Renewing electrics and plumbing is priced by the number of circuits and points, the length and route of pipes and cables, the consumer unit, the connection to the building, and the making good of walls and floors afterwards. In older Spanish flats with original installations it is often unavoidable. Electrical and gas work must be done by authorised installers; in our jobs these are partner installers coordinated by us. The quote should show services as separate chapters, not hidden in other lines.
Why are services so often the biggest surprise?
Many resale properties on the Costa del Sol were built in the 1970s, 80s and 90s and still have their original plumbing and wiring. From the outside they look fine: the lights work, water comes out of the taps. The problems appear when a wall is opened or a new appliance overloads an old circuit.
Because pipes and cables run through every room, renewing them affects floors, walls and ceilings across the property. A builder who quotes new finishes without addressing old services is giving you a lower number for a job that may have to be partly redone. That is why we ask for photos of the fuse board, the water meter area and the bathroom pipes before giving any assessment. Our sister site on apartment renovation covers how to recognise tired installations.
Which electrical lines appear in a quote?
An electrical renewal is normally quoted with these lines, all carried out by an authorised partner installer under our coordination:
- New consumer unit with protection devices (ud).
- Circuits by use: lighting, sockets, kitchen, oven, washing machine, bathroom (ud per circuit).
- Points: sockets, switches, light points, data and TV (ud).
- Chasing and making good of walls, or surface trunking where agreed (ml).
- Fittings: switch plates, sockets, possibly light fittings (ud).
- Paperwork issued by the installer on completion where required (type of certificate and when it is needed: to be verified for each job).
The number of points is the main quantity driver. Deciding where you want sockets and lights before the quote saves revisions later.
A practical tip: walk through each room with a floor plan and mark where furniture, the TV, bedside tables and kitchen appliances will go. Sockets in the wrong place are one of the most common regrets after a renovation, and adding them once walls are painted means breaking finished work.
Which plumbing lines appear in a quote?
- Supply pipework from the meter or main stopcock to each point (ml or ud per point).
- Waste pipework from each fitting to the building’s stack or the house drain (ml or ud).
- Isolation valves per room or appliance (ud).
- Hot water: connection to the existing heater or a new one (ud).
- Connection to the stack: the main soil pipe in a block is a shared element, so work on it may need the community’s involvement.
- Testing before walls and floors are closed.
In houses, the plumbing route may be longer and include a pump, water tank or drainage to a septic tank. Heating, whether radiators or underfloor, is a separate chapter handled by authorised partner installers.
What makes services more or less expensive?
The main drivers are:
- How much is renewed: the whole property or only the wet rooms.
- Number of points: every socket, light and tap is a line.
- Routes: through walls, under floors or in ceilings. A suspended ceiling can make routes easier.
- Making good: every chase has to be filled and finished, and the cost depends on what finish follows.
- Coordination with other trades: services renewed during a full renovation share the strip-out and finishing work; renewing them in a finished home means breaking and repairing.
This last point is why the cheapest moment to renew services is when the walls are open anyway. See full renovation cost for how services fit into a full job.
Scenarios without figures: three levels of services work
Level 1 – wet rooms only. Wiring renewed recently, but the bathroom and kitchen pipes are original. Plumbing renewed in those two rooms, new circuits for kitchen appliances. Lines limited to two rooms plus the connection to the supply and stack.
Level 2 – full plumbing and electrics. Everything original. New consumer unit, all circuits, all points, all supply and waste pipes. Lines across the whole property, plus extensive chasing and making good.
Level 3 – services plus heating. Level 2 plus underfloor heating in the living area, which needs to be laid before the floor finish and coordinated with levelling.
The finishes after each level could be identical. The services chapter is what changes the scale of the job.
What should you check in a services quote?
- Is the installer authorised for the work, and is the paperwork they issue on completion included?
- Are points counted and listed, or is it a single lump sum?
- Is making good of chases included, and to what level of finish?
- Is the connection to the building’s stack or the supply included?
- Is testing before closing walls mentioned?
A lump-sum “new electrical installation” line is hard to compare. Ask for the points and circuits behind it. Our guide on unexpected costs explains why services are where most surprises come from, and how a contingency should be handled.
How do we quote services work?
Send photos of the fuse board with its cover open if safe, the water meter or main stopcock, the pipes under the kitchen sink and in the bathroom, and any water heater. Tell us which rooms are in scope and roughly where you want new sockets and lights.
On the visit our authorised partner installers assess the existing installations with us. The quote shows electrics and plumbing as separate chapters, with circuits and points counted, routes described and making good included, and VAT on its own line. For why services quotes differ so much between builders, see why renovation quotes differ.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Presupuesto Reforma · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
