Full House Renovation on Costa Blanca: What €650/m² Actually Buys
A full renovation on Costa Blanca runs from €650/m² for a house that only needs surfaces, to €1,400/m² when the wiring, plumbing and layout all change. The gap between those two numbers is where most budgets go wrong.
Renovating a house on Costa Blanca in 2026 costs €650/m² for a cosmetic refresh, €850–1,100/m² for a normal full renovation with new bathrooms, kitchen and services, and €1,100–1,400/m² when walls move and the house is stripped to the shell. On a typical 120 m² villa that is €78,000 to €168,000. Properties built before 1990 almost always need the electrics and plumbing replaced, which is the single biggest reason quotes differ.
Most people arrive with a number from a friend, a forum or an estate agent. Those numbers are usually real — they are just describing a different job. This article separates the three jobs that all get called "renovation" so you can work out which one your house needs.
Three levels of renovation
| Cosmetic | Full | Structural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per m² | €280–650 | €850–1,100 | €1,100–1,400 |
| 120 m² villa | €34,000–78,000 | €102,000–132,000 | €132,000–168,000 |
| Paint, floors, doors | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kitchen and bathrooms | Surface only | Replaced | Replaced and moved |
| Electrics rewired | No | Yes | Yes |
| Plumbing replaced | No | Yes | Yes |
| Walls moved | No | Rarely | Yes |
| Licence needed | Minor works | Minor works | Obra mayor |
| Time on site | 3–6 weeks | 10–16 weeks | 4–7 months |
Why the year of construction decides your budget
On Costa Blanca the building stock splits fairly cleanly, and the split matters more than the condition you can see:
- Before 1980. Expect no insulation, single glazing, undersized electrical supply and galvanised or lead-jointed plumbing. Assume everything behind the walls is replaced.
- 1980–2000. The boom years. Construction quality varies enormously between developments. Electrics are usually salvageable but rarely adequate for air conditioning plus an induction hob plus a pool pump.
- 2000–2008. Generally sound services, dated finishes. This is the cheapest kind of house to renovate — you are mostly buying surfaces and a kitchen.
- After 2008. Modern regulations, usually only cosmetic work needed unless the layout is wrong for you.
The awkward truth is that 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.
Where the money actually goes
A typical full renovation of a 120 m² villa, broken down. This is roughly how our budgets split:
| Work | Share of budget | Typical spend |
|---|---|---|
| Bathrooms (two) | 18% | €19,000 |
| Kitchen | 15% | €16,000 |
| Electrics and lighting | 13% | €14,000 |
| Plumbing and hot water | 10% | €11,000 |
| Floors and tiling | 12% | €13,000 |
| Air conditioning | 8% | €8,500 |
| Windows and doors | 9% | €9,500 |
| Plaster, paint, carpentry | 9% | €9,500 |
| Demolition and waste | 6% | €6,500 |
Two lines surprise people. Demolition and waste feels like it should be free — it is not, because tipping charges in Alicante province are per tonne and a stripped villa fills a lot of skips. And electrics is expensive because rewiring means chasing channels into masonry walls, which is slow, dirty work that then has to be made good.
What people forget to budget
- Somewhere to live. A full renovation is not liveable. Ten to sixteen weeks of rent, or a very patient friend.
- The technical project. If walls move, you need a signed project. €1,500–4,000 depending on scope, plus the town hall fee of 4–6% of the works value.
- Furniture and appliances. Regularly 10–15% of the total, and regularly forgotten until the house is finished and empty.
- The 10% you will change your mind about. Everyone does. A budget with no contingency is not a budget, it is a wish.
The right order of work
This sequence is not negotiable, and understanding it explains why renovations take the time they do — most stages cannot overlap.
- Survey, drawings and decisions — everything chosen before anything is demolished
- Licence application (runs in parallel with ordering long-lead items)
- Strip-out and demolition
- Structural work, if any
- First fix: electrics, plumbing, air conditioning routes inside walls and floors
- Plastering and screeds
- Tiling and flooring
- Second fix: sockets, taps, radiators, sanitary ware
- Kitchen installation and carpentry
- Painting, final fittings, snagging
The most expensive mistake in renovation is changing a decision after the stage that depends on it has passed. Moving a socket during first fix costs nothing. Moving it after tiling costs a day and a damaged wall.
Renovating from another country
Most of our clients are not in Spain while the work happens. What makes it work:
- Every decision documented before the start — materials chosen, models specified, nothing left to be agreed later by email at 11pm.
- A weekly photo report on the same day each week, whether or not there is news.
- Payments tied to completed stages, never to dates.
- One person you deal with, who has actually been on the site that week.
Questions we get asked
Is it cheaper to renovate or to buy something already done?
Buying renovated is usually cheaper in cash terms and always cheaper in stress. Renovating wins when you want a specific layout, when the location is worth more than the house, or when the property is priced low precisely because it needs work. Run the sums before you fall in love: purchase price plus renovation should sit below the local price for a finished equivalent, or the difference has to be worth something to you personally.
Do I need a licence for a full renovation?
For work inside the existing walls — new bathrooms, kitchen, rewiring, floors — a minor works declaration is normally enough. The moment you move a structural wall, change the façade, alter the roof or change the number of rooms, it becomes obra mayor: a signed project, a bigger fee and a longer wait. We tell you which side of that line your plans fall on before you commit.
How long does it really take?
Ten to sixteen weeks on site for a full renovation of a normal villa, plus the licence period before it. The honest caveat: August. Much of the Spanish construction supply chain slows down or closes, and a project running through August should have that built into the programme rather than discovered halfway.
Can I keep the old tiles and just change the kitchen?
You can, and sometimes it is the right call. But be aware that a new kitchen next to a 1990s floor tends to make the floor look worse, not the kitchen better. If the budget only stretches to one of them, changing the floor throughout usually lifts the whole house more than a new kitchen in an old shell.
What is the minimum realistic budget for a 90 m² apartment?
Around €58,000 for a proper full renovation including both bathrooms, the kitchen, new electrics and floors throughout. Below €35,000 you are into cosmetic work: paint, some flooring and surface improvements to the kitchen and bathrooms.
Getting a number for your house
The price per square metre gets you to a ballpark. A real figure needs the year of construction, what is behind the walls and what you want to change. Send us the address and a few photos — we will come back with a range and tell you which parts of the house are likely to hold surprises.
You can also see the full price list for individual works, or start with a single room: the bathroom and kitchen pages have their own calculators.
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.