Frequently asked questions
The questions we get most often, answered straight. If yours is not here, just give us a call.
Getting started
- Can we work together while I still live abroad?
- Yes. Some of our clients are still living in the Netherlands or Belgium when the work begins. We keep in touch by phone and email, send photographs of the progress, and walk you through the site remotely. You can speak Dutch, English or Spanish with us, wherever you are.
- What does building or renovating cost?
- It depends on the project, which is why this site carries no figures. What a house takes depends on the plot, the state of the building, the structure and the finish. You get a written quotation before anything is agreed. The first conversation and the visit cost nothing.
- What happens in the first conversation?
- We come to you, or walk the plot or the house together. You tell us what you have in mind; we tell you what can be done, what gets difficult, and roughly what it takes in time and work. No cost, no obligation.
- Do you take on small jobs?
- We work on whole houses: new builds, renovations and extensions. For a one-day job a local tradesman usually suits you better. If you are unsure, give us a call. We will say so plainly when someone else is the better fit.
Permits and rules
- How long does a building permit take?
- That varies by town hall and by type of application, and it is not something we can promise. Smaller work follows a different, shorter route than a full new build. When we work out the plan we tell you which route your project takes and what the town hall is currently working to.
- What is the difference between obra menor and obra mayor?
- Broadly: obra menor is maintenance and smaller work that leaves the structure and the volume of the building alone. Obra mayor is everything that does touch them, such as a new build, an extension, load-bearing walls or a serious change to the layout. That needs an architect's project and a fuller permit. Which of the two applies is for the town hall to decide.
- Do you work with an architect?
- Yes. Anything that counts as obra mayor requires an architect, and we work with the same architects each time, people who know the area and the town halls. The design and the permit application run through them; we sit in, so that design and execution line up.
During and after the build
- Who is my point of contact during the build?
- One person from our team. They know your project, they are on site, and they are the one you call. You never have to chase subcontractors.
- How are changes to the agreed work handled?
- Anything that departs from what was agreed is put in writing first, with what it means for the work and the planning, before it is carried out. Nothing turns up in the final account that you have not seen before.
- What happens at handover?
- We walk through the house together and write down what still needs doing. We hand over only once that list is empty. After that we stay reachable, including for what only shows up months later.
- Can you do the kitchen and bathroom too?
- That is Sani-Kitchen Projects, our regular partner in Jávea. They supply and fit kitchens, bathrooms, tiles and interiors. We line up the planning between us, so it does not become a second project for you to run.
Question not covered?
Ask it anyway. We will answer even when the answer is that we do not know.