# Spanish Building Regulations



## Draughtsman

Hi. 

Can anyone dish out any advice on building regulations in spain, or experiences what is acceptable in spain as opposed to the uk.
Im in the building industry here in the uk and have a knowlage of producing plans and carrying out building work but i would guess its a whole different ball game over there.

any links to to sites would be great. 
just general information would be great to get an idea.

also a few questions.

would a compitant uk electrician trained to the latest euro codes find it easy to wire up a house to the satisfaction of the spanish equivalent of the building control officer.

are damp proofing requirements to spanish houses the same as the uk code, id guess they dont need to be in certain areas but?

what are the latest requirements regarding insulation of houses. in the uk this is building controls pet subject, if its not insulated it seems to cause a problem. (insulation can keep heat out also as well as in).

a typical method to heat a home would be? ( apart form the sun  )

is a commom internal finish to walls, studwork/pasterboard/skim etc ?

if i had to install a septic tank to a property without drainage would it be acceptable, and are companies available to empty the tanks

for subdividing wall in a large open space property what is the general method of construction, stud work, uk type lightweight blocks, a spanish equivalant.

many thanks

steve


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## xabiaxica

Draughtsman said:


> Hi.
> 
> Can anyone dish out any advice on building regulations in spain, or experiences what is acceptable in spain as opposed to the uk.
> Im in the building industry here in the uk and have a knowlage of producing plans and carrying out building work but i would guess its a whole different ball game over there.
> 
> any links to to sites would be great.
> just general information would be great to get an idea.
> 
> also a few questions.
> 
> would a compitant uk electrician trained to the latest euro codes find it easy to wire up a house to the satisfaction of the spanish equivalent of the building control officer.
> 
> are damp proofing requirements to spanish houses the same as the uk code, id guess they dont need to be in certain areas but?
> 
> what are the latest requirements regarding insulation of houses. in the uk this is building controls pet subject, if its not insulated it seems to cause a problem. (insulation can keep heat out also as well as in).
> 
> a typical method to heat a home would be? ( apart form the sun  )
> 
> is a commom internal finish to walls, studwork/pasterboard/skim etc ?
> 
> if i had to install a septic tank to a property without drainage would it be acceptable, and are companies available to empty the tanks
> 
> for subdividing wall in a large open space property what is the general method of construction, stud work, uk type lightweight blocks, a spanish equivalant.
> 
> many thanks
> 
> steve


wow lots of questions!


I'm afraid I can't answer any of them from a builder's point of view, except to say that the rules will vary form ayuntamiento to ayuntamiento


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## Draughtsman

hi, i assume 'ayuntamiento' translates to local authority......so your saying rather than a national code its depends on the area you live.
mmm interesting


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## xabiaxica

Draughtsman said:


> hi, i assume 'ayuntamiento' translates to local authority......so your saying rather than a national code its depends on the area you live.
> mmm interesting


sorry - I forget the english word sometimes - yes, local council


I'm sure there are regional & national codes, but there will also be local (town) codes

often, when things go wrong - as in 'oops I forgot to apply for planning permission for that 2 storey extension I built 2 years ago' - they apply retrospectively

if refused they go to the regional authority to appeal - & then nationally


having thought about your other questions, purely as an observer, I'd say that central & underfloor heating is becoming more common in newer properties, as is hot/cold aircon

even newer prpoerties don't seem to be well insulated - but I have no idea about regulations

newer properties again have internal walls like in the UK

there must be damp proofing regs - it does get damp pretty much everywhere in spain!


and I have heard of plenty UK electricians being able to wire up a house satisfactorily - but I do know you still need a spanish qualified leccy to 'sign off'

there are loads of companies that empty septic tanks - but in many areas they are trying to do away with septic tanks where possible


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## Tallulah

Draughtsman said:


