mijas – Page 3 – Specialised Build

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.

Bespoke kitchen installed in villa, nr Marbella

Builders installing a new kitchen in Malaga

White kitchen, with no handles, Coin,nr Marbella and Mijas

Our builders preparing the floor for tiling

Walls plastered and painted ready for kitchen to be installed

Painting and decorating after plastering kitchen

Walls rebuilt with new windows

Designing and planning of bespoke kitchen

Plans and design for the kitchen

Exterior , Landscaping , Swimming Pools

Swimming pool renovation in Marbella, Mijas, Estepona and Fuengirola, Malaga

Common problems with swimming pools. Swimming pools, like most things require maintenance. A tiled pool requires acid washing and grouting around every 8-10 years. The acid washing is to remove calcium and mineral deposits from the surface of the glass mosaic tiles. After this, new cement based grout is applied. If the tiles are in good condition, this leaves the pool looking much younger.

If the grout is neglected in and older pool, algae starts to take hold. This can be in the form of black algae in the grout lines, or worse, the algae can get behind the tiles and then the tiles start to come off. Once the tiles start to come off it is important to act quick to limit the damage.

Swimming pools are prone to leaks. Pool leaks can come from a number of sources. The most common is leaking plumbing lines, after this, the problems start to become structural. Structural pool leaks can be due to old concrete becoming porous, or cracks in the structure.

We have equipment for diagnosing leaks and repairing cracked or leaking pools.

Repairing and renovating a swimming pool is often part of other building works. We can reform your swimming pool by adding steps, changing the shape, or even adding a Jacuzzi area.

Building a seating area in a swimming pool is a great way of adding useful value, it gives a comfortable place to relax and enjoy a drink.

Retiling a swimming pool gives stunning impact and leaves the pool looking like new. If the surround is changed at the same time, this improves the general look of the pool area.

We can then combine this with constructing a new terrace around the pool, outdoor kitchens, barbecue areas, bar areas, pergolas, outdoor toilet to create a truly personal area that will be the envy of your friends.

Pools can also be improved by adding heating systems, cascades and slides, the only limit is your imagination.

Here are some examples of recent finished pools.

Complete swimming pool renovation in Marbella, including decking and landscaping

Renovated swimming pool with pergola and new terrace, Alhaurin el Grande

Total renovation of pool, with newly constructed garden walls and 100m2 tiled terrace, San Pedro

Small atico swimming pool, waterproofed and retiled in Estepona

A large pool in a villa in Fuengirola, completely renovated and reformed with new build pool surround

Exterior

Collapsing garden wall retaining wall and terrace re built

Collapsing garden wall retaining wall and terrace re built, Estepona, Malaga, Spain

Due to poor quality of building this garden wall became dangerous, showing huge cracks. It was about to collapse into the street. Once we started to demolish the wall, we found that there was nothing supporting the terrace and the wall had no reinforcing. Inside the terrace the wall is around 1.60m high, but out in the road it is just under 2.5m high, so if it was to collapse it could do significant damage, injure someone, or block the road.

The wall had cracks and would have eventually failed but the damage was aggravated by heavy rain at the end of 2016. The torrential rain flooded the terrace, then washed out the earth from underneath. If the wall had been built properly in the first place, this would not have been a problem.

We will completely demolish the wall, pour new reinforced concrete foundations and then rebuild the wall. The terrace will have a new concrete slab poured with the correct steel reinforcing and drainage points put in.

We will then tile the terrace in non slip tiles (essential in a swimming pool area), leaving it looking like new.

If you have walls with cracks, it is best to have them looked at by a professional builder before they become dangerous. It is possible that the damage can be halted, or underpinned, saving money.