Renovating a house in Spain (UK guide): costs, permits and more

Are you passionate about renovating houses and breathing new life into them? Or maybe you’re new to renovation and you want your first renovating project to be in Spain? We’re here to tell you everything you need to know and take you through the process.

In this guide, we’ll cover the pros and cons of renovating a house in Spain, break down all the costs and help you create a renovation schedule. Also, we’ll tell you what you should consider before even beginning.

Finally, since renovation can be chaotic and costly, you may want to make the financial part of the process less stressful. The Wise account will allow you to send large amounts of money between the UK and Spain for transparent, low fees*.

There are no hidden fees or exchange rate markups so you could use these potential savings to cover any upfront payments. A Wise account will even auto-convert your pounds to euros at the mid-market rate to help you save even more.

Is it worth buying a house to renovate in Spain?

People have different motives for buying and renovating houses in Spain. Sometimes the goal is to make a holiday home or even a second home. Some opt to renovate in order to rent or eventually sell property in Spain.

In case you’re not sure whether renovating is even worth it for you, there are several things you should consider. Just like building from scratch, there are lots of things you need to plan out and pay for.

To sum it up, here are some pros and cons to renovating a house in Spain:

Pros:

• It can be significantly cheaper than building from scratch or buying new
• It’s a much more creative project versus simply buying and decorating
• Renovating is more sustainable than other options

Cons:

• Existing structures can limit changes
• Longer waiting times depending on permits
• Dealing with the paperwork in another language

Where to purchase a property to renovate in Spain

If you’re not familiar with the Spanish real estate market or you just want professional help, you can hire an agent to help you find a property in Spain. However, if you’d like to look through some houses online, these are some famous Spanish real estate and property websites:

• Idealista
• Fotocasa
• ThinkSpain
• Tucasa.com
• Yaencontre.com

What to consider when renovating a house in Spain

Doing home renovations is challenging even in the UK, let alone in a foreign country. Things likely won’t go smoothly the entire time and you might have some problems with permits or not keeping up with your schedule.

it’s important that you ask yourself whether this is something you’re ready to go through with, all potential pitfalls included. If you think you can do it, here are some important things to consider to make your Spanish renovation easier:

• Is it a protected or listed building?
• How does Spanish planning permission work?
• How do property evaluations in Spain work?
• Do you have a renovation schedule in place?
• How to hire contractors for home renovations in Spain
• Do you have the right insurance?
• Do you have a contingency plan in place?
• Are there fees and tax considerations for renovating a house in Spain?
• Should you carry out a Spanish house renovation yourself?
• What do you do if something goes wrong?

1. Is it a protected or listed building?¹

A protected property in Spain is known as Bien de Interés Cultural (BIC). If you buy it, this might include additional obligations and rules for you, even regarding renovations.

Buyers should consult with the Association of Land and Mercantile Registrars of Spain to get information on the legal requirements associated with the property. You could also contact the Ministry of Culture and the regional authorities.

2. How does Spanish planning permission work?²

The process usually involves hiring an architect and having them create a project. You then apply for planning permission from the town hall and wait for project approval. After this, you can apply for a building permit (licencia de obra).

3. How do property evaluations in Spain work?³

Property assessments in Spain are conducted by a valuation company or an independent professional called tasador de viviendas or tasador de propiedades. These experts usually have degrees in architecture, technical architecture, engineering or technical engineering.

4. Do you have a renovation schedule in place?

Creating a detailed renovation schedule is very important in order for it to be successful. Here’s a rough order in which to tackle your renovation tasks in:

• Stripping out the interiors
• Structural work
• Plumbing, heating and electrical wiring work
• Insulation (if necessary)
• Flooring and plastering
• Bathroom and kitchen fit outs
• Painting
• Decoration, interior design and final touches

5. How to hire contractors for home renovations in Spain²

One of the best ways to find reputable contractors and construction workers is through certain professional organisations. One of them is the Spanish Association of Builders and Promoters (Asociación de Constructores y Promotores de España). This organisation represents construction companies in Spain.

6. Do you have the right insurance?⁴

You should get comprehensive construction insurance (Seguro de Todo Riesgo de la Construcción). It protects you against all damages that may occur accidentally when renovating a house. This includes theft, environmental factors, design errors, demolition removal costs etc.

7. Do you have a contingency plan in place?

Even if you create a perfect renovation schedule, some unforeseeable things can delay it, from the weather to sourcing materials.

That’s why you should always have a backup plan. For example, consider change orders or amendments to the original contract.

8. Are there fees and tax considerations for renovating a house in Spain?

The main fees you’ll have are necessary building permits. Consider paying them with Wise, since your pounds will be automatically converted at the mid-market exchange rate to euros for low fees*.

Your Wise account awaits

You’ll also need to pay a Construction, installation and works tax (Impuesto sobre Construcciones, Instalaciones y Obras). The tax rate depends on the municipality, but it doesn’t exceed 4% of the cost of the refurbishment.⁵

You can get a VAT reduction to 10% by refurbishing a property primarily intended for housing. The renovation must be completed at least two years after the start of the renovation.⁶

Learn more about the tax implications of buying property abroad.

9. Should you carry out a Spanish house renovation yourself?

It can be tempting to save on labour costs but if you can, it’s better to hire professionals to help you with renovating a house in Spain. This will ensure all the work meets legal requirements and you have the appropriate permits.

10. What do you do if something goes wrong?⁷

In case you encounter a problem, make sure you seek independent legal advice immediately. Keep in mind that the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can’t directly get involved in private legal issues abroad. However, they could give you a list of translators and English-speaking lawyers.

