English-speaking builder for small works in Spain: tiles, plaster, holes and repairs
If you need an English speaking builder in Spain for a job too small for a reforma company and too fiddly to do yourself, that is us: loose tiles, holes and chases, chipped plaster, regrouting, terrace joints or a dried damp patch. We work in Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Alicante, Benidorm and Valencia at €30-40 an hour or a fixed price per job, quote in English before we start, invoice with IVA (VAT) at the end.
+34 600 000 000 · Lun-Dom 8:00-21:00
- Same day or within 24 h
- Fixed price before we start
- No call-out fee if you accept the quote
- Public liability insured
- Written guarantee on every job
- We speak English, Spanish and Russian
What we do
- Filling holes and chases in walls and ceilings
- Loose or broken tile replacement
- Tile regrouting and bathroom silicone
- Cracks and chipped plaster
- Dried damp patches (no active leak)
- Ceramic skirting
- Small plaster repairs
- Wall anchors for awnings and structures
- Loose steps and floor tiles
- Terrace joint sealing
How it works
- 1
Call or message
Tell us what is wrong by phone or WhatsApp, with a photo if you can.
- 2
Fixed price
You get the price before we start. No surprises, no call-out fee if you accept.
- 3
Fixed today
We carry the usual parts in the van and solve it on the first visit.
What an English speaking builder in Spain does most: tiles, holes, grout, damp
Most of what we are asked for comes from 1990s and 2000s building habits and the climate: thin render, powdery cement grout, tiles laid on a dab of adhesive, sun and salt on every terrace.
- Loose, hollow or cracked tiles. Floor tiles that sound hollow, a wall tile that fell off behind the bath, a cracked terrace step. We lift the loose ones, clean the bed, re-lay with flexible adhesive and match the grout. 1-5 tiles replaced is €60-120; dig out the spare box if you have one, because 20-year-old tiles are hard to match. Guide: how to fill holes in tiles.
- Holes and chases after electricians, plumbers or old brackets. Chases left open after a cable run, holes from a removed TV bracket, an old air-conditioning hole outside, filled, sanded and left ready for the painter. A crack or chip repair is €50-120; for the small ones, see how to fill holes in a wall.
- Regrouting and bathroom silicone. Black mould in the grout, silicone peeling off the shower tray. A full bathroom regrout is €150-300, including raking out, new grout and new silicone.
- Damp patches and blown plaster. Dried-out damp from an old leak or a terrace above, paint bubbling, plaster soft. We cut back, treat, re-plaster and leave it ready to paint. Dried damp only: if the patch is still wet, the leak is found first, by us as plumbers or by the comunidad if communal.
- Terrace joints, skirting and loose steps. Sealing the terrace-to-wall joint before the autumn rains, refixing ceramic skirting, re-bedding a wobbly step by the pool.
How we quote: by the hour or by the job, in English, in writing
- 1. Photos on WhatsApp. Send a photo of each job, with something for scale, and the town. We answer in English and say whether it is a one-visit job, a two-visit job (adhesive and grout need to cure) or one for a licensed builder.
- 2. Fixed price or hourly rate. Clear jobs get a fixed price. A list of small jobs gets the hourly rate, €30-40, with an estimate of hours; the builder hourly rate page shows what fits in a morning. Accept the quote and there is no call-out fee; if we come to look and you decide against it, the trip is €25 in Valencia or Alicante city and €35 elsewhere.
- 3. Work, clean-up, invoice. We bring adhesive, grout, filler and plaster; tiles you supply or we buy at cost from Leroy Merlin, Bricodepot or the local almacén. We sheet the floor, take the rubble away, and you pay on completion by cash, card, Bizum or transfer. Invoice with IVA (VAT), 6-month written guarantee on labour.
