Builders in La Zenia: renovating 1990s villas and building outdoor living

La Zenia is one of the districts of Orihuela Costa; the page on Orihuela Costa covers prices and permits across the whole coast, while this one is about the work we have actually done in La Zenia.

What we have built in La Zenia

Villa renovation and outdoor living

• La Zenia Villa1990s villa renovated inside: floors, two bathrooms, kitchen, pool resurfaced
• La Zenia Outdoor LivingGarden as another room: pool, glass fence, pergola, outdoor kitchen

Pools

• La Zenia Pool 6×3 + TerraceFamily pool built with its terrace
• La Zenia PoolCustom shape, planned around existing paving

A 1990s villa: keep the structure, replace the surfaces

The La Zenia villa was a typical Orihuela Costa house of the 1990s — sound structure, tired everything else. The renovation kept the layout and the character of the plot, including the original kidney-shaped pool, and replaced what had aged:

• Floors. Large-format marble-effect porcelain through the whole ground floor and up the stairs, which is what makes a house of this age read as new.
• Two bathrooms rebuilt from the waterproofing up — one in book-matched marble effect with a walk-in shower, one with brushed gold fittings and a backlit mirror.
• Kitchen new, handleless in soft grey with a compact stone worktop.
• Services and finishes: strip-out and full replastering, rewiring, new lighting and air conditioning points, mirrored built-in wardrobes and a new entrance gate.

The pool is the instructive part. The shell was repaired and resurfaced rather than replaced: on a sound 1990s shell that is usually the sensible call, and it costs a fraction of a new pool. Whether a shell is sound is something we check before promising it. If the frame of an older house is the question rather than the pool, see reconstruct or demolish.

Outdoor living: the two items people underestimate

The second La Zenia project started from a house that was already fine. What the family lacked was somewhere to spend the evening, so the garden was treated as another room: one continuous porcelain floor with three zones on it — the pool, a lounge under a timber pergola and a dining area next to an outdoor kitchen — plus dense planting for privacy from the neighbours. Two details deserve budget before anything else:

• Frameless glass pool fencing instead of a fence: it meets child-safety needs without cutting the garden in two visually.
• The outdoor kitchen with a gas grill, a sink with running water and closed storage that survives winter — it needs water and drainage brought to it, which is why it costs more than it looks.

Terraces and outdoor areas start at €320/m² before IVA; how that adds up is in how much a terrace costs on the Costa Blanca and on the outdoor areas page.

What it costs in La Zenia in 2026

Work	2026 price	Example
Full villa renovation — Standard / Premium / Luxury	€420 / €650 / €900 per m²	120 m²: €50,400 / €78,000 / €108,000
Terraces and outdoor areas	from €320/m²	60 m²: from €19,200
Pool 6×3 m	€14,500	Terrace around a new pool usually €2,000–5,000 more
Kitchen — Standard / Premium / Luxury	€800 / €1,350 / €1,800 per linear m	Priced by the length of the cabinet run
Bathroom, complete refit	€4,800–14,000	By size and finish

Before IVA; the written quotation after a site visit is what you sign. Pool resurfacing and any structural work are priced after a survey.

Permits in the municipality of Orihuela

La Zenia is governed by the Ayuntamiento de Orihuela. A renovation without structural work goes by a declaración responsable; structural work needs the same declaration with a certificate from an architect or engineer; a new house needs a full licence. The construction tax ICIO in Orihuela is 4% of the cost of the works, on top of any route — see the guide to building licences and the IVA and ICIO worked examples. If the house is in an urbanisation with a community of owners, check its rules for anything visible from outside — a glass fence, a pergola, a changed façade — before planning.

More guides for owners here: cosmetic refresh or full renovation, rewiring and plumbing in an older property, smart home costs and repairs while you live abroad.

Also: how long a renovation takes, renovating to let or sell and how to check a builder before you sign. Neighbouring districts: Cabo Roig, Villamartín and La Florida.

Questions we get asked

Do you renovate villas in La Zenia?

Yes. Creator Company has published a complete renovation of a 1990s villa in La Zenia — new floors, two rebuilt bathrooms, a new kitchen, rewiring and a resurfaced pool — together with an outdoor living project and two pools, each with photographs of the finished work.

Should I replace my old pool or resurface it?

On a sound 1990s shell, repairing and resurfacing is usually the sensible call and costs a fraction of a new pool; that is what we did on the La Zenia villa. If the shell is cracked or the plot needs a different shape or size, a new pool is the better money. We check the shell on site before recommending either.

What does an outdoor living area cost in La Zenia?

Terraces and outdoor areas start at €320/m² before IVA — 60 m² is from €19,200. Features such as an outdoor kitchen with water and drainage, a pergola and glass pool fencing change the total, so the figure is confirmed after a site visit.

What is the ICIO tax in La Zenia?

La Zenia is in the municipality of Orihuela, which charges the ICIO construction tax at 4% of the cost of the works. It is charged on top of the licence or declaración responsable route.