Costa Blanca North · Altea

Villa renovation in Altea, managed from concept to completion

Altea combines a whitewashed hilltop old town with hillside villas and gated developments looking out across the bay, and renovation here asks for a strong design sense. CostaVeyra manages complete renovations in Altea, from contemporary villas in the hills to old-town houses, for owners who live here or abroad.

Property in Altea

What you typically find here.

Houses in the old town

Narrow, whitewashed town houses on steep streets around the church with its blue-tiled dome, often with thick walls, small rooms and roof terraces.

Villas in gated hillside developments

Large contemporary and Mediterranean-style villas in developments such as Altea Hills, with sea views, pools and their own community rules.

Villas on the slopes towards the Sierra de Bernia

Detached houses of varied ages on sloping plots inland and around Mascarat, often with terraced gardens.

Seafront and town apartments

Apartments along the promenade and in the newer parts of town, typically within a community of owners.

A villa renovation in Altea is judged as much by its design as by its build quality. CostaVeyra manages the whole renovation from concept to completion, with one point of contact for design direction, permits, works and handover, whether the property is a villa in Altea Hills or a house in the old town.

A whitewashed town with an artistic eye

Altea’s old town is one of the most recognisable images of the Costa Blanca: whitewashed houses climbing a hill to a church crowned by a blue-tiled dome, with the Sierra de Bernia behind and the sea in front. The town has a long association with artists and craftspeople, and that shows in how people here think about houses. Proportion, materials and light matter.

Beyond the old town, the housing stock is varied. Gated hillside developments such as Altea Hills hold large villas, many of them contemporary, with sweeping sea views. Older villas sit on the slopes inland and around Mascarat, and apartment buildings line the seafront and the newer parts of town.

What owners usually want to change

In the old town, projects are often about making a narrow house work for modern life without losing what makes it special: reorganising small rooms, improving stairs, bringing in light, waterproofing and refining a roof terrace, and installing discreet climate control.

In the hillside villas, the brief is usually one of refinement. Owners of contemporary houses ask for better shading on sea-facing glass, new kitchens and bathrooms in natural stone, improved pool areas and interiors that feel more personal; our interior design work is often at the centre of these projects. Older Mediterranean-style villas tend to need a deeper renovation: new glazing, layout changes, insulation and services. Our guide on where to spend your budget when renovating a villa helps with prioritising.

Apartment owners, particularly along the seafront, often want a complete interior renovation; see apartment renovations.

How projects tend to unfold here

Permits are handled by the Altea ayuntamiento. As a general guide, interior work without structural change usually proceeds by declaración responsable, while façade alterations, extensions and many pool works need a licencia de obra mayor with a technical project. In the historic centre, expect closer attention to exterior appearance, and confirm the procedure before committing to a design.

In gated developments such as Altea Hills, the community of owners is the second layer to consider. Statutes and internal rules can affect exterior appearance, contractor access and working hours, so they belong in the brief and the programme from the outset.

Access shapes many projects. Old-town streets are narrow and steep, which can mean small vehicles and manual handling, while hillside plots may need retaining walls, careful drainage and planning for deliveries. Summer is the busiest time in town, and many urbanisations restrict noisy works in July and August.

How CostaVeyra manages a renovation in Altea

Survey and brief. We visit the property, assess its condition, access and constraints, and agree a written brief.
Design direction and budget. We define the layout, materials and specification, and set a realistic budget and programme.
Permits and community approvals. We coordinate the architect, the submission to the Altea ayuntamiento and, where relevant, the community of owners.
Coordinating the works. Our project team coordinates contractors, joinery, stone, glazing and pool specialists, and monitors quality, cost and progress on site.
Regular reports. You receive updates with photos and video at each stage.
Snagging and handover. We resolve snags and hand over the finished home with its documentation.

See our approach to villa renovation on the Costa Blanca and how we work with international homeowners.

Local considerations

Worth knowing before you plan in Altea.

Community rules in gated developments

Gated developments such as Altea Hills have their own community of owners with statutes and internal rules that can cover exterior appearance, contractor access and working hours. We review them, and the administrator's requirements, before the design is finalised.

Old-town constraints

In the historic centre, narrow and steep streets limit access for vehicles and skips, and the town's planning rules can be stricter about façades, colours and openings. We confirm the procedure with the Altea ayuntamiento and the architect early.

Hillside access

Steep plots in the hills and around Mascarat can need retaining walls, careful drainage and logistics planning for deliveries, all of which we build into the programme.

Design expectations

Altea has a long arts heritage and a design-literate population. Detailed specifications, natural materials and careful finishing are central to how we define projects here.

Tell us about your property in Altea.

Location, current condition and what you would like to achieve — that is enough to begin. We take care of the rest.

Request a project consultation

Renovating in Altea: questions

Do I need permission from the community to renovate my villa in Altea Hills?

Interior work usually needs only the municipal procedure, but anything affecting the exterior, common elements or access is likely to involve the community of owners and its rules. We ask the administrator for the statutes and internal regulations before design work goes too far. The municipal permit is a separate step through the Altea ayuntamiento.

Is renovating an old-town house in Altea more complicated?

Often, yes. Thick walls, old structures and limited access make surveys and logistics more involved, and the town's planning rules can be stricter about the exterior. Working with an architect who knows the historic centre and trades used to narrow streets makes a real difference, and we plan for both from the start.

What kind of finishes suit Altea?

Many owners lean towards lime plaster, natural stone, oak and handmade tiles, which echo the old town and age well in the sun and salt air. In contemporary villas, the emphasis is often on clean detailing and well-made glazing and shading.

Can you manage a renovation in Altea while I live abroad?

Yes. You have one point of contact throughout, material and design decisions are prepared for you clearly, and regular reports with photos and video keep you informed between visits.

Do you handle the whole renovation or only parts of it?

Complete renovations are our speciality: interiors, glazing, terraces, pool and garden managed as one project. Single rooms are usually part of a wider managed renovation, but they can be discussed.

Nearby areas

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Alicante & Central

Renovating in Altea?

Tell us about your property and what you want to create. A member of our project team reads every enquiry and replies personally.

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