What affects the price of small building works
The biggest factor is the number of visits. Tiles and grout need to cure, so a tile replacement is a morning to lay and a short second visit to grout, grouped with another job nearby so you do not pay a second trip. The second is matching: spare tiles make the job quick; hunting for a discontinued 1998 Porcelanosa in three shops takes time. The third is access: a bungalow in Villamartín with parking at the door is cheaper than a fourth-floor flat in Benidorm in August.
Dried damp is priced on size and what we find under the soft plaster. We quote per patch from the photo and confirm on site; if the wall is wetter than it looked, we stop, because plastering over a live leak is money thrown away.
We do not add IVA at the end, charge for the quote or round up the hours; the clock starts at your door, not when the van leaves the yard.
When you need a licensed builder or an architect instead of us
Spanish building law is strict and the comunidad de vecinos (residents' association) is stricter. Some jobs need a licence from the ayuntamiento (town hall), an architect's or aparejador's project, or both, and we will not do them without.
- Taking down or building a partition wall, or opening a doorway in one.
- Anything touching a load-bearing wall, beam, lintel or terrace slab.
- Turning a window into a door, enclosing a terrace or porche, moving an outside wall.
- Bathroom or kitchen renovations where pipes are moved: that is a reforma, with a licencia de obra menor at least.
- Any change to a block's facade, even the colour, without the comunidad's written agreement.
- Cracks that keep growing, or subsidence: an aparejador's report comes before any filler.
- Rewiring and electrical certificates (boletín), gas, boilers and air conditioning with refrigerant: licensed trades, not us.
Where our English speaking builders work
Most small-works calls come from the south: Torrevieja with Los Balcones and La Siesta; Orihuela Costa with La Zenia, Villamartín and Cabo Roig; Ciudad Quesada and Guardamar. From Alicante we cover the city, San Juan, Elche and Santa Pola, with a page for small building works in Alicante.
We also work from Benidorm to Dénia. In the north, small building works in Valencia covers the city and its ring. The full list is on the small building works page; if the job is a bathroom rather than a repair, see what a bath to shower conversion costs first.
Guide prices
| Job | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Builder per hour | 30 € - 40 € €/hour | |
| 1-5 tiles replaced | 60 € - 120 € | |
| Full bathroom regrout | 150 € - 300 € | |
| Crack or chip repair | 50 € - 120 € |
What we do not do
- Full renovations, partition walls and licensed works: we connect you with a trusted renovation company.
Small building works in…
You may also need
Guides and tips
Frequently asked questions
Does the builder speak English on site, not just on WhatsApp?
Yes. The person who quotes is the person who comes, and he explains in English what he found and what he is doing. We deal with the presidente or administrador of your comunidad in Spanish if a job needs their agreement.
How much does an English speaking builder charge per hour in Spain?
€30-40 an hour, counted from arrival at your door, plus materials at cost with the receipt. Clear jobs such as replacing 1-5 tiles (€60-120) or a full bathroom regrout (€150-300) get a fixed price instead.
Can you match my old tiles?
With spares, yes, and the job is quick. If not, we photograph the tile and check the local tile shops and Leroy Merlin; many 1990s Spanish tiles are still made or have a close equivalent. When nothing matches, we take tiles from behind a unit or under a worktop and use a contrasting tile there.
The damp patch keeps coming back. Can you just paint over it?
We could, but it would waste your money. A patch that returns means the leak is live: a terrace above, a neighbour's shower, a rising pipe. We find the source first, as plumbers, or raise it with the comunidad if it is communal, then repair and plaster the dried wall with a 6-month guarantee.
Do I need a licence for small repairs in Spain?
Not for tiles, holes, regrouting, plaster repairs or sealing joints inside your own home: that is maintenance, not works. You do need a licence, and usually an architect, for partition walls, structural elements, facade changes, enclosing terraces and renovations that move pipes. We tell you from the photo which side of the line your job falls.
Get a free, no-obligation quote
Shall we fix it today?
Call, message us on WhatsApp or leave your details. Fixed price before we start, no call-out fee if you accept the quote.