Renovations in Torremolinos for homes and apartments

Torremolinos was the epicentre of the Costa del Sol tourism boom in the 1960s, and that history shapes every renovation carried out here today. Unlike Marbella or Estepona, much of the housing stock consists of apartments from the 60s, 70s and 80s built for summer holidays: heavily compartmentalised layouts, closed kitchens, obsolete electrical wiring and original bathrooms. Renovating in Torremolinos usually means modernising that holiday property —opening up spaces, renewing installations and improving energy efficiency— to turn it into a competitive rental asset or a genuinely liveable home. At Costa del Sol Reformas we understand the town's specifics: the salt air of La Carihuela, the Playamar towers and the villas of Montemar. With our own in-house team, project management in Spanish, English and German and a 5-year guarantee, we deliver full renovations designed for this particular market.

Where we renovate

• La Carihuela. An old fishermen's quarter right on the seafront, now packed with holiday apartments and low houses along the promenade. The salt air demands anodised aluminium joinery and anti-corrosion fittings; here we do a lot of bathroom, kitchen and terrace refits for holiday lets.
• Playamar. A 1970s development dominated by the iconic Playamar Towers, tall beachfront blocks. Renovations here mean coordinating with the community of owners, solving lift and access logistics and replacing original installations that are half a century old.
• Montemar. An elevated residential area of 1940s-60s villas and detached houses with sea views. This is where full single-family renovations dominate: extensions, structural upgrades, pools and energy efficiency.
• El Calvario / Centro. The old town of Torremolinos, with traditional streets, the Cuesta del Tajo and older buildings around the town hall. Renovating here means respecting the historic character and, in some buildings, applying for a works licence rather than a responsible declaration.
• El Pinillo. A residential district to the north, the town's most recent expansion area. Here more modern flats and townhouses prevail, with renovations focused on updating kitchens, bathrooms and layouts for permanent residential use.
• Los Álamos. The western edge by the beach, known for its beach clubs. A mix of rental apartments and second homes where the typical renovation aims for a modern, hard-wearing finish suited to intense holiday turnover.

The property market in Torremolinos

The dominant property in Torremolinos is the holiday apartment built during the 1960s-80s boom, from seafront blocks in La Carihuela to the Playamar towers. These are compact, heavily partitioned homes with original installations that have reached the end of their useful life. To this add the villas and detached houses of Montemar and a strip of newer flats in El Pinillo. The typical buyer is an investor or foreign owner looking to generate returns through holiday or long-term lets. That is why the most requested renovation is a full modernisation: opening up kitchen and living room, renewing plumbing and electrics, updating bathrooms, improving insulation and climate control, and leaving the home ready for the standard today's rental market demands.

Building permits in Torremolinos

Torremolinos town hall has extended the Responsible Declaration (Declaración Responsable) to most minor works: for renovations with no structural impact —changing tiling, renewing installations or altering the layout with light partitions— you simply file it at the municipal registry, attach a budget and pay the fee (from around €75), and can start work the next day rather than waiting months. A full works licence is still required when the building's structure is affected or in protected properties in the old town. In the Playamar towers and apartment blocks, you should also secure authorisation from the community of owners.

Renovation costs in Torremolinos

The average purchase price in Torremolinos is around €3,900-4,000/m² (2025), rising on the seafront of La Carihuela and Playamar. For renovations, cost depends on very local factors: height and lifts in the towers push up the logistics of moving materials and rubble, the salt exposure of the front line demands anti-corrosion joinery and fittings, and community fees and working hours affect timelines. As a rough guide, a full energy rehabilitation can add over 30% to a property's value. Every project is quoted after a technical site visit.