Reform and change of use

It depends on the housing density. In almost the entire Barcelona Metropolitan Area, you look at how many homes a plot supports by dividing the built surface by 100. There are exceptions, such as Barcelona city, where it is divided by 80. The surface can be found in the cadastre, although according to a recent interpretation of the city council in Barcelona, the surface that is taken into account is the potential buildability according to the planning.

It must be possible to make a distribution composed of:

• Living room-dining room-kitchen (minimum 20m2, with circle inscription of 280 cm in diameter)
• Bedroom (minimum 10m2, with 260cm diameter circle inscription)
• Bathroom (usable with a wheelchair, with a 120 cm diameter circle inscription; if it faces ECC, you need a double door)

In addition, it is mandatory that on the entire surface of the mandatory opening there be “direct lights� free space of 3 meters (it is measured in this way: vision of a segment of 3 meters within a 90º angle whose bisector is perpendicular to the mandatory opening) In Barcelona city, the minimum useful area of the resulting home will be 40 m2. In the rest of Catalonia, 36 m2. All these notes are not exhaustive. We only detail them to have a reference of what we consider most important, remember that it is best to consult with an expert.

No. The process is much more complicated, which is why it is appropriate that feasibility studies be carried out by specialized technicians. And we advise you not to make any type of investment without prior advice or you could risk losing money.

The bedroom ventilation patio must allow the inscription of a 3m diameter circle.

Yes, according to Decree 141/2012, a minimum length of S/9 is calculated where S is the useful surface area measured according to the Decree.

A change of use from premises to housing is an opportunity to make the sale of a premises profitable.
The price/square meter of the home is much higher than that of any other use.
With a prior study of its feasibility you will have the success of the operation assured.

The surface area of the windows must be at least equivalent to the useful surface area of the rooms divided by 8. In addition, these windows must face an exterior space.

Not only in the bathrooms, but in the kitchens as well (in the kitchen there will have to be two vents, the one independent of the cooking appliance or the hood and the ventilation itself). Therefore, two pipes will have to be raised to the roof (the of the hood and the ventilation of bathrooms and kitchens)

Yes. Not only do you have to update the facilities, but you must comply with the CTE in the energy efficiency part, the basic document DB HE. This means that high energy efficiency must be achieved. In practice it translates to the following: the façade must be thermally insulated, windows with good insulation and a high-performance air conditioning and hot water system (normally a heat pump, for the general public: aerothermal or “air conditioned�).

A change of use revalues the property and it is possible to obtain more profitability from a premises than what would be obtained with a sale of commercial use. It must be taken into consideration that the operation must be viable, so not all premises will be able to change use.

The best way to make a change of use is not to start from a premises but to look for a premises that can be subject to a change of use. For this we can advise you in your search.

We hope it has been helpful to you. If you want more information or a quote for a change of use project, you can consult by clicking HERE.