> Hi.
> 
> Can anyone dish out any advice on building regulations in spain, or experiences what is acceptable in spain as opposed to the uk.
> Im in the building industry here in the uk and have a knowlage of producing plans and carrying out building work but i would guess its a whole different ball game over there.
> 
> any links to to sites would be great.
> just general information would be great to get an idea.
> 
> also a few questions.
> 
> would a compitant uk electrician trained to the latest euro codes find it easy to wire up a house to the satisfaction of the spanish equivalent of the building control officer.
> 
> are damp proofing requirements to spanish houses the same as the uk code, id guess they dont need to be in certain areas but?
> 
> what are the latest requirements regarding insulation of houses. in the uk this is building controls pet subject, if its not insulated it seems to cause a problem. (insulation can keep heat out also as well as in).
> 
> a typical method to heat a home would be? ( apart form the sun  )
> 
> is a commom internal finish to walls, studwork/pasterboard/skim etc ?
> 
> if i had to install a septic tank to a property without drainage would it be acceptable, and are companies available to empty the tanks
> 
> for subdividing wall in a large open space property what is the general method of construction, stud work, uk type lightweight blocks, a spanish equivalant.
> 
> many thanks
> 
> steve



Hi Steve. I can only talk from our experience of building our home here in Galicia. So....

Your question : would a compitant uk electrician trained to the latest euro codes find it easy to wire up a house to the satisfaction of the spanish equivalent of the building control officer.
Whilst I'm sure a competent UK electrician could do a very acceptable job of wiring a house, I would suggest that local knowledge would be a must in order to meet local standard requirements. At the end of this, the certification from Industria will only be supplied if the local requirements are met and therefore I would suggest that the UK electrician would have to be project led at the very least, by a Spanish homologado and just out of interest, exactly the same would apply to the plumbing project, also requiring certification by Industria.

Your question : are damp proofing requirements to spanish houses the same as the uk code, id guess they dont need to be in certain areas but?
Damp proofing exists. Not sure about actual requirements, but damp proofing is within standard building regs, although I believe the technology varies considerably from the UK, certainly in our area. The insulation qualities mentioned in your next point (below) covering roof, exterior walls and flooring in effect create a damp proofing all around the house. It is quite common here in Galicia (not aware of the rest of Spain) to inject the exterior walls right down to foundations - be it slab or structure build - with 5-8cm of insulation foam before applying whatever exterior finish. This, married to some multi layered aluminium skinned sheeting they lay on the flooring pretty much seals the property.

your question : what are the latest requirements regarding insulation of houses. in the uk this is building controls pet subject, if its not insulated it seems to cause a problem. (insulation can keep heat out also as well as in).
Certain energy efficiency requirements must be met as in the UK. These change constantly, and for example, as of last October I believe the insulation requirements of the exterior house walls, floor insulation and roof insulation have been increased and hot water energy must now be supplemented by at least one solar energy panel (the hot water tubes type - not the electrical type just for clarity's sake).

Your question : a typical method to heat a home would be? ( apart form the sun  )

Options are pretty much the same as anywhere else, be it electric, gas (city or bottled butane/propane, etc), diesel (oil) coupled to their relevant boiler and then distributed via radiators, underfloor, hot air - endless choice as per anywhere else really.

Your question : is a commom internal finish to walls, studwork/pasterboard/skim etc ?

Not in the case of Galicia. Whilst this might be the case in flats - as I have little or none experience of these - all house builds that I have come across have been interior divided by brick with either cement or plaster finish, depending on which rooms. Wet rooms are typically cement polished or rough depending on if there is going to be tiling.

Your question : if i had to install a septic tank to a property without drainage would it be acceptable, and are companies available to empty the tanks
In Galicia, this is very common.  If mains sewage exists, you no longer get the choice and you must connect and pay accordingly. If mains is not available, then a septic tank solution is very common and the ayuntamiento provide a service to have it emptied as do many other entrepreneurial tractor owners licensed to do so!! You basically decide who, but if lack of local knowledge or connections dictate, call the ayuntamiento and they'll come and empty it. Currently, our local chap has a 10,000 litre per trip capacity and he charges around 30 euros per trip, so anything up to 10k litres, will cost you around 30 euros to empty it. Next band, 10k to 20k litres : 60 euros, etc.

