Welcome to the heart of the Costa Blanca, where warm Mediterranean breezes meet endless sun – the attractive resort town of Torrevieja. Here, among picturesque landscapes and an inspiring atmosphere, each home becomes a unique refuge in which the dreams and desires of its inhabitants come true.
But like any residential property, real estate in Torrevieja requires care and attention, especially in matters of repair and renovation. In our article, we will dive into the world of renovation in this wonderful corner of Spain, consider the features and subtleties of the process, and also share tips for creating a comfortable and stylish home that will delight with its brilliance and sophistication.
Apartment renovation in Spain/Torrevieja/Alicante
Let's figure out what repair costs consist of. Let's divide everything into large parts. Your future table will have six main categories.
Rough work. This is dismantling (if required) and preparatory work carried out by the construction team before finishing. This includes the construction of partitions, the installation of doorways, the preparation of screeds, the routing of electrics for socket groups and lighting, the installation of heated floors, the alignment of window slopes and walls, the preparation of walls for finishing, the installation of plumbing and the installation of hidden engineering devices. This is also the noisiest stage of work.
Draft materials. Everything that cannot be seen after the repair is completed. Dry mixes, drywall, tongue-and-groove blocks, brick, wires and cables, primers, glue, plywood, sound insulation, waterproofing, socket boxes, profiles for building partitions, screws, pipes for heating distribution and so on. As a rule, this purchase is led by a foreman.
Finishing materials. This is what you choose and buy yourself: entrance and interior doors, ceiling cornices, baseboards, plumbing fixtures, sockets, switches, lamps, window sills, porcelain tiles, paint, wallpaper, decorative plaster, parquet boards, faucets and everything that will decorate your home, except for furniture. Often they forget to include and count the “little things” that builders must install at the end of the renovation: towel holders, mirrors, hooks for the hallway, and the like.
Finishing work. Carried out by a construction team. This is work with materials from the previous paragraph: laying parquet boards, installing sockets, painting walls, installing plumbing and everything else.
Furniture. It’s better to start this list with a “ready” furniture. purchased furniture: enter here a sofa, bed, armchairs, coffee tables, tables, chairs, chests of drawers. Then make a list of furniture made to order in carpentry workshops, if any. This is a kitchen, built-in wardrobes, a library, children's furniture, a built-in bay window bench, doors for a niche.
Work of subcontractors. For example, you bought an apartment in a new residential complex and decided to install a split air conditioning system. A specialized office will do this: it will select equipment, prepare a project for wiring communications for air conditioning (firstly, the management company at the residential complex will ask you for it; secondly, only according to the project will it be possible to calculate consumables for installation), purchase materials, wire the walls and will hang the equipment. Another scenario: you decide to organize a home theater with an ultra-clear projector and luxurious sound, and at the same time build speakers into the ceiling of the bathroom so that you can always listen to jazz. To do this, you will have to seek help from specialists in multimedia systems.
You can count points 3 and 5 yourself, the rest is counted by the foreman and related engineers (the same ones who equip the home theater, smart home system, air conditioners, and so on). Below I will tell you what is most often overlooked when compiling such a table.
Rough work. It is still a mystery to me how some people consider repairs in meters. Let's take two apartments of equal size. In one we have to lay block parquet, in the other — laminate on a PVC backing, which will cost three times less. The first apartment will have ten sockets, and the second will have thirty. In one, the customer will want to see large-format porcelain tiles on the walls, in the other, ordinary tiles will be installed. And so on.
If a foreman, knowing only your area, immediately says a fixed price “per square meter”, this means one of two things. Either he played it safe and set up a higher price, or in the near future you will have “extras” waiting for you. — invoices for additional, unforeseen work. Both of these deprive your renovation of predictability: in the first case, you will begin to save in vain on something else in order to fit into the budget, in the second, you will waste a lot of nerves, receiving more and more new bills.
You shouldn’t be offended by the builders: they also have a hard time, because 99% of people make repairs without a hint of the project. Such customers do not have a document that specifies the number of sockets, the area of tiles and parquet, the moldings and material of the walls, the number of baseboards, and so on. Construction crews need to somehow survive, so they agree to work without a clear understanding of what the customer wants to see, — and the price for the work is given approximately.
What to do? If you decide to do without an architect and do not have a complete design project in hand, then you will have to independently draw up the technical specifications in as much detail as possible. Draw a plan of the apartment to scale, set the main dimensions, arrange sockets, lights and switches, draw plumbing fixtures and write an explanatory note. The note must describe what materials the walls and floor will be made of, whether you will have a plasterboard ceiling, whether you need sound insulation of the walls, floor, ceiling, whether you will have ceiling cornices and baseboards that need to be painted in the color of the walls, whether whether radiators are replaced, whether the interior doors are installed by builders or by the company from which you purchase these doors. The more information builders get from you, the better.
Rough materials. It doesn't get any easier here. You won't be able to count them yourself. And without a project, any foreman will estimate the cost of materials “by eye.” and will give a price range — "from" and "before". Most often, in the absence of a project, it turns out that materials are purchased during the work and you are given checks: collect them all and find out how much the rough materials cost.
