Architect, project manager
or builder?
Architect, project manager, CCMI builder: three professionals, three approaches, three levels of freedom and guarantees. This guide compares their roles, costs and commitments to help you choose the right professional for your project in Savoie.
Three professions, three project philosophies
When you launch a construction or renovation project in Savoie, the first question is rarely technical: it is about organisation. Who is going to manage the project? The architect, the project manager and the builder each answer this question with a different logic — with direct consequences for your budget, your freedom of choice and your guarantees.
The architect (registered with the Ordre des architectes) is first and foremost a designer. Their training and title give them authority over spatial design, shaping the brief and integrating the building into its site. An architect is mandatory above 150 m² of floor area. Their fees range from 8 to 15% of the construction cost for a full commission (sketch design, outline design, detailed design, permit, tender documents, site supervision, handover).
The project manager is a professional in design and site management. They are not necessarily registered with the Ordre des architectes, but they are covered by a 10-year structural guarantee (garantie décennale) and professional liability insurance. Their advantage: they combine an architectural vision with operational site management, with fees generally between 6 and 12%. They offer great freedom in the choice of tradespeople and materials.
The builder (under a CCMI contract — Contrat de Construction de Maison Individuelle, the French individual house-building contract) offers a turnkey product at a firm, fixed price. Their margin (15 to 25%) is built into the overall price. In return, they provide a completion guarantee at the agreed price and timescale, backed by a bank bond. But architectural freedom is limited: catalogue plans, restricted choice of materials, firms imposed by the builder.
Criterion-by-criterion comparison
Six key dimensions for choosing the right professional according to the nature and complexity of your project.
Design & concept
The architect excels at bespoke design and integration into the landscape. The project manager offers tailored design with on-site pragmatism. The builder works from a catalogue with limited customisation options.
Overall cost
The builder quotes a firm price but with the margin built in (15–25%). The architect charges 8–15% but the works are put out to competitive tender. The project manager, at 6–12%, often delivers the best value for money thanks to competitive tendering between firms.
Guarantees
The CCMI builder provides a completion guarantee (price + timescale) backed by a bank bond. The architect and the project manager are covered by the 10-year structural guarantee and professional liability insurance, but with no overall price guarantee — the budget depends on the tender results.
Site supervision
The project manager provides regular on-site supervision (weekly visits, pre-handover inspections, handover). The architect may delegate supervision or carry it out, depending on the commission. The builder manages everything in-house with their works supervisor — the client has little day-to-day visibility of the site.
Freedom to choose tradespeople
With an architect or a project manager, you freely choose each firm from several compared quotes. With a builder, the firms are imposed — you can neither choose them nor negotiate with them directly.
Administrative complexity
The builder handles all the formalities (permit, insurance, declarations). The architect submits the permit application as part of their commission. The project manager assists with all formalities but the client remains the signatory — a minimum of involvement is required.
Our project management work
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When is an architect mandatory?
French regulations require the use of an architect registered with the Ordre des architectes in several specific cases. The main threshold is 150 m²: as soon as the floor area or footprint of your building exceeds this threshold, only an architect can sign and submit the building permit application (article R431-2 of the French Planning Code).
For extensions, it is the total area after the works that counts. If your existing house is 120 m² and you add 40 m², the total becomes 160 m²: an architect becomes mandatory. This calculation surprises many owners who assume it does not apply to them.
In Savoie, other cases require an architect: projects located within the protected perimeter of a historic monument (mandatory consultation of the ABF heritage architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France)), buildings in a heritage protection zone (ZPPAUP/AVAP/SPR), and certain projects subject to UTN (mountain tourism development) rules in ski resorts. In practice, a project manager working with an architect can cover these cases without major extra cost — this is the set-up we offer at Atelier NovAlp.
Below 150 m², you are free to choose between an architect, a project manager or a builder. It is in this situation that the project manager often offers the best balance between creativity, site supervision and budget control.
Why a project manager is often the best choice in Savoie
In Savoie and Haute-Savoie, construction and renovation projects come with specific constraints: sloping plots, mountain regulations, seasonal building windows, local materials to master. A local project manager, rooted in the area, knows these constraints from experience — not just from the rulebook.
The main advantage of a project manager in Savoie is access to qualified tradespeople. Unlike the builder, who imposes their own firms (sometimes based far away), the project manager consults specialist local companies: mountain carpenters, slate roofers, solid-wood joiners, stonemasons. Each package is put out to competitive tender, which optimises value for money while guaranteeing skills suited to the terrain.
The project manager also offers full cost transparency. Unlike the builder, whose margin is buried in an overall price, each firm's quote is visible, compared and negotiated. You know exactly what each item costs: earthworks, foundations, structure, roofing, windows and doors, finishes. This transparency makes decisions easier as the project progresses.
Finally, a Savoie-based project manager has a firm grasp of local administrative procedures: municipal local plans, municipal land-use maps, resort architectural requirements, ABF procedures, natural hazard consultations. At Atelier NovAlp, we combine the roles of designer, project manager and general contractor, with RGE CertiRénov certification for energy renovation projects. A single point of contact, from the first sketch to handing over the keys.
Where we work
As a project manager in Savoie and Haute-Savoie, we work across the entire Alpine region.
Frequently asked questions — Architect, project manager or builder
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