Check who the business is and how to reach it, whether it holds liability insurance, whether it issues itemised quotes with exclusions, who carries out electrical and gas work, how extras are agreed, what guarantee is offered and how payments are staged. Ask what it does not do. Compare quotes line by line, not by total.
Who is the business?
- Is there a full business name, a tax ID and a physical address on the quote?
- Does the name on the quote match the name on the bank account and the invoice?
- Is there a landline or office as well as a mobile number?
- Can you contact them in a language you are comfortable with, and in writing?
Spanish consumer rules require a business to identify itself clearly before a contract. If this information is hard to obtain, treat it as a warning sign. Our post on red flags when hiring a builder explains why.
Is the quote one you can compare?
- Is it itemised, with each task, unit and quantity?
- Does it say which materials are included and to what specification?
- Are strip-out, debris removal, protection and the final clean listed?
- Are exclusions written down: permits, technical projects, furniture, appliances?
- Does it state the total including taxes, and how VAT has been applied?
- Is there a phased plan showing the order of works?
Our contract and quote guide covers each of these points in more depth.
Who does the regulated and specialist work?
- Who carries out electrical and gas work, and are they authorised for it?
- Will you receive the installers’ documentation at the end?
- Does the builder say clearly what they do not do — technical projects, licence applications, asbestos, pools, air conditioning?
- Do they suggest an architect or aparejador when structure is involved?
On our jobs, electrical and gas work is done by authorised partner installers under our coordination, and we state our exclusions in every quote.
How is the job managed and protected?
- Is there one point of contact for the whole job?
- How are extras agreed — in writing, with a price, before they are done?
- How are payments staged against progress?
- Is there a written guarantee, and is public liability insurance in place?
- How are the community, lifts and common areas protected?
- How is the handover done, and how are snags closed?
The answers tell you as much about a builder as their portfolio does. Our turnkey renovation page shows our own answers.
What should you ask about timing, access and the property itself?
- Did the builder ask about the services, the community, access and parking — or quote from a single photo?
- Did they visit before giving a final figure?
- Is the programme realistic, with room for drying, checks and deliveries?
- How will keys, alarm codes and deliveries be handled if you are away?
- What happens if the job has to pause, for example while a technician assesses something unexpected?
A builder who asks you a lot of questions at the start is usually one who will ask fewer awkward ones later. Questions about the building, the neighbours and how the property is used show that the contractor is thinking about the job as a whole rather than as a list of trades. If you are planning the renovation from another country, our guide on renovating from abroad lists what you should prepare on your side.
What should you look for in a portfolio?
Finished rooms are the easy part to photograph. Ask also for photos of work in progress — partitions, plastering, ceiling framing, waterproofing — because that is the work you will never see once the job is done. A builder who is comfortable showing it is usually careful about it.
Be cautious with portfolios that include stock images, or that cannot say which photos are their own work. Our gallery shows our team’s real jobs, including the stages in between, without locations or client details.
What are the final checks before you sign?
- You have at least two itemised quotes for the same scope.
- You have compared them line by line.
- You know who files the community notice and the town hall paperwork — usually you, as owner.
- You have agreed the process for extras and the payment stages in writing.
- You have made the main finish decisions, or agreed when they will be made.
- You are comfortable with the person you will be dealing with.
If you would like us to be one of the builders on your list, send photos and the floor area and we will prepare an itemised quote for a full or partial scope.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reformas Integrales Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