On the contrary, if there is a professional project, the foreman is obliged to immediately give the summary cost of rough materials and not deviate from it in the direction of increase. So here, too, if you decide to do without a design project, you need to describe everything that you want to see in your future apartment, hand the plan to the foreman and feel free to ask him to ask more questions. Do you plan to have hidden lighting? Is the toilet regular or with installation? Shower set — regular or built-in with thermostat? Radiators or floor-mounted convectors? Will you have exhaust fans built into the wall or ceiling? Do we soundproof from neighbors or not? Well, everything else in the same spirit.
Finishing materials. Just try not to forget anything. If you are confused about what refers to decorative or, as they are sometimes called, “finishing” ones. materials, and what about rough materials, — again, ask the foreman to sit with you for an extra hour and help you make a list of what you purchase for construction exclusively yourself.
A little advice regarding your future purchases at this point: some of them involve various accessories — To take everything into account, you should call the store directly. So, when choosing doors, check carefully that you are including more than just the door leaf on your plate. It is also necessary to take into account hinges, handles, door frames, additions if necessary, and platbands — all together this will add up to 40% to the cost of the canvas. If you are confused, call the store manager and ask them to calculate everything on a turnkey basis with delivery and lifting to the floor.
Radiators have the same nuances: it is not enough to count the number of sections, there is also a thermostat, a Mayevsky tap and metal connections if your radiators are installed directly on the floor, and the non-standard color of the radiator (for example, if you want to match the RAL palette with the color surrounding walls) may have a significant extra charge. Call the store again and ask the manager to calculate everything.
The same thing can await you with track ceiling lamps: the price for the head (light source) and the guide itself (track) most likely does not include power supplies and plugs. Ask for the price of a complete set.
Finishing work. Finishing is discussed with the foreman along with rough work. You will have something to talk about:
- where and what material will be used?
- what about the walls: painted, with decorative plaster or wallpaper?
- what will the ceiling be made of?
- Porcelain tiles on the walls in the bathroom will go from the floor to the ceiling? everywhere or just, say, in the shower area?
- how many sockets, switches and lighting fixtures will you need?
The foreman will probably start giving advice. To listen or not — a question without a clear answer. Let's say you wanted to install a thermostatic shower system in your bathroom, in which cold and hot water mix inside a reservoir built deep into the wall. But the foreman says: it won’t work, the wall is monolithic and any intrusions can damage the reinforcement. This is at least reasonable advice. But if the foreman persuades you to use wallpaper and a suspended ceiling, even though this was not part of your dreams of a home, you should think about it. Most likely, he proceeds from the most pragmatic considerations: you don’t need to perfectly align the walls for wallpaper, but making a suspended ceiling is much faster and easier than any other. If this does not correspond to your aesthetic ideas, carefully insist on your own.
Furniture. Let's return to our large table of upcoming expenses. There are only two points left, and one of them — furniture, the most understandable and pleasant of all. Here you need to sit down with a plan, open the pages of online stores and record your finds in a table. I think you can figure this out without me. Just don’t forget textiles for the windows, curtain rods, a carpet in the living room, shelves and curtains in the bathroom, and floor lamps with table lamps. It seems like little things, but together they make a significant contribution to the overall estimate.
If you understand that you can’t do without a built-in wardrobe in the hallway, a library specifically for your ceiling and a bedside table in the bathroom, made only according to your dimensions, you will need to work a little and draw again. Do not try to strictly adhere to the dimensions: anyway, when the right moment comes, a specialist from the carpentry company will remove them. Just take the main dimensions, draw how many doors the cabinet has, how they open, whether there are drawers, and find an example picture on the Internet. Collect all these files and send them to the selected carpentry workshop for calculation, not forgetting to indicate that you also need delivery, lifting and assembly.
By the way, if you want to go to a salon to sew curtains and Roman blinds or make a custom glass shower partition — proceed according to the same principle as with custom-made furniture.
Work of subcontractors
The last point in the table may not affect you. If you do not need a full-fledged home theater, smart home or air conditioning system, feel free to leave this part of the table blank. Other readers might have a question: why is it better to trust these works to some extra companies, and not to your construction team? Let's formulate the question differently: if your eye hurts, why not trust the dentist? After all, he and the ophthalmologist graduated from the same university.
Repair Torrevieja/Alicante/Spain
Of course, renovation in Torrevieja can be very popular, given the popularity of this region among foreign home buyers and tourists. Here are some key points to consider when carrying out property renovations in Torrevieja:
Popularity of the rental and sales market: Torrevieja is known as a popular resort town on the Costa Blanca, which makes real estate in this region in demand both for permanent residence and for rental. Carrying out quality renovations can increase the value and attractiveness of your home to potential renters or buyers.
Customer requirements: Foreign buyers and tenants may have their own preferences regarding the style and quality of renovation. Therefore, it is important to take these requirements into account when developing a design project and carrying out renovations.
Quality of building materials and finishing works: Given the humid climate of the region and proximity to the sea, it is important to choose high-quality building materials and carry out work in compliance with all necessary technological processes to ensure the durability and sustainability of your renovation.
Legalization and permits: When carrying out renovation work in Torrevieja, you must take into account all necessary permits and licenses. This includes complying with local laws and obtaining all required permits from the municipality.
Taking into account local traditions and standards: Considering local traditions and standards of design and construction, it is important to create renovation projects that will harmonize with the environment and meet the preferences of potential buyers or tenants.
In general, carrying out real estate renovation in Torrevieja can be a successful and profitable investment project, provided that the correct approach is taken and all the features of this region are taken into account.
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