Comprehensive reform in Bilbao. District Gran Vía Don Diego López de Haro. Basque Country.

See explanation of the project

We are located in the center of Bilbao. Specifically in a luxurious and classic building of about 120 years with wooden structure, next to the Gran Vía Don Diego Lopez de Haro, Sabino Arana Avenue, the Euskalduna Convention Center and the La Casilda Park. The building already has a few floors already renovated.

The owner who has bought the apartment is a "handyman" and wants to make a comprehensive refurbishing on his own. He wants to transform this apartment of more than 110 m² into a large loft, for which he needs to demolish all the partitions and the ceiling. Leave the whole floor completely empty.

To carry out this demolition requires a specialized company, since the structure (pillars, beams, etc.) of the building is fully built of wood. So he calls us for this work, for which we bring the collaboration of our architect and our Know-how.

It is a fourth floor without elevator and with wooden staircase. So, in order not to cause damage, we protect the Gateway, landings and stair till the door of the appartment.

First of all, the plumbing must be annulled (a water leak in a wooden building of this age can be fatal to the structure) and electricity (we find cloth-lined wires...) and install a temporary electrical panel for the lasting time of the work.

The work is not easy: before removing partitions, it is essential to strengthen with struts and reinforce the structure. But by removing the false ceiling, we already find surprises: humidity on the upper floor have caused part of the structure become rotten and stand up where it should not. So we are forced to manufacture and install a substructure of IPN galvanized steel beams.