How to Modernise an Older Apartment in Torrevieja
Modernising an older apartment in Torrevieja works best in a fixed order: survey the building and the services first, confirm which permit the works need, repair damp, wiring and plumbing, then change the layout and finish the surfaces. Done in that order, you avoid opening up new tiling to fix a pipe, or repainting after a leak. This guide sets out each stage, what to ask for, and where coastal conditions change the usual advice.
Key Takeaways
Survey first: damp, wiring, plumbing and the condition of shared elements decide your budget more than the style you choose.
Most interior works in Torrevieja go through a declaración responsable, while structural or façade changes need a licencia de obra mayor. Check before you start.
Replace hidden services (electrics, pipes, waterproofing) before you spend on visible finishes.
A reduced 10% VAT rate can apply to renovation of a home you use yourself, but not to a property you rent out.
Ask for a phased written quote, a fixed schedule and regular photo updates, especially if you are abroad.
Table of Contents
Start with a survey, not a mood board
Apartments in Torrevieja built in the decades of the first tourist boom were often designed for summer use: thin partitions, modest insulation, single-glazed aluminium windows and electrical systems sized for a handful of appliances. Today’s owners want air conditioning, an induction hob, a dishwasher and a washing machine running at the same time.
Spanish technical guidance on housing built before 1989 makes the same point: for older homes, renovation should aim to bring habitability, functionality and safety up to modern standards, and even partial interventions improve comfort and longevity when planned systematically. The guide is not binding, but it is a sensible checklist.
Before you choose tiles, walk the apartment with a contractor and record:
Damp and salt: stains at the base of walls, blistered paint, white salt deposits, a musty smell in wardrobes.
Electrics: the age of the consumer unit, whether circuits are separated, whether there is an earth connection and residual-current protection.
Plumbing: pipe material, water pressure, the state of the stopcocks, any past leaks, and the age of the water heater.
Windows and doors: seals, frames, shutter boxes and condensation.
Shared elements: balcony slabs, façade, roof and risers belong to the building, so any work touching them involves the community of owners.
A survey takes a few hours and shapes the whole quote. It is also the best moment to decide whether you need a partial or a full renovation. If you are buying and have not yet signed, do this before completion so the repair cost can be reflected in your offer.
Which permit does your project need?
This is where many owners lose weeks. The Torrevieja town hall separates minor interior works from major works, and the procedure differs.
For interior updates that do not alter the structure or the exterior appearance, the council runs a declaración responsable de obra, which can be filed electronically or in person by appointment. For works that affect structure, façade or shared installations, the council requires a licencia de obra mayor, with a technical project signed by the relevant professionals. The council’s own page lists the urban planning procedures and their documentation.
In practice:
Work | Typical route |
New kitchen and bathroom fittings, tiling, painting, flooring | Declaración responsable |
Rewiring and replacing pipes inside the flat | Usually declaración responsable |
Moving or removing load-bearing walls | Obra mayor with technical project |
Changing windows on the façade, closing a balcony | Obra mayor, plus community approval |
Roof or façade works | Obra mayor, community involved |
Treat this table as orientation, not a ruling. Whether your specific project is minor or major depends on the plans, and misclassifying it can bring delays or penalties. Ask your contractor to confirm the route in writing before work starts. We handle this filing as part of a managed renovation, so the documentation reaches the Ayuntamiento correctly presented.
Two further points. Many community statutes restrict noisy work to set hours and require notice, and a few require a deposit for lift protection. Ask the administrator of your comunidad de propietarios before the first demolition day.
Damp, salt air and waterproofing come first
Torrevieja sits on the coast, so salt-laden air, humidity and older, porous construction are routine concerns. Painting over a damp wall hides the symptom for a season. Find the source first: a leaking terrace above, a failed pipe in a wall, condensation from poor ventilation, or moisture rising from a ground-floor slab.
The Spanish building code’s health document, the CTE Documento Básico HS, sets the basic requirements for salubrity, including protection against moisture. You are not obliged to bring a whole older flat up to new-build standard, but it is a useful benchmark when you specify repairs. We cover the coastal detail in our guide to renovating a coastal home against humidity and salt air.
Typical remedies, depending on the cause:
Terrace and roof impermeabilisation: lift failed membranes, repair falls so water drains away, and re-lay a waterproofing system with proper upturns at walls.
Leak detection and repair: locate concealed leaks before closing walls or laying new floors.
Ventilation: extractor fans that vent outside in kitchens and bathrooms, and trickle vents or cross-ventilation in bedrooms.
Breathable finishes: suitable plasters and paints on walls that will always carry some moisture.
Pro Tip: Ask for the cause of any damp to be written into the quote, with the repair method beside it. A quote that only says “treat damp” is not specific enough to compare.
Replace what you cannot see: electrics and plumbing
The Madrid City Council’s technical session on structural and electrical safety in building rehabilitation stresses that a competent technician should assess older buildings so that works improve appearance and keep the building sound and safe. That principle applies in Torrevieja just as it does in Madrid.
Electrical installation
An older apartment typically needs a new consumer unit with separate circuits for lighting, sockets, kitchen appliances, washing machine and air conditioning, plus earth and residual-current protection. If you plan to add air conditioning, size the supply before you choose the units. Our electrical installations and repairs service covers rewiring and upgrades, and doing it before plastering and painting means walls are opened once.
Plumbing and water heating
Old galvanised or poorly jointed pipes lose pressure and eventually leak. When the bathroom or kitchen is stripped back, replacing supply and drainage pipes costs little extra compared with doing it later. Also consider replacing an old electric water heater and fitting new taps and sanitary ware at the same time. These are all part of our plumbing services, including leak detection and 24/7 emergency repairs.
