Cosmetic Refresh or Full Renovation? How to Choose on the Costa Blanca in 2026
A cosmetic refresh is €270/m²; a full renovation starts at €420/m². The difference is whether walls, electrics and plumbing are touched. Here is how to tell which job your property needs, with budgets for 70, 90 and 120 m².
Choose a cosmetic refresh (€270/m²) when the structure, layout and hidden services are sound and you only want new surfaces: paint, floors, doors, skirting, lighting. Choose a full renovation (from €420/m²) when the kitchen and bathrooms must be replaced, or when electrics and plumbing need renewing, which is common in properties built before 1990. Prices are before IVA. For a 70 m² apartment that is from €18,900 cosmetic against from €29,400 at Standard full renovation, a gap of €10,500.
On the Costa Blanca, "renovation" covers jobs that cost very different amounts. Most disagreements between two quotes for the same flat come from one quote pricing a refresh and the other a rebuild. This guide shows where the line sits, so you can decide what your property needs before you ask for a number.
What separates the two
| Cosmetic refresh | Full renovation | |
|---|---|---|
| Published rate | €270/m² (one rate) | €420 Standard, €650 Premium, €900 Luxury per m² |
| Paint, floors, doors, lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen and bathrooms | Surfaces only | Replaced |
| Electrics | Not rewired | Rewired |
| Plumbing | Not replaced | Replaced |
| Walls moved | No | Rarely (if they move, it is a structural job) |
| Permission | Normally a declaración responsable | A declaración responsable; a certificate is added if the structure is touched |
The simplest test is this: cosmetic work changes surfaces and finishes without touching structure, layout or the routes of the pipes and cables. As soon as walls move, or plumbing and electrics are rerouted, it becomes a full renovation with a different scope, price and licence path. The rates for each are in our guide to what a full renovation costs and on the cosmetic renovation page.
What the choice costs: three sizes
Area multiplied by the published rate, before IVA, tax and any extras:
| Property | Cosmetic from €270/m² | Full, Standard from €420/m² | Full, Premium from €650/m² | Gap, cosmetic to Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 70 m² apartment | €18,900 | €29,400 | €45,500 | €10,500 |
| 90 m² apartment | €24,300 | €37,800 | €58,500 | €13,500 |
| 120 m² villa | €32,400 | €50,400 | €78,000 | €18,000 |
These are starting figures, not a quotation. The written quotation after a site visit is what you sign. A structural renovation that strips a property to the shell is a separate category at €1,100–1,400/m², priced after a survey. Budgets for a full apartment job, with IVA and the construction tax, are in how much it costs to renovate an apartment in Torrevieja.
The year of construction usually decides it
The condition you can see tells you less than the age of the building. In our renovation guide, the stock splits roughly like this:
- Built 2000–2008. Generally sound services and dated finishes. This is the cheapest kind to renovate, and often a cosmetic refresh is enough.
- After 2008. Modern regulations; usually only cosmetic work is needed unless the layout is wrong for you.
- 1980–2000. Quality varies a lot between developments. Electrics are often salvageable but rarely adequate for air conditioning plus an induction hob plus a pool pump.
- Before 1980. Expect no insulation, single glazing, an undersized electrical supply and old plumbing. Assume everything behind the walls is replaced, which puts you in full-renovation territory.
A beautifully presented 1985 villa can cost more to renovate than a tired 2005 one, because presentation is paint and the money is in the walls. If you are unsure, send photos of the fuse board and tell us the year of construction: that is usually enough to see the scale. The electrics side is covered in rewiring and plumbing in an older property.
When a cosmetic refresh is the right call
- You let the property. Cosmetic work fits into a gap between bookings and the property is handed back cleaned. Fresh paint, consistent flooring and updated lighting change the photographs and first impressions far more than they cost.
- You are selling. It is the cheapest way to change how a property presents. We can look at what is worth doing and what will not return its cost.
- The services work. No tripping fuse board, no recurring leaks, no damp.
