Structural Work · Extensions · Masonry · Roofs · Project Management
Dragon Reforms has been building and renovating homes across the north Costa Blanca since 1999. We take on the structural and masonry work, and we manage the plumbers, electricians, carpenters, plasterers and tilers so that you deal with one team from first survey to handover.
Most property owners on this coast do not want to become a site manager. You may live in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany or Scandinavia and visit a few times a year, or you may be settled here and simply want a wall moved, a room added or a roof dealt with without chasing five different tradesmen. A good builder is the person who holds all of that together, and that is the job we do.
Our building work covers structural alterations and wall removal, extensions, the conversion of underbuilds and basements into usable living space, block, brick and stonework, terraces, rendering and roofs. Where a job also needs plumbing, electrics, carpentry, plastering or tiling, our own teams carry it out and the builder in charge keeps the sequence right, so one trade is not waiting on another or undoing its work.
Dragon Reforms works in Benidorm, Altea, La Nucía, Finestrat, Calpe, Alfaz del Pi & Albir, Polop and Benissa. We speak English and Spanish, we send photos and progress updates by phone while you are away, and our work is guaranteed, with the scope of the guarantee set out in your quotation.
The quotation is free. We visit the property, look at what you want, tell you honestly what is involved, including whether the town hall needs to be asked first, and put the work in writing before anything starts.
What is included
Building work goes wrong when nobody owns the whole job. These are the things we take responsibility for on every project.
Building in this climate
Sun, salt air, hillsides and a very mixed housing stock all shape how a job should be done.
The north Costa Blanca is not one kind of place. Benidorm is dominated by apartment blocks and a compact old town. Altea and Benissa have old town houses and fincas on steep ground. Calpe, Finestrat, La Nucía and the Alfaz del Pi & Albir area have a mix of apartments and hillside villas, and Polop is a small inland village with older houses and newer villas around it. A builder has to be comfortable with all of these, because the right method for a village house is not the right one for a modern villa.
The climate matters as much as the building type. Strong summer sun dries out render and cracks poorly cured mortar, autumn and winter rain can be heavy when it comes, and near the coast salt in the air works on exposed steel, cheap fixings and unprotected masonry. We choose materials and detail the work with that in mind, rather than copying what might be done in a cooler, drier country.
Many properties here are also holiday homes that stand empty for months. Problems that would be spotted quickly in a family home can sit unnoticed, which is why we look at roofs, walls and terraces with an eye to what the next few seasons will do to them, not just what is visible today.
Structural alterations
Opening up a layout can transform a home, but it has to be done in the right order.
Taking out a wall is the most common structural request we receive. Older Spanish houses are often divided into small rooms, and owners want a larger kitchen and living space, a wider doorway to a terrace, or a new window where there was none. Whether a wall can come out, and what has to replace it, depends on what the wall is carrying and how the building is put together.
That is why we do not simply start knocking things down. At survey we look at how the structure is built, find out what the wall does, and explain the options. Some walls are partitions that can go with little more than dust. Others carry load from above and need a proper beam or support put in place first, and some belong to the structure of the whole building, which in an apartment block means a conversation with the community as well as the town hall.
Once the approach is agreed, the work is sequenced carefully: temporary supports, the opening, the permanent support, then making good. Services running through the wall are dealt with at the same time, because moving a socket circuit or a pipe is far easier before the wall is closed again than after.
Extensions
More space for a family, for guests, or for a home you intend to live in all year.
Extensions are common on the Costa Blanca because many homes were built as holiday properties and are now lived in permanently. A second bedroom becomes a third, a covered terrace becomes a proper room, or a ground-floor addition gives an older couple a bedroom without stairs. Each of these is a different job with different constraints.
The first question on any extension is what is allowed on the plot. Planning rules vary by town and by the type of land, and not every plot can take extra built area. We do not guess at this. We tell you at survey what we can see, what the town hall is likely to need, and when you will need an architect or technician involved to prepare and sign the documents.
