From Building My Own Timber House to Guiding Self-Renovation Projects

Discovering Self-Build Construction

My name is Florence Allièse. In 2016, my partner and I began dreaming of building a house with very low heating needs and therefore a minimal environmental impact. We immersed ourselves in learning about construction methods, insulation, heating systems and ventilation. Nearly two years later, we started the guided self-build of a timber house in the Chevreuse Valley. Balancing the project with my job as an animal caretaker in a rescue shelter was challenging, but it introduced me to a whole new world and a vibrant community centred around eco-friendly self-building and self-renovation.

Florence Allièse

Training in Eco-Construction

In 2022, I decided to leave the animal welfare sector and dedicate myself fully to eco-renovation and sustainable building practices. After gaining hands-on experience on various projects, including timber construction, lime-sand and hemp-lime plasters, and clay-straw insulation, I began a Master’s degree in Eco-Construction. This programme allowed me to deepen my knowledge of building physics, acoustics, eco-materials, planning regulations and construction economics. It also gave me the opportunity to discover the inner workings of a France Rénov' advice centre, France's public home renovation service, during my apprenticeship with Énergies Solidaires in northern Yvelines. My dissertation, which focused on the motivations and barriers to the use of eco-materials among homeowners and building professionals, highlighted a significant lack of knowledge about these materials despite their growing popularity.

Maison écologique en bois en autoconstruction
Maison écologique en bois en autoconstruction

Training in Eco-Construction

In 2022, I decided to leave the animal welfare sector and dedicate myself fully to eco-renovation and sustainable building practices. After gaining hands-on experience on various projects, including timber construction, lime-sand and hemp-lime plasters, and clay-straw insulation, I began a Master’s degree in Eco-Construction. This programme allowed me to deepen my knowledge of building physics, acoustics, eco-materials, planning regulations and construction economics. It also gave me the opportunity to discover the inner workings of a France Rénov' advice centre, France's public home renovation service, during my apprenticeship with Énergies Solidaires in northern Yvelines. My dissertation, which focused on the motivations and barriers to the use of eco-materials among homeowners and building professionals, highlighted a significant lack of knowledge about these materials despite their growing popularity.

Back on Site!

While this Master's degree provided me with a solid theoretical foundation, one essential element was still missing: hands-on experience! Discovering clay plasters during a supervised project led by Aurélie Massé from Matières Vivantes was a real turning point. Inspired by this experience, I trained in clay plasters with Noria Formation and in lime plasters at the European School of Material Arts. I also completed Rémy Chorda's hemp-lime construction course at the National Hemp School.

Enduits terre PNRVF Aurélie Massé Matières Vivantes

Application of clay plasters to a straw bale model for the materials library of the French Vexin Regional Natural Park, as part of a project supervised by Aurélie Massé (Photo credit: French Vexin Regional Natural Park).

Un accompagnement sur mesure avec Florence Allièse Installée à Chevreuse en 2018, Florence Allièse met son expertise au service des particuliers souhaitant rénover leur habitat de manière écologique. "Après des études en archéologie, j’ai choisi de me tourner vers la rénovation écologique de l'habitat, un domaine qui fait sens pour moi, explique Florence Allièse. Après avoir éco-construit, avec mon compagnon, notre maison à Chevreuse, j'ai obtenu un Master en éco-construction et ai créé il y a un an mon autoentreprise : Avant 4 degrés". La jeune femme est également artisane spécialisée dans les enduits à base d’argile et de chaux, et fait partie de la coopérative "Archi Possible" qui accompagne les particuliers souhaitant réaliser eux-mêmes leurs travaux de rénovation. Prendre soin des habitats et des habitants "Dans certains logements, il peut faire plus de 30°C en été et seulement 13°C en hiver. Ces écarts ont un impact direct sur la santé des occupants, aggravent le dérèglement climatique en raison des surconsommations d’énergie pour chauffer ou refroidir, et fragilisent à long terme le bâtiment". Florence Allièse propose ainsi à ses clients un accompagnement personnalisé dans leur parcours de rénovation. Sa démarche débute par un diagnostic : inspection de l'habitat de fond en comble, capteurs pour mesurer les consommations d'énergie et la qualité de l’air, puis analyse des données recueillies. Elle élabore ensuite différents scénarios de rénovation adaptés aux besoins de ses clients, de leur budget et de leurs priorités. "Mon objectif est de trouver avec eux des solutions concrètes pour rendre leur habitat plus confortable et améliorer leur qualité de vie, le tout dans une approche durable et respectueuse de l'environnement".
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Building or Renovating Your Home Yourself Is Archi Possible!

Self-building and self-renovation involve carrying out all or part of a construction or renovation project yourself. Far from being a marginal practice, 29% of the renovation measures recorded in the TRÉMI survey, jointly conducted by ADEME and published in 2022, were carried out as self-renovation projects, including 3% with professional support. Introduced in 2015 by the ANAH, the Assisted Self-Renovation scheme (ARA) enables homeowners to carry out their own renovation work, whether energy-related or not, with methodological and technical guidance from a professional. Initially aimed at households experiencing energy poverty, ARA has evolved over time and now takes different forms depending on the practices of its 600 operators.

Self-building and self-renovation offer an answer to two major obstacles for homeowners: affordability and the lack of available tradespeople. Thanks to Jean-Michel Pinon and his company Homelib, we were able to invest the labour savings in high-quality materials while still benefiting from professional expertise and ten-year structural warranty coverage. Today, I am part of the Archi Possible cooperative, founded by Franck Mathieu, which supports self-builders and self-renovators in the Yvelines and Essonne regions through a network of homeowners and professionals.

Map of Professionals in the Archi Possible Network