How long does a luxury renovation take from purchase to move-in?
In practice, from signing the deed (escritura) to moving in takes 7 to 10 months if the layout stays the same, and 10 to 15 months if it changes and a technical project with its council filing is needed (a comunicat or, for major works, a licence). That is a guide for a 100 to 200 m² apartment in Barcelona. The exact schedule comes with the estimate, after the survey and measurements.
Most of that time is not construction. Work on site takes about half the period; the rest is decisions, material orders and permits. An owner who starts thinking about the renovation after getting the keys loses two or three months. An Eixample flat with high ceilings and hydraulic tiles, a penthouse with a terrace in Sant Gervasi, a house in Pedralbes: in every case preparation comes first and the first demolition only after it.
Below are the months step by step, with what you do and what the team does. The durations are typical ones, because they depend on floor area, the condition of the building, deliveries and the decisions of the comunidad de propietarios.
What happens in the first two months: survey, measurements, design?
The first two months go on the survey, measurements and layout decisions. There is no building yet, but this stretch decides whether you hit the overall deadline.
The team visits the property, takes dimensions, checks the electrics, pipes, risers, damp and load-bearing walls, then shows what can be moved and what cannot. You approve the layout and the finish level. BCN YARD guide prices, excluding VAT: Premium from €1,000/m², Luxury from €2,000/m², Signature from €3,000/m²; the exact price comes in the estimate after the survey and measurements. In parallel the interior design package takes shape: drawings, wall elevations, tile and stone layouts, the lighting scheme.
There is one timing trap. The prior consultation (consulta previa) with the Barcelona city council is mandatory and sets the regime: notification or licence. According to the Ajuntament, it is valid for six months, and the application for the works itself must be filed within that time. There is no point requesting it half a year before the real start.
If you have not bought the flat yet, a technical visit before signing the deed saves a month or two: you know the state of the building services and can factor it into the purchase price.
When should you order materials with long lead times?
Order as soon as the layout and style are approved, without waiting for the licence or the start of works. Stone, windows, made-to-measure joinery, sanitaryware, light fittings and doors often take 8 to 16 weeks, and one-off pieces longer. That is an industry guide: confirm the lead time with the supplier on the day you order.
What to order early: marble and stone slabs (chosen in person, by the pattern of the veining), sanitaryware and concealed cisterns (their dimensions are needed before the rough plumbing), recessed lighting, tile and parquet with roughly 10% extra for cuts and breakage, and kitchen appliances, which set the size of the niches.
What to order later: windows, built-in wardrobes, doors and anything made to the size of the finished opening. Those dimensions are taken after demolition, when the real geometry of the walls is visible. In an older Eixample building the walls are rarely true, and ordering from drawings before demolition is a common cause of gaps and rework.
The opposite mistake happens too: the stone is ordered, the layout then changes, and the slab no longer fits the new setting-out. Hence the order: layout, setting-out, order.
What can be done before the licence arrives?
Before the permit you can prepare, but you cannot carry out works. Preparing means measuring, surveying, drawing the project, choosing and ordering materials, talking to the community and comparing estimates.
The regime depends on the scope of work. According to the Barcelona city council, with an immediate notification you can start once the fee is paid, and with a deferred one you wait a month from filing unless the council says otherwise. Major works need a licence, and nothing can start before it. How long it takes depends on the district and the scope, so confirm it with the Ajuntament or your gestor (there is a separate breakdown in the article on licence timings).
What you can do without a permit: small exploratory openings to check pipes and floor slabs, with the agreement of the owner and neighbours, removing furniture, disconnecting appliances and light clearing. What you cannot: take down partitions, move wet areas or touch the facade. Work without a permit risks a stop order and a fine, and regularising it later costs more.
How do the works months run: with and without layout changes?
Without layout changes, works on a 100 to 150 m² apartment usually take 4 to 6 months; with a new layout and structural reinforcement, 6 to 8 or more. The order of stages is the same; the start and the length differ.
Without changes: the first weeks go on demolition and clearing; then rough services (electrics, water supply, drainage, climate control), plastering, screed and waterproofing of wet areas; next tile, stone, ceilings, joinery and doors; at the end painting, parquet, fitting lights and sanitaryware, cleaning and inspection. The stages overlap: while a bathroom is being tiled, the ceiling frame goes up in the living room.
With a layout change, the project and the council filing are added before the build (in Barcelona, a comunicat with a technician for a new layout or localised or partial beam reinforcement; a major-works licence only if the whole structure is involved), and on site come moving partitions, reinforcing beams, new risers and community approval. Each of these items adds weeks and waits on third parties: the architect, the technician, the council. Hence the range of 10 to 15 months against 7 to 10.
There is also a seasonal factor. In August deliveries and approvals slow down, so the schedule is built to keep heavy orders and filings out of that month.
What does the owner do, and what does the team do, at each step?
The owner decides on agreed dates and the team runs everything else. If a decision arrives late, the schedule slips, and most often that is where the delay comes from.
The owner's decisions, in order: layout and finish level; stone, tile, parquet, sanitaryware and lighting before ordering; final samples and colours before painting; sign-off of each stage. The team handles the survey and measurements, the estimate, the project, purchasing, filing documents, the schedule, subcontractors, quality control, cleaning and handover.
At BCN YARD one person is responsible for the project, and we run it in Russian and Spanish, so questions do not get lost between languages. If you live in another country, it is enough to come for a few key points: approving the layout, seeing the stone setting-out and the light on site, checking before painting, and handover. It is better to put each visit in the calendar in advance so that you buy tickets for dates that will not move.
When should you move in: straight after the works or a month later?
Move in after handover and once the snagging list is closed, usually 2 to 4 weeks after the final clean. You can move earlier, but you will live with paint smell, dust and workers.
Before you get the keys, this should be done: the snagging list (remates) is closed; electrics and climate control are tested and running; the rooms have been aired after painting and adhesives; oiled floors or microcement (microcemento) have reached their strength. Textiles, bedding and upholstered furniture are better brought in once the smell has gone. Agree deliveries with the community: lift, hours and protection of the entrance hall.
BCN YARD handles renovation and new build in Barcelona, on the coast and in the province. We prepare the month-by-month schedule for your apartment after the survey and measurements and build it into the estimate. Payment is by contract, in stages. We reply to an enquiry within an hour.
Frequently asked questions
How long from buying the flat to moving in after the renovation?
With the layout unchanged, usually 7 to 10 months: two or three for survey, design and purchasing, four to six for works and about one for handover. If the layout changes and a licence is required, 10 to 15 months. The exact time is given in the estimate after the survey and measurements.
When should I start ordering materials?
As soon as the layout and setting-out are approved, without waiting for the licence. Stone, sanitaryware, light fittings and tile go early. Windows, doors and built-in wardrobes come after demolition, from the real opening sizes, because walls in older buildings are rarely true.
What can be done before the renovation licence is granted?
Preparation: measuring, drawing the project, choosing and ordering materials, agreeing with the community and comparing estimates. The works themselves cannot start. For minor works in Barcelona, a notification allows a start after the fee is paid or after a month, depending on its type.
When should I move in: straight after the works or later?
Ideally 2 to 4 weeks after the final clean, once the snagging list is closed, the electrics and climate control are tested and the smell of paint and adhesive has gone. Bring in upholstered furniture and textiles last, and agree deliveries with the community.