Demolition and strip-out in Chambéry.

Almost every renovation or restructuring project begins with a demolition phase. Whether it means knocking down a partition to open up a living room, fully stripping out a run-down flat in the old Sardinian town, or removing an outbuilding to rebuild, demolition is the stage that determines the quality and safety of everything that follows. In Chambéry, the building stock — old buildings in the historic centre, co-ownership blocks in the inner suburbs, houses in neighbourhoods such as Bissy, Mérande or Les Hauts-de-Chambéry — calls for a case-by-case approach, because every structure behaves differently.

Demolition is not just a matter of sledgehammers and brute force: above all, it is a job of method and diagnosis. Locating load-bearing walls, identifying services to be isolated (water, gas, electricity), detecting asbestos or lead in older buildings, protecting the elements to be kept and organising rubble removal: every step is prepared in advance. In a dense town centre, where access to buildings is often through narrow alleys and inner courtyards, this preparation is decisive. A poorly planned demolition weakens the building and sends the cost of the renovation project soaring.

As a Savoie-based project manager located at 198 Avenue du Grand Port, a few minutes from Chambéry, Atelier NovAlp integrates demolition and strip-out into an overall vision of the project. We do not just demolish: we coordinate the diagnosis, planning permissions — including in the conservation area and subject to the opinion of the ABF heritage architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France) —, site safety and responsible waste management, then move straight on to the rebuilding phase. One team, from the first swing of the sledgehammer to the handover of the works.

Partial demolition is by far the most common on our Chambéry projects. It involves removing only part of the building while keeping the main structure: knocking down one or more non-load-bearing partitions to open up a home, opening a load-bearing wall to connect the kitchen to the living room, removing a floor, taking out a staircase or removing a dilapidated extension. It is the ideal option for modernising a town-centre flat or a suburban house without rebuilding everything.

Opening a load-bearing wall deserves particular attention, especially as Chambéry's old buildings often have thick stone walls, timber floors or vaults. Unlike a dividing partition, a load-bearing wall contributes to the building's stability: opening it requires a structural study (engineering firm), the installation of a support beam (RSJ, HEA or concrete lintel) and rigorous temporary propping. In a co-ownership building — very common in the old Sardinian town —, approval from the general meeting is often required. We coordinate the whole process to guarantee the stability of the building.

Total demolition, which is less common in the town centre, concerns buildings at the end of their life, outbuildings (garages, annexes, conservatories) or structures to be entirely rebuilt, more frequent on the outskirts such as La Motte-Servolex or Cognin. It usually requires a demolition permit, prior disconnection of services and heavier removal logistics. Finally, strip-out before renovation sits between the two: the building is emptied of all its non-structural elements to start again from a sound shell. Depending on the scale of your project, we guide you towards the most appropriate solution in technical and budgetary terms.

An interior strip-out means taking a building back to its bare shell, keeping only its load-bearing structure: load-bearing walls, floors, roof structure. Everything else is removed — floor and wall coverings, non-load-bearing partitions, suspended ceilings, internal joinery, old electrical and plumbing services, kitchen and bathroom fittings. It is the stage that transforms an ageing property into a clean “ shell ”, ready for a modern renovation. In Chambéry, where many older homes in the centre and inner suburbs are waiting to be brought up to date, strip-out is an almost systematic step before renovation.

Strip-out is a key moment in the diagnosis: once the building is stripped bare, you discover its real condition — quality of the floors, presence of damp, condition of the roof structure, exact routing of the services. It is precisely because we are the project manager that this stage takes on its full value with us: we read the building during the strip-out, adjust the plans if necessary and anticipate good and bad surprises alike before starting the new works. In the Sardinian-era buildings, where the history of the building can be read in its successive layers, this architect's eye makes all the difference.

In practice, a strip-out proceeds room by room, with systematic protection of the elements to be kept, careful removal, sorting of materials as work progresses and regular removal of rubble. By coordinating strip-out and renovation within the same assignment, we avoid breaks in the schedule, duplicated work and grey areas between service providers — saving time and budget for our clients in Chambéry and across the wider Chambéry area.

Before any demolition or strip-out on an old building, an asbestos and lead survey is mandatory. Asbestos was used extensively in tile adhesives, floor tiles, sprayed coatings and ducts before it was banned in 1997; lead is found in old paints, common in the buildings of central Chambéry. Any work on asbestos-containing materials requires a certified asbestos removal company, with containment, protective equipment and waste treatment through approved channels. We coordinate this survey and, where necessary, asbestos removal by a specialist company before starting the demolition.

When it comes to planning permissions, the rules depend on the type of works and, in Chambéry, heavily on their location. A large part of the old town lies within a conservation area (site patrimonial remarquable) and near protected monuments: within this perimeter, any demolition, even partial, requires a demolition permit and the opinion of the ABF heritage architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France). Altering an opening in a façade requires a prior declaration (déclaration préalable). Conversely, an interior strip-out or the removal of non-load-bearing partitions, without touching the exterior, generally requires no permission. We check the local plan (PLU), identify the ABF perimeter and file the applications for you.

On site, safety is non-negotiable: prior disconnection and isolation of services, propping of weakened structures, safety perimeter, personal protective equipment, dust management and protection of access routes. In Chambéry's dense town centre, where sites sit next to shops, pedestrian lanes and occupied homes, we take particular care to protect common areas, neighbouring properties and traffic. This rigour protects the workers, the building and its surroundings alike.

Demolition generates a large volume of rubble, and managing it is now a major regulatory and environmental issue. On our sites, waste is sorted at source, by stream: inert waste (concrete, bricks, roof tiles, floor tiles) goes for crushing to be reused as backfill; timber, metals, plaster and recyclable waste are separated; hazardous waste (asbestos, lead) is treated separately through approved channels, with a waste tracking form.

This responsible approach makes it possible to recycle a large share of the materials and sharply reduce landfill. It also meets the traceability obligations now imposed on building sites. We organise all the logistics: sizing and rotation of skips, choice of recycling centres and sorting platforms in the Chambéry area, and issuing waste tracking slips (BSD) for hazardous materials. In the historic centre, where narrow access often rules out large skips, we adapt the size and increase the number of rotations.

By entrusting your demolition to a single point of contact, you avoid having to manage skip hire, rotations and proof of disposal yourself. Everything is included in our service, from removal to recycling, which simplifies your project and guarantees full traceability — a point that is increasingly scrutinised on properties in Chambéry and Savoie.