January 2018 – Specialised Build

start of swimming pool construction in Estepona

Swimming pool construction and renovation, Costa del Sol

We have vast experience in the renovation and construction of swimming pools.

For new swimming pool constructions, the most time consuming thing is the paperwork. The actual construction of a concrete swimming pool takes us about 2 weeks.

The first step in the construction of the swimming pool is to retain an architect. The architect will draw up plans and submit these for approval. Once the plans have been stamped, we can move on to applying for the building license. This can take any where from a few weeks to 12 months, depending on the area.

When the paperwork is completed and approved we can break ground. We favour sprayed gunite concrete for small domestic pools. The pool form is excavated to the required dimensions, and brick shuttering is built. Once this is in place, steel reinforcing is put into place, along with the pipes and light buckets.

The concrete is then sprayed at the wall under high pressure to a depth of around 200mm

After this we cast the white marmolina swimming pool surround, render the walls and tile with glass mosaic gresite.

Exterior , Interior

Complete Villa Renovation in Coin, nr Marbella, Costa del Sol

The joy of purchasing a home on the Costa del Sol, is that you are able to put your stamp on it and make it truly personal. Renovating or reforming an existing finca or villa is a way of doing just that. It allows yo to get the finish that you want from your swimming pool area, terrace and interior living spaces.

Planning the schedule of works is the first step. We will not only discuss your immediate plans, but also your future plans to ensure that no unnecessary works are done and that no extra cost is incurred in the long term.

Part of our service can include the application for the correct licenses from the town hall (ayuntamiento), whether it be small works (obra menor) or major project (obra mayor). In general, for an obra mayor an architects project is required.

Our team of specialists includes architects, plumbers, certified electricians, tilers, painters.. we have it covered.

In this example, the project was of a huge scale, taking just under 6 months to complete. The entire home was stripped out down to bare walls and floors and then started again. This included all the electrics and plumbing. The villa was completely rewired and supplied with a new Boletin (safety certificate required by the energy company). Some of the plumbing was not good as new pipes had been added, others blocked off etc.. so leaks would probably be a problem in the future.

Each room was completely stripped out, rendered and plastered, then new high quality tiled floors put down. New windows and doors were installed.

Here are some progress photos, in later posts, we will post finished pictures and detailed descriptions of the building work involved.

Progress with interior renovation of villa

Exterior , Interior , Swimming Pools

Villa renovation Fuengirola

This is the first stages of a complete villa renovation in Fuengirola. The villa will undergo a complete reform, but the work will be carried out in stages to ease the financial burden of the project and to give the clients relief from the building works (as the clients have moved into the villa now it is habitable).

The first part of the renovation was carried out last year, renovating the interior, kitchen, bathroom, and living areas. This was all plastered and painted and is a comfortable living space.

The second part of the renovation was what can be seen here. The pool was leaking, so has been renovated using a Renolit AlkorPlan 3000 reinforced pool membrane which completely seals the structure, with a 10 year warranty. In addition some minor leaks were repaired in the pump room.

We have carried out some exterior painting with fine detail on the balustrade and replaced some doors and windows.

In the pictures you can see that work has started on the underbuild, The basement area will be made into a self contained apartment.

We can be flexible and work to our clients needs and budget.

Exterior , Interior

Electrician Costa del Sol

We have qualified electricians on hand that can rewire villas and apartments and provide the all important “boletin”, to be able to get electrical connection.

If major renovation works are done on an older property, it makes little sense to leave old cable under new finishes.

As part of the rewiring, plug sockets, lights and light switches can all be put in more convenient places. Cables and conduits can be run for existing installations and also allow for future upgrades such as air conditioning units, pool heaters, exterior lighting, automated gates. Part of our approach to building works is to think about future requirements as well, this often saves money in the long run.

Exterior , Swimming Pools

Pool transformation, pool made bigger, pool tiled and leaks repaired

We completely renovated this old leaking swimming pool. The first thing we did was diagnose the source of the leaks. We diagnosed leaks in 2 runs of plumbing, in both the skimmer pipes and the return pipe.

The bridge, which didn’t really have a purpose was removed so we could make the pool wider, as at this point it was very narrow. The pool looked even narrower once the bridge was removed. It is not normally recommended to alter the structure of a pool, but in this case it was feasible, as we were working on the shallow end of the pool, where there was less stresses involved.

Steps were built into the shallow end of the pool that also serve as a seating area, perfect for enjoying the panoramic views from this villa in Mijas.

