For professionals · Investors

Architects for investors: due diligence, renovation and rehabilitation

Before you buy, we tell you what condition the property is in. Afterwards, we design and manage the renovation that adds value to it.

What we solve

From the purchase decision to a property ready for the market

Reliable technical information to decide, and a team that turns that information into a profitable project.

Pre-purchase inspection

We visit the home before you buy and give you a report on the defects observed and its planning status, so you can negotiate with facts.

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Technical due diligence

Technical and planning review of buildings or several properties before a portfolio purchase.

Hidden risks when buying →

Value-adding renovation

We assess the condition of each property, propose the intervention that adds value and draw up the project before it is let or sold.

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Major rehabilitations

Full rehabilitation of entire buildings, including energy and structural upgrades, from diagnosis to completion.

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Change of use from commercial premises to home

Preliminary feasibility study and, if it goes ahead, project, planning permission and site management.

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Habitability and energy certificates

Certificate of habitability and energy certificate to let or sell once the works are finished.

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How we work

Phase by phase, deciding at every step

You can commission just the inspection, or work with us until the property is ready for the market.

1. Before you buy

We visit the property and review the documentation and its planning status.

2. Proposed intervention

Which works are needed and which add value, with an estimate of their cost.

3. Project and quotes

We draw up the project with drawings and quantity measurements and request quotes from several contractors for you to choose from.

4. Permits and works

We obtain the permits and manage the works so they are done properly, on time and according to the project.

5. Ready for the market

Certificate of habitability and energy certificate to let or sell.

Before you sign

Architects for investors: technical facts to decide

A property purchase is won or lost in what you cannot see on the viewing: a damaged structure, services that need redoing or a use that is not legal. Working with architects for investors before the purchase turns those doubts into concrete information you can negotiate with.

If the deal goes ahead, the same team proposes the intervention that adds most value, draws up the project, requests quotes from several contractors and manages the works until the property is ready to let or sell.

That is what we did in the change of use of commercial premises in Nou Barris: an 86 m² bar turned into a three-bedroom rental home with a certificate of habitability.

Open kitchen in the rental home created through a change of use in Nou Barris, a Kaitek project, architects for investors
Change of use in Nou Barris: a former bar turned into a three-bedroom rental home.

Projects

Renovations and changes of use that add value to your investment

Three examples of the kind of intervention we propose as architects for investors: homes that gain usable floor area, daylight and a legal use so they can be let or sold.

Open kitchen under Catalan vaults in a flat renovation on Avinguda de Sarrià

Flat with Catalan vaults in Sarrià

Full renovation of 110 m² in a 1966 building: kitchen, dining and living areas joined under the restored vaults, and four double bedrooms. See project →

Living room with timber beams in the home created from commercial premises in Sants

From commercial premises to home in Sants

Ground-floor premises on Carrer Sugranyes turned into a 62 m² home, with views of the courtyard from every room and ready for an extra bedroom. See project →

Living room with a joist-and-vault ceiling after joining two flats in the Eixample

Joining two flats in the Eixample

Two flats on Carrer Aragó turned into a single 160 m² home, designed for a sense of space along the whole façade. See project →

Where we work

Barcelona and all of Catalonia

As architects for investors, we carry out inspections in Barcelona and its metropolitan area, and elsewhere in Catalonia when there are several properties in the same area.

We take on renovation and rehabilitation projects throughout Catalonia.

Why Kaitek

Technical profile, design vision

  • More than 20 years diagnosing building defects and inspecting properties before purchase.
  • Registered architects in charge: Sergio Sanz (COAC registration no. 63,249) and Pau Martínez (registration no. 55,403 with the COAC) sign the work.
  • Large-scale rehabilitation: design and site management of the energy retrofit of three public housing blocks in Can Vilardell (Terrassa).
  • Service in English, Spanish and Catalan, for local and international investors.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about architects for investors

A visual inspection of the property and of the accessible common areas, a review of its planning status and a report on what was observed. If something needs checking in more depth, we tell you.

Yes. We prepare a joint quote and organise the visits to meet your decision deadlines.

Yes, as a guide. With the project and the contractors’ quotes you will have the actual cost.

No: we are architects, not a building contractor. We draw up the project, request quotes from several contractors for you to choose from and manage the works.

Yes. We work as architects for local and international investors: we can help you in English, Spanish or Catalan, and we can also deliver the reports in English.

Because the most expensive defects —structure, damp, services or a use that is not legal— are not always visible on a sales viewing. Finding them before you sign the deposit contract gives you room to decide and negotiate.

The report describes them and, where possible, gives a rough idea of their extent. With that information you can renegotiate the price, ask the seller to repair them or walk away from the purchase.

Yes. With a preliminary feasibility study we review the planning rules, the housing density allowed in the building and the habitability requirements to find out whether the change of use is possible.

Yes. As architects for investors, we are often asked to compare options: if you are considering several properties, we can visit them on the same day and give you a report on each, so you can compare their condition and the work each would need before deciding.

Related

Find out more

Are you considering a purchase?

Send us the address and, as architects for investors, we will prepare a quote tailored to your deadlines. If you would like to send us documents, email them to info@kaitekarquitectura.com.