Who asks the questions, and when?
Usually the administrator or the president first, when they are preparing quotes for the agenda, and then individual owners once the documents have been circulated. The administrator's questions tend to be practical and contractual; the owners' questions tend to be about disruption, appearance and their own parking space.
In international urbanizaciones on the Costa del Sol, owners' questions often arrive by email from abroad, in English, after the quote has been sent. We find it works best to collect them through the administrator and answer them in a single document, so that every owner receives the same answers before the meeting and nobody is working from a partial picture.
What exactly will you do, and what is excluded?
This is almost always the first question, and the answer has to be written down. Our proposal for a community marks the area on a plan or photo and lists each element of the job, from lifting the old surface to the last joint. Anything we do not do is listed too, so it is clear where our scope ends.
- Included: lifting and disposal, excavation, sub-base, any bound layer, laying course, pavers and pattern, kerbs, drainage items, jointing and cleaning.
- Possibly included, if agreed: raising manhole covers, moving irrigation lines, contrasting blocks for parking bays.
- Excluded unless agreed: road markings in paint, lighting, gardening, work on the public pavement.
- Never done by us: technical projects, municipal filings, signing as the technician.
The administrator can then compare our scope with others line by line. Our checklist for community administrators lists what to ask every contractor.
How long will residents lose access to their parking?
We answer this with a phasing plan rather than a single duration. The area is divided into sections, at least one access stays open at all times, and the order of sections is agreed with the administrator. Each resident can see from the plan when their space is affected.
We do not publish general durations, because they depend on the area, the base found once the old surface is lifted, deliveries and weather. What we can say in advance is the sequence of phases and which spaces each one affects. Our article on paving a driveway you use every day explains how sections are organised.
Will the new paving suit heavy vehicles and the entrance?
Owners often ask this after they have seen another community's car park sink at the entrance. Our answer is that the build-up is zoned: entrances, turning areas and spots used by refuse trucks are built to a stronger standard than the quiet bays. The quote shows each zone separately.
If the community has a technical adviser or wants a specification for heavy traffic, we build to it. We are the paving contractor and do not design pavement structures for heavy loads ourselves. The reasoning behind the zones is explained in our guide to base for traffic loads.
What will happen to the water?
Communities ask this because they have often had puddles, flooded garages or water running onto a neighbour's terrace. Before quoting, we look at the existing gullies and channels, check where they discharge and propose falls that send water to them. Where new channels are needed, they are listed in the quote.
If a connection to the public network or work at the entrance onto the public road is needed, it is a municipal matter and needs separate authorisation under the local ordinance. We point this out in the proposal so the administrator can raise it with the town hall early.
What does the community have to arrange itself?
The meeting resolution, any municipal paperwork and the communication with owners. Under Spain's Horizontal Property Law, Ley 49/1960, work on common elements needs a resolution of the owners' meeting under article 17; the administrator confirms which majority the job requires. The community, through the administrator, also files whatever the town hall requires.
- Resolution of the owners' meeting approving the works and budget.
- Municipal paperwork: responsible declaration, licence or confirmation that none is needed.
- Notice to residents about phases, parking and deliveries.
- A named contact for the contractor, usually the president or administrator.
- Any authorisation for skips or lorries on the public road, if the town hall requires one; the administrator can ask what applies to the building's street.
Our guide for communities of owners covers the meeting process, and the guide to vehicle crossings and permits covers the town hall side.
How do you report during the works, and to whom?
To one contact, with photos at the end of each phase. Communities ask this because they have seen jobs where every owner gave different instructions. We agree in the contract that instructions come from the president or administrator, and we send progress photos to them for circulation.
Changes to the scope during the works are agreed in writing through the same contact. If an owner raises a concern on site, we note it and pass it on, rather than changing the work on the spot. This keeps the job aligned with what the meeting approved.
How does your quote compare with others?
We cannot answer that for other contractors, but we can make our quote easy to compare. It lists area, zones, layers, pavers, kerbs, drainage, phasing and exclusions as separate lines. We do not publish figures on this site; the published rates and the factors behind them are on our sister site under what a paving quote includes.
Our communal work is described on car parks and communities, and garage ramps within communities on garage entrances. Send us a photo and the approximate m² – free, no-obligation quote. Tell us the date of the next meeting and whether the quote should be in Spanish, English or both.
Frequently asked questions
Can you attend the owners' meeting?
If the administrator invites us and it fits the schedule, we can attend to answer technical questions. More often, we answer owners' questions in writing before the meeting, which gives everyone the same information and lets owners who are abroad read it in advance.
Do you send the proposal in Spanish and English?
Yes, for mixed communities we can prepare both versions. The content is the same in each, and technical terms are explained in plain language. That way the administrator can circulate one version or both, depending on the owners.
Can the community see the build-up in the quote?
Yes. Each layer is described in words: excavation, sub-base, any bound layer, laying course, pavers, pattern and kerbs, with zones shown separately where the entrance or turning areas need a stronger build. This lets the community see what it is voting for.
Will every owner's parking space be affected at some point?
Usually yes, but not at the same time. The phasing plan shows which spaces each phase affects and where cars can be parked meanwhile. Residents receive notice before their section is closed, so they can plan around it.
Who is responsible for the meeting resolution?
The community. The administrator prepares the agenda and calls the meeting, and the owners vote under the Horizontal Property Law. We provide the quote and answers to questions, but the decision and the resolution are the community's.
What if the community wants to phase the work over several budgets?
That is possible. The area is split into stages that make sense on their own, such as entrance first and bays later, and drainage is planned for the whole area so later stages fit. Each stage is quoted separately so the community can approve them one at a time.
Do you handle the town hall paperwork?
No. The community, through its administrator, files whatever the town hall requires. We provide the written description and quote that the filing usually needs. If work on the public pavement is involved, that authorisation is also requested by the community.
Can owners suggest colours or patterns?
Yes, and many do. We usually offer a small number of options suited to the traffic, with photos or samples, and the community chooses. Where the entrance takes heavy vehicles, the pattern is chosen for strength first, with colour as the flexible choice.
What happens if an owner complains during the works?
We listen, note the concern and pass it to the president or administrator, who decides whether action is needed. We do not change the scope on individual instructions, which protects the community's decision and keeps the work consistent.
Do you publish reviews from other communities?
No. We describe our process and the questions communities usually ask, rather than publishing reviews. If the administrator wants to understand how we work, the written proposal, the phasing plan and the photo reports during the job show it directly.