A new build home in Spain: five property features you need

If you’re fed up with the cold winter weather in the UK already, or fancy embarking on a new project, how about moving to Spain?

The market for expats leaving the UK for warmer climates is growing every year and one of the most popular trends is building your own home. This gives you the complete freedom to select everything from the layout to the design to ensure you are getting the home of your dreams. But moving to Spain and building a new home is a huge undertaking, and if you have not lived in this beautiful country before, there may be a few things that you might overlook – here are five key features you need from your new build.

1. The right location

Undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of moving to Spain is choosing the right location. If you are moving to the country for a job you might be limited to where you are going to live, but even still there are different communities that can be better for expats across the country. Many areas on the Costa del Sol such as Marbella and Malaga have large communities of British expats. Barcelona and Madrid also have large populations of Brits.

2. Air conditioning and heating

Spain is much more famous for its hot days than cold ones, so you will probably want to invest in air conditioning. Even if you’re not going to have it throughout the house it can be especially helpful in the bedroom for those sweltering summer nights. However, some homebuyers think only about staying cool but don’t give any though to the importance of keeping warm in the winter. All parts of Spain cool down significantly over the winter months, so it’s worth thinking about some form of heating too.

3. Good insulation

Along the same lines, it’s worth noting that Spanish homes are typically built with thin walls to ensure that rooms don’t become too stuffy in the warm months. But you need to remember that if you are investing in both air conditioning and heating, you need to put money into good insulation so that the heat or cool doesn’t escape easily through the walls.

4. Swimming pool

Perhaps one of the ultimate features for any Spanish new build is the swimming pool. The true symbol of luxury, a swimming pool adds serious value to a home as well as being a wonderful feature that the whole family can enjoy together. If you have the space and the budget to allow for a pool of any size, it will be a very valuable addition.

If you don’t have much experience working with builders in Spain, it can be smart to work with an international pool builder who may have offices both in the UK and in Spain. This will make it far easier for you to feel like you are completely in control of the build. It can be very frustrating to try to organise the building of something as complicated as a pool if your builders are native Spanish speakers and you are not – make sure you work with a company where there are no communication barriers.

5. A beautiful outdoor space

Of course one of the best reasons to move to Spain is to take advantage of the excellent weather. So you need to make sure that your new build has an excellent outdoor space that has been well thought out. It’s a great idea to design any new build with inside-outside living so that you can easily take advantage of the scenery.

Make use of shaded terraces – perfect for barbecuing and alfresco dining. This can be some of the most rewarding and enjoyable aspects of the Spanish lifestyle, so build your home to make the most of it. Even if you don’t do a lot of outside eating in the UK, that will certainly change in Spain.

(Collaborative post; images courtesy of Pixabay)

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