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Guides: Turnkey renovation · Page 4

BCN YARD guides: Turnkey renovation. 129 articles to help plan your project in Barcelona. Page 4.

Insulation · work in progress · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Soundproofing an apartment from neighbours: floor, ceiling and walls

Footsteps from above are best stopped by a resilient layer in the neighbour's floor, while in your flat a combination works: ceiling on hangers, floating floor and independent walls. The price is 10 to 15 cm of height at the ceiling, 7 to 9 cm at the floor and 6 to 10 cm per wall.

Living room · completed work · house on the Garraf coast — BCN YARD project · House on the Garraf coast

Lighting control: DALI, Casambi or phase dimming

Smooth, flicker-free light comes from a compatible driver paired with a control system: wired DALI for a solid base or Bluetooth-mesh Casambi when flexibility matters. A classic phase dimmer works in simple schemes but is often temperamental.

Living room · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Architectural lighting: recessed LED profiles, CRI and colour temperature

A dot-free line of light comes from a dense strip, a profile with an opal diffuser of the right depth and a quality driver in an accessible place. For stone and wood use CRI 90 or higher and about 2700 to 3000 K.

Hallway · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

KNX, Lutron, Control4 or wireless: choosing a home automation backbone

For a home meant to last ten years or more, the usual backbone is the open, wired KNX standard, with closed ecosystems and wireless solutions kept for specific tasks. The key decision is not the brand but the cable laid before the walls close and the programme documents.

Hallway · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Heat-recovery ventilation in an old apartment: unit location and ducts

A heat-recovery unit in an old flat needs about 70 by 60 by 30 cm, intake and exhaust through a courtyard or roof and ducts in the ceiling void. All of it is decided before the ceilings close, together with air conditioning.

Hallway · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Radiant floor cooling in Barcelona: does it work?

On the coast humid air stops you cooling the floor below the dew point, so a cooling floor delivers 20 to 35 W per square metre and does not replace air conditioning. It works as base comfort with dehumidification and precise control.

Living room · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Air-to-water heat pump in an apartment: unit, tank and underfloor heating

A heat pump in an apartment needs a spot for the outdoor unit, a hot-water tank of about 150 to 200 litres and a check of electrical capacity. It performs best with underfloor heating, though that is not compulsory.

Façade · work in progress · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Cooling without an outdoor unit on the facade: options for listed buildings

When the facade is off limits, the outdoor unit moves to the roof or an inner courtyard, and the flat gets ducts or fan coils. Everything depends on the comunidad, noise for neighbours and line length.

Living room · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Ducted air conditioning: grilles, ceiling void and noise

A ducted system hides in the ceiling void of a corridor or bathroom and delivers air through slot grilles. Height, noise and service access are settled in the design, before the ceilings are closed.

Façade · completed work · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Frameless glass shower screens and Barcelona's hard water

A walk-in usually needs 8 to 10 mm toughened glass, and fixings and floor falls are worked out before tiling. Limescale is beaten by routine; a coating only helps.

Kitchen · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Wall-hung WC, bidet or Japanese toilet: frames, power and space

A wall-hung WC is carried by a frame, and a Japanese toilet needs a socket and a water feed, both provided before tiling. Frame depth, replacing the bidet and flush noise.

Bathroom · completed work · house on the Garraf coast — BCN YARD project · House on the Garraf coast

Concealed thermostatic showers and rain heads: what goes in the wall

A concealed mixer is a hidden body in the wall plus an outer trim, and the body goes in before tiling. Pressure in old buildings, rain-head flow, access, and why the brand cannot be changed once the wall is closed.

Living room · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Freestanding bathtub: weight, floor structure and floor-mounted taps

A freestanding stone bath with water and a person weighs 400 to 800 kg, and in an old building the floor must be checked before ordering. Weight, water supply, drain and clearances.

Bathroom · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Curbless walk-in shower: falls, drains and floor build-up in old buildings

A curbless shower needs a fall, a drain, waterproofing and enough floor depth, which old Barcelona buildings often lack. What to do when the floor structure cannot be lowered.

Kitchen · completed work · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Kitchen extraction in open-plan: ceiling, downdraft or recirculation

In an open kitchen the extraction decides whether the smell of frying reaches the living room. We compare a ducted ceiling hood, a downdraft and recirculation, and what to do without a roof outlet.

Kitchen · completed work · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

How long does a flat renovation take in Barcelona?

A full flat renovation in Barcelona usually takes 3 to 6 months on site, plus preparation. We walk through the phases, what causes delays and how to shorten the schedule.

Kitchen · completed work · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Kitchen renovation in Barcelona

In a Barcelona flat, the kitchen hinges on old downpipes, electrical capacity and extractor routing. What to check before design and in what order to decide.

Bathroom · completed work · Eixample flat, Barcelona — Project photograph: Urgel · BCN YARD

Bathroom renovation in Barcelona

What gets rebuilt in a Barcelona bathroom, what turns up when old walls are opened and how the price is set.

Building services · work in progress · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Flat renovation in Barcelona

A full flat renovation in Barcelona starts at €1,000/m² excluding IVA. What turns up behind the walls of older buildings, the order of works and where money is usually lost.

Building services · work in progress · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Building refurbishment in Barcelona

Building refurbishment covers the shared elements: facade, roof, structure and services. The community of owners commissions it, usually starting from the ITE report.

Centre room · completed work · child psychology centre, Barcelona — BCN YARD project · Child psychology centre, Barcelona

Office renovation in Barcelona

How to renovate an office in Barcelona without closing: phasing, noisy-work hours, services with spare capacity and reference prices.

Centre room · completed work · child psychology centre, Barcelona — BCN YARD project · Child psychology centre, Barcelona

Hotel renovation in Barcelona

A Barcelona hotel can be renovated without closing: in blocks of rooms, with a pilot room and a schedule tied to bookings.

Bathroom · completed work · child psychology centre, Barcelona — BCN YARD project · Child psychology centre, Barcelona

Clinic and healthcare centre renovation in Barcelona

A healthcare space is designed around a specific activity and its licensing before any works start. Sequence, building services and a real 250 m² case in the Eixample.

Kitchen · completed work · house with a pool — BCN YARD project · House with a pool

Renovation company in Barcelona: what to check before choosing

Rule out companies without verifiable details or a contract first, then judge the site visit and estimate, and only then compare prices.