We renovate kitchens by first stripping out the old units and finishes, then renewing water supply, waste, electrical circuits and the extraction route, and only then preparing walls and floor for the new kitchen. Units, worktop, splashback and appliances are fitted at the end. Electrical and gas work is carried out by authorised partner installers under our coordination. You deal with one contractor and receive one itemised quote.
What does a kitchen renovation include?
A typical kitchen job on the coast runs like this:
- Strip-out of old units, worktop, appliances and, usually, wall and floor tiles.
- Services: new supply and waste for the sink and dishwasher, new circuits for the hob and oven, sockets at worktop height, and the extractor route.
- Walls and floor: levelling, plastering or boarding, and the new floor finish laid under where the units will stand or up to them, depending on the system.
- Units and worktop: assembly and fitting, worktop templating and installation, sink and hob cut-outs.
- Splashback, lighting and appliances, followed by testing and a final clean.
Whether we supply the units or fit units you have bought elsewhere is agreed at the start; the quote shows which.
Why do the services come before the units?
Because once the units and worktop are in, every pipe and cable behind them is hidden. Moving a sink outlet or adding a socket later means removing units, cutting the splashback and redecorating. Older kitchens on the Costa del Sol often have a single overloaded circuit, sockets in the wrong places and a waste pipe with too little fall.
We fix every position on a plan before strip-out: sink, dishwasher, washing machine if it lives in the kitchen, fridge, hob, oven, extractor and each socket. The kitchen renovation sequence guide explains the order in detail.
Who handles the electrics and any gas?
Electrical circuits and any gas connection are carried out by authorised partner installers who work under our coordination. In many coastal apartments the hob is electric or induction, which may need a dedicated circuit with adequate capacity. Where gas is still present, any change to it is a job for an authorised gas installer and is coordinated by us.
From your side nothing changes: one schedule, one quote, one point of contact.
How should the extractor work?
An extractor that ducts outside removes steam and smells far better than one that only recirculates through a filter. Whether ducting outside is possible depends on the building: an existing kitchen shaft, an outside wall, or the community’s rules about new openings in the façade. A new hole in the façade affects a shared element and usually needs the community’s agreement.
When ducting outside is not possible, a recirculating extractor with good filters is the fallback. We look at the options during the visit, before the units are designed around the hood.
Which worktop and splashback work in a coastal kitchen?
The choice is personal, but some practical points apply. Timber worktops look warm but need oiling and care around the sink. Stone and engineered surfaces are durable but heavy and need precise templating. A splashback can be tiled, clad in the same material as the worktop, or finished with a decorative wall coating like the ones in our project photos.
We do not push particular brands; we help you weigh durability, maintenance and how the kitchen will be used, whether as a family kitchen or in a holiday let.
Can the kitchen be opened to the living room?
Often, yes, and it is one of the most requested changes in apartments built in the seventies and eighties. It depends on whether the wall is structural, what services run inside it and how the extractor and smells will be handled in an open space. This is a project in its own right; see open-plan kitchens and the article open-plan kitchens: pros and cons.
Can I use the kitchen during the renovation?
Not the kitchen itself. Between strip-out and the final connection of sink and appliances there is a period without cooking or washing up in the kitchen. Owners who live in the property often set up a temporary corner elsewhere with a microwave and a kettle. If the property is a second home or a rental, it is simpler to schedule the work when it is empty.
We protect the rest of the property, seal the doorway where possible and clean as we go.
What goes wrong most often in kitchen renovations?
The faults we see when we are called to rescue a kitchen are rarely about the units. Sockets end up behind the fridge or inside a tall cupboard because nobody fixed their positions before the walls were closed. The dishwasher drains poorly because its waste joins the sink trap at the wrong height. The worktop was templated before the walls were finished, so it no longer fits. The extractor was bought before anyone checked where its duct could go.
Another common one is the floor. If the new floor is laid only up to the units, any later change of layout leaves a gap; if it runs under them, it must be finished before the units arrive. Neither is wrong, but the decision has to be made early.
Every one of these is avoided by fixing the plan before strip-out and keeping the trades in order, which is the core of what a single contractor provides.
What do you need from me to quote a kitchen?
Photos of each wall of the kitchen, the floor and the ceiling, the approximate floor area, and a rough idea of the layout you want. If you already have a kitchen design from a supplier, send it; we can work to it. We reply with a first assessment and follow up with a visit and an itemised quote.
If the kitchen is part of a larger project, our full renovation site explains how we coordinate a whole property.
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Baños Málaga · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