Once the position is clear, we build the extension to match the existing house. That means matching block or brick, tying the new walls to the old, and making sure rendering, roofing and finishes blend rather than looking like a separate building bolted on. Inside, the new space is connected to the existing electrics and plumbing and finished by our carpenters, plasterers and tilers.
For anything bigger than an extension, ask us about new-build projects. We will tell you honestly whether it is a job we can take on.
Underbuild conversions
Turning unused space beneath the house into somewhere you will actually use.
Many villas on sloping plots have an underbuild: a lower level that was built as storage, a garage, or simply left unfinished. It is often the most under-used space in the house, and on this coast, where plots step down hillsides, it is frequently well suited to becoming a guest apartment, a games room, a studio or extra bedrooms.
These spaces have their own demands. They are cooler and can be damp if the walls and floor have not been dealt with, they may have little natural light, and ceiling heights, stairs and ventilation all need thought. We look at moisture first, because there is no point finishing a room that will smell of damp within a year. Our damp proofing team can assess and treat the walls before anything is decorated.
From there the conversion follows the usual order: any masonry changes, new openings for windows and doors, electrics and plumbing, insulation and plastering, flooring, then carpentry and decoration. Because we manage all the trades, the room is not left waiting for a plumber who has other commitments.
Whether an underbuild can be converted into habitable space depends on the property and on the town hall, so we say clearly at survey what the licence position is likely to be before you commit to the work.
Block, brick and stonework
From a simple boundary wall to restoring the stone of an old country house.
Masonry is the core of what a builder does, and the materials here vary a great deal. Modern villas and apartments are mainly block and brick with reinforced concrete frames. Older village houses and fincas may be built in stone, sometimes with thick walls that behave very differently from modern construction. Knowing which you have changes how it should be repaired or altered.
For new walls, whether boundary walls, garden walls, retaining walls or internal partitions, we build in block or brick with correct bonding, sound mortar and a finish suited to the exposure. On sloping plots, a retaining wall has to be designed for the ground behind it, and we raise that in the survey rather than after the first wall has been built.
For stonework we work with the stone that is already there wherever possible. Restoring old walls, repointing, rebuilding arches and forming new openings in stone all call for patience and the right mortar. Using hard modern cement against soft old stone is a common mistake, and it can trap moisture and cause damage. We avoid it.
Terraces, rendering and roofs
The outer shell of the house takes the weather, so it deserves careful work.
Terraces are where life on the Costa Blanca happens, and they take a beating. Sun, rain and temperature swings work on the surface and the structure below. We rebuild and extend terraces, form steps and walls, fix falls so that water runs away from the house, and prepare the base so that the finish laid on top lasts. Our terraces and outdoor works team handles the finishes and the details around them.
Rendering protects walls from rain and sun and gives a house its look. Poor render cracks, blows or lets water behind it. We prepare the wall properly, repair what is underneath, and apply render in coats that suit the substrate and the exposure. Where a house is being extended or altered, matching the new render to the old is part of the job.
Roofs on this coast are mostly tiled pitched roofs or flat roofs, and each fails in its own way. Pitched roofs lose and slip tiles and suffer at ridges and valleys, while flat roofs, common on apartment blocks and terraces, struggle with water ponding and failed waterproofing. We investigate where water is actually getting in before proposing repairs, because replacing a roof that only needed patching is money wasted.
One point of contact
The real value of a builder is that someone else makes sure it all fits together.
A building project is rarely just building. Moving a wall means moving electrics. An extension needs plumbing. New openings need windows and doors, and everything needs plastering, tiling and painting at the end. If these are handled by different firms, delays and finger-pointing are almost guaranteed.
Dragon Reforms carries out plumbing, electrics, carpentry, plastering, tiling, painting, windows and doors, air conditioning and damp proofing as well as the building work. One person coordinates them, so the order of work makes sense and the site stays organised.
This matters most to owners who are not here. If you live abroad, you cannot pop round to check that the electrician has turned up. With one team responsible for the whole job, we can send you photos, tell you what has been done and what comes next, and raise any decision that needs you while the work is under way.
Licences
Some building work needs permission before it starts. We tell you where we think you stand.
