Refurbishing a house in Menorca and surviving the experience

Refurbishing a house in Menorca is described by some tourists as a terrifying experience that they would never want to repeat.

Who hasn’t heard some of these phrases: “What a botch-job they did for us”, “They stopped our work and we didn’t know we didn’t have a licence”, “When we returned to Menorca to visit the works it gave us a shock” etc., etc., etc. And surely you have also heard of the stories about asking for a building permit in Menorca: “On this island getting a licence takes forever”, “In Menorca they won’t let you do anything”, “if you ask at the Consell or at the town hall they always say NO”, etc.

 

With all the data at hand I will tell you that in Menorca it is faster and easier to obtain a building permit than in Ibiza, Mallorca or Formentera  and even in Madrid itself.

 

As for the protection of Menorca, of course Menorca is protected and they won’t let you build anywhere. Thank goodness, otherwise who would want to live here! Would you still be interested in our beloved island if it was a concrete jungle? I certainly wouldn’t. I always say that Menorcans don’t know very well what tourist model we want to follow but, at least, Menorcans know that we don’t want to be like Ibiza or Mallorca. All Menorcans, regardless of our ideological preferences, put our love for Menorca first and consequently protect it. Ignorance of local regulations and the guile of some who, knowingly, have circumvented the legislation, which has fed these unjustified horror stories. Menorca’s planning regulations are common sense, no more and no less.

 

But let me go deeper into the matter, I am firmly convinced that in 99% of cases, these unfortunate bad experiences could have been avoided. From my experience, I know that making bad decisions from the beginning is the main trigger for the problems that will come at the end.

Refurbishing your house in Menorca can be easier and more rewarding than you may think, and the secret is in choosing the right company. I know what you are thinking… that answer is a cliché, but believe me, if you analyse one by one, in all cases you will discover that this is the main problem by which so many homeowners in Menorca feel so frustrated after a refurbishment.

 

One of the most frequent mistakes I’ve seen, in fact it’s a classic, is hiring a company to do a small or medium reform (a friend of a friend) thinking it would be cheaper. Normally these companies lack the necessary experience and are staffed by unqualified and poorly paid personnel which often leads to real disasters.

 

Another common mistake is to hire an architect who is not from the island and who has no thorough knowledge of the local technical codes. If your architect presents a project with notable technical shortcomings or tries to score a goal from the seasoned administration officials, you will receive, months later, a discouraging letter saying that you have to redo the project. That’s why I always recommend asking for the collaboration of the town hall architect. If you honestly ask for help, you will be surprised to discover that behind this grey façade of almost inexpressive civil servants there are some wonderful people who are willing to help you in any way they can.

 

Before opting for any company it is very convenient to carry out some research on this. For example, ask to visit works similar to your project, ask for references, etc. And apart from asking for a budget, ask in writing for a planning of the schedule of the work (start and end deadlines, the phases, safety plan, number of workers to be employed, where the rubble will be taken, etc.).

Keep in mind that at certain times of the year or in some tourist areas there are noise pollution restrictions, that is, in summer your works will be interrupted and, perhaps, nobody warned you of that would happen.

 

But even if you trust the people you have hired, demand maximum transparency. Ask for a copy of the requested building permits and approved plans, ask for a follow-up of the works, and if extras arise, demand a detailed breakdown of costs, etc. Finally, we try to avoid, as much as possible, surprises of any kind.

 

Believe me, in Menorca there are very good companies and numerous construction projects of all kinds are carried out, with results of the highest quality. The secret lies in making the right choice.

 

At Ses Moreres we have known of these problems for years and that is why we found a solution, more than a decade ago, creating a successful department of Project Management in Menorca (site management) to help our customers.

 

We offer a unique and exclusive Project Management service to renovate or build your house in Menorca. For this we have a prestigious team of builders and architects with proven experience capable of carrying out the most ambitious of projects. Contact us and let us surprise you with the results of before and after refurbishment of the most emblematic properties in Menorca. We are also passionate about smaller projects with personality or that have something special. For example, have you thought about building an ecological house?

 

We want to help you achieve the highest level of quality and vision you are looking for in your project.

We simply enjoy our work and pursue excellence.

 

And if you are looking for a country house in Menorca to refurbish to your liking we recommend this one.

 

Here you will find a careful selection of country estates for sale in Menorca.