It is possible that, on some occasion, you have found that a relative, friend or acquaintance has a "peculiar" house. And it is characterized because instead of living in an apartment, a townhouse, a chalet, etc. he does it in a local. But, Can a place be transformed into a home?
Legally, the solution would be yes. But to do so, you need to take into account some issues. However, it is very easy and if you have a place and need an extra home, this may be the answer for many families. Do you want us to explain more to you?
Yes, a place can be transformed into a home.
There is no doubt that it is increasingly difficult to select a home. The high prices, the lack of space in some cities ... have led to the emergence of new alternatives for housing, not only through prefabricated houses, but also the economic premises itself.
These are much cheaper than a house and a premises can legally become a house. That is why, many choose this Option to transform a place into the house of your dreams. Decidedly, everything will depend on the city where you live and the City Council you depend on.
And it is that the premises cannot be changed directly for a house, it is necessary to process a series of changes for this to be "legal". At the same time, you have to bear in mind that not all premises are "suitable to become a home", there are a number of requirements to meet.
Transform a premises into a home: requirements to do so
When transforming a premises into a home, it must be borne in mind that there are a series of requirements that must be met. These are:
That the premises have an adequate useful surface.
And that is You cannot build a home in a local if it does not have, at least, 38m2, 25m2 in the case that it is a studio. This space should be considered a useful surface.
This means that any premises that are lower than the figures we have mentioned may not be authorized to transform it into a home and, no matter how much you need, they will not give you permission to do so.
The premises must be on urban land
This is something that the vast majority of locals will do, since these they are generally built in cities and towns. The idea is that these places are within the "urban" area and not the rustic area, since if they are, they will not be able to have this opportunity.
Other requirements
At the same time of these two great requirements that we have commented, there are some others that must be fulfilled but that will depend on the Autonomous Community in which you are, or the municipality, since they are more specific regulations.
Almost all of them will refer to ground level (not being able to build anything that is below the level of the sidewalk (for example a basement)), having lighting in the rooms and having all the minimum facilities (lighting, drains, plumbing , electricity ...) to make it habitable.
A very important point, and one that can invalidate the entire initiative to transform a premises into housing, is that the property community bylaws do not prohibit it; or that the neighborhood or district does it, because the number of homes per hectare is already exceeded.
How to transform a premises into a point-to-point home
Whether you have bought a place for this function or if you have one and now you need to convert it into a home, the steps you must follow to do it well, and not later tell you that you cannot use it as such, are the following:
Make an appointment with an architect
It is necessary for a professional to visit the premises and see if, according to the regulations, it could Comply with the requirements to convert a premises into a home. In case work is necessary, he can give you an estimate to see how much it will cost.
And it is that it will prepare a feasibility study of the project, where the work to be carried out, the time and the cost of that work are established. At the same time to recommend, or not, the transformation.
Present the project to the City Council
The next step you need to take is to conduct that study (as long as it is positive) to the City Council to study it and approve or deny it. If they approve it, you can continue with the next step but, if they deny it, at the same time giving you the reasons, it is feasible that you can change the project to suit them (or it is feasible that you do not obtain the permits and should leave it).
Change the land registry of the premises
If the City Council approves it and you can transform a local into a home, you must make a cadastral declaration to be able to change the cadastre of that place. And it is that it will become a home.
Pay building license fees
The last step would be Work begins to convert the premises into a home. And, in this case, you must apply for a building license to do so. Once finished, it is very likely that you will also have to pay the certificate of occupancy, in other words, the document that proves that the house meets the conditions to be inhabited by people.
This document can be delivered by the same architect who carried out the project in the beginning and can be granted before or after the works.
How much does it cost to convert a premises into a home?
We are not going to fool you, it is not cheap. But if we combine the price of the premises and the work you do, along with the procedures you have to carry out and pay for, it is feasible that it continues to be more profitable than buying a flat.
How much can we talk about? Without putting in work, we could be around 3,000 euros, just the certificate of occupancy and the change of use project. To this must be added the building license and the reforms, which can be between 20,000 and 40,000 euros (or more).
The final figure will depend on the city where you live, the cost of the architect, and the type of reform you carry out (as well as the materials you are going to use, whether they are of higher or lower quality, technological, expensive…).
