It is easy to see why renovating property in Spain is an attractive prospect. Whilst the UK might have many new build housing estates springing up across the country, Spain has a limited amount of new builds available. It makes sense to take advantage of some of the older villas. You’ll find them in attractive locations across Spain, and due to several of them being more than half a century old, they’ll be in need of renovation. This provides you with an opportunity to inject some modern conveniences into your new home, whilst also finding a cheap deal on a rundown property in need of TLC.What Kind of Services Are There?
To live a comfortable standard of modern life, it could be argued you require electricity, water and way to dispose of sewage, at the very least
The vast majority of urban homes will come with these things as a standard. Make sure you confirm that the property has them and if they do not, find out how much it would cost to have them set up.
It’s worth bearing in mind that Spain is five times bigger than the UK. If you are thinking of renovating an older villa, and it’s in a remote area, it might not be practical to have these services installed. So what can you do?
Go Off the Grid
The joys of modern technology now means you can harness the power of the wind and sun to generate electricity, collect rainwater and recycle it for everyday usage and install various means for removing sewage.
An older villa will have been designed to handle the seasonal weather, meaning you won't need to worry too much about finding modern means to fight the heat and cold. There are also a range of off grid sewage systems which can be installed.
The average solar panel costs €6800 (&6000) to install. To be off grid will cost more as you will need a powerful battery and a diesel powered backup generator. A means of disposing of sewage, like a septic tank will cost an average of €8500 (&7490) to install. Underground rain tanks cast cost as little as €227 (&200) for a 20 litre tank, but can skyrocket to €10226 (&9000) for a 39000 litre tank. At the end of the day it depends on your needs. Water tanks can either be filled with rainwater, or there are services in Spain where people can come to refill your tanks.
Other modern conveniences like phone lines and the internet have been made easier to access. Urban Spain enjoys fibre optic connections, whilst European Union funded innovations have made the internet readily available in even the most rural areas of Spain.
It is important that you speak to an expert contractor on the subject of modernising an older home. They will be able to advise on the costs involved, whether it’s structurally possible to carry out the work and they’ll be able to carry out all the work themselves. There are also several grants available if you choose a government approved contractor, so make sure you do your research!
