Builders in Spain: How to decide who to hire for your villa
Making the right choice when hiring builders in Spain can really make or break the final result of your home in the sun. There are many people involved in the team you need to build a house in Spain, but the builders (or contractors) are the ones who’ll actually be bringing it to life –Continue reading
Can You Have Separate Suppliers Independent of the Main Contractor?
We recently had a client suggest that an element of the build was provided by a separate supplier independent of the main contractor. He was quite reasonably trying to save money. He had a price from the separate supplier to do one thing. He knew that if the supplier became a subcontractor, then the mainContinue reading
Key Qualities and Design Features of a First Class Home in Marbella
Let’s make the supposition that we are looking for a high quality look and feel: “timeless good taste” as we like to put it, a home that is classy but not swanky and we are also looking to keep costs down. If it were me then, as a principal, I would want to make sureContinue reading
Choosing the Right Windows is Critical to the Success of Your Villa
Here are the things to consider Window Size and Placement The honest truth is that is most of the houses we (Eco Vida Homes) design the window size and placement is determined by lifestyle choices such as capturing the best views, creating a seamless inside / outside space, allowing lots of natural light, and outsideContinue reading
The best suppliers of finishes in Marbella: kitchens, bathrooms, windows, floors, doors etc
Here are the names of some of our favourite suppliers for finishes: We Can Work with any Supplier You should know first of all that we can work with any supplier. So if you have a particular finish or material you would like us to use just let us know. Perhaps you have found aContinue reading
Why do Builder’s (contractor) Quotes Vary so Much in Spain?
Builder’s quotes and contractor’s offers can vary by 40% or more. How can this be when they are all working from the same information? The answer lies in two camps. One camp is to do with the builder’s own business and the other camp is to do with the architect and the architect’s project. WhatContinue reading
Lean Construction – what’s that all about? Can we learn from this in Spain?
Lean Production is a philosophy that came out of Japan after the Second World War. It means maximum efficiency. At every stage you focus only on the customer’s needs, adding maximum value, and reducing waste to a minimum. In other words you are as efficient, and as competitive, as possible. Lean Construction applies this philosophyContinue reading
How to Repair Damage to Steel Reinforced Concrete in Spain
Most buildings in Spain are built using steel reinforced concrete. There are many reasons why damage can occur: poor design and specification, overloading, movement due to ground movement and fire to name a few.
Many people think you can simply remove the damaged material and replace it with any kind of mortar but this not the case.
