Alpes-Maritimes · Var
Building a villa on the French Riviera
Hillside estates, infinity pools and 180° views over the Mediterranean.
Our reading of the territory
What the hillside asks of a villa.
From Cap Ferrat to Ramatuelle, we design hillside villas in dialogue with Mediterranean light: cascading terraces, mirror pools, bioclimatic pergolas and terraced gardens.
The Riviera reads in three layers: the sea, the road, the hill. Our villas follow the existing terraces and keep the top level for the living rooms, to frame the horizon without ever being overlooked.
The Riviera reads in layers: the sea, the road, the hill. Our villas follow the existing terraces and keep the top level for the living rooms, to frame the horizon without being overlooked.
An infinity pool in Vals stone, a cantilevered mirror pool, a summer kitchen and a pool house: the outdoors receives the same care as the interior, with a landscape architect involved from the first sketch.
The climate calls for passive envelopes: sun canopies, timber louvres, mineral thermal mass and adiabatic cooling, for a villa that stays cool without overconsumption.
The land
A hillside plot is judged by its slope, its access and its rock. A plot on Cap d’Antibes and a plot in Ramatuelle are not excavated at the same price: we bring in a geotechnical engineer before the offer, never after the preliminary contract.
The way we build
Lime render and Vals stone, cedar for the louvres, travertine for the terraces. Sun canopies calculated at the solstice, mineral thermal mass, adiabatic cooling: the villa stays cool in August without running the air conditioning at full load.
Life in the house
An overhanging infinity pool, a summer kitchen, a pool house and a Mediterranean garden designed with a landscape architect from the first sketch. Here the outdoors is not an add-on to the project: it takes up half of it.
Materials & permits
What we use, what we get permitted.
The coastal law and the wildfire plan almost never forbid: they shift, recalibrate and impose a material. Read at the feasibility stage, they have never cost our clients a month.
Reference materials
The Riviera’s craftsmen
Rock excavation and retaining work in the hinterland of Nice, lime masonry and traditional renders in Grasse, the infinity pool by a pool builder from Mougins, a Mediterranean landscape architect in Ramatuelle. The seasonality of the local market means contractors must be booked outside the summer.
What we handle for you
- Coastal law & wildfire risk plan (PPRIF)
- Nice Côte d’Azur / Saint-Tropez local plans
- Cliff-road access & rock excavation
- Seismic zone 4 & winds
Coastline, fire, corniche
Three frameworks intersect. The coastal law limits development in the hundred-metre strip and protects the remarkable areas of the capes. The forest-fire risk prevention plan requires, in most towns of the Var and the hinterland of Nice, regulatory brush clearing, an accessible water reserve and fire-rated roofing materials. Finally, the local plans of Nice Côte d’Azur and Saint-Tropez govern footprint, height and colours. Add to this the reality of building on a corniche: narrow access, lorry movements scheduled by the hour, rock excavation often with a hydraulic breaker.
Application prepared by our Planning & Architecture team before any work is committed.
Localities
Where we work on the French Riviera.
- Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
- Èze
- Villefranche-sur-Mer
- Cap d'Antibes
- Saint-Tropez
- Ramatuelle
Invest Prestige works in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap d'Antibes, Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle: feasibility study, land acquisition, building permit, project management and turnkey delivery across French Riviera (Alpes-Maritimes · Var). We build and renovate prestige villas, private residences and exceptional apartments, with a single point of contact from the first sketch to the last snag cleared.
Meeting · Riviera
A plot in view? We will assess it for you.
An address, a land-registry reference or a simple listing: within 48 hours we tell you what the rules allow on the French Riviera, what the slope imposes and what budget to aim for.
Projects
What we have built on the French Riviera.
Every project can be visited by appointment, with our clients’ consent. Areas, timings and materials are those of the signed contract, not of a brochure.
Project rank
What house to build on the French Riviera?
Choose the type of work, the floor area and the finish: the crest places your project on the scale of our houses, from Épure to Collection, calibrated against our signed contracts on the French Riviera.
Project rank
Provisional timetable
≈ 30 months
- Design
- 4 months
- Permits
- 8 months
- Works
- 17 months
Four months of design, eight months of permit processing, then sixteen to twenty-two months on site. Excavation is scheduled between October and March, outside the fire-risk and tourist seasons, when the corniche roads are passable.
Indicative rank, calibrated against our signed contracts in this region. Detailed costing comes with the feasibility study; our commission is paid by our partner contractors.
The Journal · Riviera
Read before you build.
The rules, costs and constraints of this territory, set out in detail in our notes.
Frequently asked questions
Building on the French Riviera, in practice.
Budget, timing, permits, materials: the six questions we are always asked, with the figures for this territory.
What budget should I plan for a villa on the French Riviera?
New construction on the French Riviera costs €5,200 – 8,800/m² excl. VAT, Signature finish. For a reference programme of 300 m², that means a budget of €1,730,000 to €3,010,000, including architect, engineering and insurance fees. The Prestige and Palace finishes add 22% and 50% respectively to the base. Our brokerage commission is paid by our partner contractors: it is never passed on to the client.
How long does it take to build on the French Riviera?
Allow 4 months of design and 3D modelling, 8 months of permit processing — the usual timescale for this territory — then 17 months on site for 300 m². That is about 30 months between the first meeting and the handover of the keys. We commit to this timetable in the contract: 100% of our projects have been delivered on time.
Which planning rules apply on the French Riviera?
Four points shape every project on the French Riviera: coastal law & wildfire risk plan (PPRIF), Nice Côte d’Azur / Saint-Tropez local plans, cliff-road access & rock excavation and seismic zone 4 & winds. Three frameworks intersect. The coastal law limits development in the hundred-metre strip and protects the remarkable areas of the capes. The forest-fire risk prevention plan requires, in most towns of the Var and the hinterland of Nice, regulatory brush clearing, an accessible water reserve and fire-rated roofing materials. Finally, the local plans of Nice Côte d’Azur and Saint-Tropez govern footprint, height and colours. Add to this the reality of building on a corniche: narrow access, lorry movements scheduled by the hour, rock excavation often with a hydraulic breaker. Our Planning & Architecture team prepares the entire application before any work is committed.
Which materials do you use on the French Riviera?
Our reference materials are Vals stone, travertine, lime render, cedar wood and aged brass. Rock excavation and retaining work in the hinterland of Nice, lime masonry and traditional renders in Grasse, the infinity pool by a pool builder from Mougins, a Mediterranean landscape architect in Ramatuelle. The seasonality of the local market means contractors must be booked outside the summer.
When can building start on the French Riviera?
Four months of design, eight months of permit processing, then sixteen to twenty-two months on site. Excavation is scheduled between October and March, outside the fire-risk and tourist seasons, when the corniche roads are passable. The coastal law and the wildfire plan almost never forbid: they shift, recalibrate and impose a material. Read at the feasibility stage, they have never cost our clients a month.
Do you also renovate on the French Riviera?
Yes. A major renovation on the French Riviera — remodelling, envelope, building services and finishes — costs €3,000 – 5,400/m² excl. VAT; interior fit-out alone €1,500 – 3,200/m² excl. VAT. A complete 200 m² remodelling therefore comes to €665,000 to €1,230,000 over about 20 months. We renovate villas and prestige apartments in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cap d'Antibes, Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle.
Other territories
Five other places we know well.
We only work where we have full command of the land, the rules and the contractors.
Meeting · Riviera
Your project deserves excellence.
Thirty minutes with a founder, a first reading of your plot on the French Riviera and a feasibility study within 21 days. A confidentiality agreement from the very first exchange.