Alfaz del Pi sits inland, about three kilometres back from its own coast at El Albir, with the Serra Gelada rising between the two. Behind the town the land turns to campo — old almond and carob terraces climbing towards Polop and Callosa, with a stone house on a good many of them.
Those houses were built to be worked from, not lived in through January. Thick rubble walls with no damp course, a roof of timber and cane under old tiles, water from a deposit rather than a main, and wiring that was added to a bit at a time. Every one is worth keeping. Almost none of them is ready to be lived in year-round without the services being put in properly first.
That is the job: keep the building, replace what is behind it. We take on the whole thing rather than handing you between trades — builders, electricians, plumbers, plasterers and carpenters working to one programme, with one person to ring.
Before & After
The Same Property, Twice
Images are for illustration purposes only.
What it involves
What the Building Actually Needs
Six things come up on nearly every finca. A quotation that does not mention them is not a quotation for this kind of house.
Walls and damp
A rubble stone wall has no damp course and was never meant to have one. It was meant to breathe. Somebody usually renders it in cement at some point, which seals the water in rather than out, and the damp then comes through the plaster inside. The fix is taking that off and going back to a lime render that lets the wall dry.
The roof
Timber beams, cane and old curved tiles, often with nothing between them and the sky but the tiles themselves. We take the covering off, see what the timbers are really like, replace what has gone, insulate, and re-lay. The original tiles usually go back on — they are the reason the house looks right.
Where the water comes from
Plenty of campo plots are on a deposit and a well rather than a mains supply, and the pressure that suited a tap in a yard will not run two showers. Pump, deposit, filtration and new pipework are part of the job, not an extra at the end of it.
Where the water goes
Most of these houses drain to a fosa. Whether that is replaced, relocated or connected onward depends on the plot, and it is worth settling before the bathrooms are designed rather than after.
Electrics
An old supply, wiring extended in stages by whoever was there at the time, and not enough of it for a modern kitchen and air conditioning. It gets rewired properly and certified, and where a project needs them the water and electrical certificates are arranged as part of the work.
Windows, doors and the winter
Small openings, single glazing and solid shutters. The openings are part of the character and we would rather keep them; what changes is what sits in them, so the house holds its heat in February and keeps it out in August.
How it works
How the Work Runs
- We come and lookAt the house and at the plot, and we listen to what you actually want out of it. Free, and with no obligation to go ahead.
- A detailed quotationWritten out properly, so you can see what is included rather than one figure at the bottom of a page. Easy payment terms once it is accepted.
- Strip out and make safeRoof and services first. There is no sense putting a kitchen into a room that still has water coming through the wall behind it.
- Build backTrades in the right order, on one programme, with one point of contact in English and Spanish from the first visit to handover.
Local
What Is Different About Alfaz del Pi
More than half the people living in Alfaz del Pi came from somewhere else, and the Nordic community in particular is large enough to have its own schools, churches and shops in the town. In practice that means a lot of the houses we are asked to look at are empty for part of the year and their owners are in another country while the work happens.
That is normal for us. Keys have been held, and projects run for owners who were abroad throughout, with photographs, video calls and regular phone conversations rather than a monthly email. One of the testimonials further down this page is from exactly that.
The practical side is access. A campo plot is reached by a track, and a lorry needs somewhere to turn and somewhere to tip. We look at that on the first visit, because it changes how materials are ordered and it is better known at the quotation stage than on the morning of the delivery. Being minutes from Benidorm and Altea at least means the merchants are close.
Testimonials
What Clients Say
Including one from an owner whose apartment we held the keys to for a year.
“We knew from the beginning we could trust you and you didn’t let us down. Taking us to your suppliers to choose Bathrooms, Kitchen units and tiles etc was invaluable, we got exactly what we wanted.”
David & Susan Evans
“Fantastic, Fantastic, Fantastic, I never thought I would say this about a builder. You have helped us transform our apartment from an old fashioned 1970s to a bright new 2015 modern apartment that we are now proud to have friends come and stay.”
Mr. & Mrs. Paul and Elaine Glance
“Dragon Reforms has had the keys to my apartment for the past 12 months and I have found him to be very very reliable. He has kept in regular contact through WhatsApp with video calls, photographs and regular telephone conversations.”
John & David
Get a quote
Get a Quotation for Your Finca
Tell us where the house is and what you want out of it. We will come and look, and the quotation costs you nothing.
- Phone
- 0034 639917798
0034 669261858 - +34 639 91 77 98
- dragonreforms@gmail.com
- Address
- Calle San Isidre No 8, Pl 1 Dr
03510 Callosa de Ensarrià, Alicante - Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 9am–8pm
Related services
The Trades a Finca Job Draws On
All in-house, on one programme, rather than five numbers in your phone.
Before you call
Finca Questions We Get Asked
Is the house too far gone?
Usually not. Stone walls that have stood for a century are rarely the problem — the roof, the damp and the services are. Send a few photographs on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly what we think before anybody drives out.
Can we keep the character?
That is generally the point of buying one. We restore what is worth restoring and rebuild what is not, then bring the services, insulation and drainage up to modern standard behind it, where they do not have to be looked at.
Do you deal with the paperwork?
Where a project needs them, the services of technical architects and the water and electrical certificates can be arranged as part of the work rather than left with you to chase.
Can the pool and terraces be done at the same time?
Yes, and it is usually cheaper and less disruptive that way. Pools, terraces and outbuildings come as part of the same project rather than as a separate trade to chase afterwards.
We are not in Spain at the moment.
Common here. Photographs or a video walk-through on WhatsApp are enough to talk the job through, and the project can be run and reported on while you are away.
What does a quotation cost?
Nothing. We come and look, talk it through and give you a detailed quotation, free and with no obligation.