Earthworks and foundations
Site strip, excavation, footings, ground beams or deep foundations: the type of foundation depends on the nature of the ground, which a geotechnical survey establishes.
Construction & works
Bricklaying and structural works for businesses: find your contractor
Slab, extension, opening in a load-bearing wall, foundation repair: describe your project once and compare quotes from bricklaying and structural works contractors.
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Structural works (gros œuvre in French) cover the elements that give a building its strength and stability: earthworks, foundations, walls, floors, ground slabs, columns and beams. For a company, a shop or a property manager, this work usually takes place on an existing site: extending a workshop, a slab for a machine, cutting a loading-dock door, a boundary wall, repairing a crack.
It affects the structure of the building and, very often, calls for planning permission, an engineering study and the contractor’s ten-year liability insurance (garantie décennale in France). It also takes place in premises where business carries on: access, noise, dust and the safety of occupants matter as much as price. You will find bricklayers for standard-size jobs, structural works contractors able to run a complete building project, and specialists (earthworks, reinforced concrete, underpinning) who step in as back-up.
This page helps you prepare a tender brief: common services, cost factors, documents to provide, obligations to check. The more precise your request, the more comparable the quotes. If your project involves several trades, also see commercial refurbishment and fit-out or browse all the building trades.
Common services
Concrete slabs and floors
Ground-bearing slab for a workshop or warehouse, suspended floor slab, screed: load capacity, flatness and surface finish are defined before the pour.
Walls and superstructure
Masonry in concrete blocks, brick, aerated concrete or stone, reinforced concrete walls, ring beams and lintels, to partition or extend.
Openings in load-bearing walls
Creating doors, bays and openings with a support beam and propping, based on the calculations of a structural engineering firm.
Extensions and additional storeys
Extending a workshop, shop or office, a plant room, adding a storey: planning permission and the tie-in with the existing building are prepared in advance.
Underpinning and crack repair
Foundation repair, wall strengthening, crack treatment: the cause of the defect is identified before it is repaired.
Demolition and strip-out
Removing partitions, partial demolition, clearing rubble; in an older building, an asbestos survey comes before any work.
External works and site services
Loading docks and access ramps, boundary and retaining walls, channel drains, manholes, roads and utilities to landscape the surroundings of a site.
Materials used
Reinforced concrete and reinforcing steelFibre-reinforced concrete and industrial floor slabsHollow concrete blocks and bricksAerated concreteDressed stone and rubble stoneBeam-and-block floorsSteel sections (IPE, HEA) for load transferScreeds, levelling and repair mortars
Types of projects and clients
- Slab or concrete base for a machine, an overhead crane or heavy racking
- Extension of a workshop, a warehouse or a retail unit
- Opening of a bay, a loading-dock door or an opening in an existing building
- Building or refurbishing loading docks and access ramps
- Repairing cracks and foundations in a multi-owner building
- Boundary walls, retaining walls and landscaping of the surroundings
- Partial demolition and strip-out before an office refurbishment
- Accessibility improvements: ramps, thresholds, wider doorways
What affects the price
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1
Ground conditions and site access
The nature of the ground, buried services and access for plant (concrete mixer, mini-digger, crane) change the cost of earthworks and foundations.
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2
Volume of concrete and reinforcement
Thickness, surface area, amount of reinforcement and concrete strength class make up the main cost of a slab or structure; the engineering firm specifies them.
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3
Structural complexity
Opening a load-bearing wall or repairing foundations requires propping, beams and successive phases: the time and resources exceed those of a new wall.
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4
Occupied site and ongoing operations
Night work, restricted hours, protecting neighbouring areas, vehicle movements: these constraints lengthen lead times and add site costs.
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5
Demolition, rubble and waste
Removing and sorting rubble for suitable disposal routes, skips and, in an older building, asbestos precautions weigh on the budget.
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6
Studies, inspections and lead times
Engineering firm, testing, health and safety coordination (SPS in France): these services come on top of the works. Concrete curing times and material supply also set the schedule.
Tips for a successful request
Post a request- Describe the site: address, floor, access for plant, presence of occupants, possible working hours; attach photos and existing plans.
- State the use and expected loads (forklifts, racking, machine), the dimensions and the ceiling height rather than a ready-made solution.
- Say whether a ground survey, structural drawings or a planning application already exist, and who will handle the formalities.
- For an opening in a load-bearing wall, mention the year of construction and the consent of the co-owners or landlord, where applicable.
- Ask for a quote that itemises earthworks, concrete, reinforcement, rubble removal, finishes and making good, so you can compare identical scopes.
- Give your preferred timetable and any phasing constraints: weekend, annual shutdown, areas that must stay in use.
Insurance, guarantees and qualifications to require
Structural works affect the soundness of the building: before signing, ask for the contractor’s ten-year liability insurance certificate (assurance de responsabilité décennale, required in France). It must cover the date the works start and state the bricklaying or structural works activity. The ten-year guarantee (garantie décennale) applies for ten years from handover to damage that compromises the structural soundness of the work or makes it unfit for its purpose. It sits alongside the completion guarantee (garantie de parfait achèvement, one year) and, for separable fittings, the two-year performance guarantee (garantie biennale, two years).
