Guides · G-10
How should you plan and compare a renovation budget in València?
Short answer
Compare the same drawings and specification, then separate fixed work, allowances and unresolved investigations. A useful quote explains the scope, exclusions, payment stages and how changes are authorised; a headline total cannot do that alone.
The price of a refurbishment depends on the work that is actually defined. A square-metre figure cannot tell you whether it includes a redesigned kitchen, structural work, new installations or only decoration. We start with a free estimate, then provide a fixed-price quote in writing for the agreed scope.
Establish the same brief for every quote
Give each contractor the same layout, room list and finish decisions. Include the work to protect retained features and common areas, remove waste and make good the surfaces affected by new installations. If each person prices a different interpretation, the totals are not comparable.
Where a design is still evolving, ask each quote to identify the version it uses. A revision to the layout should trigger an assessment of its effect on scope and programme. Keep superseded drawings separate from the approved set so work is not built to an earlier instruction.
Divide the cost plan into understandable parts
| Part | What to clarify |
|---|---|
| Preparation | Protection, access, strip-out and waste arrangements |
| Building work | Structural scope where designed, partitions, plastering and making good |
| Installations | What is renewed, retained or relocated, and the specified testing or certificates |
| Fitted rooms | Kitchen and bathroom supply, fitting, appliance connections and finish allowances |
| Finishes | Floor preparation, materials, joinery, decoration and retained features |
| Professional work | Surveys, drawings, calculations, required technical direction and submissions |
| Official charges and tax | The applicable municipal fees, ICIO and IVA treatment |
| Unresolved work | Investigations, exclusions and anything subject to an agreed later quotation |
This is a way to organise a brief, not a prescribed price list. Use the categories that fit the property. A bathroom-only project may need a shorter schedule, while a house with roof work needs more detail about the exterior.
Ask what is fixed and what is an allowance
A fixed item should have a defined scope and specification. An allowance means the final product has not been selected or the quantity has not yet been established. Ask what happens if the selected product costs more or less, who orders it and whether fitting or delivery is included.
For finishes, compare more than a product photograph. Record the material, format, finish, preparation and junction details where relevant. For a kitchen, clarify appliances, worktop fabrication, lighting and the treatment of walls or floors behind the units. For bathrooms, identify the waterproofing system and how its preparation is included.
Keep professional appointments visible
Architectural design, structural calculations, technical direction and interior design are not interchangeable services. For residential building work within the LOE’s project requirements, the law assigns the architectural project and works direction to an architect, and material execution direction to a technical architect. Specialist designers and other technicians act within their legal competence and the agreed project team.[7] The quote or appointment documents should identify who provides each required service and whether their fees sit within the overall project price or are contracted separately.
We coordinate the agreed team, but a contractor’s quote does not replace the appointment of a legally required professional. See the design-team guide for what each role contributes.
Separate official charges from the works
València’s ICIO rate is 4% of the taxable execution material cost. The declared budget, applicable exclusions and any relief must be checked for the particular works.[1, 2] The planning fee (tasa urbanística) starts at €140.90 for a base of up to €6,010.12 and rises on a sliding scale. It uses the same base as ICIO.[3] These official amounts are distinct from a contractor’s commercial price and depend on the applicable procedure and taxable base. The municipal-fees guide explains how they fit into the filing process.
IVA treatment also needs a separate assessment. Ordinary dwelling renovation or repair can qualify for 10% IVA when the recipient is a private individual using the dwelling privately, construction or rehabilitation finished at least 2 years before the works, and contractor-supplied materials cost no more than 40% of the taxable base. Qualifying communities of owners are also covered by the law.[4, 5] The general IVA rate for ordinary repair or renovation is 21%; the private-home reduced-rate route does not cover rented or business-use dwellings. Construction and works meeting the tax definition of rehabilitation have a separate reduced-rate test, so the contract must be assessed before assigning a rate.[4, 5, 6] Ask the supplier to state the rate and the basis for it. A property being described as a “renovation” does not by itself establish the fiscal treatment; qualifying rehabilitation has its own conditions. Our IVA guide sets out the distinction.
Plan for decisions and discoveries
Keep a reserve appropriate to the uncertainties identified by the inspection and design team. We do not prescribe a percentage for every property: a recently inspected, defined scope has different risks from a home with inaccessible floors or an unresolved roof defect.
Agree how a discovery will be handled before construction starts. A useful change record identifies the issue, proposed work, price and effect on the programme. Authorise it in writing before the changed work proceeds, except for immediate action needed to make a situation safe. Record that action as well.
Match payments and handover to the contract
Read payment dates, supply responsibilities, cancellation arrangements and completion conditions together. Ask which documents and inspections correspond to each contractual milestone. Avoid relying on a spoken promise that is absent from the written scope.
At completion, inspect the work against the specification and record outstanding items. The handover checklist helps you prepare. The best comparison is the scope, responsibilities and evidence behind the price, rather than the smallest number on the last page.