Spanish house renovation costs

Now that we’ve covered some things you should consider, let’s answer the question: how much does it cost to renovate a house in Spain?

We’ll go through individual refurbishment expenses and tell you how much you can expect to pay on average.

How much does a new roof cost in Spain?⁸

An average price is €70 to €200 per square metre or between £60 and £170. The price varies based on the quality of materials.

How much does flooring cost?⁹

The price range for flooring is around €15 to €80 per square metre or around £13 to £70. Laminate is the cheapest option.

Cost of fitting a kitchen in Spain?¹⁰

On average, it’s €850 per square metre or approximately £720. The full cost also depends on the cost of your appliances and white goods.

Cost of fitting a new bathroom in Spain?¹¹

Remodelling an average-sized bathroom in your Spanish house will cost around €3,000 (£2,500), all costs included. This includes the materials, the workers, sanitary ware and debris removal.

How much does it cost to paint an entire house in Spain?

A paint job for a 100 square metre house in Spain will set you back €1,100 on average (£935). The total cost also depends on the paint type.¹²

When it comes to exterior painting, you can expect to pay around €20 per square metre (£17) or more if the walls are in bad condition and require extensive prepwork.¹³

How much does it cost to rewire a house in Spain?¹⁴

This usually costs €1500 to €5500 (£1,275 to £4,700), but this is just a rough estimate. If your property requires less of an overhaul the cost will be considerably lower.

Cost of converting a loft in Spain¹⁵

This can vary significantly, since it involves all of the other costs we’ve listed. For reference, an average 20 square metre loft conversion in the UK costs between £20,000 and £30,000, which is around €23,500 to €35,200.

Costs of renovating a villa in Spain

Since villas tend to be larger in size, the prices we’ve listed so far will be higher when remodelling them. The price also greatly depends on the location, as buying property in Barcelona or other popular or larger cities will likely be more expensive.

How much to renovate a finca?¹⁶

Remodelling a rural house (or finca) in Spain costs €300 per square metre (£255) but again, this varies on the condition of the finca, additional land or its location.

How much does it cost to renovate a house in Spain

Let’s list the main expenses in your Spanish renovation:

Renovation type 🔨	Average cost 💶
New roof	€70-€200 per square metre (£60-£170)
Flooring	€15-€80 per square metre (£13-£70)
New kitchen	€850 per square metre (£720)
Bathroom renovation	€3,000 for an average-sized bathroom (£2,500)
Painting	€1,100 (£935) for 100 sq.m. for interior €20 per sq.m. (£17) for exterior

How to pay for renovating a house or property in Spain

You should now have a better idea of how much it costs to renovate a house in Spain and what the process can look like.

Renovating comes with various expenses, from paying contractors and permits to purchasing materials. Though it’s not a bank, an account with Wise is an alternative to traditional bank accounts. You can send money between the UK and Spain at the mid-market exchange rate for low and upfront fees*.

Opening a Wise account means you can avoid hidden fees and mark-ups on currency conversion. You’ll get a clear view of how much money will arrive at the other end so you can use what you save to cover more of your renovation costs.

For large amount transfers there’s a dedicated team of experts ready to help with every step of your transfer so you can move bigger amounts of money to Spain with ease.

Make your transfer

FAQs: Renovating and refurbishing a house in Spain

Let’s answer some common questions about renovating a house in Spain:

What fees do you pay when buying a house in Spain?¹⁷

When buying a property in Spain, fees include property transfer tax, stamp duty, notary and land registry fees, property survey and home insurance.

Can you make money on property in Spain?

Yes, you could sell your Spanish renovation project and make a profit.

Is it worth investing in Spanish property?¹⁸

Yes, Spanish real estate value gain is constantly increasing and ROI rates are high so it may be worthwhile. Though you should always seek professional financial advice before investing in real estate both at home and abroad.

Where in Spain is the cheapest property to buy?¹⁹

Of course, property markets are always changing but at present, the following Spanish towns have the lowest property prices:

• Villanueva de los Infantes
• Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo
• Leiro
• Carmena
• Santo Domingo-Caudilla

How much do builders and contractors get paid in Spain?²⁰

On average, builders get paid €15 an hour or €31,000 per year.

How much are architect fees in Spain?²¹

If they charge a fixed fee, architects usually charge between 7% and 15% of the total renovation costs.

Sources used:

1. ExpatFocus - buying historic or listed buildings in Spain
2. ExpatFocus - Spain property renovation
3. Tinsa - Spanish home appraisals
4. Chubb - construction insurance info
5. Fiscal Impuestos - ICIO info
6. Immofy - reduced VAT rates for renovation projects
7. Gov.uk - UK guidance for buying property abroad
8. CronoShare - Spanish roofing prices
9. Habitissimo - Spanish flooring prices
10. Habitissimo - kitchen refit prices in Spain
11. Habitissimo - average bathroom refit price in Spain
12. Habitissimo - house painting price (interior)
13. Habitissimo - house painting prices (exterior)
14. Habitissimo - average rewiring prices in Spain
15. GreenMatch - average loft conversion prices in Spain
16. Habitissimo - Finca info
17. Idealista - property buying fees in Spain
18. Spain Homes - Spanish profit potential
19. Idealista - cheapest houses in Spain
20. Salary Expert - construction worker salary
21. Fran Cortés Arquitectos - architect fees

Sources last checked on date: 29-Aug-2024