Exterior – Page 2 – Specialised Build

Construction of Stables, Coin, Malaga

Newly constructed stables for a discerning client in Coin, Malaga.

The stables are built on a reinforced concrete foundation, with treated hard wood sidings and fully galvanized and welded steel structure.

The roof and roof supports are constructed from welded and painted steel. The actual roof is aluminium and polyurethane sandwich board, which is good looking and hard wearing, but also keeps the sun from heating the stables up.

Points to tie the horses up outside have been incorporated and the roof also covers the walkway in front of the horses stables, to both keep the sun out more and provide shelter when it is raining.

Each stable has its owning automatic water point.

If you would like your horses to have stables as nice as these, get in touch today.

We have experience of building outdoor schools for dressage and jumping, with different types of sand or fibre surfaces. These can be supplied with drainage, irrigation etc.

Stable construction in Coin, Malaga

building stables in Coin

Building stables in Malaga Spain

As Costa del Sol builders, we are competent at all aspects of general building, villa renovations, swimming pool construction and renovation, swimming pool leak detection, concrete works, retaining walls, hard landscaping… whatever you need, we have it covered.

Exterior

Covering outdoor terrace and new windows installed, nr Marbella

In this work, we have demolished the old terrace roof which was built on 2 different levels and very low.

The plan is to make the entire floor one level and tile with the same tiles as the interior of the house. The roof has been made much higher than the original to give more light inside the house. The material specified is an aluminium sandwich board, which has excellent insulation properties, this will help to keep tings cool in Summer and the house warmer in Winter.

The final touch here will be glass curtains all along the front, making it possible to use the terrace all year round.

Covered terrace, Marbella. Building works

Covered terrace, Glass curtains, Marbella

Installation of windows and doors, Marbella

Covering outdoor terrace

View from inside the house, Marbella

Exterior , Landscaping

Stamped concrete paving, Marbella, Mijas, Fuengirola, Estepona

Printed concrete is a highly durable and good looking way of surfacing a drive way, swimming pool surround, terrace and any other large open area.

It is quicker to install than traditional finishes such as tiles and is much harder wearing.

In this post, we share several building projects that have been finished over the years, in and around Marbella, Mijas, Fuengirola and Estepona.

Stamped concrete, installed by builders in Marbella

This was a driveway for a villa that was renovated in Marbella

Poured and stamped concrete driveway, Estepona

A long driveway down to the underground garage for a country house in Estepona

Stamped concrete around swimming pool, Mijas

This was the terrace laid around a swimming pool that we renovated near Mijas Pueblo

Printed concrete driveway, Fuengirola

Stamped concrete driveway by our builders in Sierrazuela, nr Fuengirola

Builders working with stamped concrete

Large driveway with a rustic look for a large villa in El Paraiso, nr Estepona

Wood effect stamped concrete

Wood effect stamped concrete looks great on a terrace around a swimming pool

Block pave effect stamped concrete

Patterned concrete driveway

Building new driveway

Stamped concrete terrace

Natural effect concrete

Stamped concrete has many advantages over tiling, so long as the preperation is properly done.

Contact builders costa del sol for a quote today

Exterior

Decorative cement works, Building, Ronda, Malaga

As part of the buildings works on this house in Ronda, the clients wanted a finish that complimented the surroundings and didn’t want just render and paint, which is the usual finish on houses built in Southern Spain.

Building with stone is expensive and time consuming and it also makes complying with energy certificate requirements as it is more difficult to insulate.

Here, one of our skilled builders is hand finishing the render to create a stone effect, hopefully it will be to our clients liking.

The cement render is applied by hand, then using special stamps the base effect is established. the final detail and colouring is done by hand. We have used this process before in gardens and around swimming pools.

decorative cement work, Marbella

Hand finishing building works

Building works, Ronda Road, Marbella

Rendering walls, Marbella

Exterior , Interior

Mural Painting in and around Marbella, Malaga

Mural Painting in and around Marbella, Malaga and other areas in and around the Costa del Sol

After the building works have been done, a mural can give life to an otherwise boring, small or unusable space. Plain solid colours sometimes just do not have the required impact. Other tricks can be used to make the best of an unusable space, such as mirrors, hidden lighting, but sometimes these are just not practical.

Decorative painting can be used inside, such as this superbly executed faux marble effect on a plaster fireplace. This was completed by our friend Michele Duffy in a couple of days.

Decorative painting on a fireplace in Marbella

Fireplace before painting work, Marbella

Detail of paint effects on fireplace, Marbella

This example, also by Michele Duffy, was a mural painted on a 2 storey high retaining wall at the back and side of the house. It gives much needed interest and depth to a difficult space, but without the need for caring for plants or other maintenance.

Decorative exterior Mural, Mijas

Decorative exterior mural, Marbella

Freshly built wall, Estepona

Mural painting, Estepona

Our approach to building works is to find solutions that suit the needs and budget of the clients, to create a space that is personalised to your needs.

For a quote for your building works in Marbella, Fuengirola, Mijas and Estepona, do not hesitate to contact us.

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.