Rather than renovating their energy-intensive houses, owners prefer to put them up for sale on the real estate market due to a lack of funds or a desire to get down to work. This is where Jouvence comes in, a History & Heritage brand dedicated to renovating old housing, launched in July 2023. It buys apartments that owners are unwilling or unable to renovate, such as the Belle Plaisance residence in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, its first major project in the capital the city. Then it changes their diagnosis of energy demand, DPE, from an F or G for some to a C.”Properties become virtuous through constraints. We saw the need to reinvent ourselves», says Arnaud Baudel, Deputy Director General of History & Heritage.
Of the 66 residential units in the Art Deco building built in 1914, Plaisance acquired 37, ranging from studios to three-bedroom apartments. Within four months the flats had gained three or four letters on his DPE. “We buy flats F and G, ugly ducklings that people don’t want, substandard, outdated housing. We are attacking the housing of refugees today and prohibited tomorrow“, explains Arnaud Baudel. Jouvence bought apartments at a price of 7,000 to 8,000 euros per square meter, then did 1,500 euros/m² of work per unit and then sold the units at 11,000 to 12,000 euros per square meter,”at the top of the market», as Arnaud Baudel describes it.
Insulate while maintaining the charm of the slats
What work is being done? Replacing the windows with double-glazed windows, insulating the walls and installing electric radiators instead of gas heating and a thermodynamic water heater that evaluates the amount of water used in four weeks and then calculates the required amount based on the actual water usage. The radiators are connected, which makes it possible to control the consumption remotely.
Around 14 apartments have been sold since January. Buyers are currently investors or owner occupiers or parents buying accommodation for their student children. “They tell themselves that they will be calm, without work», emphasizes Arnaud Baudel. Challenge for Jouvence,”It is about 37 projects and not just one. We don’t want to remove the partitions and remodel every apartment, but to adapt to the wood so as not to remove themr,” says Valentine Mabire, program manager at Jouvence.
In addition to housing reconstruction, the company also offers another service. This is a furnished package. For an additional fee of 6,500 to 8,000 euros, the interior designer will arrange the accommodation down to the last detail. “All that remains is to put down the suitcases», assures Giovanna Mancini, interior designer. “We leave the standard box of Scandinavian furniture and personalize our interiors“, he adds. The powder gold tone of the light fixtures in the living room is reflected in the faucets in the kitchen and bathroom. The green tones of the sofa in the living room also reflect the bedding and the back of the kitchen, creating a harmonious whole. In this case, extensive reconstruction, not only energetically, but also aesthetically.