- The layout suits you. Nothing needs to move.
One caution: paint over sound plaster is predictable, but damp patches, earlier poor repairs or crumbling plaster mean preparation work, and that can change the price. We say so before continuing. The cosmetic rate is a planning rate; after a review the written scope confirms the exact preparation and the replacements you chose.
When a full renovation is the right call
- The kitchen or bathrooms are at the end of their life. A new kitchen beside a 1990s floor tends to make the floor look worse. A complete bathroom refit starts at €4,800 (bathroom costs); a kitchen is priced per linear metre from €800 (kitchen costs).
- You can't use the electrics you have. An old fuse board, sockets without earth, or a supply that trips when the air conditioning and the oven run together.
- Plumbing is original. Doing it while walls and floors are open is the efficient moment.
- You want the layout changed. That moves you toward the structural rate.
Time on site
Our cosmetic service page puts a typical two-bedroom apartment refresh at one to two weeks, and notes that a gap between rental bookings of two to four weeks is usually enough. For a whole villa, our renovation guide plans three to six weeks for cosmetic work and ten to sixteen weeks for a full renovation. A full renovation also carries the licence period before it. The written quotation sets out the programme for your property.
IVA and the construction tax
IVA on renovation is normally 21%. It is 10% when you are a private individual using the home privately, the home is more than two years old and the contractor's materials are no more than 40% of the job's price (article 91 of the VAT law). A holiday home let out as a business does not qualify; ask your gestor which applies. Torrevieja and Orihuela also charge the ICIO at 4% of the cost of the works. On a 70 m² cosmetic refresh of €18,900 that is €756; on the Standard full renovation of €29,400 it is €1,176. The filing routes are in our licence guide.
What it looks like finished
Our rental refurbishment in Torrevieja shows a refresh aimed at guests; the full renovation and the compact reform show the heavier jobs. Local prices and every project are on the page for builders in Torrevieja.
Questions we get asked
What is the difference between a cosmetic and a full renovation?
A cosmetic renovation changes surfaces and finishes (paint, floors, doors, skirting, lighting) without touching structure, layout or the routes of pipes and cables, at €270/m². A full renovation replaces the kitchen and bathrooms and renews electrics and plumbing, from €420/m² at Standard finish.
How much does a cosmetic renovation cost on the Costa Blanca?
One rate of €270/m² before IVA. For a 70 m² apartment that is from €18,900, for 90 m² from €24,300 and for a 120 m² villa from €32,400. Damp or poor earlier repairs can add preparation work, which is priced before it goes ahead.
Is a cosmetic renovation worth it before selling or renting?
Usually yes, because it is the cheapest way to change how a property presents: fresh paint, consistent flooring and updated lighting lift photographs and first impressions. We can tell you what is worth doing and what will not return its cost.
Do I need a licence for a cosmetic renovation?
Normally no full licence: work that does not touch the structure goes by a declaración responsable filed with the town hall, and work can start without waiting for a licence. Anything structural needs a certificate as well.
Can I refresh my holiday let between bookings?
Yes, and most cosmetic work happens that way. A gap of two to four weeks is usually enough; give us the window and we plan the sequence to finish inside it, or tell you honestly if it is too short.
Get a number for your property
Send the address, the size, the year of construction if you know it and a few photos or a short video. We reply with which of the two jobs looks right, the order of costs and a written quotation after a site visit, on WhatsApp or by email, in English. The prices page has the full list and the calculator.
Rates: Creator Company 2026 price list, before IVA. VAT conditions: Agencia Tributaria, Ley 37/1992 art. 91. ICIO: Torrevieja and Orihuela ordinances, 4%. Licence routes: Decreto Legislativo 1/2021 (TRLOTUP), arts. 233 and 241. General information, not tax or legal advice for a specific case.
Planning this on your own property?
Send the address and a few photos. We will tell you what is realistic, what it costs and what has to be checked on site — before any commitment.