12-minute read to discover how we prepare and deliver a complete renovation.

WE ARE BUILDERS

At Gorka Lomeña, we are a construction company specialising in complete renovations and residential refurbishment.

We mainly operate within an approximately 40-minute radius of Irun, covering both Gipuzkoa and the nearby areas of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

This is our natural working area: the region we know and where we carry out most of our projects.

We are also accustomed to delivering projects for clients who live elsewhere and collaborating with architects, interior designers and practices from other cities when they develop projects in our area.

But wherever a project comes from, our profession remains the same: We study, prepare, coordinate, build and take care of the details.

Renovating a home is a major investment and, for many people, something they will only do a few times in their lives.

We do it every day.

It is our job, project after project. That accumulated experience allows us to guide clients through a process that may be exceptional for them, but is part of our everyday work.

We work directly with homeowners and also deliver projects developed by architects, interior architects and interior designers.

Our speciality is simple to explain: making sure that a good project also becomes a good build.

A COMPANY ORGANISED AROUND THE BUILD

A complete renovation does not begin when the first trades arrive on site.

A great deal of work comes before that.

That is why we have gradually organised our company around different stages of the same project: Study, Preparation and Execution.

The project first passes through our Study Department, where we analyse the documentation, measurements, construction solutions and costs in order to prepare an initial quotation.

And we call it an initial quotation because, in a complete renovation, it is normal for the budget to evolve before reaching its final version.

As the client receives prices, reviews the project and finalises decisions, small changes arise: new items are added, others are modified, materials are specified and solutions are adjusted.

That is why we often prepare two or three versions of the quotation before reaching the final proposal that will form the basis for contracting the works.

For us, this process is not wasted time. Quite the opposite: it is part of studying the project and allows the client, design and budget to be aligned before work begins.

Once our proposal has been accepted, the Preparation phase begins.

At this stage, our aim is to ensure that all the knowledge gained during the study is carried through into execution. We want continuity between the different stages and for the decisions made throughout the process to accompany the project all the way to site.

During preparation, details are reviewed, supplies are organised, requirements are anticipated, trades are coordinated and all the information needed for a proper start is prepared.

From that point onwards, the Execution team and the site manager work in close coordination, monitoring the works, organising the different trades and checking progress on a daily basis.

In this way, information is not lost between departments: what is studied is prepared, and what is prepared is executed.

We do not do everything perfectly. No company can seriously claim that.

But we do our work very well, we have extensive accumulated experience and we maintain a high level of standards on every project.

And above all, we keep improving every day, learning from each project and constantly looking for ways to do our work better.

DO YOU ALREADY HAVE A PROJECT?

Perfect. Many of our projects begin this way.

The client comes to us with a project developed by their architect or interior designer and needs a construction company to study it, price it and ultimately deliver it.

Our Study Department reviews the documentation, measurements and construction solutions before preparing the financial proposal.

Once the project has been awarded, another equally important stage begins: preparing its execution.

Spaces and details can be perfectly defined on paper. They then have to be turned into reality, coordinated and adapted to everything that inevitably arises during construction.

WE WORK HAND IN HAND WITH ARCHITECTS

We regularly work with architects, interior architects and interior designers from our area. We have been collaborating with some of them on different projects for years.

We also understand that larger projects need good professionals behind them and clear architectural direction.

We have also worked with practices from Madrid, Barcelona, Paris and other cities that develop projects here and travel regularly to monitor progress on site.

The same applies to homeowners.

Most of our clients are local, but we also deliver homes for people who, because of work, residence or other circumstances, spend much of their time elsewhere.

We are used to both situations.

When the architect or owner cannot physically be on site every week, communication becomes even more important.

A renovation constantly generates details, questions and decisions. Photographs, videos, measurements, drawings, meetings and follow-up allow many issues to be resolved without necessarily having to wait until the next site visit.

But whether the client is ten minutes away or a thousand kilometres away, the principle is exactly the same:

a project needs communication.

