jimmbo

Was wondering if houses are actually cheaper in the UK than Spain?
I have been told that the ave build cost per cubic metre is €1K(£666) in Spain, and £1k in the UK. If this is correct then do you get more for your money in the Uk? 2 walls with cavity, damp proof course, pitched roof.
Spain, no damp proof course (pre 2006) a concrete base, pillars & roof and single walls built using hollow bricks.
Is this correct? or have I been misinformed?

Mitzyboy

You're talking of two different sets of needs.

Having a new build ourselves, this is constructed of breeze block outer, a two inch polystyrene sheet for insulation, and then ladrillo hollow bricks on exterior walls. No damp course, concrete floors and the internal render is a cement mix rather than plaster. The ceilings thick sheet, suspended, and plastered, roof concrete block with tiled finish

I wouldn't be too happy about a house built of soley the ladrillo hollow bricks.

I wouldn't have got a place like this for the money I paid back in the UK.

big wheels

It all depends on where you buy in Spain. Some coastal holiday homes tend to be thrown up using single walls built of hollow bricks. But look around away from the holiday zone and you will find houses with pitched roofs, complete with guttering, and walls of around 2 feet thick built from quarry stone.

mikelincs

In monetary terms, then houses in Spain are cheaper. It's also horses for courses, remember that in the UK cavity walls are essential, insulation is essential. In parts of Spain, then there is rarely a frost, so the same degree of insulation isn't needed, in fact a lot of Spanish houses are built to stay cool in summer. There is little wood used in modern Spanish construction, the roof doesn't have wooden supports, therefore no need for loft and loft insulation.

bchapl

Mitzyboy is quite correct when he says he wouldn't have got a comparable house in the UK for the same money. Our 4 bed, 2 bath house in Hondon has 2 1/2 acres of land, plus a swimming pool. In the UK we would never have got a house like this (certainly in the Essex area, where we live) for less than £1million. In Spain we have paid a quarter of that. You also have to think about the cost of living, which is most definitely cheaper than in the UK!
bchapl

scampicat

We bought our traditional village house in a peublo blanco for the price of an ex-Council prefab. (£35k/50k euros in 2004). We spent 10k euros doing it up. It is three-bed, three storey and a roof terrace.

The house is not insulated although the lower walls are 18 inches thick.

But the prefab wasn't insulated either.