Rethink the layout
Once services are sorted, the layout is where an older flat changes most. Common moves in Torrevieja apartments:
Open-plan kitchen and living room. Removing the partition between a closed kitchen and the lounge brings light and makes a small flat feel larger. If the wall is load-bearing, you need a technical project and the obra mayor route.
Bath to walk-in shower. Swapping a bathtub for a level-access shower gains floor space and makes the bathroom safer for older users. Plan the drainage fall and a non-slip finish from the start.
Storage. Fitted wardrobes and made-to-measure joinery use awkward recesses that off-the-shelf furniture cannot.
Terrace. Many apartments gain more usable space by renovating and waterproofing the terrace than by any internal change.
If you are unsure how to arrange rooms, our interior design service can turn a survey into a plan before any demolition begins. Changing your mind on site is the costliest way to design.
Kitchens, bathrooms and finishes
With services and layout fixed, the visible work follows in a logical sequence:
Demolition and removal of waste.
Plumbing and electrical first fix.
Plastering, screeding and waterproofing of wet areas.
Tiling and flooring.
Carpentry: doors, kitchen units, wardrobes.
Painting.
Sanitary ware, taps, light fittings, final connections.
Some notes for coastal conditions:
Flooring: laminate or floating flooring is quick to fit and warm underfoot, but use a moisture-resistant underlay and keep it out of wet areas. Tile remains the better choice for kitchens, bathrooms and terraces.
Metalwork: on balconies, rails and outdoor fixings, stainless steel (AISI 316 is the marine-grade specification) resists salt corrosion far better than ordinary steel.
Windows: double glazing with thermal breaks in the frames reduces noise, heat gain and condensation.
Doors and joinery: choose materials that tolerate humidity, and have them fitted once walls are dry.
Air conditioning: decide unit positions before painting, so refrigerant lines and condensate drains are hidden in the walls, not surface-mounted afterwards.
Pro Tip: Order tiles, sanitary ware and kitchen units early and check them on delivery. Waiting on one missing item can hold up an entire phase.
What it costs and how VAT works
Costs vary widely with the building’s condition, the quality of finishes and the extent of structural work, so be cautious of any per-square-metre figure that arrives before someone has seen the flat. We publish no fixed prices, because each project is billed by contract according to scope. What we do give is a free consultation and a detailed, phased quote, so you can see where the money goes and decide stage by stage.
Two costs owners often forget:
Local taxes and fees linked to the works licence or declaration. Ask the council or your contractor what applies to your project.
VAT. According to the Spanish Tax Agency, the general rate is 21%, but renovation and repair works on housing can be taxed at 10% if the customer is an individual who uses the home privately and the building was completed at least two years before the works start. The reduced rate does not apply if the home is rented out or used for business, even partially. If you plan to let your apartment, ask your tax adviser how this affects you before you sign.
Plan a contingency too. Opening a wall in a 1970s block regularly reveals something the survey could not see, and having a reserve means it becomes a decision, not a crisis.
Our perspective: renovate in the order the building needs
In our experience, the apartments that disappoint their owners are rarely the ones with a modest budget. They are the ones where money went on kitchens and floors while a terrace leak or an overloaded electrical panel stayed untouched. Ranking the work by consequence changes the outcome: waterproofing and safety first, comfort second, style third.
We work in Torrevieja and the Vega Baja, so we see the same patterns repeatedly: salt corrosion, old pipework, thin partitions and circuits sized for another era. We believe a renovation should be managed as one project, with plumbing, electrics, plastering, carpentry and painting coordinated by a single team, so that no trade waits on another or undoes its work. That is why we give a phased quote with a defined scope and schedule, and why we put the permit route in writing before we begin.
For owners who live abroad, the practical test is communication: who is on site, how you will see progress, and who decides small matters while you are away. Ask any contractor, including us, to describe that process before you sign.
— URU Reformas
Renovating while you live abroad
Many apartment owners in Torrevieja are not resident in Spain. A few habits make remote renovation safe:
Agree one point of contact and one language for all written communication.
Ask for dated photo or video updates at the end of each phase, and keep them with your contract.
Approve variations in writing, with the cost and the effect on the schedule.
Arrange who holds keys and who deals with the community administrator.
Release payments against completed phases, not calendar dates.
Our article on the stages, permits and coastal costs of a full home renovation in Torrevieja walks through the whole sequence if you want more detail on the project timeline.
Work with us on your apartment
If you are planning a partial or complete update, our team manages the project from survey to handover: plumbing, electrics, plastering, carpentry, painting, air conditioning and interior design under one contract. See our full renovation service for what is included, browse completed projects, or contact us to arrange a free consultation and a detailed quote.
FAQ
How can I make my old apartment look more modern?
Start with light and surfaces: fresh plaster and paint, new flooring, replaced doors and updated lighting make the biggest visual difference. Then upgrade the kitchen and bathroom, where age shows most. Hidden work such as wiring and pipes does not change the look, but it is what lets modern appliances and air conditioning run safely.
Do I need a permit to renovate an apartment in Torrevieja?
Yes, in most cases. Interior works that do not touch structure or exterior appearance generally go through a declaración responsable, while structural, façade or shared-installation changes need a licencia de obra mayor. The council’s urban planning pages set out the procedures, and your contractor should confirm the correct route before work begins.
Is it better to renovate in phases or all at once?
A single coordinated project is usually more efficient, because walls and floors are opened once and trades follow each other without rework. If the budget is limited, phasing works as long as the first phase covers the hidden items: waterproofing, electrics and plumbing. Finishes can follow later.
Can I pay reduced VAT on my renovation?
Possibly. The Spanish Tax Agency applies 10% to renovation of homes used privately by an individual when the building is at least two years old, but not to rented or business-use homes. Confirm your situation with a tax adviser before signing the contract.
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