Renovating a flat with character: daylight, storage and one defining idea

1. Find what deserves to stay in your flat

Make three lists: keep, transform and check. The first might include a door, a floor or a proportion you like. The second could cover awkward circulation, too few cupboards or an isolated kitchen. Reserve the third for damp, building services and elements whose condition you do not know. The lists prevent a single photograph from determining the entire renovation. Keeping a feature can add character, but its condition and the restoration work need assessing before you assume it is feasible.

2. Follow the light without giving up all privacy

Observe your home in the morning and afternoon and note where you need light for living, not just for photographs. A glazed door, a partial opening or a change of room use may offer alternatives to turning everything into one space. These are options to assess, not demolition instructions. Before altering partitions or building services, a professional must review the structure, shared elements, ventilation and the permissions relevant to the work.

3. Make storage part of the design

Count what you need to store before designing a wall of cupboards: coats, cleaning equipment, household linen, work items and small appliances. Think about where they will be used too. A storage bench, shelving that organises an area or a cupboard in a wide passage can become the defining idea. Check dimensions, door openings and circulation with actual furniture sizes. A beautiful drawing loses its value if you end up leaving the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the living room.

4. One original idea, two levels of intervention

Express the same intention in two ways: an option with limited changes and another involving a new layout. If you want to connect kitchen and living room, the first might explore doors or a visual connection; the second, a new arrangement, always after checking feasibility. Ask for the differences in scope to be explained. Do not treat them as equivalent or assume one solution is always cheaper: services, junction details and existing conditions can alter the comparison.

5. Separate the attractive image from the work items

The quote should distinguish the relevant demolition, services, masonry, joinery, finishes, protection, waste removal and final detailing. Specify models or performance where important and state who supplies furniture or appliances. Clarify how changes will be approved and unexpected discoveries handled. A renovation gains character when decisions are coordinated; changing every finish during construction makes it harder to control the result and agreed scope.

6. Send a brief a company can assess

Prepare the municipality, approximate floor area, current layout, photographs and a ranked list of priorities. State whether you will remain living in the flat and which features you want to retain. You can generate a visual proposal from a photograph of your home, clearly identifying it as inspiration. Send the same brief to every company when requesting quotes. Constructores.com reviews the enquiry and looks for companies according to area, specialism and availability; a final proposal requires an assessment of the specific case.

Sources consulted

• Spanish Technical Building Code: structural safety
• Spanish Technical Building Code: health and hygiene