Façade renovation in Barcelona
Falling render, damp and an unfavourable ITE report. We resolve it with a proper survey and a quote that does not grow mid-project.
- 48 h
- Fixed written quote within 48 h
- 0 €
- Free site visit
- 1
- How we work
- ★ 5,0
- Google · 13
Real cost
How much does façade renovation cost?
Façade renovation is priced per square metre of façade, not per flat, and the range between a spot repair with paint and a full job with external insulation is roughly threefold. Work on site takes 6 to 16 weeks depending on the area, the number of storeys and the state of the substrate; scaffolding and the survey add time before that. The figure only becomes reliable after test openings, because the item that escalates is always the same one — balconies with corroded reinforcement, which cannot be counted from the pavement. Each flat then pays its share according to its coeficiente de participación, the ownership percentage written in the deeds. We survey first and give the owners association a fixed written quote afterwards.
| Scope | What it involves | What it does not fix |
|---|---|---|
| Spot repair and paint | Hacking off loose render, patching, repainting | Damp, cold bridges, corroded balcony edges |
| Full render and balcony repair | Substrate hacked back, reinforcement treated, new render | Energy performance |
| Render plus external insulation | Insulation added under the new finish | Nothing — but not allowed on listed façades |
| Restoration of protected features | Sgraffito, cast-iron balustrades, mouldings repaired | Cheaper only in appearance: specialist labour |
What drives the cost
- Total façade area and number of storeys
- Type of access: fixed scaffold, suspended platform or cherry picker
- Condition of the substrate: the more render to hack off, the more labour
- Protected decorative features requiring restoration rather than replacement
The surprise quote
Many firms fix a price without any inspection and later claim for hidden elements. We survey first with test openings. It costs more upfront and avoids the argument with the owners association halfway through.
ITE
What an unfavourable ITE means
The most common defects
- Render detaching from façade and light wells
- Exposed corroded reinforcement at balcony edges
- Balustrades with deteriorated fixings
- Damp on north façades and at roof junctions
Grants and subsidies
Barcelona runs rehabilitation grant schemes with percentages that vary by call, and they increase when the work improves energy performance. We prepare the technical documentation required; the amount awarded depends on the scheme in force.
For non-resident owners
When the building votes a façade derrama and you live abroad
Most overseas owners meet this work from the other side: an email from the administrator saying the building has approved a façade project and your share is due. Understanding how that decision was taken, and what you can and cannot do about it, is worth more than any technical detail about render.
What a derrama is, and why refusing does not work
A derrama is a one-off levy the comunidad de propietarios charges on top of the monthly service charge to pay for a specific job. Your share follows your coeficiente de participación, the percentage attached to your flat in the deeds and based mainly on floor area. For repairs an unfavourable ITE makes legally necessary, the association does not even need unanimity. Non-payment accrues interest and the association can register a charge against the flat, which surfaces at sale.
How to vote without flying over
- Send a written proxy to another owner or the administrator naming what they may approve
- Ask for the convocatoria and the quotes in advance — you are entitled to them, not to a summary
- Give the administrator a valid address for notices, otherwise service is made on the building noticeboard and deadlines run without you
- Ask whether the quotes include the technical survey or only the building work
The ITE is a deadline, not an opinion
The Inspecció Tècnica de l’Edifici is compulsory in Catalonia for buildings over 45 years old and is filed with the Generalitat. An unfavourable report sets a legal deadline for the remedial works, so a building that keeps postponing the project is not saving money — it is accumulating an obligation, and often further deterioration. For a remote owner it matters at sale, where the buyer’s lawyer reads the ITE before the survey.
What a second opinion is worth here
You are entitled to ask the association to consider an additional quote, and the useful comparison is not the headline figure but what each firm is pricing: a quote written without test openings has to guess the balcony reinforcement, which is what produces a second levy halfway through.
Frequently asked
What clients ask most
It is priced per square metre of façade rather than per flat, and a full job with external insulation costs roughly three times a spot repair with paint. The reliable figure comes after test openings, because corroded balcony reinforcement cannot be assessed from the ground. Each flat then pays its share by coeficiente de participación.
The building is given a legal deadline to carry out the works identified, and the report is filed with the Generalitat. Start with the technical survey: it defines exactly what is mandatory and what is merely advisable, and avoids spending on the wrong things.
No. Once the junta approves works of this kind by the required majority, the levy binds every owner, including those absent or voting against, in proportion to their coeficiente. You can vote by written proxy — but not opt out.
Between 6 and 16 weeks on site depending on area, number of storeys and substrate condition, with the survey and scaffolding adding time before that. Working in sections reduces total scaffold time.
Not externally if it is listed, since altering the appearance will not be authorised. The alternative is internal insulation flat by flat, with lower performance but no heritage conflict.
Next step
Shall we talk about your project?
Free site visit in Barcelona and the metropolitan area. Fixed written quote within 48 hours, no obligation.
Before you decide
Practical guides
Real prices, permits and how a project runs when you live abroad. So you can compare quotes knowing what you are looking at.
Areas
Where we work
Other services
We also do
Blog
What we learn on site
Real housing problems in Barcelona, explained by the people who fix them.
Tourist licence
The right question is not how to renovate the flat. It is whether the flat can legally be used that way at all — and in Barcelona the answer is usually no.
Staying during works
Staying put saves the cost of temporary accommodation, and it lengthens the job and raises the price of the work itself. Here are the real numbers on both sides.
Finding damp
Painting over a damp patch solves nothing: it comes back within six months. The first job is establishing where the water is actually coming from.
Clients
What clients say after their renovation
Rated 5.0 from 14 Google reviews. All real, from real projects.
★★★★★
“Doy un 10 la verdad con el servicio que me han prestado en una reforma de un piso en Barcelona capital, gente muy seria y responsable, gracias.”
Araks SahakyanJuly 2026
★★★★★
“Quedé encantada con la atención y la calidad del trabajo. Se nota que cuidan los detalles y cumplen con lo que prometen.”
Ana RiveraApril 2026
★★★★★
“Servicio muy profesional. Me explicaron todo con claridad y el trabajo quedó perfecto.”
Ana AlemanMarch 2026
★★★★★
“Si estas buscando profesionales responsables para hacer tu reforma, es el lugar indicado. Especializados en reformas integrales con la mejor atención personalizada. 100% recomendados.”
Daniel GarganoFebruary 2026
★★★★★
“Muy buen trabajo, ha realizado un trabajo muy profesional, ha cumplido en plazo y en calidad.”
Francisco PiñeirosAugust 2025
★★★★★
“Muy buenos profesionales, con excelente resultado.”
Esther DiezJune 2026
Shall we talk about your project?
Free technical visit in Barcelona and the metropolitan area. Fixed written quote within 48 hours.
+34 615 78 93 41· Carrer de la Diputació, 189, Local 2 · 08011 Barcelona