Your question : for subdividing wall in a large open space property what is the general method of construction, stud work, uk type lightweight blocks, a spanish equivalant.
For the actual construction of internal subdividing walls....see previous re internal finish to walls.

One point you haven't asked on, it is quite unusual in Galicia to have supporting wall structure build in a new build, although the old Galician stone properties are all supporting walls by the mere fact that they are huge stone walls of approx 1m thickness. These days, you do get structure wall builds, but it is far more common, I would say 99% in Galician new build, to have the structure build of concrete pillars and brick between. 

Hope this is of some use.

Tallulah.x

Ps - as I said I'm talking about experience of building our home here in Galicia - and Galicia I believe was an area you posted on before!!!


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## Draughtsman

Tallulah said:


> Hi Steve. I can only talk from our experience of building our home here in Galicia. So....
> 
> 
> One point you haven't asked on, it is quite unusual in Galicia to have supporting wall structure build in a new build, although the old Galician stone properties are all supporting walls by the mere fact that they are huge stone walls of approx 1m thickness. These days, you do get structure wall builds, but it is far more common, I would say 99% in Galician new build, to have the structure build of concrete pillars and brick between.
> 
> Hope this is of some use.
> 
> Tallulah.x
> 
> 
> hi, thanks for the reply
> 
> Very good point, thats exactly the type of info i,m after. little bits of local knowlage like that, (esp in the gailician region).
> i understand the structure of a building fully as i work for a firm of structural engineers so although its not a common method in the uk for small buildings it is totally acceptable from a structural point of view. its not used in the uk down to cost/easy access to traditional materials etc/lack of knowlage to fix reinforcement, uk builders would prefer block/brick supporting walls.
> 
> If i decide to buy my ideal place would be an old stone structure with some character (but not a pile of rubble) with a good sized internal floor plan which i could sub divide up and renovate over a period of time.
> 
> some of the properties ive looked at on the net say they have a weather tight roof but look awful (including corrugated sheeting), so buying a place that needed a new roof would not be a problem, at least i could make sure i was getting what i wanted.(via local builders)
> What are typical roof finishes, are terracotta/clay tiles common or slate i have seen both being used. in the uk ive just finished an extension using a 'fake slate' tile which looked excellent.:clap2: and much cheaper but look like the real thing.


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## Tallulah

Draughtsman said:


