Apartments · Villas · Fincas · Town Houses
Complete property renovations across the north Costa Blanca, from a single refreshed floor to a full overhaul of a villa, finca, town house or apartment, run as one job by one firm.
Most renovations on this coast are not one job. A kitchen needs new plumbing, the plumbing needs tiling behind it, the tiling needs a wall that is flat and dry, and the whole thing needs an electrician at two separate points in the programme. When each of those is a different contractor with a different start date, the owner ends up as the project manager. Our approach is to take all of it on, so the owner deals with one firm and one plan.
Dragon Reforms has worked across the north Costa Blanca since 1999. We renovate apartments, villas, fincas and town houses, and the scale varies enormously: some clients want a tired flat brought up to date before the summer, others hand us a country house that has not been touched for decades and want it made comfortable all year round. The same principle applies to both. Find out what the building actually needs, agree the scope in writing, and then do the work in a sensible order.
This page is the overview of how we handle a complete renovation: how a job runs from first visit to handover, what is included, how we work with owners who live abroad, and how the approach changes between an apartment, a villa, a finca and a town house. We also carry out specialised work as separate services, and you will find them by name further down: Finca Renovations, Villa Renovations, Apartment Reforms, Builders, Terraces & Outdoor Works, Kitchens and Bathrooms.
Whatever the size of the job, the quotation is free. Our work is guaranteed, and the scope of that guarantee is set out in the quotation so there is no ambiguity about what it covers.
What is included
A complete renovation is a sequence of trades that depend on each other. These are the parts we bring together under one plan.
Why it matters here
A Mediterranean property ages differently from one in northern Europe.
Strong sun, salt in the air near the coast, wet autumns and long periods of heat all act on a building in ways that a UK or Scandinavian owner may not expect. Paint fades and chalks on exposed walls, terrace surfaces crack, metalwork corrodes, and wood on south-facing elevations dries out. A renovation here has to deal with those conditions, not only with how the rooms look.
The housing stock is also varied. Along the coast and in Benidorm there are apartment blocks of many ages. Inland and on the hillsides there are villas from every decade, and in the older villages there are town houses and country fincas built long before modern services were installed. Each of them arrives with its own wiring, its own pipework, and its own set of surprises behind the plaster.
A large share of the properties we work on are holiday homes or second homes, used for a few weeks a year and left closed the rest of the time. That affects the work too: damp, stale plumbing and tired electrics often show themselves only when a house has been shut for a winter. A renovation is a good moment to put those things right, rather than patching them one at a time.
Start to finish
The order matters as much as the quality of the work.
It starts with a visit. We look at the property, listen to what you want from it, and note what we can see: the condition of walls and ceilings, the age of the wiring and pipes, signs of damp, the state of windows, and how the property is used. If the building is a long way from where you live, photographs and video calls fill in what you cannot be there to explain.
From that we put together a written quotation setting out the work, room by room or phase by phase. Where there are decisions still to make on layout or finishes, we help you make them before work begins, because changing a decision after the walls are open is where jobs become expensive and slow.
The work itself follows the natural sequence of a building job. Demolition and structural work come first, then the first fix of plumbing and electrics, then plastering, then floors, tiling and the fitting of doors, windows, kitchens and bathrooms, then the second fix and the final painting. Done in that order, no trade has to undo another’s work.
Before handover we go through the property with you, or with photographs if you are abroad, and put right anything that is not as agreed. The guarantee on our work applies from there, within the scope set out in the quotation.
The rooms that matter
In most renovations the kitchen and the bathrooms are the rooms that decide the budget and the programme. They contain nearly all the plumbing, a large part of the electrics, and the most demanding tiling and waterproofing in the house. Planning them early determines where pipes run and where walls can be opened.
When they are part of a wider renovation, the advantage is coordination. The kitchen units are measured once the walls are plastered, not before. The bathroom floor is levelled and waterproofed before the tiler arrives. The electrician knows where the extractor and the appliances will sit because the layout was settled at the start.
If the kitchen or the bathroom is the only thing you want done, we do that as a separate job, and you will find the details on our Kitchens and Bathrooms pages.
Property type
Apartments are the most common reform on the coast, and they come with their own constraints. The work is inside a shared building, so deliveries, noise, lift use and access to the common areas all need to be managed with neighbours and the community in mind. Many communities have their own rules on working hours, and it is better to know them before the programme is drawn up.
The footprint is usually fixed, so the interest lies in using space well: opening a kitchen to a living room, rethinking a bathroom, replacing small dark rooms with something brighter, or fitting storage into awkward corners. Floors and ceilings are often part of the same structure as the neighbours’, which shapes how we approach any change that involves noise or services.
Many apartments here are older holiday flats that have never had a major update. Replacing outdated wiring and pipework, renewing windows and installing air conditioning can make a flat feel completely different without changing its layout at all. For jobs of that kind, see our Apartment Reforms page.
Property type
A villa gives much more freedom, and with it more to think about. Layout can be changed more boldly, rooms can be extended or reorganised, and the outside space becomes part of the project: terrace, pool area, boundary walls, steps and drainage. Because the building is a free-standing structure, it is also exposed to the weather on every side.
Many villas on the hillsides have lower levels built into the slope, with garages or storage underneath. Those levels are often the place where owners want extra living space, and they need careful assessment for damp before they are converted. We look at that early, because it affects the whole plan for the lower floor.