The client, architect, contractor and trades all need the right information and must work in the same direction.

As Miguel Ángel once told us on a project, his father always used to say that everyone has to row in the same direction.

DON’T HAVE A PROJECT YET?

Here, we prefer to be clear: we are a construction company, not an architectural practice.

We have architects and technical professionals within our organisation because we need the technical capability to study projects, prepare them, solve problems and coordinate properly with the designers.

But our objective is not to provide architectural design services for third parties.

If a renovation requires major transformation, significant structural alterations or genuine architectural development, we believe the right approach is to work with a good architect.

We can then study, price, prepare and execute that project.

Naturally, there are simpler renovations that do not require the same level of development. In those cases, we can assess the situation and determine together with the client what documentation will actually be required.

But we want our position to be clear: our trade is building. And we want to focus on doing it better and better.

HAS YOUR PROJECT GONE OVER BUDGET?

That happens too. And more often than people think.

Even on projects with very high budgets, costs are carefully reviewed.

The fact that a client prioritises exceptional quality does not mean that cost stops mattering.

Choosing to invest more in certain materials, solutions or finishes because they genuinely add value to the project is one thing. Paying more for a solution that could be built in a more rational way is something very different.

Sometimes we receive excellent projects that, once real construction prices are obtained, significantly exceed the investment initially planned.

In these cases, we can review the project together with the client and design team to understand where the cost really lies.

It is not about cutting for the sake of cutting. We analyse materials, construction systems and details to identify what is worth keeping and where alternatives may exist.

The same can happen with structures.

Sometimes we receive very conservative or excessively complex structural solutions which, although technically valid, can make execution more difficult and considerably increase costs.

When we identify something like this, we never alter a structure on our own initiative.

We discuss it with the architect and technical team and, when we believe there is room for improvement, we propose reviewing the solution with structural engineers.

On different projects, this type of review has made it possible to simplify structures, make execution easier and reduce costs, always with the appropriate calculations and approval from the responsible professionals.

Because a structure must obviously be safe.

But it should also be coherent, buildable and reasonable.

Our daily site experience allows us to contribute that perspective and seek a balance between architecture, structure, quality, functionality and investment.

A PROJECT STARTS WITH GOOD PLANNING

This is one of the concepts we most enjoy explaining.

The client accepts the quotation and asks: “Perfect. When do we start?”

And our answer may be: “In three months.”

After spending months thinking about the renovation, hearing that there is still a wait ahead can be frustrating.

But those three months are not wasted time. They are time gained.

Once the project has been approved, the work of our Preparation team begins, in coordination with the future site manager.

Before the first trades arrive, drawings and measurements need to be reviewed, construction solutions studied, services coordinated, trades organised and many of the decisions that will later affect execution finalised.

Flooring and wall finishes, sanitaryware and taps, joinery, lighting, colours, finishes and equipment also need to be selected. Some of these items may take weeks or even months to manufacture and deliver.

An investment of this importance should not be decided in a rush, with the site already open and several professionals waiting for an answer.

We prefer there to be enough time to look, compare, think, ask questions, change your mind and ultimately make the right choice.

An entire home does not need to be decided in a week.

A major investment deserves time, attention and care.

That is why preparing a project for three months does not necessarily mean delaying it by three months.

Very often, it means avoiding losing those months later.

A well-prepared project may start later and progress much more smoothly.

MATERIALS, DECISIONS AND PREPARATION

During this phase, we support the client with the decisions that directly affect execution.

We have worked for many years with specialist merchants, manufacturers and suppliers.

On some projects, materials and finishes are fully specified by the architect or interior designer; on others, they are selected directly with the owner; and very often decisions are made together.

But choosing is only one part of the process.

You need to know what to order, when to order it, when it needs to arrive, how it will be installed and which other works depend on it.

A decision made at the right time helps the project move forward.

The same decision made too late can stop several trades.

This is precisely why we have gradually organised our company into different areas.

