Partial renovations in Dénia, Jávea and surroundings

What a partial renovation is and how we do it

A partial renovation works on one part of the home and leaves the rest as it is. It might be a room, an element (floor, doors, windows) or an area (terrace, entrance, bathroom). What sets it apart from a repair is that it has a plan, a sequence and a proper finish: you do not change a floor without adjusting the doors, or form an opening without finishing the wall around it.

The process is short but never improvised:

1. Visit. We look at the area to be renovated and what surrounds it: if the new floor will sit two centimetres higher, the doors will need trimming; if you are closing in the utility balcony, the extractor needs another outlet.
2. Itemised quote. Each thing on its own line. You will know which part is materials, which is labour and what you save by keeping something.
3. Protection. Plastic over doors, cardboard on floors, protection in the lift and stairwell if it is a shared building. The works must not spill into the rest of the house.
4. Concentrated execution. We group the dusty, noisy tasks into the first few days and leave the finishes for the end.
5. Finishing and cleaning. Skirting, mouldings, silicone, touch-up painting and a clean. It is what stops a partial renovation looking like a patch-up.

Partial jobs we do often

Opening the living room to the terrace. In Ondara we formed a large opening in the existing external wall, prepared the aperture, fitted a large-format window and rebuilt the terrace with new paving. We also moved the front door to remake the entrance. It was a big transformation, but concentrated in one area: the house gained light and a direct connection to the outside without renovating the bedrooms or bathrooms.

Bespoke joinery. In a home in Dénia we made built-in wardrobes for the bedrooms, living room, dressing room and hallway, a slatted timber dividing panel between the entrance and living room, and a staircase with a welded steel structure and timber treads. All made to measure, with integrated LED lighting and finished against the parquet and ceiling. It is the kind of work that changes how a house is lived in without touching the services.

Cladding and doors. In a villa in Gandía we clad the door and window frames in timber, fitted sliding doors and a wardrobe under a sloping roof. Partial joinery renovations carried out in days, not months.

Sanitaryware and taps without major works. In several bathrooms of a home in Dénia we replaced the toilets, basins, concealed taps, shower screens, towel rails and LED mirrors without stripping the tiles: new bathrooms in a week.

When it makes more sense than a full renovation

A partial renovation makes sense when:

• the services (water, electrics) are in good condition or have been renewed;
• the problem is confined to one room or one element;
• you cannot or do not want to leave the home for months;
• you would rather renovate in stages and spread the cost.

A full renovation pays off when you are going to touch more than half the house, the pipes are iron or lead, or each partial job means breaking up what the previous one did. Three partial renovations added together usually cost more than one well-planned full renovation, and we tell you so on the visit even if it means putting the decision off.

Common mistakes we avoid

• Changing the floor and leaving doors catching. They are trimmed or replaced, with new skirting.
• Closing in a utility balcony without ventilation. The kitchen and washing machine need an outlet for air and moisture.
• Forming openings without a proper lintel. A large window bears on what is left of the wall; we size it before we cut.
• New terrace without falls or waterproofing. Lovely the first summer, leaking the first autumn.
• "Standard" wardrobes in irregular spaces. In lofts and hallways the shop-bought module leaves gaps; made to measure uses every inch.

Typical timescales

• Replacing the doors in a home: 2 to 4 days.
• New flooring over 80–90 m²: 1 to 2 weeks depending on whether the old floor is lifted.
• Bespoke wardrobes in several rooms: 1 to 2 weeks.
• New opening with large window and terrace: 3 to 5 weeks, plus the manufacturing lead time for the window.

Partial renovations in local homes

In Dénia and Jávea many partial renovations come with a second home: an apartment in good condition is inherited or bought, but the terrazzo, the sapele doors and the aluminium windows have to go. Flooring, doors and uPVC windows make it feel like new without a full renovation.

In houses and townhouses in Ondara, Pego or Oliva, the most requested partial job is opening the living room to the garden or terrace and rebuilding that terrace with falls and waterproofing, because the autumn rains in the Marina Alta show no mercy to a badly built terrace.

And if you do not live here, the works can be followed from a distance: progress photos, a video when it is finished and the keys wherever you tell us.