What does a full renovation include: everything you need to know before you start
When you decide to transform your home from scratch, the first question is always the same: what does a full renovation actually include, and where does the work stop? Swapping the living room floor is a world away from stripping a flat back to bare brick and rebuilding it from the ground up. In this guide we walk you through every single line item of a full residential renovation so you have complete clarity before you sign off on a single quote. From the initial strip-out to the very last plug socket, nothing is left out.
What a full renovation actually means, and when you need one
A full renovation is a complete overhaul of a property that covers every trade: structural masonry, electrics and plumbing, wall and floor finishes, joinery, kitchen and bathroom. Unlike a partial renovation (where you tackle one or two rooms) here you're working across the entire property. It's the kind of job that leaves a flat feeling brand new, from the structure right through to the finishing touches.
When do you need one? When the services are more than 25–30 years old and no longer meet current regulations; when the layout simply doesn't suit the way you live; or when you've bought a second-hand property in the old quarter of Cádiz, in Chiclana or in El Puerto de Santa María and want to adapt it entirely. It's also the most cost-effective route when several problems have piled up at once, damp, old aluminium wiring, lead pipes and worn-out floors. Dealing with each issue separately ends up costing more and causing far more disruption than tackling a full renovation in one go.
Strip-out and masonry: the foundation of everything
The first phase of a full renovation is a controlled strip-out. Floors, wall tiles, false ceilings, partitions earmarked for removal and old sanitaryware are all taken out. In a typical 80 m² flat in Cádiz, this phase generates between 3 and 5 tonnes of rubble that must be managed using a licensed skip. The cost of demolition and waste disposal generally falls between €2,500 and €4,500, depending on the volume involved and the access to the building.
Once the strip-out is done, the masonry begins: building new partition walls in brick or plasterboard for the revised layout, opening up or bricking in openings, cutting chases for the services and levelling floors with self-levelling screed. In older properties in Cádiz city centre, it's common to find load-bearing walls of ostionera limestone that dictate what can and can't be moved, which is precisely why we always start with a technical survey. Masonry typically accounts for between 15% and 20% of the total renovation budget.
Services included: electrics, plumbing and climate control
A full renovation that includes a complete services overhaul ensures your property complies with current regulations, the Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulations (REBT) and the Technical Building Code (CTE). The electrical installation is redone entirely: a new consumer unit with RCDs and MCBs, copper cabling of the correct cross-section, switches, sockets and lighting points throughout, all to your specification. For an 80 m² flat, this typically comes to between €3,000 and €5,000.
The plumbing scope covers replacing all hot and cold water distribution pipework with multilayer or cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe, renewing the drainage runs in PVC, and preparing connections for every sanitaryware fitting and appliance. In properties over 30 years old, the soil stacks are likely to be asbestos cement and will need replacing. Climate control, increasingly in demand in Cádiz given summers regularly topping 35°C, is integrated at this stage: first-fix ducting or preparation for ducted air-conditioning units or wall-mounted splits.
- Full electrics: consumer unit, cabling, switches, sockets and lighting points
- Plumbing: hot and cold water pipework, drainage, isolation valves and appliance connections
- Climate control: first-fix ducting or preparation for splits
- Gas (where applicable): supply connection, regulator and pressure test
- Telecoms: TV and data points, and first-fix for basic home automation
Joinery and glazing: doors, windows and fitted wardrobes
Internal joinery covers all the internal doors (typically white lacquered or in an oak finish) priced between €180 and €400 per door supplied and fitted, depending on quality. Fitted wardrobes, when included in the renovation, are made to measure with melamine interiors and sliding or hinged fronts. A fitted wardrobe 2.40 m wide with a full interior fitting runs to roughly €1,200–€2,000 in a standard finish.
Windows are one of the line items with the greatest impact on comfort and energy efficiency. In Cádiz, where the Levante wind batters the façades, we recommend aluminium frames with thermal break or PVC frames with double glazing. A 1.50 × 1.20 m aluminium sliding window with thermal break costs between €350 and €550 fitted. Replacing all the windows in a three-bedroom flat can come to between €3,500 and €6,000, but the savings on air conditioning and the acoustic insulation pay for themselves within just a few years.
Thinking about a full renovation? Ask us for a detailed quote and we'll explain everything it includes.
Finishes and cladding: flooring, tiling and paint
The finishes define the look and feel of your renovation. The most popular flooring choice at the moment is large-format porcelain tile (60 × 60 cm or 120 × 60 cm) in a wood or concrete effect, with material costs ranging from €18 to €35 per m². Laying (including levelling and skirting boards) adds a further €20–€28 per m². For an 80 m² flat, the flooring budget typically falls between €3,000 and €5,000.
