
Our house-hunting took about two hours!
Hertfordshire couple Sean and Karen Amos say they were off looking at apartments in Villamartín just 20 minutes after walking into the HomeEspaña office in La Zenia
“Be brave, do your homework and manage the project yourself” is the advice that British couple Hannah & John would give to anyone planning to buy a property in Spain to refurbish into their dream home.
And they should know, after successfully refurbishing their three-level villa in Denia, Alicante bought through HomeEspaña on 29th March, 2021.
Hannah & John had initially explored the Costa del Sol and Mar Menor areas in their search for a property, but then saw Denia on A Place in the Sun and said “wow, that’s a nice place!”
They booked a hotel for their first visit in December 2021 and “we walked out into the town and it was just a buzz. You know, the place was alive, ticking,” John recalls. “And in the middle of winter!” Hannah added.
In March the following year, Hannah and John decided to rent an apartment in Denia for three months and started to look at properties to get an idea of prices, availability, etc.
“It’s really all about doing your homework. Homework on the area, and homework on the property market because the market differs a lot in Spain from one area to another,” John says. They realised that in Denia they could “get a lot more bang for their buck!”
So, when a friend who lives in Alicante sent them a link to a property on the HomeEspaña website, they took one look and decided to view it immediately.
Hannah said “we wanted a place we could put our stamp on and immediately saw the potential – we had a walk-through survey done, which is something I would recommend to people as well, and the surveyor gave a lot of reassurance about what we could and could not do in terms of refurbing the property,” Hannah says.
For John, location was key. “We can walk to the beach, we can walk to the marina we can walk into town and we are not reliant on having to drive or taxis, so that was a big plus for us.”
Privacy was also a factor and John and Hannah love that the property is not overlooked.
They successfully completed their purchase at the Notary on 12th May, 2022 for €435,000 and John says the same house in Marbella would have been double the price! After a thorough clean, they moved in, but decided to get to know their new home for a year before they started the refurb project.
Once they had a clear idea of how they wanted to refurbish their new home, Hannah and John started the process of sourcing builders and other providers.
“We asked people to recommend builders, got them in, sat down and talked with them,” John recalls. “Don’t take the first builder that comes along with the best price,” John says. “Look for the ones that give you a detailed quote rather than just plucking a number out of the air.”
They say it is important to have a clear budget and timeframe to use as a basis to agree any changes that may be required further down the line. “Otherwise, it is like giving them a blank cheque,” John says.
Hannah said they also agreed a payment plan with the builder. “Never give big chunks of money up front,” John says. “If the builder needs money for materials, go and buy them yourself.”
This avoids builders adding their margin to the materials as well and can save you a lot of money.
“Some friends used a turnkey building company for everything and it was eye-wateringly expensive because they even got the floor tiles, so there was margin going on everything,” John says.
Hannah and John say they basically hired the builders to build and any more “special” materials or features they sourced themselves.
“We bought some tiles from one shop, other tiles from somewhere else,” Hannah says. “We researched an awful lot, hours in fact. Lighting, aircon units we sorted ourselves, tiles… in Spain the radiator valves were 65€ each and we managed to find some in the UK for 12 quid a pair.”
John and Hannah decided to manage the project themselves. “It’s important to be here or have someone you trust on site or really close because you spot things and say to the builder, «that is in the wrong place»!
“It was a big project, but we did it in phases,” Hannah says.
They started by completely reconfiguring the under build while they lived upstairs. Two small single rooms were converted into one double room, new floors were laid, a new ceiling lighting feature was installed in the living room and the bathroom was completely redone.
The small kitchen was also refitted and John and Hannah say the company did such a good job, they decided to hire them to redo the main kitchen on the ground floor as well.
The under-build project took a couple of months to complete and by then it was June 2023, so John and Hannah decided to stop for a break to enjoy the Spanish summer.
“Taking your time is the big thing and enjoy it, enjoy the process,” John says.
After summer, John and Hannah moved all their belongings and furniture into the under build and they moved downstairs, while work started on refurbishing the top level of the property. The upstairs bathrooms were redone by the same company that did the downstairs bathroom.
And on the ground floor, the living room was enlarged and the kitchen was completely redone and opened up to the lounge. All the work was completed by December, 2023 with the exception of the fireplace, which was installed in January this year.
“I cooked Christmas dinner in my new kitchen,” Hannah says. And traditional roast turkey no less!
The total cost of the refurb project was approximately €150,000 and Hannah and John could not be happier. That said, they already have another smaller project on their radar… They want to retile the swimming pool and potentially refloor the outdoor area with asphalt tiles!
The total cost of the refurb project was approximately €150,000 and Hannah and John could not be happier. That said, they already have another smaller project on their radar… They want to retile the swimming pool and potentially refloor the outdoor area with asphalt tiles!
While it is always worth trying to find your dream home in your dream location directly, this is not always possible – In fact, it can be a real challenge. Hannah and John found the perfect solution by settling first on the area they wanted and then finding a property in that area with potential to be converted into their dream home. And all within their initial budget.
Congratulations Hannah and John on your lovely home. HomeEspaña is very proud to have been a part of this incredible journey and we wish you all the best for the future.
Hertfordshire couple Sean and Karen Amos say they were off looking at apartments in Villamartín just 20 minutes after walking into the HomeEspaña office in La Zenia
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