Study, Preparation and Execution are not isolated departments. They are different stages of the same project.

The information gathered during the study stage must reach preparation, and everything that has been prepared must be properly transferred to the site manager and execution team.

Behind this organisation is a very simple objective: to reduce improvisation, anticipate more effectively and use our experience to keep raising the standard of every project.

A PROJECT IS A TEAM

A complete renovation can involve six different companies, ten, or on especially complex projects, fifteen or more.

Construction, electrical work, plumbing, HVAC, joinery, plasterboard, painting, stone, glazing, kitchens, lighting, metalwork, waterproofing… as well as the owner, architects, interior designers, suppliers and our own team.

That is why a project does not work simply because everyone does their own part well.

It works when everyone works as a team.

We have been working for years with many of the companies and professionals who regularly take part in our projects.

Electricians, plumbers, carpenters, plasterboard installers, painters, installers and other specialists know the way we work, and we know theirs.

We know how they work, they know how we work, and there is professional trust built project after project.

That is extremely valuable.

Because on a complete renovation, it is not enough for each trade to carry out its own work correctly.

All the pieces have to fit together.

And this way of working becomes even more important when a problem arises.

Because problems do arise.

When they do, we do not need everyone simply defending their own part. We need people willing to understand what is happening and find a solution.

Client, architect, contractor and trades. Everyone rowing in the same direction.

PREPARE, COORDINATE AND EXECUTE

A complete renovation involves hundreds of decisions, and almost all of them are connected.

Changing a bathroom can affect plumbing, electrical work, tiling, shower screens and joinery. Changing the lighting can affect ceilings and painting. A kitchen may require services that must be prepared months before the furniture arrives.

And this happens repeatedly throughout a project.

That is why our work is not simply about building.

It is also about anticipating what comes next: Prepare, Coordinate, Execute, Control and Resolve.

WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS

In refurbishment, there is always a part of the building that cannot be fully understood until work begins and elements are opened up.

Behind a wall or beneath a floor, you may find structures that differ from what was expected, old services, damp or deteriorated elements that were not shown on any drawing.

That is part of working with existing buildings.

And however much experience we have, it will continue to happen.

When a situation like this arises, we study the problem, inform the client and technical team and work together to find the right solution.

After many years carrying out renovations, we have learned something: a good construction company is not one that never encounters problems. It is one that knows how to solve the problems that arise.

OUR SPECIALITY: COMPLETE RENOVATIONS

We specialise in complete renovations and residential refurbishment.

We work on flats, apartments and detached houses, from relatively straightforward complete renovations to much more complex refurbishment projects.

Within these projects, we coordinate reconfigurations, services, structural work, insulation, masonry, joinery, finishes, kitchens, bathrooms and all the trades required to complete the project.

And when there is an architect or interior designer behind the project, our role remains exactly the same: understand the project, prepare it and execute it properly.

WHAT WE DON’T DO

Specialising has also meant learning to say no.

Years ago, we decided to focus our resources on projects where our structure genuinely adds value.

That is why, as a general rule, we do not carry out isolated minor repairs, small masonry jobs or standalone renovations of a single bathroom.

Not because these jobs are less important.

Quite the opposite. We know exactly how much time is required to properly manage even a small intervention.

Planning, travel, purchasing, coordination and follow-up all consume resources that we prefer to dedicate to the complete renovation projects we are already carrying out.

We prefer to take on fewer projects and give them greater attention.

IN THE END, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE WELL BUILT

Behind a renovation there may be months of design work, meetings, decisions, drawings, materials and hundreds of working hours from many different people.

Our responsibility is to make sure all of that ultimately becomes a good build.

We may work directly with a homeowner or alongside an architect. On a simple project or a complex refurbishment. For someone who lives locally or for a client who follows part of the project from elsewhere.

Our way of working remains the same: study, prepare, communicate, coordinate, execute and resolve.

Because a home can be exceptionally well designed.

Our job is to make sure it is also exceptionally well built.