Full apartment and property renovation in Torremolinos
Renovation specialists in Torremolinos. We manage full renovations of apartments and second homes from start to finish — coordinating all trades on your behalf. English communication. No need to be present.
Full renovation in Torremolinos: the typical project
Torremolinos has one of the highest concentrations of older apartments on the Costa del Sol — properties built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s in areas like La Carihuela, El Bajondillo, Playamar and Montemar. Most have the original layouts: compartmentalised rooms, dated kitchens and bathrooms, and electrical and plumbing installations that are decades old. A full renovation addresses all of this in a single project — new layout if needed, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, electrical, plumbing and finishes. One intervention, one project lead, no repeated access for separate works.
Where we work in Torremolinos
La Carihuela is one of Torremolinos' most active holiday rental zones, with a high proportion of non-resident British and Scandinavian owners. El Bajondillo's seafront apartments and Playamar's residential blocks are also areas where we work regularly. We know the access conditions and community rules in the main complexes across the municipality. We work on first and second homes as well as holiday rental properties. For rental apartments, we select durable materials that hold up under frequent occupation and are easy to maintain between stays.
Remote project management for non-resident owners
We manage the renovation end to end for owners who aren't based in Torremolinos: access coordination with the community or building manager, daily supervision, trade management and progress updates in English throughout. The written quotation sets out the full agreed scope before any work starts. Any change to that scope is communicated and approved before it's carried out. You don't need to be present in Torremolinos during the renovation.
A full renovation strips the property back to bare shell and rebuilds it completely: layout, plumbing, electrics, heating and cooling, brickwork, joinery and finishes, under a single project and a single point of coordination. It starts with a design and a real on-site survey, not a generic quote, and with the right municipal permit: a declaración responsable or a major works licence, depending on the scope.
The decisions that set the schedule and the outcome
The hidden services. Multilayer or PEX plumbing and electrics to REBT standard, with their own consumer unit and independent circuits, plus waterproofing under shower trays and terraces. It is the work you never see and the one most often underestimated: every stage is checked before it is closed up.
The materials exposed to salt air. Sea breeze accelerates corrosion, so the priority is external aluminium joinery, anodised or high-quality lacquered, with a thermal break, double glazing and stainless fittings. Inside, large-format porcelain, which reduces grout lines and gives visual continuity, and compact-surface worktops that resist scratching and staining. Heating is usually an air-source heat pump with underfloor heating or ducted air.
The community and the town hall. Any work to the facade, terrace or soil pipes needs the consent of the owners' community and must respect the look of the building. Permits vary from town to town (Marbella, Estepona, Mijas, Fuengirola and Benalmádena each have their own procedures and fees) and the CTE building code sets requirements for thermal and acoustic insulation and hygiene. On second homes, much of the work is coordinated remotely with the owner.
A full renovation of a 90-100 m2 flat takes 8 to 14 weeks; a villa, considerably longer. In-house team, one site manager, turnkey handover with installation certificates (electrical certificate) and a 5-year guarantee on the workmanship. Renovating since 2010. The full process and materials are set out in our guide to full home renovation on the Costa del Sol.
What a full home refurbishment involves in Torremolinos
Most of the housing stock in Torremolinos dates from the boom of the 1960s and the developments of the 70s and 80s, and it was designed for the summer season rather than for year-round living. That sets the starting point for any full refurbishment here: heavily compartmented layouts, a closed-off kitchen, the original bathroom and wiring sized for minimal use. The first thing to check is the structure: partition walls from that period are not usually load-bearing, but this has to be checked building by building, because different developments were built to different solutions. Until it is clear what is a partition and what is a load-bearing wall or a column, the new layout is only a hypothesis.
The second constraint is the services. A holiday flat from the 60s or 70s tends to keep its old consumer unit, undersized cable and, in the earliest cases, no earthing at all; rewiring the whole property also means reviewing the contracted supply, which was sized for seasonal occupancy. On the plumbing side, the room for manoeuvre when moving a bathroom depends on the vertical soil stack serving the column of flats and on the depth of the floor slab: if the waste run cannot achieve enough fall, the alternative is to raise the floor or to pump, and that decision sets the finished floor level throughout the home.
Proximity to the sea is not a cosmetic detail. In La Carihuela and along the seafront, salt-laden air accelerates corrosion of ironmongery, window frames and outdoor air-conditioning units, so the choice of external materials carries more weight than it would in a flat a couple of kilometres inland.
The building type changes the whole project. A flat in Playamar, El Pinillo, Los Alamos or El Calvario is refurbished within the limits set by the owners' association: common elements, the facade, permitted working hours, the lift used to bring materials up and take waste down, and buildings that are occupied in high season. The villas in Montemar, by contrast, behave like a full rehabilitation, with the roof, the external envelope and the plot all within scope.
Finally, the intended use decides the finishes. Preparing the property as a rental asset, where durability and maintenance come first, is not the same as fitting it out as a main residence, where insulation moves to the foreground: on a facade of that period, and as a common element, the improvement is normally resolved from the inside with an internal lining, and those centimetres have to be taken off the plan before the layout is settled.
How much a full renovation costs in Torremolinos
A full renovation starts at €15,000, with most projects sitting above €20,000. The difference comes from the floor area and the scope: whether it includes full services, joinery and air conditioning, or only part of them. The workmanship is the same in every case, because we work with our own team.
Renovating in Torremolinos: local context
Torremolinos was the epicentre of the Costa del Sol tourism boom in the 1960s, and that history shapes every renovation carried out here today. Unlike Marbella or Estepona, much of the housing stock consists of apartments from the 60s, 70s and 80s built for summer holidays: heavily compartmentalised layouts, closed kitchens, obsolete electrical wiring and original bathrooms. Renovating in Torremolinos usually means modernising that holiday property —opening up spaces, renewing installations and improving energy efficiency— to turn it into a competitive rental asset or a genuinely liveable home. At Costa del Sol Reformas we understand the town's specifics: the salt air of La Carihuela, the Playamar towers and the villas of Montemar. With our own in-house team, project management in Spanish and English and a 5-year guarantee, we deliver full renovations designed for this particular market.
Where we work: La Carihuela, Playamar, Montemar, El Calvario / Centro, El Pinillo, Los Álamos.
How we work in Torremolinos
Why Costa del Sol Reformas
Costa del Sol Reformas is a renovation company in Torremolinos operating since 2010. Own team, fixed price and 5-year written guarantee on all projects.
Frequently asked questions
Do you renovate apartments in La Carihuela and El Bajondillo?
Yes. We work across all of Torremolinos including La Carihuela, El Bajondillo, Playamar and Montemar. We know the access conditions and community rules in the main complexes.
What does a full renovation in Torremolinos include?
A full renovation covers layout changes, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting and finishes. The exact scope is agreed in advance and set out in the written quotation.
How long does a full renovation of a Torremolinos apartment take?
A full renovation of a 70–90 m² apartment typically takes 8 to 14 weeks, depending on scope and material availability. We confirm the timeline in the written quotation after the site assessment.
Can you manage the renovation if I'm not based in Spain?
Yes. We coordinate access, supervise all work and send regular updates in English. You don't need to be present. We confirm completion before you return.
Do you work on holiday rental apartments in Torremolinos?
Yes. We have extensive experience renovating holiday rental apartments in Torremolinos. We select durable materials suited to frequent occupation and can align the renovation timeline with gaps in the rental calendar.
Have a project in Torremolinos?
Tell us about your project and we'll prepare a tailored assessment.