> Tallulah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Steve. I can only talk from our experience of building our home here in Galicia. So....
> 
> 
> One point you haven't asked on, it is quite unusual in Galicia to have supporting wall structure build in a new build, although the old Galician stone properties are all supporting walls by the mere fact that they are huge stone walls of approx 1m thickness. These days, you do get structure wall builds, but it is far more common, I would say 99% in Galician new build, to have the structure build of concrete pillars and brick between.
> 
> Hope this is of some use.
> 
> Tallulah.x
> 
> 
> hi, thanks for the reply
> 
> Very good point, thats exactly the type of info i,m after. little bits of local knowlage like that, (esp in the gailician region).
> i understand the structure of a building fully as i work for a firm of structural engineers so although its not a common method in the uk for small buildings it is totally acceptable from a structural point of view. its not used in the uk down to cost/easy access to traditional materials etc/lack of knowlage to fix reinforcement, uk builders would prefer block/brick supporting walls.
> 
> If i decide to buy my ideal place would be an old stone structure with some character (but not a pile of rubble) with a good sized internal floor plan which i could sub divide up and renovate over a period of time.
> 
> some of the properties ive looked at on the net say they have a weather tight roof but look awful (including corrugated sheeting), so buying a place that needed a new roof would not be a problem, at least i could make sure i was getting what i wanted.(via local builders)
> What are typical roof finishes, are terracotta/clay tiles common or slate i have seen both being used. in the uk ive just finished an extension using a 'fake slate' tile which looked excellent.:clap2: and much cheaper but look like the real thing.
> 
> 
> 
> Hi Steve - yes I understood from your postings that you had, lets say, at least some knowledge on building practices!!
> 
> The biggest change from UK practices to here that I can think of is in actual roof structures. Please keep in mind that I am referring to the building of a house, rather than the multi-build adosadas/pisos etc where they often use the cheapest methods possible and God only knows what they get up to there - but there has been some bad press on Spanish telly with public buildings such as a sports centre last winter where the whole thing crumbled during strong winds, and the suspected problems were all aiming at roof structure.....so back to the point on roof structure : both in UK and Galicia of old, large wooden cross beams were the traditional roof structure. Albeit huge tree trunk beams in Galician old houses and rather more "planed and shaped" beams in the UK....although I have seen similar beams in the UK's country homes, barns...you get the idea.
> 
> These days, in our house for example the differences are unbelievable. Where our new house in the UK (bought new in 2000) consisted of the typical toothpick/eggbox structure of crossed, thin beams supporting the roof and leaving no space practically to walk under or use the loft, our new house in Spain consisted of single reinforced concrete pours that looked like helicopter landing pads. These were topped with insulation foam sheets, these topped with "uralita" (which is that corrugate stuff you mention) and then the roof tiling - in our case, traditional terracotta tiles to complement the stone house we had built. Obviously, the choice of tiling is huge - and if you perhaps stray further to Lugo, you will see old houses with large, irregular natural slate slabs as slate quarries are a big deal in that area.
> 
> We have also seen roof structures finished with the simpler re-inforced concrete beams - some with concrete blocks between the gaps and some, like our garage, with just the corrugated material, insulation under that and tiling on top. We chose to not fill in between the beams on the garage roof and screed below as we felt this would be overkill on what is just a garage and general junk space!
> 
> The key, in my opinion, to all the above modern/new options, is the insulation, as whether its injected foam, panels, cavity wall injection or whatever, we have yet to see a new place being built with just empty cavity walls and no insulation on the roof structure. As regards reforms, many have had the wooden structure on the roof replaced (and first floor come to that) by above mentioned concrete pours etc. It's expensive, but the big concrete mixer lorries with the alien looking concrete pumps/chutes makes short work of what would be a very laborious manual task and in the end, what you pay on material you would probably save on labour and if done correctly, you have a well insulated roof that will be trouble free for one helluva long time and the strongest winds won't bother it much, save possibly changing the odd tile in the safe knowledge that the water isn't going to penetrate in any event.
> 
> It goes without saying, that as with anywhere else on the planet, what one puts in to building or reforming their own home, may change considerably to what one does as a re-sell/investment.
> 
> Tallulah.x
Click to expand...


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## Warren D

Draughtsman said:


> What are typical roof finishes, are terracotta/clay tiles common or slate i have seen both being used. in the uk ive just finished an extension using a 'fake slate' tile which looked excellent.:clap2: and much cheaper but look like the real thing.


It really depends on the area. On Ibiza the traditional style is flat roofed and that is how most houses built here are. Terracotta tiles are mostly used just for the verandas. I think you would really need to look around the area you build in to decide what would suit.
Plasterboard is hardly ever used. Even boxing in of pipes etc is not done with plasterboard here. I´ve never seen it used but I know it´s available and often expensive. 
New internal walls and boxing in where I am are usually terracotta ladrillos (hollow bricks).
The Spanish double glazing I have seen so far is of a pretty poor standard. I was on a site last year where the units did not have air vents and have read other people criticizing Spanish double glazing. It is also double the price of UK units (maybe cheaper on the mainland). It may be worthwhile getting it and some other materials from the UK
I have also noticed that although new buildings here have cavity walls, I have not seen cavity closers fitted.


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## Draughtsman

thanks 'T' & 'W.D.'

your comments are welcome, its all part of the process of getting to understand how things are done in spain. in response to warrans point about bringing certain materials across i would consider this, but only if it was difficult to source locally.

whilst searching around the net i picked up the following link which i thought was helpfull along with a bagfull of other sites.

