Trees on a villa plot: protected species, felling permit and fines
What to check before touching a tree on a villa plot in Barcelona and its surroundings, and how to avoid losing the garden or money during construction.
View detailsBlog
Guides: House construction
BCN YARD guides: House construction. 55 articles to help plan your project in Barcelona. Page 1.
Rainwater tank at a villa: cistern, pump and irrigating a large garden
How to size a rainwater cistern for a villa with a large garden, where to bury it, which pump and filters to fit, and what to do when water restrictions apply.
View details
Luxury prefab and modular houses in Catalonia: possibilities and limits
A luxury modular house in Catalonia is possible, but the factory does only part of the job: the plot, permit, foundations and connections stay as for a conventional house. Systems, timelines, market prices and sloping plots.
View details
Digging a basement under an existing house: underpinning and cost
A basement under a finished house is possible if the ground and the water level allow it: the foundations are underpinned in sections, to a design and with settlement monitoring. Method, water, neighbours, permit and what makes up the cost.
View details
Spain's Coastal Law and renovating a seafront house: what is allowed
Renovating an existing house in the coastal protection zone is allowed if volume, height and floor area do not grow and energy efficiency improves. Extending or rebuilding is not. Zones, procedure and typical mistakes.
View details
Renovating a house in Gavà Mar: sandy soil, damp and pine forest
Where damp comes from in houses on the Gavà Mar coastal plain, how to read the geotechnical report and CTE DB-HS 1, what to do about pine roots and which rules apply by the sea.
View details
How much does it cost to build a concrete pool at a villa near Barcelona
What a pool costs at a villa according to open data from September 2026, how concrete, steel and composite pools differ, and what is in the price and what is billed separately.
View details
Renovate or demolish and rebuild a coastal house: how to decide
Three checks settle the question: the condition of the structure, what current planning allows on the plot and what remains of the old parameters after demolition. How to run them and how to compare both options in euros.
View details
An indoor pool in a villa: dehumidification, structure and ventilation
An indoor pool works as an engineering system of its own: without a dehumidifier, a proper envelope and corrosion-resistant materials, the finishes fail within a few years. We cover structure, ventilation and running costs.
View details
Passivhaus in Catalonia: is it worth it for a villa?
In Catalonia Passivhaus is less about heating than about overheating and humidity. What the standard is, how airtightness is tested, whether windows can be opened and how it changes a villa's architecture and budget.
View details
Pool deck flooring: non-slip and cool underfoot
A pool deck is chosen on three criteria: barefoot slip resistance, heat in the sun and resistance to salt and chlorine. We compare pale stone, travertine, porcelain and timber, and cover joints and drainage.
View details
Pool house: shower, WC, plant room and shade
A pool house takes the shower, WC, plant and storage out of the main house if building limits, noise and services are settled in time. What counts as built area, where the pumps go and how to choose an outdoor shower.
View details
Hillside houses in Garraf: retaining walls, drainage and access
A hillside house in the Garraf depends on its retaining walls, water in the ground and a narrow road. How to tell a wall is dangerous, where damp comes from, how to deliver materials and what adding a storey requires.
View details
A lift in a private house: pitless, hydraulic or vacuum
A lift is planned in advance in a new house and fitted into an existing one with adjustments to shaft and pit. We compare vacuum, hydraulic and traction types, cabin sizes, servicing and the effect on resale.
View details
Outdoor kitchen and built-in barbecue
An outdoor kitchen demands decisions on fire, smoke, materials and winter water. What is allowed in Catalonia in summer, which stone and steel withstand sun and sea, and what works on a penthouse terrace.
View details
A covered porch as an outdoor living room
A covered porch works as a second living room when the overhang is matched to the sun, the floor is level with the interior and the area is counted correctly in permits. Angles, joints and heating, with numbers.
View details
A low-water Mediterranean garden in drought conditions
A seaside garden in a drought rests on the right plants, gravel instead of lawn and drip irrigation with sensors. How to collect rainwater and how to set the system up if you visit once a month.
View details
Heating a private pool: heat pump, solar and covers
An inverter heat pump, a night cover and power sized to the real water volume stretch the season from April to November. Noise, plant location and help from rooftop solar.
View details
Pool water treatment: salt, chlorine, UV or oxygen
A saltwater pool still runs on chlorine: salt is turned into it by electrolysis. For a house you are not always in, automation with pH and chlorine probes, remote access and UV as a supplement works best.
View details
Infinity-edge pool: overflow edge, balance tank and sloping plots
In an infinity pool water spills over the edge into a channel, goes to a balance tank and a pump returns it to the pool. You need a precise edge level, a slope or podium, tank calculation and a plan for noise and upkeep.
View details
Seaside villa: materials that survive salt air and humidity
By the sea you choose 316 instead of 304 stainless, marine-finished aluminium, dense stone and concrete with extra cover. The first to give out are fixings, hinges, outdoor units and cheap lights. What to choose and how to maintain it.
View details
Pool or hot tub on a penthouse terrace: loads and waterproofing
A litre of water weighs a kilo, and a hot tub for four already means two tonnes over a few square metres. The slab calculation, a position over beams, double waterproofing and quiet pumps decide whether a rooftop pool works.
View detailsHome extension in Barcelona: what is possible and what determines it
An extension is decided by the plot's planning parameters and the house's structure, not by how much free land you see. What to check before design and which mistakes cannot be undone.
View detailsBudget for building a house in Barcelona
A firm house budget comes with the construction design; before that you get a range driven mostly by the plot and a handful of key decisions.
View details