Full renovations in Murcia

Everything that isn't staying comes out: partitions, floors, tiling, sanitaryware, old joinery and, where needed, false ceilings. We protect the building's entrance and lift and any rooms being kept, place a skip and take the rubble to a licensed waste manager. It is the noisiest, dustiest phase, so we notify the owners' community and keep to permitted hours. When it ends, the flat is stripped to its bones and whatever was hidden becomes visible — the moment to confirm the true state of floors, stacks and services.

With the property empty, we mark the new layout full-size on the floors and walls: partitions, doorways, kitchen and bathroom units, and every water point, light and socket. This is the last inexpensive moment to change your mind — moving a wall drawn in chalk costs nothing; moving it once tiled costs hundreds. We walk the flat with you, or on a video call if you are abroad, adjust whatever needs it and sign off the setting-out before a single wall goes up.

In a full renovation nothing gets patched: all the plumbing is replaced — supply pipes, drainage, shut-off valves — along with the entire electrical installation, handled by our own electricians. New consumer unit, circuits sized for modern living and earthing throughout, finished with the boletín (CIE) — the official certificate Spanish utilities require — so the installation is fully legal. It is the part that never appears in the photos, but it decides whether the renovation lasts twenty years or starts failing in five.

New partitions go up, false ceilings and plasterboard linings are built, bathrooms and the kitchen are tiled and the floors are laid. In parallel the external joinery is replaced: new windows with thermal-break frames change a Murcia home's insulation and noise levels more than almost any other line in the budget. Internal doors and fitted wardrobes are measured now, made while the site progresses and fitted near the end, once there is no risk of knocks.

The home stretch: smooth paintwork, sanitaryware, taps and shower screens fitted, electrical fittings, skirting and the final trims. Then comes a proper builder's clean — not a sweep-up, but a property ready to move into — and a room-by-room walkthrough with you. Anything we spot goes on a snagging list and gets fixed, and you receive the keys together with the project paperwork: guarantees, appliance manuals and the installation certificates.

A full renovation with standard-quality finishes starts at around €400/m²; high-end projects start at roughly €700/m². The difference is not a "better built" job — the services underneath are identical — but what you choose: large-format porcelain, made-to-measure joinery, home automation, designer kitchens and ambitious layout changes that multiply walls and service runs. The more walls move and the more bespoke everything is, the more trade hours every square metre absorbs.

Everything that ends up inside a wall or under a floor must go in at full quality, because repairing it later means breaking the new finishes to reach it. Certified pipe and cable, drainage laid to the correct falls, and bathroom and shower waterproofing done with a proper membrane — not just tile adhesive. Saving a few hundred euros here is the classic recipe for spending thousands a few years later. On these items our advice never changes: quality, no debate.

The visible layer has plenty of margin. A well-laid mid-range tile looks almost identical to an imported one at triple the price; a mid-tier basin or toilet from a recognised brand serves exactly like the designer range; a good AC5 laminate takes years of real use. Our rule of thumb: spend on what you touch every day — taps, switches — and trim on the surfaces. You can always upgrade the visible layer later; the hidden layer you cannot.

To give you an anchor: the full renovation of a flat of around 80 m² with standard finishes typically starts from €30,000, new services included. Treat it as a guide, not an offer — the starting condition, layout changes and chosen finishes move it up or down. That is why we never give firm prices over the phone: we visit, measure and hand you an itemised quote where every euro is accounted for. Buying from abroad? We can give a first assessment from plans and photos, then confirm on site.

Be wary of anyone asking for half the job up front — in Spain as anywhere, it is the classic red flag. The professional structure is a moderate initial payment for materials, then instalments tied to completed, inspected phases: demolition, services, building work, finishes. Each payment matches work you can walk in and see — what Spanish builders call a certificación. The money follows the work, never the other way round. It protects you, and frankly it protects us too: it keeps the site moving.

In older buildings, walls that look like simple partitions are sometimes holding the building up. Opening or removing one legally requires a technical project signed by an architect or technical architect, a structural calculation and a major-works licence from the town hall. That is not bureaucratic whim — it is the safety of every neighbour living above you. On the first visit we identify which walls are structural and, if your new layout touches one, we coordinate the architect and all the paperwork ourselves.

In 1960s and 70s properties we still find corroded iron pipework that barely lets water through — occasionally with lead sections, now banned — alongside electrical installations with no earthing and undersized cable. In a full renovation these are always replaced, no exceptions: tiling over fifty-year-old pipes is throwing the tiling money away. It is non-negotiable in our quotes, and you should be suspicious of any 'full renovation' quote that quietly leaves the old services in place.

Rising damp on ground floors, leaks from the roof or from neighbours, and condensation all behave differently and are treated differently. What never works is hiding them behind plasterboard or anti-mould paint without a diagnosis: the stain returns within months, with the new wall already paid for. Before closing any surface we measure moisture levels, trace the source and treat it — drainage, waterproofing or ventilation — so the new finish stays new.

Some buildings put up between the 1950s and 70s used concretes and beam types that today call for a professional opinion — the best-known case being aluminous cement. Being from that era does not mean your building has a problem, but if there are signs such as cracked joists or sagging ceilings, the prudent move is a structural assessment by a qualified technician before you invest in the renovation. We would rather pause and check than tile over a doubt.

If you are buying a property to renovate — as many of our foreign clients are — have the services, structure and damp checked before you sign. Independent surveys are not a standard part of Spanish purchases, so you usually have to commission one yourself; it pays for itself in the price negotiation. Ask for the building's ITE inspection report if it is over fifty years old, and always hold back a 10–15% contingency, because in older homes something nearly always appears once walls are opened. We are happy to view a property with you before you commit.