Apartment Renovation
We renovate whole apartments, and street-level shops converted into homes, with the same team from the survey to handover: design, the municipality when the works require it, a fixed budget broken down by trade, and construction. On this page we explain how much a full renovation costs, when you need a permit and the condominium’s approval, and how the work runs.
- Permit. As a rule, none is needed: alteration works inside a unit are exempt. The municipality is informed at least five days before the works start.
- Condominium. It only decides when the works affect the façade or the appearance of the building, by two thirds of the total value.
- Cost. A renovation starts at €750 to €950 per m² of gross floor area, excluding VAT, and rises with the type of rehabilitation: work on the façade or the structure, or a change of use, costs more.
- Two ways of working. Construction by the studio’s team, or by your own contractor under our coordination.
From survey to keys, in six steps
Each step settles a decision before moving on to the next. That is how the works run without surprises.
Visit and survey. We measure the apartment and check the condition of the services, walls and floors. This is where surprises on site are avoided.
Design. Layout, kitchen, bathrooms, joinery and finishes, with material samples so that you decide with confidence.
Municipality. Exempt works: we inform the municipality before work starts. Works that need a permit, a prior information request (PIP) or a prior notification: we prepare the application and follow it through to the decision.
Fixed budget. Bill of quantities by trade: demolition, walls and ceilings, floors, bathrooms, kitchen and joinery, windows, services and painting. You know what you pay for in each part of the works.
Construction. A fixed schedule and a single point of contact. Noisy works take place on weekdays, between 8 am and 8 pm.
Handover. Final clean, point-by-point inspection and handover of an apartment ready to live in.
Do you need a permit to renovate an apartment?
It depends on what the works touch. The legal framework for urban development and building (RJUE), in the version in force since 1 October 2026, distinguishes three cases:
- Interior only, without touching the structure. Partition walls, kitchen, bathrooms, floors and services. The works are exempt from planning permission and from prior notification (RJUE, art. 6(1)(b)).
- Interior, with changes to the structure. Opening a load-bearing wall, for example. The exemption still applies, but the works require a structural design and a statement of responsibility by a qualified professional, filed with the municipality together with the notice of start of works.
- The façade, the use or a listed building. Changing the design of the openings, converting a shop into a home or working on a listed building goes through the municipality before the works, by prior notification or by planning permission, depending on the case. We explain the difference in planning permission or prior notification.
Exempt does not mean free of formalities. At least five days before the start, even for exempt works, whoever promotes the works informs the municipality and identifies who will carry them out; within the same period, a notice visible from the street is posted on site (RJUE, art. 80-A). Only maintenance works carried out entirely inside are exempt from informing the municipality. We handle these formalities for you.
Older buildings: check before you demolish
In Lisbon’s older buildings, a wall that looks like a partition may be part of the structure. In Pombaline buildings, the frontal walls belong to the timber cage that braces the building. That is why the survey comes before the design: knowing what can be demolished decides the layout, the cost and the procedure with the municipality.
Condominium and horizontal property
The condominium and the municipality decide different things, and the approval of one does not replace the other’s. In a building under horizontal property, what counts is what the works change:
- Works only inside the unit. No approval from the owners’ meeting is needed. We inform the building management before starting.
- Façade, windows and appearance. The façade is a common part of the building. Works that change the architectural line or the appearance of the building need prior approval from the owners’ meeting, by two thirds of the total value of the building (Portuguese Civil Code, art. 1422(3)). Replacing the windows with others of a different design, colour or material may fall into this case.
- Shop converted into a home. Since 2024, changing the use of a unit to housing does not need the approval of the other owners (Portuguese Civil Code, art. 1422-B). It still needs the municipality.
- Noise. Noisy works next to homes are prohibited on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, and on weekdays between 8 pm and 8 am (General Noise Regulation, art. 14).
How much does it cost to renovate an apartment?
It depends on the type of rehabilitation. As an order of magnitude, the construction cost of a renovation starts at €750 to €950 per m² of gross floor area, excluding VAT, and rises from there with what the works touch and with the finishes.
