Renovating a house is not just about choosing a paint color or replacing a faucet. Since September 2026, the rules have changed for French homeowners: public aid no longer funds the same types of work as before, and the renovation strategy must adapt. Before browsing through inspiration catalogs, it’s better to understand this new framework to guide your choices towards projects that are both aesthetically pleasing and genuinely financially supported.
Global energy renovation: the only scenario still funded
You planned to insulate your attic this winter and then change the windows next year? This step-by-step approach no longer aligns with the logic of current aid.
Since September 1, 2026, MaPrimeRénov’ and the CEE prioritize large-scale renovations, meaning several combined actions that allow for a significant leap in energy performance rating (DPE). Insulating just one wall or replacing a boiler without addressing the rest no longer qualifies for the same grants as before.
Two notable exceptions remain for single-action projects: the installation of a heat pump and connection to a district heating network. Outside of these cases, a comprehensive home renovation project becomes the condition for accessing public funding.
In practical terms, this means that a homeowner considering improvement work has every interest in grouping insulation, ventilation, and heating system changes into the same project. This bundling may be more expensive in the short term, but it opens the door to much higher aid amounts. Among the projects presented on Le Blog de Coco, this integrated approach is applied to various types of housing.
Facade and exterior insulation: two projects in one site
Do you find your facade looking worn? This might be the best time to combine facade renovation and external thermal insulation (ITE). Instead of paying for scaffolding and labor twice, you hit two birds with one stone.
ITE wraps the building in a continuous insulating layer, which eliminates most thermal bridges. Unlike internal insulation, it does not encroach on any habitable square meters. And the visual result can radically transform the appearance of an aging house.
Several finishes are possible: troweled plaster, wooden cladding, reconstituted stone facing. Each option changes the style of the facade as much as its thermal performance. Wooden cladding gives a contemporary character to a 1970s house, while mineral plaster maintains a more traditional look.
Check urban planning rules before choosing the cladding
Before getting excited about burnt wood cladding, consult your local urban planning plan. Certain areas impose specific colors or materials for facades. A prior declaration of work is generally required, and in protected areas, the opinion of the Architect of the Buildings of France must be added to the file.
Interior layout: rethink volumes rather than decorate
The classic temptation is to start with decor. Changing the bathroom tiles, repainting the living room, laying new flooring. These actions beautify, but they don’t solve anything if the layout of the house doesn’t work.
Removing a partition often costs less than an extension and radically changes the perception of space. Removing a wall between the kitchen and the living room creates an open living area that is brighter and more suited to current uses.
Before knocking anything down, have a professional check the nature of the wall. A load-bearing wall cannot be removed without structural study and the installation of a lintel or beam (IPN). Confusing a partition with a load-bearing wall is the most costly mistake in interior renovation.
Create a space without building a wall
Why partition when you can separate in other ways? A workshop-style glass partition allows light to pass through while visually delineating two areas. A bookshelf that extends through the space serves both as storage and a separator. These solutions maintain the fluidity of the space while providing the necessary privacy.
- The steel or aluminum partition adapts well to both old interiors and contemporary lofts, and can be installed without touching the structural work.
- A wooden screen, fixed from floor to ceiling, filters the view without blocking air circulation or natural light.
- Changing the flooring between two areas (tiles on the kitchen side, parquet on the living room side) is sometimes enough to mark the transition without any construction.
Home renovation budget: anticipate hidden costs
The craftsman’s quote only covers part of the actual cost of a project. Several items regularly go under the radar for homeowners renovating for the first time.
- Asbestos diagnosis is mandatory for any housing with a building permit dated before July 1997. If the result is positive, asbestos removal significantly increases the budget and timeline.
- Temporary relocation costs, when the work makes the home uninhabitable for several weeks, are never included in work quotes.
- Electrical upgrades, often discovered during the project in older homes, can represent a significant expense if the panel and wiring need to be completely redone.
- Fees for a project manager or architect, required beyond a certain modified floor area, are added to the cost of the work itself.
Allowing a margin for unforeseen expenses remains the best insurance against unpleasant surprises. Building professionals recommend keeping a financial reserve beyond the amount of signed quotes.
Decarbonizing heating: the lever that remains funded
If your gas or oil boiler is nearing the end of its life, replacing it with a heat pump remains one of the few single-action projects still eligible for MaPrimeRénov’. The air-to-water heat pump replaces the boiler without modifying the existing radiators, simplifying the project in a house already equipped with a hydraulic circuit.
Connecting to a district heating network, when one exists nearby, is the other supported option. This solution eliminates the individual boiler and its maintenance constraints, but it obviously depends on the coverage of the network in your municipality.
Each home renovation project benefits from being thought of as a coherent whole rather than a series of decorative whims. Public aid now clearly directs towards this global logic. A homeowner who incorporates this constraint from the inspiration phase transforms a regulatory obligation into an opportunity: a better-coordinated project, real energy savings, and sustainable enhancement of the property.
