Before the Renovation Begins
 

On our journey towards owning a house in Lanzarote, we have reached the third step out of four. We have already spent almost a year selecting the property, and completed a complex purchase with the help of a Spanish mortgage. Now, we are diving into the most challenging part – renovating the house.

Before starting the work, it was necessary to transfer all the utility services to our name. Most of this was handled by our lawyers as part of their services for the house purchase. They also ensured the transfer at the land registry, which arrived five months after the purchase. They arranged the transfer of water, electricity, and sewage services. Most providers operate online, but we encountered an issue with our Czech phone number. Most of them cannot handle it. It is a problem for registering in their online systems and for any communication. This can only be resolved in person, and as you can imagine, it is not easy to arrange everything in English there.
 

But back to the house. The house, or rather the villa, that we bought has incredible potential. It is simply enormous. It was built about 20 years ago by a German couple who had it just for the two of them. More than 300 m² of house and a 2000 m² plot. Honestly, compared to that, we are living in a complete garage in the Czech Republic.

In this house with such a large area, there was only one bedroom, but an enormous kitchen, a separate dining room, and a living room where you can ride a bike. On the upper floor, there is additionally a studio with its own bathroom and a huge rooftop terrace. The house also includes a large garage with facilities, where a separate guest house with a bathroom and kitchen can be created in the future.
 

First, we planned the layout and decided to make some minor adjustments, specifically rearranging the entrances to the rooms and creating more bedrooms. We found that having three bedrooms and one spare in the studio would be ideal. We kept the original bedroom, which is so large that it can accommodate an almost three-meter-wide bed! The second bedroom was created from the original walk-in closet, which was large and filled with built-in wardrobes that we wouldn't even use. We don't need that much storage space, not even in the Czech Republic, let alone in Lanzarote, where everyone arrives with just one suitcase. The third bedroom was made from the original kitchen, and all we had to do was move the door from the living room to the hallway. The living space remains generously large; we just combined the dining room and kitchen, and left the living room with access to the terrace in the other part. The upper studio still doesn't have a specific use, even though it's the best room. Everyone selfishly wants it for themselves. For now, it will serve as a place for relaxation and yoga retreats, which we plan to host in the villa.

The house was in relatively good condition, with no significant signs of leaks, the pool well-maintained, and the garden nicely grown. As is often the case with renovations, the first impression is much more optimistic than the reality once you start working on the house. We have the layout and the scope of work as well, and we are going to look for contractors.

We were lucky that the seller was represented by a local architect, who is a family acquaintance. She knows the house; her father built it. The only problem is that she only speaks Spanish. We agreed (through a translator, of course) that she would help us with the renovation and involve her architect friend who speaks English. We met on-site, discussed the scope of work, and agreed that both of them would contact their construction companies for quotes. We agreed that they would recommend local contractors, oversee the progress of the work, check what modifications can be legally made, send us photos, and act as our extended arm.

We did our own research and contacted three other construction companies that specialize in renovations on Lanzarote. Only one contractor got back to us, the second after two months, and the third not at all.

In the end, we received a total of three offers, so we had something to compare. The difference was staggering—in some cases, even double the amount.
 

The first offer was from a construction company that had been doing repairs on the house for years. They knew every detail, where it leaked, what was repaired, and what was just camouflaged. It looked interesting. The owner of the construction company spoke English comfortably. However, the estimate was a problem. A large part of the items was missing, and not just subcontracted items like windows. Prices were only overall, without any specification, and the offer was entirely in Spanish. Nevertheless, we kept them as a backup.

The second offer was from a construction company that looked capable during the personal inspection, but they only spoke Spanish, and the assistance of an architect was needed. The collaboration with the architect proved to be an ineffective model after a few weeks. She didn't have time for us, so most of the emails went unanswered. The estimate from her construction company was also incomplete and quite high, in fact, the highest of all.

We found the third construction company ourselves. The estimate looked great. Not just in terms of price (I don't let myself be lulled by that), but also in its detail. Each item was described in detail in English, including what it contained. For unclear items, photos were added to show what they meant. The price was great, and we always knew it wasn't final because that's just how it goes with renovations. Additionally, they could start within a month.
 

Thanks to our excellent choice of construction company and the prolonged communication with the architect, we decided to handle it on our own, just like with our previous project in Portugal. We signed the contract and started fine-tuning the details. So, how does the whole communication process work? We shared a folder on Dropbox where updates of the drawings are stored. The main tool is WhatsApp, which everyone uses. We convinced the company to use Revolut for payments because it offers a favorable exchange rate for euros and instant transfers, so they get the money from us immediately. We arranged the first meeting before starting the work and began ordering everything necessary for the implementation.
 

What to focus on before starting a renovation:

• Check what modifications can be made. What requires a permit and what does not. Whether you can expand the house or if you have reached the limit.
• Verify if you can have a pool on your property – this is not a given in Lanzarote.
• If you plan to make major modifications, definitely use the services of an architect.
• Carefully choose your suppliers; don't hesitate to ask questions repeatedly.
• Pay attention to how quickly the supplier responds to your messages. It's not about being available 24/7, but a reasonable response time is 1, at most 2 days. It is important that they answer the phone when you call.
• Think about how you will be able to communicate if you don't speak the local language. For us, English is a necessity, and we will polish our Spanish over time. Make this a condition when inquiring about suppliers.
  We sent all inquiries by email in Spanish, with the condition that communication would be in English. We chose further based on the responses.
• Examine how detailed the supplier's price quote is. Especially for foreigners, it is important that the budget is itemized, meaning it includes specific quantities/areas and unit prices. If you are not sure that the offer includes everything, use an architect.
• Do not hesitate to use visual instructions with simple captions. It saves a lot of time explaining.

Which contractors did we need for the renovation in Lanzarote?

A construction company that also handles all subcontracting, such as windows, air conditioning, and more.
A gardening company that will set up irrigation, regenerate the garden, and provide regular garden maintenance.
Pool specialists – pool maintenance is always handled by a separate company that specializes in pools. Contact them at the beginning of the construction work, as cooperation with the construction company will definitely be needed to ensure everything works properly.

In the next article, we will describe how the renovation itself takes place. It's a long read.

by Radka - 21. 2. 2024