Spain Calls Me - Spanish House Design


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## Pesky Wesky

I live in an ordinary house, about 20 years old, and I've noticed a couple of things.
There's no wood used in the construction, not in the beams, the floor... It's metal, cement and bricks.
I've never seen a house of this age where there's a loft. That space doesn't seem to get used. Probably does in older buildings
There are more security measures in general. Most houses around this area, I mean Madrid, have high walls, fences, gates. They all have blinds that come right down and some (by no means all) have bars over the windows.
Insulation is crap and highly synthetic. 
If you're interested in ecological building materials or builders I know a few, but not English speaking I think. It's something that's gaining ground slowly in Spain and could be an interesting direction to research


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## Pesky Wesky

Warren D said:


> It really depends on the area. On Plasterboard is hardly ever used. Even boxing in of pipes etc is not done with plasterboard here. I´ve never seen it used but I know it´s available and often expensive.
> .


Isn't plasterboard *Pladur*? If so, it's used quite a lot here for false ceilings, and I don't know what else. Shelving too, I think


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## Draughtsman

Pesky Wesky said:


> I live in an ordinary house, about 20 years old, and I've noticed a couple of things.
> There's no wood used in the construction, not in the beams, the floor... It's metal, cement and bricks.
> I've never seen a house of this age where there's a loft. That space doesn't seem to get used. Probably does in older buildings
> There are more security measures in general. Most houses around this area, I mean Madrid, have high walls, fences, gates. They all have blinds that come right down and some (by no means all) have bars over the windows.
> Insulation is crap and highly synthetic.
> If you're interested in ecological building materials or builders I know a few, but not English speaking I think. It's something that's gaining ground slowly in Spain and could be an interesting direction to research


Hi. P.W.

thanks for your comments.
interesting to note your comment on roof space.
i always think it makes sense to use this space if possible, if building in the uk and i had to put on a new roof (the whole roof im talking about here not just tiles etc) i would go for a pre manufactured timber truss type roof. it seems though these are not common.

do the majority of houses have shutters on the outside of the windows, and are these seperate from the window unit or part of the unit.

bars on the window are not for me though, although the locals may want to put bars up to keep me in 

incidently the BBC showd a documentry the other night about gypsey children living in madrid which was pretty depressing, what is crime like in spain...well dont answer that, that can be another thread.

:focus:

as in the uk i would try to put plenty of insulation all around the house, and i would try to work to uk standards if they are higher than the spanish standards and acceptable to the local building inspector.

ecological building would be something i wouldnt rule out, but i generally go for tried and tested methods. but if its good value, and has been tested or proven id use it.

ive just found out we have a spainish engineer in our preston office. ive never spoken to her but that seems a very good lead to follow.:clap2:

laters,

steve


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## jojo

The bars on the windows (rejas, pronounced reckers) are necessary to keep insurance costs down, in fact a friend of mine who didnt have rejas had to fit toughened safety glass (bullet proof standard) or their insurance company wouldnt insure the property. I personally worry cos they could so easily be a fire safety hazzard.

The shutters are stored inside the house - well mine are in the cavety, in a roll and can be accessed via the inside, but when you let the control cable inside, down, the shutters are outside the window, but inside the rejas. The window sill on spanish houses is on the outside (does that make sense??)

Damp in the winter seems to be a common problem here. Most houses I know of or have lived in seem to have several frairly large damp patches, especially after its rained - which it does very heavily and of course, theres my pet hate over here, they dont really do guttering, you may see it occasionally, but its not the norm!!!!!

