Project manager & renovation in Ontex.

Ontex is a small mountain village in Savoie, clinging to the western slope of Mont du Chat, on the heights overlooking Lac du Bourget. Part of the Grand Lac conurbation, the commune consists of a few hamlets, farmhouses and traditional houses scattered among forests, mountain pastures and farming terraces. There are no dense housing estates or apartment blocks here: people come to Ontex for absolute peace, clean air and the view, with the mirror of the lake below and the Épine massif as a backdrop.

This unspoilt setting attracts two types of owner: those who make it their main residence to live in the countryside just a few minutes from Aix-les-Bains, and those who own a second home there, often an old family farmhouse or a village house to restore. In both cases, the brief is clear: bring traditional buildings — stone, wood, traditional roofing — back to life, adapting them to today's comfort without betraying their character or the landscape.

That is precisely the role of the project manager: carrying your project from start to finish, protecting your budget and schedule, and sparing you from juggling a dozen different firms on a site that can be hard to reach. From our office in Aix-les-Bains, a few minutes from the lakeshore, we know the Mont du Chat slope and work regularly in Ontex and its neighbouring communes (La Chapelle-du-Mont-du-Chat, Bourdeau, Le Bourget-du-Lac, Chanaz, Aix-les-Bains).

Renovating traditional village houses is the most common request in Ontex. These stone village houses, with their thick walls and low ceilings, deserve a complete upgrade: repairing the roof structure and roofing, opening up living spaces to capture the light and the lake view, high-performance insulation that respects the old building, and modernised bathrooms and kitchen. We design these projects to measure, taking care to preserve the soul of the place — exposed stone, beams, door and window surrounds — while delivering the thermal comfort expected today.

Converting farmhouses and barns is the village's other major type of project. Turning a former farm building, cowshed or barn into a home takes real design work: new floors, large openings, a staircase, bringing all services up to standard, while respecting the volumes and external appearance required in a mountain area. When the project involves a change of use, we prepare the appropriate planning application and manage all the trades through to handover.

Finally, an extension adds living space when the original house has become too small: extending from the existing building, creating a living room that opens onto the landscape, converting the loft or a basement. This work improves the comfort and value of the property, and often qualifies for grants. As an RGE-certified firm, we build energy performance in from the design stage and manage the works where the local plan (PLU) and the Loi Montagne allow.

Atelier NovAlp's strength is bringing three disciplines under one roof: architect, project manager and RGE-certified general contractor. In practice, you no longer have to coordinate an architect, an engineering firm, a project manager and a dozen tradespeople yourself: a single point of contact carries your project from the first sketch to handing over the keys. This turnkey approach removes the grey areas between the parties involved — where most delays, cost overruns and defects arise — an advantage that matters all the more on a project in an isolated village.

Depending on the nature of the project, we adapt the arrangement: an architect's assignment for a major conversion or a large extension, project management for a renovation with separate trade packages, or general contracting with a commitment to results for a project with a controlled budget. As Ontex is a rural mountain municipality, planning applications fall under the municipal local plan (PLU) and the Loi Montagne — siting, heights, facade and roof colours, the appearance of outbuildings, preserving views over the lake. We always check the zone regulations before drawing, so the application complies from the first submission.

Our RGE CertiRénov no. CR-2026-73-0095 certification (comprehensive renovation offer, issued by Qualitel Certification) also gives you access to grant schemes: MaPrimeRénov', Energy Savings Certificates (CEE) and local grants. We calculate your real out-of-pocket cost and build these subsidies into your renovation's financing plan. Discover all our services or our page dedicated to Aix-les-Bains.