Once the pool had been made wider and the steps had been built in, we cast a new “marmolina” pool surround. The marmolina is white concrete that is floated to give a uniform smooth surface, but still is non slip. To make the marmolina we have to build shuttering around the pool and pour the mix into it. After the shuttering comes off, we polish the edges and put expansion cuts in it.

After this the swimming pool can be tiled, grouted and cleaned ready for filling.

The plumbing is all new, for a trouble free future. When planning works to the pool, it is important to consider the future.

After all this work, the transformation was complete with a tropical turquoise tile and a beautiful new surround. This was quite an amazing transformation, taking our superb team about 2 weeks. For perspective, the pool measures 15m x 5m

Pool building and renovation works, Mijas

Complete building service, Costa del Sol

Leaking swimming pool in need of reform, Mijas

Making the swimming pool wider, Mijas

Swimming pool construction

Exterior , Landscaping

Retaining walls for gardens, swimming pools, villas, terraces etc

If your land is moving, a retaining wall is essential. In the mountainous areas at the back of Mijas, Fuengirola, Marbella and Estepona, the houses are built on quite steep slopes and a retaining wall is essential.

Our building team can advise the most appropriate solution, depending on the terrain and type of build and then construct it.

Block and steel retaining walls, reinforced concrete, gabions and stacked rocks are the most common types of retaining wall on the Costa del Sol.

Depending on the size of the project we can advise how best to proceed. Sometimes a retaining wall is not needed, banks can be stabilised by spraying with concrete.

Retaining walls are needed to prevent the land from moving. Where a slope has been excavated to provide a flat pad for building, the land will need to be stabilised both above and below the pad. The design and build of the wall has to take into account the rainfall and drainage. A poorly designed wall can act like a dam, creating a bigger problem in the future.

The block and steel wall is normally used for lower walls. It is built on a concrete foundation, from high density concrete blocks. Steel rods run vertically and horizontally through the blocks. The blocks are then filled with concrete, making a very strong wall. The blocks can either be rendered after, or decorative blocks can be used so no finishing is required.

Reinforced concrete walls. A concrete raft is poured to give a wide footprint to help support the load. On top of this, steel cages are made, shuttering is built, then it is filled with concrete. This is an immensely strong wall, supporting huge loads without moving.

Stacked rock retaining walls are designed to be used to support earth, where some movement is acceptable, for example at the edge of a plot of land, edge of the garden etc..

Gabion walls are made from rock enclosed in steel mesh cages. This creates a strong supporting structure that allows for drainage. The walls can be made to look very decorative.

Sprayed concrete is used to prevent ground slip in low risk areas. By spraying with concrete, rain is prevented from washing away embankments and other slopes.

We have contacts for drilling micro piles and piles for particularly unstable ground.

Here we have a few examples of retaining walls that we have built over the years.

Earth retaining system

sprayed concrete on embankment

stacked concrete blocks

collapsed retaining wall

slope-stabilization-feature-1

stacked boulder retaining wall

Swimming Pools

Very deep swimming pool made shallower and completely renovated

A common complaint of our customers is that their pools are too deep. This is something that can easily be rectified as part of the reform project. Very deep pools are most often found in older houses, built in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Making a swimming pool shallower has several benefits, in both comfort and practicality. It can be seen to be safer if the majority of people can keep their head out of the water. It is more enjoyable playing games in the pool if everyone can stand up.

The pool will warm up faster if it is shallower. Water bills will be less when the pool is filled. Running costs are less, as less volume of water to treat with chemicals. Future maintenance bills should be less with less square meters of tiles.

The process of reducing the depth is to first ensure the drain is raised up correctly, using proper fittings. Any areas where the new concrete will meet old tiles, these must be stripped back to allow the new concrete to join the old. Once this work is done, concrete can be poured to raise the level. After this sets, we can render the floor to make the appropriate levels.

Once all the levels are correct in the base of the pool, the entire structure is skimmed with render to provide a uniform surface for the new tiles.

The pool is tiled using adhesives especially for swimming pools. These adhesives have additives in them that allow them to stay under water without breaking down and cope with chemicals.

The final stage is to grout the tiles and install new cosmetic pieces where needed. The entire renovation normally takes about a week for a team of our builders.

Raising depth of pool with concrete

rounding off sharp edges of pool tiles

constructing new base of swimming pool to make shallower

reshaping pool steps

Levelling the floor as part of making shallower

Media caña formed in base of pool, between floor and wall

building cement levels in base of pool

tiling pool as part of renovation project

builders working on pool re construction

Retiled swimming pool

Turquoise mosaic tiles

Pool reform, made shallower and tiled

Exterior

Repair of leaking roof on a large villa, Costa del Sol

This large villa in Estepona had a roof that had leaked slightly over the last 20 years, however with the record breaking rainfall in the autumn of 2016, the roof leaked through into the house all over, causing massive damage to the plastered walls and ceilings.

