Concrete under your feet, but your head up in the stars! The penthouse, also known as a roof-terrace, is an island of greenery up in the sky, quite the chicest and quietest options at the moment, and extremely sought-after. They are often implanted on the last landings of buildings, sometimes Haussmannian, but more often than not modern in the best arrondissements in Paris: the 6th, 7th, 8th, 16th and 17th; or even in the most exclusive suburbs of the west, like Boulogne-Billancourt or Neuilly-sur-Seine.
What is most distinctive about these building-top apartments, aside from their location, is their price. Usually they are far from the current value of the market and sometimes incredibly higher than in average real-estate. According to professionals, one should obviously keep in mind the plus-value of land in Paris, especially when there are no neighbours! Also, the value of a terrace-roof is not relative to price per square meter. Whereas this notion directly applies to standard apartments, it is not a criterion in this type of estimate. Just like a particular charm, a view or orientation, the benefit of an outdoor space, especially in such an urban setting, has to be factored into the calculation.
Here are some examples of the types of prices to be found in the capital whenever a roof-terrace makes it on the market: a gorgeous 225 m2 penthouse with a 35 m2 terrace on the same level as the living-room, near the Avenue Foch costs over 2.5 million Euros. A small triplex on roof providing an equipped terrace and a 360° view in the 9th is estimated at around 1.8 million Euros. The average prices are between 1.5 and 3 million Euros. The clientele for this type of product is mostly urban, foreign or Parisian, but sensitive to nature and uniqueness. Their dream is to buy a large and luminous apartment with a terrace available to overlook and admire the beauty of the city. Even though such offers are not rare, one must be careful that some apartments open on inaccessible outdoor spaces. Mostly in the 1970’s, many housing blocks were built with terrace-roofs that were not rendered accessible because of cost or lack of the ability at the time in terms to waterproof such constructions. However, these surfaces are flat, provide the advantages of higher landings and can also allow for nature to enter the city. These types of surfaces are also still slightly undervalued, in terms of real-estate.
In Paris there are over 3 million square meters of inaccessible roof-terraces (source: APUR). One would therefore be well advised to keep an eye open! But one should also be aware that there are multiple and sometimes complex constraints when purchasing a livable and healthy roof-terrace (authorisations, cost, regular renovations…)
Can any- and everything be done?
A person who wants a roof-terrace must be prepared to make some efforts. The constraints are manifold. And the first questions of course are those of law: what one is or isn’t allowed to regarding urbanism. Each case is unique, depending on the context and the commune. In the capital, for instance, a meeting with urbanism architects from Paris city hall, of the PLU and urbanism regulations for each area, will give a full understanding of what is required to obtain mandatory authorisations, such as building permits etc. The rules of the condominium must also be abided, and the other owners must in any case be informed.
Big or small work on a terrace can only be done with their authorisation (by absolute majority according to article 25 the legislation of July 10th 1965). Then there are the technical constraints: the first thing is to take into account the weight on the roof itself. If it was not originally designed to sustain such an accommodation, the roof might not be strong enough. It is therefore important to have it estimated and reinforced, as the case may be. Keep in mind: an apartment terrace has a maximum weight of 250 kg per m2.
To those who wish to install a small swimming-pool or bubble-bath, specialists advise to make it out of wood and above ground, since this is both lighter and prettier. In these types of cases, one should not forget to make a preliminary declaration, to inform the condominium, use and architect and respect legal distances with the neighbours (information available at local city halls)! As for the size of the structural walls, especially when the roof-top has to be reinforced, one should make sure that these walls can sustain extra weight. It also has to be utterly and completely waterproof, capable of meeting new standards and a possible vegetation, depending on specific norms. Security on the roof-terraces is the last but not least technical instalment. Specific equipments must be installed and verified to allow for the presence of the new inhabitants of this future rooftop paradise.
Lastly, financial constraints: the valorisation of the roof-terrace and the cost of the transformations depend on a number of factors and on the complexity of the situation, but compared to the final worth of the roof-terrace, it is quite obviously a worthwhile operation!
A taste for Provence!
Decorator and landscapist, specialised in creations in an urban environment, Jean-Christophe Stoërkel designs gardens “that suit the clients who have ordered them, so more often than not they are very bare and contemporary.” According to the founder of the Natureleï agency, a terrace should be seen as an extension of the inside spaces that open onto it. The difficulty resides in waterproofing the installation. “We try to stir our clients away from too complicated projects,” Jean-Christophe Stoërkel explains, “because a garden does mean watering, which will probably produce infiltrations sooner or later.”
Even when the work is supervised by competent engineers and specific insulating materials are used, water remains the main problem in roof-terraces. “This problem is currently solving itself, with the current tendency our clients have of wanting to use wood and minerals. More than greenery, Parisians want the Provence: they want olive-trees in pots that are treated as sculptures. The challenge for the landscapist is to create this effect in the lightest possible way.”
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