The cost of a full renovation in Málaga province cannot be expressed honestly as a figure per square metre, because it depends on how deep the work goes, the state of the plumbing and wiring, the finishes chosen, the amount of strip-out, access to the property and the timing. A Spanish itemised quote splits the job into chapters and measured lines, which is the only reliable way to see what you are paying for. Photos and floor area are enough for a first assessment; a firm quote follows a visit.
Why is there no single price for a full renovation?
“Full renovation” — reforma integral — describes an outcome, not a fixed list of tasks. In one apartment it means new finishes on sound services; in another, identical in size, it means every pipe, cable, partition and floor comes out. Both are full renovations. Their quotes can differ by a wide margin, and both can be fair.
That is why we do not publish a per-metre price. A number given before anyone has looked at the fuse board, the bathroom drains or the floor screed tells you nothing about your property. What does help is knowing which parts of the job behave predictably and which ones only become clear once the walls are open. The first can be priced firmly from a visit. The second need either more investigation or a clearly labelled provisional line.
The useful question is therefore not “how much per metre?” but “which chapters will my renovation need, and how deep does each one go?”
Which chapters make up a full renovation quote?
A complete Spanish quote for a full renovation is normally organised in chapters (capítulos). The order follows the order of the works:
- Strip-out and debris (demoliciones y retirada de escombros): removing finishes, sanitaryware, kitchen, sometimes partitions.
- Plumbing and drainage (fontanería y saneamiento): supply pipes, waste pipes, connection to the building’s stack.
- Electrics (electricidad): new circuits, consumer unit, points, by an authorised partner installer.
- Masonry and plasterboard (albañilería y pladur): partitions, chases, plastering, ceilings.
- Floors and tiling (solados y alicatados): levelling, floor finish, wall tiles.
- Carpentry (carpintería): internal doors, wardrobes, sometimes windows.
- Painting (pintura): preparation, smoothing, paint.
- Bathroom and kitchen fit: sanitaryware, taps, units, appliances connection.
- Cleaning and safety: protection, final clean.
See how these lines are written on our itemised quote page.
Which chapters usually weigh the most?
In most full renovations three chapters decide whether the total is modest or substantial. The first is services. If the plumbing and wiring are original in a building from the 1970s or 80s, renewing them is not optional, and the work spreads into every room because pipes and cables run through walls and floors. Our page on rewiring and plumbing costs explains this chapter in detail.
The second is floors. Replacing the floor throughout means strip-out, often levelling, then the new finish, plus skirting and thresholds. The finish you choose matters, but so does what lies underneath.
The third is the bathroom and kitchen. They concentrate plumbing, tiling, waterproofing and fittings in a few square metres, which is why their cost per metre is far higher than a bedroom’s. See the dedicated pages on bathroom and kitchen costs.
What does a scenario look like, without figures?
Take two apartments of roughly 80 m², each with two bedrooms, one bathroom and a kitchen. On paper they are the same job.
Apartment A was partially updated some years ago. The wiring has a modern consumer unit, the supply pipes are recent, and the owner wants new floors, a new bathroom, a kitchen refresh and smooth painted walls. The quote is dominated by finishes. Strip-out is moderate, and most lines can be closed after the visit.
Apartment B is original. Galvanised supply pipes, an old fuse board, textured gotelé on every wall, tiled floors laid on an uneven screed. The owner wants the same visible result as in A. The quote now has full services chapters, more strip-out and debris, levelling under the floors and more preparation before painting. The finishes may be identical; the total will not be.
This is why we always ask for photos of the fuse board and bathroom before saying anything about cost.
How do access and timing change a full renovation quote?
Two properties with identical scope can still produce different quotes because of the conditions around the work. On a fourth floor without a lift, every bag of debris and every box of tiles goes up and down the stairs. In a block with a small lift, large boards must be cut or carried. In a town-centre street without parking, deliveries have to be planned and a skip may need municipal permission.
Timing matters too. A job that must be finished before a rental season or a move-in date may need trades to overlap, which limits flexibility and can add cost. A property that stays occupied requires daily protection and cleaning. None of this is a hidden extra: it should appear in the quote as its own line or be reflected in the relevant chapters. Read more on our cost factors page.
What is usually not included in a full renovation quote?
Knowing what is outside the quote is as important as reading what is inside. Typical exclusions you should check for in any quote, including ours:
- Technical project and licences. Where an architect or surveyor is needed, their fees and the town hall fees and taxes are separate. We do not prepare projects or process licences, but we tell you early if your scope is likely to need them.
- Furniture and appliances, unless listed line by line.
- Structural repairs discovered during works, which need a technician’s diagnosis first.
- Asbestos-cement elements, which must be removed by a registered specialist such as retiradauralitamalaga.eu.
- Air conditioning, which we do not install.
Strip-out, debris, materials purchasing and the final clean, on the other hand, are part of our quotes.
How do we turn photos into a firm quote?
The first step is a first assessment from photos and the approximate floor area. We tell you which chapters the job will probably need and what remains uncertain. If you want to go ahead, we visit the property, measure, check the services and access, and agree the scope with you.
The itemised quote then lists every task with its unit, quantity and description, and shows VAT on its own line. Lines that cannot be confirmed without opening walls are marked as provisional, with an explanation. You can ask for alternatives on any line — a different floor finish, keeping the existing kitchen — and see the effect immediately. For the execution of the work itself, our sister site on full renovations describes how the job is run.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Presupuesto Reforma · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
