Small building works in Valencia and Alicante: tiles, holes, damp patches and regrouting
We send a builder for the small jobs no renovation company wants to take on: filling holes and chases, replacing loose or broken tiles, regrouting a bathroom, repairing cracks, chipped plaster and dried damp stains, across Valencia, Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja, Benidorm and the Costa Blanca. We charge €30-40 an hour or a fixed price per job (replacing 1-5 tiles, €60-120; regrouting a bathroom, €150-300) and come the same day or within 24-48 hours.
- 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
The small building jobs we are asked for most
Holes and chases. After a move, an air-conditioning swap or an electrician running cables, the wall is left full of plug holes, open back boxes and unfilled channels. We fill them with filler, plaster or cement depending on the wall, sand and leave them ready for paint; if the wall has gotelé (the Spanish popcorn texture), we recreate the pattern with a textured roller so the patch does not show. There is a do-it-yourself version in our guide to filling holes in a wall.
Loose or broken tiles. In 1970s bathrooms in Carolinas, Patraix or Carrús a tile sounds hollow and one day drops off. If you have spares, we replace one to five in a two- or three-hour visit, cutting out the old adhesive, levelling and regrouting. If you have no spares, we hunt for a close match at tile warehouses in Alicante and Valencia or suggest a deliberate contrast tile rather than a badly disguised patch. To fill holes left by old fittings without changing the tile, see how to fill holes in tiles.
Regrouting and silicone. Black mould in the shower grout and silicone peeling away from the tray are the most common complaints in second homes that have been shut up all winter. We rake out the old grout thoroughly, regrout with epoxy or cement-based grout with an anti-mould additive, and redo the silicone around the bath, tray and worktop. A full bathroom takes a day and needs 24 hours to dry.
Cracks, chipped plaster and dried damp. Hairline cracks where the partition meets the ceiling, salt blooms on ground-floor walls near the beach and the stain from a leak that has already been fixed are cleaned back, treated with a stabilising primer and repaired with mesh and filler. What we do not do is cover active damp: if the wall is still wet, the leak has to be found first, by our plumber or through the comunidad (residents' association).
How we work
- Photo on WhatsApp. One photo of the wall, tile or crack with something for scale (a hand, a coin) is enough for a fixed price per job or an estimate in hours. For regrouting and half-day jobs we come and look first if the photo is not enough.
- Visit the same day or within 24-48 hours. We arrive with fillers, plaster, tile adhesive, grout, mesh, primer and cutting tools, and with the replacement tile if we have sourced it for you. We protect floors and furniture and clean up when we finish.
- Payment on completion and a written guarantee. Cash, card, Bizum or bank transfer, with an invoice including IVA (VAT). Six months' guarantee on labour: if a tile we fitted comes loose or grout we applied cracks within that time, we come back at no charge.
What affects the price of a builder for small jobs
We work at €30-40 an hour with a two-hour minimum, or at a fixed price when the job is clear from the photo. The builder hourly rate page has worked examples with totals. What moves the price from one job to the next is this:
- Materials: filler and plaster are cheap; epoxy grout, flexible tile adhesive or a chemical anchor for fixings are charged separately at trade price.
- Replacements: if we have to track down a discontinued tile or a matching ceramic skirting, we charge the search time and transport.
- Area: regrouting a 1.2 x 0.9 m shower is not the same as a whole bathroom tiled to the ceiling.
- Drying and second visits: a large crack or a dried damp patch needs two coats with drying time in between, which means two short visits.
- Access and protection: ground floors with salt damage that has to be hacked off, furnished flats to cover, stairs with no lift for carrying bags up.
- Finish: leaving the wall ready for paint is included; painting it is a job for our painters and we can combine both in the same week if you like.
- Rubble: we take it away in bags to the recycling point; above 3-4 bags we charge for transport.
When the small repair is really a renovation
We are a small repairs service and it is in our interest to say so clearly: we do not do full renovations, we do not build partition walls, we do not replace entire floors and we do nothing that needs a building licence. If the photo shows a bathroom that needs retiling or a facade crack that looks structural, we tell you and pass you the contact of a renovation company or a building surveyor. We would rather lose a job than start something we cannot finish properly.
The most common borderline case is damp. A stain on the bathroom ceiling that comes back every winter is not a painting problem: it is usually the shower tray in the flat above, the downpipe or a cold bridge. We do the cosmetic repair only once the cause has been dealt with. The same goes for shower tiles coming away in a block: if there is water behind them, replacing five tiles is money down the drain; the wall has to be opened, dried and waterproofed. For replacing a bath with a shower tray, which we do take on as a small job without a licence, the prices are under bath to shower conversion.
Where our builder works
The two areas with a permanent team are small building works in Valencia, with plenty of jobs in Ruzafa, Benimaclet, El Cabanyal and the towns of l'Horta, and small building works in Alicante, from the Centro and Benalúa out to Playa de San Juan and San Vicente del Raspeig. In both cities we arrive in 25-45 minutes and group half-day jobs by neighbourhood.
In Alicante province we also cover Elche, Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa, where the typical job is regrouting terraces and bathrooms in bungalows, and Benidorm, Villajoyosa and Altea, with salt-damage repairs on ground floors and tiling in holiday apartments. In Santa Pola, Calpe, Jávea and Dénia we take on jobs of half a day or more, so the journey is worthwhile.
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…
Guides and tips
Frequently asked questions
How much does a builder charge per hour in Valencia or Alicante?
Between €30 and €40 an hour including VAT, with a two-hour minimum, for small works that need no licence. Materials (filler, tile adhesive, grout) are charged separately at trade price. For defined jobs such as replacing tiles or regrouting a bathroom we give a fixed price, which usually works out better than paying by the hour.
Can you replace a broken tile if I do not have a spare?
Yes. We look for an identical or very similar tile at warehouses in Valencia and Alicante, and if it has been discontinued we suggest replacing a whole strip with a contrasting tile, which looks better than a mismatched patch. Another option for small damage is to cover the hole with a trim or cover plate.
How long does regrouting take to dry before I can shower?
With cement-based grout, 24 hours before getting it wet; with epoxy, 12-24 hours depending on the manufacturer. Silicone around the tray or bath needs 24 hours in a bathroom with no window. We do the job in the morning so you can use the shower the next day.
Do you do full bathroom renovations?
No. We do small works that need no licence: replacing loose tiles, regrouting, filling holes, repairing cracks, swapping a bath for a shower tray. Retiling a whole bathroom, changing the layout or touching the soil stack is a renovation and we put you in touch with a company we trust.
Do you fix damp?
We repair the damage left by damp that has already been resolved: stains, flaking, blown plaster, salt blooms on ground floors. If the wall is still wet, the source has to be found and stopped first (leak, downpipe, water coming through the facade); a visible leak is a job for our plumber, and if it comes from the communal parts or the facade you need to take it up with the building administrator.
Do you leave the wall ready for paint, or do you paint it too?
The builder's job ends with the wall sanded, primed and ready for paint. Painting is done by our painting team, who can come the same day or the next so the patch disappears. If you want both, we quote them together and you save the second call-out.
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.