Most villa renovations involve a long list of trades working in sequence, which is exactly where a single point of coordination pays off. Details specific to this type of property are on our Villa Renovations page.
Property type
Fincas and village town houses are the properties with the most character, and the most unknowns. Thick walls, old beams, uneven floors and stonework are what people love about them. They are also what makes a renovation slower and less predictable than one on a modern building, because you often learn what is inside a wall only when it is opened.
That is why we prefer to take a careful approach to older buildings. Services are renewed so the property is comfortable and safe to live in, but the features that give it its character are kept where they are sound. Damp in thick masonry, roofs that have been patched over the years and old timber all need honest assessment before a quotation is fixed, and we will tell you where there is uncertainty.
Town houses in older village centres add practical constraints: narrow streets, limited access for materials and neighbouring properties on both sides. We plan deliveries and the order of work around that. Our Finca Renovations page covers country properties in more detail.
Outside the walls
A renovation that stops at the front door is rarely finished. Terraces, balconies, steps, garden walls and outdoor kitchens are used most of the year here, and they take the full force of sun, rain and salt. Surfaces that look fine one summer can be failing by the next if the waterproofing underneath was neglected.
We handle the building side of this as part of the same project, and our Terraces & Outdoor Works page covers outdoor areas in detail. For wider structural work such as new openings, extensions, repairs to roofs and floors, or rebuilding walls, our Builders page sets out how we approach it.
Keeping all of that in one programme means the terrace is waterproofed before the tiler lays the finish, and the new patio door is fitted at the right point in relation to the floor level.
Owners abroad
A large proportion of the people we work for live in the UK, Scandinavia, the Netherlands or Germany and visit the property a few times a year. They cannot be on site, and they should not have to be. English and Spanish are both spoken, so there is no language gap between you, us and the tradespeople.
We keep you informed with photographs and updates by phone while the work progresses, so you can see what has been done and raise questions as they come up, rather than discovering them at the end. Decisions that need your input are flagged ahead of time, with enough notice for you to make them from a distance.
The aim is that you arrive at a finished property rather than a building site. Where you want a say in finishes, we send options and samples information so you can choose without travelling. And because one firm holds the whole job, there is one person to ask when you want to know where things stand.
Before you start
A complete renovation is a large commitment. These are the things worth checking, with us or with anyone else.
If a contractor cannot answer these plainly before work starts, that tells you most of what you need to know.
Areas
Eight towns with their own pages, each with a different mix of properties and a different set of problems to solve.
From the high-rise apartments of Benidorm to the village houses of Polop and the fincas around Benissa, the work varies by town. Choose yours to see how we approach it locally.
Complete reforms of high-rise apartments and old town homes, with all trades coordinated.
View Benidorm →Careful reforms of hillside old town houses and coastal villas, run as one project.
View Altea →Villa and urbanisation reforms on inland hillside plots, from terraces to full overhauls.
View La Nucía →Hillside villa reforms that keep the view and deal with sun, slopes and terraces.
View Finestrat →Reforms of sea-facing apartments and hillside villas under the Peñón de Ifach.
View Calpe →Apartment and hillside villa reforms between the Albir seafront and Alfaz del Pi.
View Alfaz del Pi & Albir →Village house and hillside villa reforms in Polop, built for year-round comfort.
View Polop →Reforms of old town houses, country fincas and coastal villas in Benissa.
View Benissa →Questions
It can include design, demolition, building work, plumbing, electrics, plastering, tiling, painting, kitchens, bathrooms, doors, windows and air conditioning. The exact scope depends on the property and is set out in your written quotation.
No. Some clients want a whole property done, and others want a single room or one part of the house. We take on both, and several of the services have their own pages, such as Kitchens, Bathrooms and Terraces & Outdoor Works.
Yes. Many of our clients live in the UK, Scandinavia, the Netherlands or Germany. We keep you updated with photographs and phone contact, flag decisions in good time, and speak both English and Spanish.
We follow the natural building sequence: demolition and structural work, first fix plumbing and electrics, plastering, floors and tiling, fitting, then second fix and painting. This keeps trades from having to undo each other’s work.
No, the quotation is free. It sets out the work to be done, and the scope of our guarantee is also described in it.
Older buildings have thick walls, old timber and services that have been altered over many years, so there are more unknowns. We assess damp, roofs and structure carefully, and we are open about where uncertainty remains before work begins.
Often yes, but we look at damp and waterproofing first, because those levels are partly below the ground outside. Planning that early avoids having to take finished rooms apart later.
Yes. Doing them with the rest of the renovation means the plumbing, electrics and tiling are coordinated. They are also available as stand-alone jobs.
We cover the north Costa Blanca, with pages for Benidorm, Altea, La Nucía, Finestrat, Calpe, Alfaz del Pi & Albir, Polop and Benissa. If you are nearby but not listed, get in touch and we will tell you whether we can help.
Get in touch
Tell us about the property and what you want from it. We will arrange a visit, or a video call if you are abroad, and put the scope in writing. The quotation is free.
Customer reviews
Genuine Google reviews from Dragon Reforms customers.
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.”
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.”
More from Dragon Reforms
One firm for the whole job, from the first survey to the finished room.
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