Renovating a home calls for very careful planning. Not only because of the works themselves, with everything they involve, but also because of everything else that surrounds a renovation. You also need to get ready before the works begin. On the one hand, that means choosing and keeping an eye on the people who will carry out the work.
On the other, it means preparing your home for the renovation. Before work starts, everything has to be made ready so that the people doing the job run into as few obstacles and inconveniences as possible. And the same goes for your neighbours.
That means taking a series of steps, and it is not always easy. Whether it is a home in a multi-family residential building or a detached house, these protocols have to be studied and set according to the type of renovation you are planning, because every renovation needs some preparation beforehand. So once you have decided what kind of work you are going to carry out, you need to plan how to prepare for it.
Below you will find the preparations you need to make so that you know how to prepare your home for a renovation. Let’s get started!
Preparing your home for a renovation: the paperwork first
The first step in preparing your home for a renovation is to apply to the ayuntamiento (town hall) for the relevant permits, so that the works can begin. That means you first have to decide what you want to do.
- Depending on the scope of the works and what is being renovated, you will need to apply for either a major or a minor works licence (obra mayor or obra menor). If the job is very small, simply notifying the town hall may be enough.
- It all depends on several things, though: what is changing, whether the structure is affected and whether there will be changes to the facade. If the last two apply, and particularly the second, the licence you need is a major works licence (obra mayor).
As well as the application, you will need the budget for the works in order to pay the tax that comes with a building application. In almost every municipality the tax is calculated as a percentage of the budget.
That amount varies from one municipality to another, and it is what you will have to pay before the works can start. A notice or permit for minor works (obra menor) is usually granted fairly quickly, whereas a major works licence tends to take a few weeks.
It is important not to start work before you have the permit. Otherwise, you risk a fine and having the works stopped.
Wait! Before you read on about how to prepare your home for a renovation, you may be interested in these recent articles. Take a look:
How to prepare your home for a renovation: outside
To be clear about how to prepare your home for a renovation, start by writing down every task that needs doing, so that none is forgotten. Perhaps the very first is to apply for the appropriate planning licence. If you intend to alter the walls or the external joinery, you will need to apply for a building permit. Likewise, if you are only renovating part of the house, the work planned in the rooms concerned is very important, as described above.
In any case, it is best to find out in advance what you will need and how much you will have to pay. If you are not planning major works, a declaration of works (declaración responsable) will probably be enough, but you will need to make sure that it is. Once you have the permit, and not before, you can start the works.
Besides these permits, you will also need to let the community of owners know that you are going to carry out works. You do not need their express permission, but it is strongly recommended that you at least inform the president of the community.
Let the community know
A renovation always brings noise, dirt and disruption, however small it is. For a small job, one or two days of work will be enough.
But if it is going to last a long time, it is advisable to tell the other neighbours that you are having work done. It is also a good idea to tell them what is going to be done, even if the work is not major or does not affect structural elements.
If the neighbours agree, there will be no problem and you will be able to do everything you have planned.
But if they object and do not give you permission, you will have to make the necessary changes and obtain approval at another meeting before you can go ahead.
Before the renovation: protecting furniture and rooms
Once you have done everything that needs doing before a renovation, it is time to think about how to prepare your home for the more substantial work. Because of the scale of the works, a lot of furniture usually needs protecting. Whole rooms will have to be emptied or, at the very least, the furniture pulled away from the walls and put where it will not be in the way. If the rooms are being painted, for example, it should go in the centre of the room. Often, though, that is not enough, and it has to be moved to other rooms.
Small pieces of furniture are easy enough to move. Large pieces, however, can be hard to shift because of their weight. If you cannot move them, talk to the people who will be carrying out the work to see whether they can help you.
Once you have moved them, cover them so that dust from the works or the paint does not settle on them. Large plastic sheets or old rags will do. When a room is nearly finished, the furniture that is going back into it can be moved in, as long as it is not in the way.
If there are rooms that are not going to be renovated, seal them off so that no dust or dirt gets in: close the door and cover the gaps around it with tape. Then do the same with any air-conditioning and heating units installed in the house. It is also advisable to protect the parts of the rooms that will not be affected, such as door frames, doors and external joinery, although this is something the renovation company will take care of.
And that’s it. As simple as that!
At Klic Arquitectos, specialists in retail architecture, we hope this article has helped you see how to prepare your home for your next renovation or move. Now all that’s left is to put these tips into practice! We look forward to seeing you in our next posts.
