Renovating in the Dreta de l'Eixample near Passeig de Gràcia

Is my building listed as heritage?

Check it before the first sketch: in the Dreta de l'Eixample, the area around Passeig de Gràcia, many buildings are included in Barcelona's catalogue of protected architecture. The enquiry goes to the Ajuntament, and the answer shows the protection level of the building and its parts.

This is not a formality. The level decides what can change: facade, lobby, stair, inner courtyard and sometimes elements inside the flat itself, such as hydraulic tile floors, mouldings, stained glass and doors. A building without listing has fewer limits, but facade and common parts still go through the community.

The order: an enquiry to municipal planning or an architect, a planning conditions certificate, then a design and a licence by type of work. How to do it yourself is described in our article on checking building protection.

We always start with this step, because changing the design after buying materials costs more than a week waiting for the certificate.

Which elements cannot be changed?

Normalmente no se pueden tocar la fachada, los balcones, las barandillas, las carpinterías exteriores, el vestíbulo y la escalera principal, y en edificios catalogados con frecuencia tampoco los elementos históricos dentro de la vivienda. La ficha del edificio indica qué está protegido exactamente.

Dentro del piso suelen estar protegidos el suelo hidráulico, los techos de escayola, las rosetas, las vidrieras, las puertas de madera y los paneles. No se retiran: se restauran y lo que falta se reproduce a partir de una muestra. Para un suelo de mosaico en el Eixample significa levantar el mosaico por secciones, limpiarlo y volver a colocarlo en lugar de demolerlo.

Las ventanas con frecuencia pueden sustituirse por modernas si se mantiene el aspecto: dibujo de los montantes, color, perfil. Las ventanas modernas de doble vidrio y buen aislamiento se hacen en madera o aluminio con el mismo dibujo. Lo vemos en el artículo sobre carpinterías originales.

Si un elemento está protegido y el propietario necesita quitarlo, decide el Ajuntament y se exige justificación. Es mejor proyectar alrededor de lo que se conserva que perseguir un permiso de demolición.

How do you organise deliveries on a busy street?

Deliveries are planned by the hour: small batches, a street-occupation permit obtained in advance and unloading in 15–30 minutes. You cannot park on Passeig de Gràcia or the neighbouring streets, and a fine for a truck costs more than the delivery.

The order: a permit to occupy public space for the dates needed, a fixed unloading time, small-tonnage vehicles, materials lifted in the building lift with the cabin protected or by an external hoist. Waste leaves in closed sacks, not skips by the entrance. More on scaffold and platform permits in our article on occupying the street.

The site is organised so it does not take over the lobby: protective covering goes on the floors, lobby walls are covered and the lift corners protected. The concierge and the administrator know the schedule in advance.

The main point: do not bring everything at once. The materials store is in the flat itself, and deliveries follow the works programme. That way the building is not disturbed.

What limits does the community impose in these buildings?

The community sets working hours, rules for the lift and common areas, takes a deposit against damage and forbids changing the facade or its external look without a vote of the owners. The rules are in the building's statutes, and each building has its own.

A typical set: works on weekdays in morning and afternoon hours, a ban on noisy operations at lunchtime and at weekends, mandatory protection of lift and lobby, and limits on waste and removal. Air-conditioning units may not go on the facade: they are hidden in the inner courtyard, on the roof or in a niche approved by the owners. Kitchen or sauna extraction also goes through the community if it uses shared risers.

Before starting, the owner notifies the administrator and supplies the list of contractors, insurance and the programme. The contractor must be insured: we have written about that separately. Neighbours, especially in such buildings, expect advance warning.

We bring the document pack a week before start and keep in touch with the administrator throughout. That prevents most conflicts.

How does renovating a modernista building differ?

In structure and services: old floors on timber or steel beams, thick walls, complex shafts, and water and electrical risers often routed through shared shafts. Any intervention has to be calculated with this in mind.

Eixample ceilings of 3.3–3.6 m give the rare chance to run climate systems in a dropped ceiling with height to spare, but Catalan vaults and mouldings limit routing. Services are often hidden in corridors and bathrooms, leaving living rooms untouched. More on new services in an old building in our article on risers.

In our Urgel flat project in the Eixample, 109.8 m², we made an open kitchen and laid herringbone parquet, slatted timber panels and a marble wall: a contemporary scheme fitted into a historic shell. In the Dreta the approach is the same, but with stricter limits on common parts.

If you are buying a flat to renovate, see our article on what to check when buying an old flat.

How BCN YARD works in the Dreta de l'Eixample

We take on the building check, the pack for the community and the logistics: our own crew, trusted subcontractors and one person responsible for the site. We work in Russian and Spanish.

We start with a visit and measurements, then the protection check and a staged estimate. Payment by contract and in stages. High-end renovation: Luxury from 3,000 €/m² before VAT, with the exact price in the estimate. We usually answer an enquiry within an hour.