Kitchen studios

Torre del Mar has six kitchen studios that design, sell and fit kitchens, and the striking thing is where they are: four of the six sit on the same street, Calle Pintor Cipriano Maldonado, next to the town's parquet fitter. That short stretch is the interior renovation axis of Torre del Mar.

Which means you can compare properly

Collecting quotes normally takes weeks of driving around. Here you can walk the whole trade in a morning, which is the single most useful thing to know before starting a kitchen. One of the six is also a German brand studio, which for German speaking customers removes a layer of translation from a job full of technical vocabulary.

What to ask for in every quote

• Whether appliances are included. They often are not, and it is the largest swing between two quotes that look comparable.
• Whether fitting, removal of the old kitchen and the plumbing and electrical work are in the price. These are frequently quoted separately.
• The delivery time in weeks, in writing. Kitchens are made to order.

The paperwork

Replacing a kitchen normally counts as minor works and needs a notification or licence from the council before starting. In a community of owners you also give notice before work begins, and the building's own rules on working hours apply.