BTW, it seems common here for properties over here have basements, which are used for storeage and as house space with windows, rejas and everything

Jo xx


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## Pesky Wesky

jojo said:


> The bars on the windows (rejas, pronounced reckers) are necessary to keep insurance costs down, in fact a friend of mine who didnt have rejas had to fit toughened safety glass (bullet proof standard) or their insurance company wouldnt insure the property. I personally worry cos they could so easily be a fire safety hazzard.
> 
> The shutters are stored inside the house - well mine are in the cavety, in a roll and can be accessed via the inside, but when you let the control cable inside, down, the shutters are outside the window, but inside the rejas. The window sill on spanish houses is on the outside (does that make sense??)
> 
> Damp in the winter seems to be a common problem here. Most houses I know of or have lived in seem to have several frairly large damp patches, especially after its rained - which it does very heavily and of course, theres my pet hate over here, they dont really do guttering, you may see it occasionally, but its not the norm!!!!!
> 
> BTW, it seems common here for properties over here have basements, which are used for storeage and as house space with windows, rejas and everything
> 
> Jo xx


Yet another example of _*it depends where you are*_, because here you DONT have to have bars. The vast majority do not. One of the problems is, if you live in an area where most people have put bars on, you'd be a bit silly not to put them on your own house. Otherwise hand out invites to local burglers giving details as to when you're moving in!
As jo says most shutters go down on the outside. Some area have wooden shutters the open and close like windows.
We have guttering. We had it put in. Probably you'll find more guttering the further north you go although that's not to say it doesn't rain in the south.
Lots of big basements as Jo says that can be used as garages, wine cellar, kids play room,


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## jojo

I dont understand why they dont have gutters much down south, but they dont, there are a few houses with em, but its not the norm as it is in the UK!! I often think it would be a good line of work to get into, especially if they run into a water deposit of some kind, (even if its simply to water the garden), in this day and age of preservation etc. And it would help with the flooding, cos when it rains here, it really rains.

Jo xx


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## jojo

heres what my windows look like close up


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## chris(madrid)

If I were you I'd contact the College of Architects in the region you are considering

This is Madrids web page COLEGIO OFICIAL DE ARQUITECTOS DE MADRID

You'll proably need to speak Spanish - and as an aside you most certainly should if you expect to deal with town hall assessors. This said MANY architects here ime speak reasonable English . understand it anyway.

There are, national and regional variatios - and you MAY encounter even local ones. There are 8100 Town halls in Spain - be prepared.


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## Pesky Wesky

jojo said:


> I dont understand why they dont have gutters much down south, but they dont, there are a few houses with em, but its not the norm as it is in the UK!! I often think it would be a good line of work to get into, especially if they run into a water deposit of some kind, (even if its simply to water the garden), in this day and age of preservation etc. And it would help with the flooding, cos when it rains here, it really rains.
> 
> Jo xx


Good idea JoJo - Now go and sell it!


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## Draughtsman

hi, 
just got back from a 3 week break in tenerife, whilst i was over there i noticed a building site for villa type homes (well a few actually), half the estate was built and people had moved in, the rest of the plots were half built with no construction work being carried out (recession obviously).
However since they were half built it left alot of the structure exposed and i was able to have a good look around.
ive got to say i was shocked at the poor quality of workmanship, shocking brick/block laying, badly shuttered concrete exposing the reinforcment, no wall ties between the blockwork and structure, no insulation or damp proofing, dodgy looking catilever balconies. and that was just a quick look over.
the scary thing was, all this was to be covered by render and tiles. The houses already constructed looked fine and the finishes were acceptable but its just like papering over the cracks.
So i think ive decided to go for a property i can do up to my own standards, when i find one that is 

hunt back on


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## jojo

Draughtsman said:


> hi,
> just got back from a 3 week break in tenerife, whilst i was over there i noticed a building site for villa type homes (well a few actually), half the estate was built and people had moved in, the rest of the plots were half built with no construction work being carried out (recession obviously).
> However since they were half built it left alot of the structure exposed and i was able to have a good look around.
> ive got to say i was shocked at the poor quality of workmanship, shocking brick/block laying, badly shuttered concrete exposing the reinforcment, no wall ties between the blockwork and structure, no insulation or damp proofing, dodgy looking catilever balconies. and that was just a quick look over.
> the scary thing was, all this was to be covered by render and tiles. The houses already constructed looked fine and the finishes were acceptable but its just like papering over the cracks.
> So i think ive decided to go for a property i can do up to my own standards, when i find one that is
> 
> hunt back on


Yep!! Thats how most properties are over here. I watched the house next door to my old one being built and the bricklaying was so wonky and wavy it really irritated me, even worse than that - when it was eventually covered in rendering, the guy doing it, just stood on a rickety piece of wood laid across two wobbly ladders, no hard hat, nothing! It was quite scary to watch!

