Some defects need a diagnosis before any renovation: structural cracks, damaged beams, rising damp, water coming through roofs or terraces, and asbestos-cement materials. Covering them with plasterboard or paint only postpones the problem. Structural issues need an architect or aparejador; asbestos must be removed by a company registered for that work. A good builder will say so plainly rather than quote around it.
Why do some problems need a technician first?
A renovation renews finishes and services. It does not diagnose why a wall is cracking, why water is coming in or whether a beam can still carry its load. Those questions belong to professionals trained to answer them — in Spain, an arquitecto or an arquitecto técnico/aparejador — who can inspect, test if necessary and specify a repair.
Spain’s building law (LOE) also requires a technical project for interventions on existing buildings that substantially alter the structural system, the overall exterior or the volume, or change the building’s use. So beyond the practical reasons, there are legal ones. When we see signs that a problem goes beyond our scope, we stop and say so. That is not a sales technique; it is the point at which our responsibility as a builder ends and a technician’s begins.
Which cracks are a warning sign?
Not every crack matters. Fine hairline cracks in plaster, especially at the junction of walls and ceilings, are common and usually cosmetic. Cracks that deserve a technician’s attention include:
- Diagonal cracks running from the corners of doors and windows.
- Cracks wider at one end than the other, or that reopen after being filled.
- Cracks that cross from one room into another through a wall.
- Doors and windows that start sticking where they did not before.
- Floors that have visibly dropped or tilted.
These can indicate movement in the foundations or the structure. Filling them and tiling over the top hides the evidence a technician would need. If we see this kind of cracking on a visit, we recommend an assessment before we quote.
Why does damp keep coming back after painting?
Because paint treats the symptom. Damp has a source, and the three most common are quite different. Condensation forms when warm, moist air meets cold surfaces, typically in poorly ventilated bathrooms and bedrooms. Penetrating damp comes from outside, through a defective wall, window joint, terrace or roof. Rising damp comes from the ground, through walls without an effective barrier, and is typical of older ground-floor properties and village houses.
Condensation can often be addressed within a renovation, with better ventilation and an extractor. Penetrating and rising damp need their source found and treated first, sometimes outside your property — in which case, in an apartment block, it may be a community matter. Bathroom ventilation and mould are covered on reformabanosmalaga.eu; roofs and façades on reformavillascostadelsol.eu.
What if water is coming in from a roof or terrace?
Leaks from above are deceptive. Water travels along slabs and beams before it shows, so the stain on your ceiling may be some distance from the point of entry. Replacing the ceiling without finding that point simply gives the leak a new surface to mark.
In an apartment block, the roof and the waterproofing of terraces above other flats are often shared elements, so the community is usually involved in diagnosing and repairing them. In a house, the roof is yours, but diagnosis still comes first. Once the source is identified and fixed by whoever is responsible, the interior damage can be repaired as part of a renovation. Our community guide explains which elements are typically shared.
What happens if asbestos turns up?
Asbestos-cement — known in Spain by the trade name uralita — was widely used in roofing sheets, water tanks, flues and some waste pipes until it was banned. It still appears in older properties, in garages, on outbuildings and inside ducts. It is not dangerous while intact, but cutting, drilling or breaking it releases fibres.
In Spain, work involving asbestos is regulated by Real Decreto 396/2006 and must be carried out by a company registered in the RERA (the register of companies working with asbestos risk), following an approved work plan. We are not such a company and do not remove asbestos. If we find suspected asbestos-cement, we stop work in that area and refer you to a specialist; our network site retiradauralitamalaga.eu deals with this.
What other limits should owners know about?
A few more situations fall outside an ordinary renovation:
- Changes of use, such as converting a shop into a home, need a technical project and a licence.
- Enclosing terraces or adding floor area changes the building’s exterior and volume.
- Swimming pools, new-build work and air-conditioning systems are specialist scopes we do not take on.
- Energy certificates are prepared by a qualified technician, not by a builder.
None of this means your project is impossible. It means the right professional needs to be involved at the right moment. Once structural, damp or roof issues have a diagnosis and a specified repair, we can carry out the interior renovation around it — see our full renovation page — and our article on what can go wrong shows why that order matters.
How do you get a technical assessment before renovating?
Architects and aparejadores are registered with their professional associations, which in Málaga province means the provincial colleges of architects and of technical architects. Many of them carry out building surveys for buyers and owners. Ask for a written report that identifies the cause of the problem and specifies the repair, not only the symptom. That report is what a builder needs to price the remedial work correctly, and it is what you will want to keep for a future sale or insurance claim.
Official sources
- Ley 38/1999 de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE) – Congreso de los Diputados
- Junta de Andalucía – asbestos removal and registered companies (RERA, RD 396/2006)
- Ley 49/1960 de Propiedad Horizontal, consolidated text – BOE
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reformas Integrales Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