Also ask for the professional liability insurance certificate and proof of registration. In France, for a contract of €5,000 excl. VAT or more, the client must also obtain the contractor’s vigilance certificate (attestation de vigilance, confirming social security contributions are up to date) at signing and every six months thereafter, failing which it risks joint liability in cases of undeclared work. The Qualibat qualification (a French trade accreditation), awarded after an examination of the contractor’s references and resources, is optional but useful for comparison.
If the contractor subcontracts part of the work, the French law of 31 December 1975 requires that each subcontractor be accepted, and its payment terms approved, by you as the project owner. As soon as several firms work on the site, you must also appoint an SPS coordinator (health and safety coordinator).
Permits, studies and site preparation
Before consulting contractors, be clear about what falls to you. For planning, an extension, an additional storey or a change to the external appearance requires, depending on scale, a prior declaration or a building permit (in France). In a public-access building (établissement recevant du public), work affecting safety or accessibility must be authorised before it is carried out. In a multi-owner building or a leased property, the consent of the owners’ association or landlord is needed to alter the structure or facades.
On the technical side, a structural engineering firm sizes the beams, foundations and reinforcements, and a geotechnical survey describes the ground. In an older building, a pre-works asbestos survey must be carried out by the project owner and passed on to the contractors; asbestos removal is reserved for specially certified firms. Before any earthworks in France, you declare the project to the utility operators (DT) and the contractor submits its notice of intent to start works (DICT) through the one-stop service, to avoid buried pipes and cables.
Finally, plan for operating constraints: closed-off zones, routes for occupants, noisy hours, protecting machines from dust. A pre-start site meeting settles these points. For the finishes that follow, see the plastering and insulation and painting and wall and floor coverings trades.
Writing your request and comparing quotes
Your request benefits from following a clear specification (see the definition of specification): purpose of the works, plans and photos, access and hours, level of finish, deliverables (as-built drawings, record of executed works) and schedule. A site visit before pricing is almost essential in structural works: say that you will arrange it with the interested firms.
To compare, check that the quotes cover the same scope: services included (earthworks, removal, propping, making good), assumptions made (ground type, condition of the existing structure), exclusions, lead time, payment schedule and validity period. A quote that is far cheaper often hides exclusions or optimistic assumptions. For a major job, formalise the contract with a document setting out price, lead times and acceptance conditions, then sign an acceptance report listing any snagging items: this is also the starting point of the guarantees. Our page on the request for quote explains the process.
On Meaflow, you post your requirement free of charge; contractors ask their questions by messaging and then send their quotes. Public authorities and bodies subject to public procurement rules remain bound by their own tendering procedures, which a request does not replace. Post your bricklaying request.
Open requests: masonry & structural work
Suppliers: masonry & structural work
Guides to go further
Comparing three subcontracting quotes without getting it wrong
Scope, assumptions, unit price and fixed costs, lead time, terms, quality, Incoterm: the method and the grid to compare three quotes on an identical basis.
Related expertise
Premises refurbishment
Refurbishment and fit-out of offices, shops and workshops
Plastering & insulation
Partitions, false ceilings, dry lining, thermal and acoustic insulation
Roofing & waterproofing
Roofs, roof framing, zinc work, flat roof waterproofing
Painting & finishes
Interior and exterior painting, flooring, tiling
Frequently asked questions
A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.
Do you need ten-year liability insurance for bricklaying work?
Yes: in France, a firm carrying out construction work must hold ten-year liability insurance, and you should ask for the certificate before the works start. Check that it is valid, that it covers the date the works start and that it states the bricklaying or structural works activity. If in doubt, contact the insurer named on the certificate.
Can you open up a load-bearing wall in business premises?
It is possible, but never without a study. A structural engineering firm calculates the support beam, the bearings and the propping, then the contractor works in phases. Depending on scale, planning permission may be required; the consent of the co-owners or landlord is essential, and a public-access building must have its works authorised.
What is the difference between a bricklaying firm and a general building contractor?
A bricklaying firm carries out the work of its own trade: foundations, walls, slabs. A general contractor, or all-trades contractor, gives you a single point of contact who coordinates electrics, plumbing and painting, and subcontracts what it does not do itself. You gain in coordination but pay for that management; by consulting each trade, you handle the coordination yourself or through a project manager.
How long does a slab or extension project take?
It depends on the surface area, the ground and the weather. As a guide, a slab or a small opening takes a few days to a few weeks, and an extension several months once studies and permits are included. Concrete needs time to cure before it can take its full load: ask for a detailed schedule with the key dates.
Who must commission the asbestos survey before demolition or drilling work?
In France, the pre-works asbestos survey is the responsibility of the client, that is the project owner, who commissions a competent operator and passes the report to the contractors before they start. It applies in particular to older buildings. If asbestos is found, the work concerned requires trained firms and, for removal, certified ones.
Do you need planning permission to extend a commercial building?
An extension, an additional storey or a change to a facade requires, depending on scale, a prior declaration or a building permit (in France). The thresholds depend on the floor area created, the footprint and local planning rules: check with your town hall’s planning department before the consultation, because a late authorisation brings the works to a standstill.
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