Jo xxx


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## Tallulah

Draughtsman said:


> hi,
> just got back from a 3 week break in tenerife, whilst i was over there i noticed a building site for villa type homes (well a few actually), half the estate was built and people had moved in, the rest of the plots were half built with no construction work being carried out (recession obviously).
> However since they were half built it left alot of the structure exposed and i was able to have a good look around.
> ive got to say i was shocked at the poor quality of workmanship, shocking brick/block laying, badly shuttered concrete exposing the reinforcment, no wall ties between the blockwork and structure, no insulation or damp proofing, dodgy looking catilever balconies. and that was just a quick look over.
> the scary thing was, all this was to be covered by render and tiles. The houses already constructed looked fine and the finishes were acceptable but its just like papering over the cracks.
> So i think ive decided to go for a property i can do up to my own standards, when i find one that is
> 
> hunt back on


Yes, the old "slap 'em up quick and sell 'em" - although, not doing much of that at the moment. So, how is your property search coming on Steve? Seen anything you like the look of yet, or any other areas appealing to you?

Tallulah.x


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## almendros

jojo said:


> Yep!! Thats how most properties are over here. I watched the house next door to my old one being built and the bricklaying was so wonky and wavy it really irritated me, even worse than that - when it was eventually covered in rendering, the guy doing it, just stood on a rickety piece of wood laid across two wobbly ladders, no hard hat, nothing! It was quite scary to watch!
> 
> Jo xxx


Yes, that's quite normal. It horrifies UK builders as they are used to the brickwork supporting the house as part of the structure.

As has been mentioned earlier, most Spanish houses are ferro-concrete structures and the walls are just a fill in. The quality of the brickwork is irrelevant as it is all rendered over and is not in any way structural. Insulation is now mandatory.

At least they are not built of flimsy plasterboard and studding with a cheap prefabricated (very inflammable) wooden roof.

The first question insurance companies ask in Spain is "Is there any wood in the construction?" if there is they get really worried, probably because we don't have a fire-station in every town - that's because houses rarely burn down.

I have had a house built from scratch in Spain and the quality of build was way above anything I have had in the UK.


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## almendros

jojo said:


> I dont understand why they dont have gutters much down south,



The reason, as you said, is that when it rains, it really rains.

Most guttering systems would just not be capable of handling such a huge amount of water in such a short period.

What is much more important from a construction point of view, is adequate levels and drainage on terraces etc to ensure that the ground floor does not get flooded in minutes when the autumn storms arrive.

Most Spanish builders are experts at that. We have a very large terrace (400m2) and the levels are amazing - all the water drains away immediately.


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## Draughtsman

Tallulah said:


> Yes, the old "slap 'em up quick and sell 'em" - although, not doing much of that at the moment. So, how is your property search coming on Steve? Seen anything you like the look of yet, or any other areas appealing to you?
> 
> Tallulah.x


hi T

well still looking via the internet thingy, ive got about 5 property portal websites in my favourites but the same houses often appear on all 5 and a few local estate agent sites which offer something different. For spain ive only looked at galicia but i am looking at portugal as well.
I have seen quite a few properties that look ok but i really need to get over there and look around at the locations. maybe a quick flight over in november and stay in a b&b, if not it'll be spring...theirs some really cheap flights from stanstead to santiago de compostela at the moment (even though im in manchester)
ive also done quite alot of research on flights, travel,process of buying, blogs on the area etc etc theres some great information out there.
if i have time i might put it all together in a blog

with regards to building ill post a link to one of the sites i found interesting.

