We replace windows and external doors in villas and houses on the Costa del Sol as part of a renovation or as a job on their own. That includes surveying the openings, helping you choose frame type, glazing and opening style, removing the old frames, fitting and sealing the new ones and making good the reveals, sills and finishes. We check with you whether community rules or town hall paperwork apply before anything is ordered.
Why replace the windows in an older villa?
Older frames on the coast often stick, rattle, let in draughts, dust and rain, or no longer lock properly. Single glazing makes rooms cold in winter and noisy all year. Hardware corrodes in salty air, and seals harden in the sun. New windows change how a house feels more than most other single items: rooms become quieter and more even in temperature, and the house is more secure.
When the rest of the house is being renovated, windows belong early in the sequence, because fitting them disturbs plaster, paint and floors around each opening. If they are replaced after the interior is finished, those finishes have to be repaired.
Which frame and glazing options are there?
We explain the options neutrally and help you choose; we do not push one manufacturer. The main decisions are:
- Frame material: aluminium with a thermal break, PVC or timber, each with different looks, maintenance needs and behaviour in sun and salt air.
- Glazing: double or triple glazing, with laminated safety glass where people could fall against it or for added security.
- Opening type: tilt-and-turn, casement or sliding. Sliding doors suit wide terrace openings; tilt-and-turn windows tend to seal better.
- Shutters and grilles: roller shutters (persianas), traditional shutters or security grilles (rejas), which may be part of the community’s rules.
Spain’s building code sets thermal limits for windows that are replaced in a renovation; a reputable supplier will provide the technical data for the units you choose.
What does fitting involve?
- Survey: each opening measured and checked for square, level and condition of the reveals and sill.
- Ordering: frames are made to measure; lead times depend on the supplier and are agreed before work starts.
- Removal of the old frame with care for the surrounding wall.
- Preparation of the opening: repairs, new sill with a drip where needed.
- Fixing and sealing: frame fixed to the structure, gaps filled and sealed inside and out to keep water and air out.
- Making good: reveals plastered and painted, outside render repaired, trims fitted.
Rooms are protected while we work, and openings are never left unsecured overnight.
Do I need permission to change windows?
Usually some form of notification, and the type depends on whether the opening changes. As an example from Málaga province, Nerja’s minor-works form distinguishes between replacing frames, shutters and grilles without changing the opening and doing so with changes to the opening, where it asks for a drawing signed by a technician. Other town halls use their own forms (requirements in your municipality: to be verified).
On a townhouse or an apartment-style community, the statutes often fix frame colour, material and style, because windows form part of the external appearance. Check with the administrator before you order. Our guide on permits for façade, roof and window works explains the background.
Can windows be enlarged or new openings made?
Enlarging an opening or creating a new one, for example a wide sliding door to a terrace, means cutting into the wall. In most houses that wall carries loads, so a technician has to design the new lintel or beam and the paperwork changes accordingly. Once the design is in place, we can carry out the work: cutting the opening, installing the support, fitting the frame and making good inside and out.
How do windows fit with insulation and the façade?
If you are considering external wall insulation, decide before ordering windows. The insulation makes the walls thicker, which affects where the frame sits in the opening, the depth of the reveals and the size of the new sills. Fitting windows first and insulating later can leave awkward junctions that let water in. When both are planned together, the frame position, sill and insulation return are detailed as one, and the façade repair is done once.
What about coastal conditions?
Salt air and strong sun are hard on hardware, seals and finishes. When choosing, ask suppliers about the corrosion resistance of hinges, handles and fixings, and about the finish of aluminium or the UV stability of PVC. Simple maintenance helps a great deal: rinsing tracks and hardware, keeping drainage slots in sliding frames clear, and checking seals once a year. Our guide on façade maintenance by the sea covers the wider envelope.
How is window replacement quoted?
Send a photo of each window and door from inside and outside, with approximate sizes, for a first estimate by email or WhatsApp. The itemised quote follows a survey: each unit with its type, size, glazing and opening style, removal and disposal, fitting and sealing, sills and making good, and exclusions. If you prefer to buy the windows from a supplier of your choice, we can quote for the building work around them instead.
Can windows be replaced while the house is occupied?
Yes. Windows are usually replaced one room at a time, so each opening is out for a short period and closed again the same day. We move or cover furniture near the windows, protect floors and lay dust sheets, and clean up as we go. If you are renovating the whole house, the windows go in early in the sequence and the interior finishes follow, so occupation is less of an issue. If the house is let, tell us the dates when guests arrive so that work is scheduled around them.
Official sources
- Ayuntamiento de Nerja – declaración responsable, obras menores sin proyecto (Anexo I)
- Real Decreto 732/2019 – modificación del CTE, DB-HE (BOE-A-2019-18528)
Bauman Raymond Attila · Reforma Villas Costa del Sol · Avenida Antonio Belón 3, Marbella. Last reviewed: 05/11/2026.