- €750 to €950/m² to start with
- more depending on the type of rehabilitation: façade, structure, change of use, services and finishes
A full renovation usually includes demolition, walls and ceilings, floors, bathrooms, kitchen and joinery, doors and wardrobes, electrical, water and drainage services, painting and a final clean. For an 80 m² two-bedroom apartment, that gives a starting point of €60,000 to €76,000, excluding VAT. The figure rises when the works touch the façade or the structure, when the use changes, as in converting a shop into a home, and with the condition of the services, the kitchen and the equipment chosen.
The VAT rate on the works depends on how they qualify; we explain the rules in the guide to 6% VAT on construction. The design fees follow the criteria on the fees page.
Two ways of working with us
The design is always ours. The difference lies in who carries out the works, and that changes what needs to be drawn.
- With the studio’s team. Design, budget and construction with a single point of contact. The construction team works with us regularly and knows the way we draw: the construction drawings are kept to the essentials, and so is the cost. A fixed budget broken down by trade, with payments tied to the progress of the works.
- With your own contractor. A complete set of construction drawings, with drawings and a bill of quantities that any contractor can price without doubts, help comparing the bids and coordination of the works through to handover.
For changes during the works, one simple rule. Your decision: we price the difference and only go ahead with your approval. Our reason: the price you approved stays the same.
Apartments in Lisbon
Some apartments from our portfolio, with the data from each project sheet:
Av. Rovisco Pais
125 m² apartment in a 1935 building: three bedrooms, one en-suite, with structural reinforcement
Alvalade
68 m² two-bedroom apartment in a 1960s building: living room and kitchen in one space
Praça de Espanha Apartment
100 m² apartment, with minimal demolition
Campo de Ourique
Street-level shop converted into a home; 65 m²
Rato Apartment
Street-level shop converted into a home; 60 m²This service is for you if
You want to renovate the whole apartment, or convert a shop into a home, in Lisbon or a neighbouring municipality. If the works are just a bathroom, a kitchen or painting, they fall outside this service. If they involve the whole building, the façade or the structure of the building, the right service is urban rehabilitation.
What to send us to book a visit
To tell you how to move forward and book the visit, all we need is:
- The address or the area of the apartment.
- The approximate floor area and the number of bedrooms.
- What you want to change: the layout, the kitchen, the bathrooms, the services or the use.
- If you have them: the apartment’s floor plan and a few photographs.
Do I need a permit from the municipality to renovate an apartment?
As a rule, no. Alteration works inside buildings or units are exempt from planning permission and from prior notification when they do not change the exterior and do not affect the stability of the building. If they touch the structure, the exemption still applies, but the works require a structural design and a statement of responsibility. Listed buildings always require a permit. In every case, the municipality is informed at least five days before the start.
Do I need the condominium’s approval?
Only if the works change the architectural line or the appearance of the building, such as the façade or the windows: in that case, the owners’ meeting must approve them, by two thirds of the total value of the building. A renovation carried out only inside the unit does not need it.
How much does it cost to renovate an apartment?
It depends on the type of rehabilitation. As an order of magnitude, the construction cost starts at €750 to €950 per m² of gross floor area, excluding VAT, and rises when the works touch the façade, the structure or the use, and with the finishes. After the visit and the design, we deliver a fixed budget broken down by trade.
How long does a full renovation take?
It depends on the floor area and on what the works touch. The schedule is fixed in the fixed budget, before the works start. Before the works come the design and, when the works need the municipality, the time the procedure takes.
Can I convert a shop into a home?
Yes, if the municipal plan allows it. It is a change of use: it always goes through the municipality, by prior notification, and does not need the approval of the other owners. We handle the application and the works.
Can I work with my own contractor?
Yes. In that case we produce the complete construction drawings and coordinate the works. With the studio’s team, the construction drawings are kept to the essentials, because the team already knows the way we draw.
Do you do just a bathroom or just the kitchen?
This service is for full apartment renovations. Stand-alone works, such as a single bathroom, a kitchen or painting, fall outside its scope.
Book a visit to your apartment
Tell us where the apartment is, its approximate floor area and what you want to change. We reply with the next steps and book the visit.
Prefer to talk now? +351 918 660 664geral@tiagorcorreia.com
Official sources: Decree-Law n.º 108/2026 (RJUE republished: Articles 4, 6 and 80-A); Portuguese Civil Code, Articles 1421, 1422 and 1422-B; General Noise Regulation (Decree-Law n.º 9/2007), Article 14.