautions to be taken in terms of foundations for the construction of your wooden chalet.

There is a charge for this study, but it is essential for a safe approach to chalet construction. Already at this stage, the results of the soil investigation may dictate technical choices such as deeper than normal foundations, a particular need for drainage or other such provision, which will inevitably lead to additional masonry costs for the construction of your chalet.

 

Earthworks

Finally, the slope of the land is also a criterion that will have an impact on your chalet-building budget, as it will determine the amount of earthworks required to ‘level’ the ground and create the platform on which your wooden chalet will be built. Here too you don’t always have a choice, as the PLU imposes constraints on the amount of earth that needs to be moved when building a chalet or house. To do this, you will need to study the topography of the land, thanks to a specific survey carried out by a surveyor. In some cases, special support or riprap work can be added to the bill quite significantly, adding to the overall budget for the construction of your wooden chalet.

At this stage of the study of the earthworks required to build your chalet, you will also need to consider the work involved in servicing the plot before construction, i.e. the work involved in connecting the plot to the various public networks (water, electricity, telephone, drainage, etc.), as well as the methods of access to the plot and the chalet, and in some cases even the creation of an access road for vehicles, including parking and the space required for manoeuvring, known as the ‘turning area’ (the choice of dimensions is also imposed by the PLU).

Earthworks are therefore an important item in a chalet construction budget, and can quickly prove costly. What’s more, they can have an impact on the construction itself.

Impact on construction

The approach of the wooden chalet builder is to take maximum advantage of the specific features of the land, in particular to reduce the impact of construction on its environment, but also to reduce the overall cost of constructing the chalet.

Thus, sloping land cannot be completely flattened and will push the builder to offer a chalet “leaning” against the slope in order to limit earthworks and excessive earth movements which could destabilize the land or lead to additional special work to allow the construction of the chalet. On an architectural level, this will have the consequence of adapting the interior layout of the wooden chalet and the distribution of living space to optimize access, the mountain view or the sunshine, for example by matching the living rooms to the level upper part of the chalet and the bedrooms on the garden level.

On the other hand, the slope of the land or even deeper foundations can be used to encourage the construction of a basement in your wooden chalet. The builder can also take advantage of the constraints by offering half-levels, a terraced garden, recesses, or any other element which will punctuate the layout and provide comfort. The differences in level on a plot also allow better integration of garages or wooden terraces. The chalet builder will seek to truly match the specificities of the land so that the wooden chalet seems to find a logical and natural place. As a builder of wooden chalets, the choice of an integration that respects the natural landscape is very important.

As you will have understood, in a chalet construction or renovation project, constraints are often sources of creativity, they should not be an obstacle to your construction project. On the other hand, they must be correctly evaluated and understood in the choice of land, depending on your wooden chalet construction project and your budget.

The expertise of the tailor-made wooden chalet builder is invaluable in anticipating these elements and providing you with technical solutions adapted to your chalet construction project and your budget.

Contact us for your chalet construction project !