The ecological house, also called eco-construction is a type of house specially designed to be more respectful of the environment, producing less pollution and allowing energy savings. It also guarantees to reduce the energy needs of the home. Building an ecological house therefore involves the use of processes and materials that are more respectful of the environment. This also applies to equipment and installations which must consume less energy (electrical and heating system).

But above all, it is also a question of complying with the regulations in force in terms of the issuance of building permits. What are the steps to take to apply for a building permit for an ecological house and what are the existing types of ecological houses?

Apply for the building permit for a ecological house

The construction of an ecological house, in the same way as any major work, requires an urban planning authorization from the administration. The issuance of this permit will only be effective if the project meets the compliance standards provided for in the town planning rules. of the town where the house will be built.

Where to send your building permit request?

Your permit request must be sent by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt to the town hall. You can also file it directly, but in any case, it will send 4 copies of the document. This being done, you will receive a confirmation including a registration number and the construction start date from the town planning department. To facilitate the constitution of your request, it is advisable to call on an architect. Moreover, this recourse is obligatory as soon as you construct a building of more than 150 m².

Le instruction period is 2 months from the filing of the file, in particular for the construction of a detached house. The lack of response is in principle acceptance, however, to reassure you, you can request a certificate from the town hall.

You can also use the services of specialists who will help you build your case, in order to be sure that it respects all the imposed standards. This will optimize your chances of having your building permit granted, without wasting time.

What documents must be provided for the request?

The following documents must be attached to your building permit application:

• A CERFA form for building permit corresponding to the type of work (construction of a detached house, annexes, extension ...) that you can download from specialized sites ;
• A ground plan of the construction;
• A site situation plan;
• A section plan of the terrain;
• A descriptive note of the land and the project;
• A plan of the facades and roofs;
• A photograph of the land and its immediate environment;
• A photograph of the terrain locating it in its distant environment;
• A graphic document illustrating the project in its environment.

Note that depending on the type of construction and the situation, additional documents may be required by the administration.

What are the costs to consider?

The building permit application is a free process. However, you will have to pay the local taxes which include the development tax, the property tax and the housing tax.

On the other hand, you will also have to pay the charges relating to the engagement of an architect or the design office. By being accompanied by an architect, you will have to pay the latter's fees which can be between 50 euros HT / m² (with a minimum of 1500 euros) and up to 15% of the total cost of the work depending on the scope of its missions.

Finally, you will also need to take into account costs related to the thermal study, especially if your construction totals more than 50m². The thermal design office can invoice its service between 50 and 750 euros including tax.

Which ecological house to build?

Building an ecological house can cost you up to 20% more than a traditional house, but this investment will pay off in terms of the energy savings achieved. Moreover, this type of construction is eligible for certain aids and subsidies. Here are the 4 types of eco-construction that you can consider:

La positive house

The positive house is an energy self-sufficient home that is designed to produce more energy than it consumes. To do this, it will be equipped with its own efficient energy production unit, such as solar panels. If this type of construction is particularly expensive in terms of work, it gives you the possibility of making a return on your investment by reselling energy to your supplier and significant savings on a daily basis.

The construction of a positive house costs between 1500 and 3500 euros / m².

La bioclimatic house

The bioclimatic house uses the natural resources of its immediate environment to ensure energy saving and a comfortable environment. Instead of resorting to expensive systems (solar heating, pompe à chaleur), it is enough to design the house in such a way that it exploits natural resources, and use insulating materials.

The work for the construction of a bioclimatic house costs between 1500 and 2500 euros / m².

La BBC house

The BBC house is widely used in France when it comes to ecological constructions. BBC (Low Consumption Building) is an abbreviation that refers to a label that pursues the goal of limiting the energy consumption of new constructions to a certain threshold.

Note also that this standard has been made compulsory for all building permits issued since 2013. Thus, in accordance with this label and the RT 2012 thermal regulations, all new homes must not exceed 50 kWh d primary energy per m² per year.

The BBC house can be built from 1200, up to 1800 euros / m²;

La passive house

The passive house is a construction with particularly low energy consumption. In fact, to heat the entire building, the heat produced by the interior of the home, that provided by the sun, and that coming from the equipment are used. As for the bioclimatic house, special care is taken in the insulation of rooms in the house, and the supply of sunlight is optimized using glazing.

The passive house costs between 1500 and 3500 euros / m².

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