Full home renovation (reforma integral)
We take an apartment, townhouse or villa back to what needs replacing and rebuild it, with the licence, the trades and the community of owners handled while you are away.
Free initial estimate. Licences handled. One project manager. Weekly photo reports.
At a glance
- A reforma integral renews almost everything in a home: layout, wiring, plumbing, kitchen, bathrooms, floors, windows and finishes, and often the roof and terraces.
- The licence route depends on the structure. A reform that keeps it, on a building that is not catalogued, usually goes by declaración responsable; structural changes add a certificate; protected buildings need a full licence.
- Spain's building code applies to work on existing buildings, so a full renovation is designed to current standards, not to the ones the house was built to.
- Asbestos found in older roofs, tanks or pipes is removed only by a registered specialist under Real Decreto 847/2026.
- One project manager runs the whole job in English and sends you photos of every stage that will be covered up.
Last updated
What a full renovation covers
A full renovation (reforma integral in Spanish) usually means stripping a home back and renewing almost everything: the layout where it needs to change, the electrics and plumbing, the kitchen and bathrooms, floors, windows, doors and finishes. In an older coastal house it often includes the roof, terraces and drainage too.
We plan the order of work so that the parts you cannot see, such as wiring, pipework and waterproofing, are right before anything is closed up, and we photograph them for you before they disappear behind a wall.
Licences come first
The route depends on what changes. A reform that keeps the main structure on a building that is not catalogued usually needs a declaración responsable; structural interventions can require accompanying certification, and protected-building works must be assessed for their heritage significance. TRLOTUP distinguishes heritage interventions requiring a licence from those without heritage significance that can follow the declaration route. We check the town’s ordinance for your job. Read how licences work.
Apartments and villas are different jobs
In an apartment, the community of owners has a say over anything that touches the facade, roof, structure or shared risers, and working hours follow the building’s rules. In a villa, the questions are more often about the roof, the terraces, damp and whether earlier extensions were legalised. See apartment renovation and villa renovation.
What a full renovation usually covers
Included
- A survey of the structure, roof, damp and installations before anything is designed
- The licence file, prepared and lodged with our partner architect
- New layout where it needs to change, with a structural engineer for any wall that carries load
- Complete rewiring and replumbing, certified where the rules require it
- Kitchen, bathrooms, floors, doors, windows and shutters
- Roof, terraces and drainage on houses that need them
- Insulation and ventilation improvements while the walls are open
Not included, or arranged separately
- Furniture and soft furnishings
- Architectural and engineering fees are quoted by our partner firms, who are independent businesses
The order of work
Survey
We open up what we can on the site visit and look at the structure, roof, damp, wiring and pipes. This is what the fixed-price quote after a site visit rests on.
Design and licence
The layout is agreed with you; our partner architect prepares the licence file and we lodge it before any work starts.
Strip-out
The home is taken back to what is being kept. Anything unexpected, such as rot or asbestos, is photographed and discussed with you before we continue.
First fix
Structure, then new pipes, cables and ducts. All of it is photographed before walls and floors close.
Finishes
Plaster, floors, tiling, joinery, kitchen and bathrooms, in an order that keeps finished work protected.
Handover
We test everything, clean, and walk you through the home on site or by video, with the certificates and photo record.
Good to know
Rules and facts that apply
- Current standards apply
- The Código Técnico de la Edificación applies to interventions on existing buildings as well as to new ones. (CTE, Part I)
- Asbestos
- From 24 October 2026, Real Decreto 847/2026 replaces Real Decreto 396/2006. Firms removing asbestos must be registered in the RERA before they start and must have a work plan submitted to the labour authority for approval. (RD 847/2026, arts. 10 and 18)
- Energy certificate after works
- Real Decreto 390/2021 requires a new energy performance certificate after certain works, such as work on more than 25% of the building envelope. (RD 390/2021)
- IVA on a home you use
- When you renovate a home you use privately, the 10% IVA rate can apply if the home is at least two years old and the contractor's materials stay within 40% of the price. Your quote says which rate applies. (LIVA art. 91.Uno.2.10; AEAT, renovation and repairs)
What to send us before the site visit
- A video walk-through of the whole home, including the roof or terraces
- The property's escritura or nota simple, and its catastro reference if you have it
- Any earlier plans, licences or works certificates
- In an apartment: the administrator's contact and the community's rules on works
- Your dates in Spain over the coming year, so the work can be planned around them
Questions owners ask
Do I need a licence for a full renovation?
Almost always some form of permission. A renovation that does not replace the main structure, on a building that is not catalogued, usually goes through a declaración responsable. Structural changes can require accompanying certification; for protected buildings, the procedure depends on the intervention's heritage significance. We confirm the route with the town hall and our partner architect files it before work starts.
Can the house be renovated while I am abroad?
Yes. The service is designed for owners who are not in Spain during the works. You get photo and video updates every week and decide finishes by video call or from samples we send you photos of.
What happens if the house has asbestos?
If we find or suspect asbestos, we stop that part of the job and bring in a registered specialist. Real Decreto 847/2026 now governs work involving asbestos exposure: article 10 addresses identifying materials before relevant works and article 18 requires the firms undertaking covered activities to register in RERA. See the dated BOE source below.
How is a full renovation priced?
With a free estimate first, then a fixed-price quote after a site visit, once we have seen what is behind the finishes we can reach.
Sources
- Real Decreto 847/2026: work involving asbestos exposure, arts. 10 and 18. BOE. Checked .
- Real Decreto 314/2006: Código Técnico de la Edificación. BOE. Checked .
- RD 390/2021: building energy performance certification. BOE. Checked .
- Ley 37/1992, art. 91.Uno.2.10: VAT on renovation and repair works. BOE. Checked .
- VAT rates for renovation or repair of homes. Agencia Tributaria. Checked .
- Av. de Francia 2, 46023 València
València and the Costa Blanca. Site visits by appointment. - We work with local architects, interior designers and structural engineers.
- Civil liability insurance: details to be confirmed
- Company registration (CIF and Registro Mercantil): pending incorporation