How do you find out whether a villa is in the municipal protection catalogue?
Ask the ayuntamiento for a planning report using the plot's cadastral reference, and look at the catalogue of protected heritage in the municipal plan. It shows whether the house is listed and at which level: full protection, partial, or facade and setting.
Other sources: the inventory of architectural heritage of Catalonia kept by the Generalitat, and the catalogue published on the town's website. A house may be outside the local catalogue yet sit within the protection area of a neighbourhood or beside a national monument, and then the design is approved separately. These checks are done before buying or before design: the level of protection determines facade, interior and garden.
How do indiano houses and Modernista villas differ?
Indiano houses were built in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Catalans returning from the Americas, mostly Cuba: in Sitges, Vilassar de Mar, Arenys de Mar. They have a palm garden, a veranda, ceilings of 3.5–4.5 m, walls 50–70 cm thick and painted ceilings. Modernista villas were built to architects' designs, with decoration in ceramics, wrought iron and stained glass, and each one is unique.
They share one thing: hand-made materials and services that did not exist then. Thick walls hold warmth and coolness, tall ceilings and opposed openings give natural ventilation. That virtue must be kept: insulation that wraps the walls in plastic upsets how they work and leads to damp.
Comfort comes to such houses not by replacement but by addition: thin systems invisible to the eye, and keeping everything that works.
What to do with original tiles and murals?
Conserve and restore, not replace. Hydraulic tile, the patterned cement kind, is photographed before the works, numbered and lifted in sections if a service must pass beneath. It is then relaid to the plan. It is cleaned with neutral products with no acid, not polished or coated with gloss varnish. Missing pieces are ordered from workshops that still make this tile by hand.
Paintings on ceilings and walls are examined by a conservator: layer tests, finding the cause of damage (almost always damp) and consolidating the paint. A mural must not be painted over or papered. During works they are protected with panels.
The order is this: first remove the cause, whether a roof leak or ground damp, and only then restore the surface. A restoration on a damp base lasts a season.
Can underfloor heating be installed in an old villa?
Yes, if a thin system is chosen and the floor is handled carefully. Low-profile underfloor heating of 15–30 mm in dry installation or with a thin screed does not change floor levels or overload timber floors. Tiles are lifted numbered and relaid, as described above.
If the floor is protected or the tiles cannot be touched, low-temperature radiators or convectors go into niches and under windows, or hidden fan coils in the tall ceilings. The heat source is an aerothermal pump, not a gas boiler. With high ceilings heat rises, and underfloor heating gives comfort at foot level better than radiators.
Wall dampness is taken into account: a floor over the ground is first dried and waterproofed, or moisture passes into the tiles. Insulation is vapour-permeable: lime and cork plasters, wood fibre, not polyurethane.
How do you add services without losing the house's character?
Hide, do not chase. Routes run through service rooms, cupboards, underfloor voids and under the stair, not across painted walls. Electrics are renewed entirely but with minimal chasing and hidden channels. Lighting is spot-type and warm, so as not to disturb the proportions of the rooms.
Windows. Timber frames are restored and a thin double glazing unit goes into the existing profile, or a second inner layer is added. Shutters and blinds are kept: they protect from sun better than any film.
Climate. For tall rooms hidden fan coils or ducted systems in the roof space work; ventilation with heat recovery is made decentralised, room by room, because there is nowhere to hide main ducts. For summer comfort the thick walls and the shade of the garden do the work, and they should not be undermined by more cooling than needed.
Can a pool be added to a protected house?
Sometimes, depending on the level of protection and whether the garden itself is covered. Under full protection the garden and its composition are often untouchable. Under partial protection a pool is accepted if it does not disturb the view of the main facade, does not require felling old trees and does not change the terrain.
What improves the chances. A pool far from the main facade and not visible from the street. Restrained materials: dark lining or stone, no showy tiles. Simple geometry that continues the lines of the house. Plant is hidden in a buried chamber. The design is first discussed with the municipal architect and then, where needed, with the cultural heritage commission.
First step: a consultation at the ayuntamiento before any sketch, so you do not draw what will be refused. We covered pool construction in the article on its stages.
Where to start and how BCN YARD can help
It starts with checking protection and then surveying: damp, roof, floors, the condition of tiles and murals. Then a plan is drawn up of what is kept, what is supplemented and what is removed, and agreed with the municipality.
BCN YARD works with houses and flats that have a history: renovation and rehabilitation turnkey. We run the site in Russian and Spanish, with our own crew and trusted subcontractors, and one person responsible. The price comes in the estimate after a visit and measurements, with payment under contract in stages.
Frequently asked questions
Does restoring a protected house need a special licence?
The ordinary works licence is always needed, and for a protected house the project must also be approved by the heritage department. It usually takes longer, and the design must show what is retained. The level of protection decides which changes are possible at all.
Can the layout of an indiano house be changed?
If the house is not under full protection, partitions can usually be moved. Load-bearing walls and painted ceilings are not touched. Good practice is to keep the formal rooms as they are and rework the service areas, kitchen and bathrooms, for modern life.
Should such a house be surveyed before purchase?
Yes, and ideally before the preliminary contract is signed. Look at damp, the roof, floors, termites in the timber, the level of protection and the legality of extensions. Knowing these points lets you estimate the scope of work and approval times in advance rather than learning of them after the purchase.