Renovating a 76 m² flat: what it really costs (including architect and paperwork)

October 2026

“I want to renovate the whole flat, about 76 metres – will €10,000 be enough?” It is one of the questions we get asked most, and the honest answer is no. Not because anyone wants to overcharge, but because between the price of the works and what you end up paying there are a series of layers that are almost never mentioned: the contractor's profit, taxes, the technician, furniture, whatever turns up when the floor comes up.

To make it clear, we are going to break down a typical full renovation of a 76 m² flat, from the front door inwards: demolition, new installations, bathroom, kitchen, floors, doors and painting, without touching the structure or the façade. The items come from our own real quotes, scaled to the size of a flat like this; they are indicative, and every flat is different.

The works, item by item

It is easy to find “tight” quotes of €15,000 that add up on paper. It is almost always because items are missing: nobody has counted who takes out the old furniture, the demolition, the drainage down to the downpipe, the builder's assistance to other trades or the waste. A complete full renovation includes, at the very least, all of this:

Item	What it includes	Approx. cost
Dismantling and demolition	Removal of furniture, sanitary ware and appliances; stripping wall tiles, lifting the floor, removing partition walls, dismantling installations and loading out rubble	€2,500 – €3,500
Masonry and builder's work	Chasing and making good for installations, fixing door subframes, screeds and levelling the floor	€1,500 – €2,500
Partition walls, wall linings and false ceilings	Plasterboard for new partition walls, wall linings and lowered ceilings to run installations (curves and recessed lighting coves push the price up)	€2,000 – €4,500
Electrics and telecoms	Complete new installation: consumer unit, circuits, switches and sockets, light points, TV and data outlets, and installer's certificate	€5,500 – €6,500
Plumbing	New hot and cold water network from the stopcock, connections for bathroom, kitchen and washing machine	≈ €3,600
Drainage	New bathroom and kitchen waste pipes down to the shared downpipe	€800 – €1,200
Wall tiling	Bathroom and kitchen splashback, materials and fitting	€5,500 – €6,500
Flooring	Flooring throughout the home with skirting boards	≈ €4,300
Interior joinery	Internal doors with their ironmongery	≈ €1,900
Painting	Walls and ceilings throughout the home	≈ €2,600
Air conditioning (if included)	Ducted or split air conditioning, with its pre-installation	€2,500 – €4,000
Health and safety	Protection measures during the works	€300 – €400
Waste management	Rubble bags or skip and delivery to an authorised waste manager	€500 – €800
Cost of the works (excluding profit and VAT)		≈ €33,000 – €42,000

This cost of the works themselves is called the material execution budget (PEM), and it does not yet include the contractor's profit or taxes. Nor does it include the kitchen units, appliances, sanitary ware, taps, shower screen or wardrobes. Without air conditioning, the figure drops by a few thousand euros.

Demolition of a bathroom in one of our renovations. What turns up behind the tiles is the number one source of surprises. Photo: Unité Arquitectura.

Everything around the works

1. Overheads and contractor's profit

A building company has an office, insurance, vehicles, admin staff, and needs to make something. In public works this is set at 13% overheads and 6% industrial profit, and in private works it is a common reference, although many companies spread it across their prices. With that 19%, the works go up to around €40,000 – €50,000.

2. VAT: 10% or 21%

A home renovation can qualify for the reduced 10% VAT rate if several conditions are met at the same time: it is commissioned by a private individual for their home, the home was completed (or last refurbished) at least two years ago, and the materials supplied by the contractor do not exceed 40% of the taxable base. If the company also sells you the doors, the flooring or the kitchen units, it is easy to go over that 40%, and then the invoice is charged at the 21 %. It is worth discussing before you sign.

At 10%, the works come to around €44,000 – €55,000.

3. Furniture, kitchen and bathroom

The kitchen units with worktop and appliances, the sanitary ware, taps and shower screen are usually bought separately, and can range from around €10,000 to quite a lot more. If you also add bespoke wardrobes and furniture, integrated lighting or designer joinery, this item can grow a lot: it is easy to reach 20.000 € or go beyond that.

4. The paperwork

An interior renovation like this is usually processed with a declaración responsable for minor works. If it includes a bathroom, kitchen and complete installations, many town halls ask for a technical report signed by a technician, a safety document and waste management. You have to pay the municipal fee and the construction tax (ICIO), which is a percentage of the works budget: in Alicante, for example, 3.25%.

5. The architect

Fees depend on the commission: on what has to be measured, drawn and processed, on whether the works need a project (because the structure or the building envelope is affected, because the regulations require it or because the town hall asks for it), on how much design you want and on whether we also manage the works. That is why we do not give a fixed figure: we quote after seeing the flat and talking with you.

Is it worth it? We think so, and not just for the paperwork. A good itemised quote, like the one above, lets you compare contractors properly, stops the renovation being halted by a request from the town hall, and means decisions are made before starting, which is when they are cheap.

6. Unforeseen costs

In an old flat, when the floor or the tiles come up something almost always turns up: a leaking downpipe, a rusty beam, a partition wall that is not plumb. We recommend setting aside around 10% of the works budget. If it is not spent, all the better.

The full picture

Item	Order of magnitude
Works with contractor's profit and VAT	≈ €44,000 – €55,000
Kitchen, appliances, sanitary ware, taps and furniture	€10,000 – €20,000
Fees and construction tax	A small percentage of the works
Architect	Depending on the commission
Realistic total	≈ €55,000 – €75,000

Plus the contingency reserve. The range is wide on purpose: it depends on the specification, on whether air conditioning is included and, above all, on what is not building work. A complete, carefully finished renovation of a flat like this, with bespoke furniture and a few design details, can easily come to around €65,000 – €70,000 all in.

Note: these figures apply to a flat in reasonable condition, the kind that is “liveable” but needs renovating. If it is an old building with masonry walls in poor condition, damaged floor slabs or installations that have to be redone from scratch, the renovation is a different matter, the structure comes into play and the budget shoots up. There is no figure that holds there: first we need to see the property.

So what can you do with €10,000? Taking off taxes and the contractor's margin, you are left with around €7,600 of works: just enough to paint the flat and change the flooring, or to renovate a bathroom to a standard specification. It is a good amount for a specific job, but not for a full renovation.

Finished corridor in one of our renovations. What you cannot see in this photo (new installations, pipes, boxes) is a large part of what it costs. Photo: Unité Arquitectura.

What not to touch so you do not need a project

An interior renovation like this goes through a declaración responsable (works notice), which is quicker than a permit. To stay within it, the works must not:

Alter the structure: no load-bearing walls, floor slabs or beams.
Touch the façade, the exterior windows or the common elements of the building.
Change shared risers or downpipes: in plumbing, only the private section.
Increase the electrical supply capacity without the corresponding procedure: the new installation comes with the installer's certificate on completion.
Change the use of the home.

If you want to knock down a wall, join the kitchen and living room, open up an opening or change the façade, the procedure changes, and so does the budget. We explain it in Minor works, declaración responsable or permit?

How we do it

Visit and survey of the flat, and a conversation about what you want and how much you want to spend.
Proposal: what gets changed, what stays and which finishes, with an itemised quote.
Comparable quotes: with those items you ask two or three contractors for a price, and they all quote for the same thing.
Paperwork at the town hall.
Works, with visits to resolve whatever turns up or, if you prefer, with full management of the works.

We tell the story with photos in How we work: from the first visit to the finished building. And if you are thinking of renovating in the Vega Baja, Elche, Alicante or the Vinalopó, write to us from the contact page.