With its jaw-dropping natural landscapes, fascinating culture and heritage, generous sporting and leisure facilities, and excellent places to dine, Andalucía is somewhere that people from around the world fall in love with.
It should be no great surprise, then, that so many buyers of Sotogrande property also love the idea of refurbishing their newly-acquired real estate. After all, when you own a property in such a desirable part of the world, you will wish the property itself to also make the best possible impression, whether you purchased it to live there yourself, or for investment.
So with all of that in mind, what are some of the key steps that will help you refurbish your Sotogrande property to best advantage – without wasting time and money?
First of all – are you looking to renovate, or refurbish?
We ask this, because while the two terms are often used interchangeably, they do also tend to refer to slightly different things.
In short, refurbishment typically refers to the repair or restoration of the condition or appearance of a building – manifesting in tasks like decorating rooms and plastering walls. Meanwhile, renovation is usually more intrusive, profoundly impacting on the structure of a property.
If you’re interested in such changes to your Sotogrande property as extending or converting, removing sections such as chimney breasts, or changing the whole floor layout, you can probably consider this to be ‘renovation’ rather than ‘refurbishment’.
The distinction matters partly because it will guide and inform your general decision-making, but also because it could greatly affect the legalities involved. Work that is more substantial than simply decorating or repainting, for instance, is likely to necessitate you obtaining a licence from the local town hall.
Imagine what the property can be – not what it currently is
Yes, on one hand, when you are on the lookout for Sotogrande Property For Sale, you will want to choose a worthwhile project in the first place. But on the other hand, you shouldn’t allow poor initial impressions of the property’s appearance to cloud your appreciation of what well-judged renovation or refurbishment could cause the property to become.
So, think a little less to begin about unglamorous furniture or drab paintwork, and think a little more about fundamentals like the given property’s location and nearby facilities. If those seem good in light of what you want to do with the property, you could have a great ‘project’ on your hands.
Do your research on reputable tradespeople
If this will mark the first time you’re refurbishing property in an unfamiliar country, and you might not have the luxury of being physically present to overlook work, it may be tricky to ensure your chosen tradespeople actually do what they claim they will do.
One step to help avoid this may be to hire professionals who other local property owners trust and recommend. But even if you do this, it’s a good idea to insist on keeping a retainer until the requested work is complete.
Give the property’s rooms a lick of paint
The repainting of the rooms in a property has often been called a ‘bang for your buck’ property improvement – one that can be carried out even by those on a tight budget. However, that’s not the same thing as repainting being something you don’t have to think much about.
Indeed, as the BBC Homes site explains, there’s a lot to think about even just when deciding on the right colours for your walls, including whether the various hues you choose are harmonious and complementary.
And of course, you’ll also need to consider those colours in light of the wider ambitions you have for your Sotogrande property. After all, refurbishing a property you intend to rent out may lead you to very different decisions to if you were refurbishing a property you intended to live in.
The above principles naturally apply much more widely than Property Sotogrande or the Costa del Sol, but are nonetheless crucial ones when you are looking to renovate a home purchased in this sun-drenched and sought-after part of the world. To discuss how we could help guide you towards the perfect Sotogrande property for you, please reach out to the BM Sotogrande team today.