Structural changes and some external work may need a licence from the town hall. Which works need one, and which type, depends on the town and the nature of the work, and we do not pretend there is one simple answer. Smaller internal works may be treated differently from structural changes, extensions or alterations to the outside of a building.
We advise at survey. When we visit, we tell you what we think the job involves, whether we expect a licence to be needed, and whether you will need an architect or technician to prepare documents. We would rather you hear this at the beginning than discover it halfway through the work.
It is also worth knowing that apartment owners usually have to consider the community of owners as well, particularly when work affects the facade, shared structure or common areas. We will raise this when it applies.
We do not advise starting work that needs permission without it. A job done properly and legally is worth more to you, including when it comes to selling the property in future.
Before you hire
These are sensible questions to put to any builder, ours included. A good one will be glad you asked.
If a builder cannot answer these plainly, keep looking.
Areas
Eight towns with their own pages, each written around the homes you find there.
From Benidorm's apartment blocks to the village houses of Polop and the fincas around Benissa, our building teams work throughout the area. Choose your town to see how we approach building work for the properties you will find there.
Alterations, terraces and roofs in Benidorm's apartment blocks and old town.
View Benidorm →Old town house alterations and hillside villa building work in Altea.
View Altea →Villa extensions, underbuild conversions and retaining walls in La Nucía.
View La Nucía →Terraces, rendering, roofs and wall alterations for Finestrat's hillside villas.
View Finestrat →Apartment alterations, villa extensions and terrace repairs in Calpe.
View Calpe →Villa and apartment building work in Alfaz del Pi and along the Albir seafront.
View Alfaz del Pi & Albir →Village house alterations, stonework and villa extensions in Polop.
View Polop →Finca, old town and coastal villa building work in Benissa.
View Benissa →Questions
We carry out structural alterations and wall removal, extensions, underbuild conversions, block, brick and stonework, terraces, rendering and roofs. We also manage the plumbing, electrics, carpentry, plastering and tiling that go with building work, so you deal with one team.
Structural changes and some external work may need a licence from the town hall, depending on the town and the work. We advise at survey on what we expect to be needed and whether an architect or technician will be involved.
Often yes, but it depends on what the wall carries. We check the structure at survey, explain whether a beam or support is needed, and plan the work, including the electrics and finishing, before anything is taken down.
In many cases it can be done, but it depends on the property, the moisture situation and the town hall. We look at all three at survey and tell you honestly what is realistic before you commit.
We send photos and progress updates by phone and raise any decision that needs you as it comes up. We speak English and Spanish, so communication is straightforward whether you are here or not.
Yes. Plumbing, electrics, carpentry, plastering, tiling and painting are carried out by our own teams, coordinated by one project manager, so the work is sequenced properly.
The quotation is free. Our work is guaranteed, and the scope of the guarantee is set out in your quotation.
We cover Benidorm, Altea, La Nucía, Finestrat, Calpe, Alfaz del Pi & Albir, Polop and Benissa, across the north Costa Blanca. Each has its own page on this site.
Send us a few details through the form, with photos if you have them, and we will arrange a visit to survey the property. After the visit we put the work and the price in writing.
Get in touch
Tell us what you want to change, and we will visit, advise on licences and the best approach, and give you a written free quotation.
Customer reviews
Genuine Google reviews from Dragon Reforms customers.
Professional Collaboration & Complete House Renovation – Calpe
“We have been collaborating for many years on projects both large and small, with excellent results. Our latest collaboration was the complete renovation of a house in Calpe. Thanks to their professionalism and reliability, they were able to handle all phases of the project. We hope to continue working together for many years to come.”
Complete Apartment Renovation – Benidorm
“I would like to say a huge thank you to Dragonreforms. Nico and his team did an excellent job renovating our 2 bedroom apartment in Benidorm. This included a beautiful new bathroom, kitchen, flooring, interior doors, plumbing and complete electrical works. Truly amazing workmanship. You have made our dreams come true.”
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One firm for the whole job, from the first survey to the finished room.
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