Spain Calls Me - Building a House in Spain



steve


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## Tallulah

Draughtsman said:


> hi T
> 
> well still looking via the internet thingy, ive got about 5 property portal websites in my favourites but the same houses often appear on all 5 and a few local estate agent sites which offer something different. For spain ive only looked at galicia but i am looking at portugal as well.
> I have seen quite a few properties that look ok but i really need to get over there and look around at the locations. maybe a quick flight over in november and stay in a b&b, if not it'll be spring...theirs some really cheap flights from stanstead to santiago de compostela at the moment (even though im in manchester)
> ive also done quite alot of research on flights, travel,process of buying, blogs on the area etc etc theres some great information out there.
> if i have time i might put it all together in a blog
> 
> with regards to building ill post a link to one of the sites i found interesting.
> 
> Spain Calls Me - Building a House in Spain
> 
> 
> 
> steve


re. flights, don't forget you've also got Heathrow to La Coruna and (I forget the airport...) to Porto (OK, in Portugal, but incredibly close to Lugo province.lane:
Oooh, lots to do, lots to think about!!:juggle:

Tallulah.x


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## Draughtsman

Tallulah said:


> re. flights, don't forget you've also got Heathrow to La Coruna and (I forget the airport...) to Porto (OK, in Portugal, but incredibly close to Lugo province.lane:
> Oooh, lots to do, lots to think about!!:juggle:
> 
> Tallulah.x



yes when i was on the skyscanner site the flights to porto were VERY cheap:clap2:


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## Draughtsman

almendros said:


> Yes, that's quite normal. It horrifies UK builders as they are used to the brickwork supporting the house as part of the structure.
> 
> As has been mentioned earlier, most Spanish houses are ferro-concrete structures and the walls are just a fill in. The quality of the brickwork is irrelevant as it is all rendered over and is not in any way structural. Insulation is now mandatory.
> 
> At least they are not built of flimsy plasterboard and studding with a cheap prefabricated (very inflammable) wooden roof.
> 
> The first question insurance companies ask in Spain is "Is there any wood in the construction?" if there is they get really worried, probably because we don't have a fire-station in every town - that's because houses rarely burn down.
> 
> I have had a house built from scratch in Spain and the quality of build was way above anything I have had in the UK.


thanks for your comments almendros, all taken on board, glad to here you are happy with your builders. Theres good and bad tradesmen everywhere as we all know. If i buy a run down place i would love to do all the work myself but its not a practible solution so ill end up using either local labour or a mixture of my time and local labour. You raised some interesting points. many thanks:clap2:


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## mikeinmalaga

*Normativa constructiva*

Can anyone tell me where or how I can get hold of a copy of Spanish Building Regulations please. 
Normativa constructiva 
I was renting a brand new very dodgy building with no ventilation, lots of mould and no fire escape except through the kitchen - one reason I left 
Thanks


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## xabiaxica

mikeinmalaga said:


> Can anyone tell me where or how I can get hold of a copy of Spanish Building Regulations please.
> Normativa constructiva
> I was renting a brand new very dodgy building with no ventilation, lots of mould and no fire escape except through the kitchen - one reason I left
> Thanks


like many things in Spain, it almost certainly varies slightly from area to area - best check at the local ayuntamiento


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## almendros

mikeinmalaga said:


> Can anyone tell me where or how I can get hold of a copy of Spanish Building Regulations please.
> Normativa constructiva
> I was renting a brand new very dodgy building with no ventilation, lots of mould and no fire escape except through the kitchen - one reason I left
> Thanks


What you are referring to is the _Código Técnico de la Edificación_

These are the new building regs for all construction in Spain. The law was passed in 2006. There is plenty of info at:-

CTE

Although there may be local rules they will be in addition to the national rules and cannot change the basic regs.


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## mikeinmalaga

almendros said:


> What you are referring to is the _Código Técnico de la Edificación_
> 
> These are the new building regs for all construction in Spain. The law was passed in 2006. There is plenty of info at:-
> 
> CTE
> 
> Although there may be local rules they will be in addition to the national rules and cannot change the basic regs.


Thank you Alemendros, that led me straight to the spot.


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