The tiles were all stripped off the roof, the sand cement mix under the tiles was all removed and cleaned off, giving us access to seal the concrete slabs with a bitumin based product.

Access was particularly difficult as the villa is 3 stories, requiring scaffolding to be erected according to the current legislation, as specified by the Junta de Andalucia. This type of scaffolding has to be erected by a homologated company, who supply a safety certificate. Our number one priority is safety, both for our workers and people passing by. In addition, the use of scaffolding with nets helps to prevent damage and injury from falling objects.

Once we sealed the roof, an new bed of sand cement was laid on top, giving a good base for the roofing tiles to be put back. Most of the roofing tiles were reused, but some were broken during the work, so reclaimed tiles were sourced so that the roof all matches.

It is important to note that the way most houses are constructed in Spain, the roof tiles do not provide the waterproofing, they simply help to shield from the sun direct the water away from the concrete slab and sprayed insulation layer underneath the roof tiles.

The hardest part of this project was obtaining the correct building license, in total it took 11 weeks. This needs to be considered if you are planning these types of building works, especially in the Marbella and Estepona areas. Mijas and Fuengirola seem to be more efficient from our experience.

Scaffold essential for roof repairs in Estepona and Marbella

Renovation of villas, Marbella, Mijas, Fuengirola, Estepona

Builders working on roof repairs. Roof leaking

Terracotta roof tiles replaced by building team

Construction and renovation by builders costa del sol

Swimming Pools

Waterproofing and tiling a leaking swimming pool structure

If your swimming pool is leaking, the first thing we need to do is diagnose the source of the leak. Once we have found the cause of the leak in the pool, we can recommend the correct method to solve it.

Pool leaks can be either plumbing related, or structural. Leaks in the plumbing are normally due to pipes broken underground. We have specialist equipment to help in the location of these types of leaks. Elsewhere there are examples of this type of leak detection and repair.

Structural leaks are a little more complicated. The worst case scenario is a pool that has cracked, as this is the most difficult to rectify.

In the case of this pool, the concrete was of very poor quality and it was seeping from several places. One of the biggest misconceptions is that the tiles and grout are waterproof, this is not the case. Tiles are purely the cosmetic finish for the pool, they serve no waterproofing purpose. Pool tile adhesives and grouts may be referred to as being waterproof, but this refers to the products ability to be constantly submerged. With no cracks, the best course of action was to waterproof the structure using a semi flexible cement based render, which is completely waterproof at 2mm thick. This render is made to cope with chlorine.

Once the pool structure has been waterproofed, the leak is fixed. We now move on to the cosmetic finish. In this case it was glass mosaic tiles.

We also installed a new pool surround, as the old one was cracked.

As you can see, the pool looks fantastic and no leaks!

Leaking pool structure repaired and pool tiled in mosaic

Swimming pool tiled using glass mosaics and grouted

Swimming pool tiling and repair

Pool leaking from structure

Interior

Kitchen design and installation for country villa, Coin, Malaga

Kitchen design and installation for country villa, Coin, Malaga. Coin is a large inland town, about a 30 minute drive from both Marbella and Fuengirola.

As the kitchen is probably the most important room in the house, it needs to be carefully planned to ensure that the area flows smoothly. Our designers provide plans and 3D designs.

In this example, we completely stripped the room to a bare shell. All the old tiles were removed, along with all the old plumbing and electrics.

The client chose white cabinets with concealed handles and a stunning grey silistone top which glitters in the light from the shiny silver accents.

The walls of the kitchen have been left painted, which allows a quick colour change in the future, for this reason we specified that the upright of the kitchen work surface was slightly taller than usual.

The kitchen has been specified with dual ovens and all new matching equipment.

All the electrics in the kitchen are new, which has allowed us to put plug sockets and switches in more suitable places, as the hob and extractor unit have moved to the centre island. The dual ovens needed an uprated supply and the fridge has moved to a new location. The sink is in more or less the same place as the in the original kitchen, but has all new water supply and an undersink water heater.

As part of this project, the floor was stripped out and then tiled using a dark grey non slip tile. This tile will continue throughout the house, giving a modern feel to the villa.

This kitchen installation is part of a much larger villa renovation project, which has involved stripping most of the villa to a shell. On our facebook page we have a complete gallery of the building works that have been carried out.