Bathroom and kitchen wall tiling is quoted separately from the main flooring. Rectified tiles in a mid-size format (30 × 60 cm or 30 × 90 cm) cost between €15 and €30 per m² for materials. Painting walls and ceilings with a professional-grade washable emulsion runs to €6–€10 per m², including surface preparation, two coats of primer and two coats of finish. Taken together, finishes and cladding typically represent between 25% and 30% of the total renovation budget.
Kitchen and bathroom: the most complex rooms in any full renovation
Kitchen and bathroom concentrate the highest density of services and, as a result, the greatest technical complexity in any full renovation. A complete kitchen includes: stripping out the existing space, plumbing and drainage, dedicated electrical circuits (oven, hob and dishwasher each need their own circuit), wall and floor tiling, units, worktop and appliances. The typical range for a kitchen of 8–10 m² with mid-to-high quality units runs from €8,000 to €14,000 all in.
The bathroom follows a similar pattern: replacing the sanitaryware (WC, basin, shower tray or bath), brassware and shower screen, renewing the services, and tiling the floor and walls. A complete 5 m² bathroom with a low-profile shower tray, fixed shower screen, wall-hung vanity unit and quality monobloc taps comes to roughly €4,500–€7,000. In a property with two bathrooms, this line item can account for up to 25% of the total budget. In Cádiz, where many older properties have just one small bathroom, it's common to rearrange the layout to create an additional WC.
| Line item | Price range (80 m² flat) | % of budget |
|---|---|---|
| Demolition and waste disposal | €2,500 – €4,500 | 5% – 8% |
| Masonry and partitions | €4,000 – €7,000 | 10% – 15% |
| Full electrical installation | €3,000 – €5,000 | 7% – 10% |
| Plumbing and drainage | €2,500 – €4,500 | 5% – 9% |
| Internal joinery (doors) | €1,500 – €3,500 | 3% – 7% |
| Windows and glazing | €3,500 – €6,000 | 7% – 12% |
| Flooring and wall finishes | €3,000 – €5,000 | 6% – 10% |
| Full redecoration | €1,500 – €2,500 | 3% – 5% |
| Complete kitchen | €8,000 – €14,000 | 16% – 25% |
| Complete bathroom (×1) | €4,500 – €7,000 | 9% – 14% |
| ESTIMATED TOTAL | €35,000 – €60,000 | 100% |
Practical tip: always set aside between 10% and 15% of your total budget for contingencies. In older properties in Cádiz it's common to discover hidden damp, aluminium wiring buried under the plaster or lead pipes that only come to light during the strip-out phase. Having that financial buffer means you won't need to halt the works, and it takes a great deal of stress out of the whole process.
What a full renovation typically does NOT include, and how to avoid misunderstandings
Knowing what is usually left out of a base renovation quote is just as important as knowing what's in it. Appliances are generally the client's responsibility unless agreed otherwise. Decorative furnishings (sofas, tables, shelving) are not included either. Any work to the building's communal areas, such as the façade, the entrance hall or the main soil stacks, falls to the residents' association.
Other items that can cause confusion include planning fees and council charges (in Cádiz, the fee for a major works licence is around 4% of the contract value), professional fees if an architect is required, and any new connections or amendments to utility supplies (electricity, water, gas). Structural works such as reinforcing floor joists or columns, which require a separate structural report, are also outside the scope. Our advice: always ask for a fully itemised quote and explicitly ask what is excluded. At Reformas By Bianca we break down every single line so there are no surprises.
- Appliances (unless specifically agreed)
- Decorative furniture and soft furnishings
- Planning fees and Cádiz City Council charges
- Architect or building surveyor fees (where required by the works)
- Structural works: reinforcement of floor structures, columns or foundations
- Removal and temporary storage of furniture
- New connections or amendments to utility supply contracts
How to plan and budget a full renovation in Cádiz
Planning a full renovation in Cádiz from scratch begins with setting out your actual needs: how many people will be living in the property, whether you need a home office, whether you prefer an open-plan or separate kitchen. Once that's clear, the next step is to get at least three fully itemised quotes from local professionals who know the area's specific characteristics, the ostionera limestone construction of the historic centre, the planning restrictions of Cádiz's PGOU for listed properties, and the salt air exposure affecting flats close to the seafront.
Realistic timescales for a complete renovation of a 70–100 m² flat range from 8 to 14 weeks, depending on complexity and lead times for materials such as made-to-measure windows or kitchen units. A renovation checklist will help ensure nothing slips through the net, from submitting the planning application before work begins (Cádiz City Council typically takes between 2 and 6 weeks to grant approval) through to booking the electrical and gas sign-off inspections on completion.
At Reformas By Bianca we work through each full renovation in clearly defined phases: strip-out, services, masonry, finishes, joinery and snagging. Each phase has a review milestone with you so you can sign off progress before we move on. If you're considering a full home renovation in Cádiz or the bay area, we'd love to invite you in for a no-obligation visit: we take measurements, listen to what you need and prepare a fully itemised quote with every aspect of the renovation set out clearly from day one.