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Furnishing Your Off Plan Property In Spain
By Susan Pedalino, Fri Dec 9th
Furnishing your new home in Spain can be an overwhelming andunder budgeted for task. You may have already stretched yourselfto the limit to fund your second home in Spain, so the lastthing you want to do is overspend on furnishings, especially ifyou intend to rent it out. The following points are certainly worth considering before youembark upon this huge task: Furniture Shops
Some people find it more cost effective to drive furniture overfrom the UK. Will you select furniture according to your own personal tasteand comfort, or do you need to consider durability particularlyif you are going to be renting it out? Many furniture shops offer furniture packages includingeverything from the beds to the cutlery. This is useful if youare under pressure to furnish your apartment quickly. You canexpect to pay anything from £5000 upwards. However, your homemay look a little contrived and lack individuality. Check outwww.completelyfurniture.com for a selection of furniturepackages from different suppliers. Unfortunately, there aren't many IKEAs in Spain, however thereis one in Seville and plans to open one in Malaga in 2006. Inthe meantime van drivers across the Costa del Sol will do a pickup and delivery run for yours and others' orders. It's worthwhile checking out the hypermarkets such as Carrefour,Alcampo, Hipercor (El Corte Ingles's supermarket). With regardsto Carrefour they have a selection of sofas, beds and cheap,flat pack furniture in their bigger stores. We were lucky enoughto pick up some great Portuguese, rustic furniture ie diningtable, chest of drawers etc for a very reasonable price inAlcampo, La Canada, Marbella. However, you really have to keepyour eyes peeled for such offers and buy it as soon as you seeit because it goes very quickly. For all your kitchen utensilsyou will find everything you need from can openers to crockeryin any of the stores mentioned above. Bedtime Bed linen can be a tricky issue and many British just don't knowwhere to start as the Spanish do beds differently! Instead ofthe square pillows that we are used to, the Spanish use long,narrow ones that lie under the head and not the shoulders. So ifyou are going to bring pillowcase sets with you from the UK,make sure you bring the pillows to go inside them. As isbecoming fashionable in the UK, the Spanish are fond of usingthrows to give a 'finished' look to the room. Duvets aren't as commonly used as blankets and sheets arepreferred. However, you can buy duvets, again the same storeswould be your easiest option. They also sell duvet covers setsbut remember the pillowcases are long and thin to cover the longpillows. For summer bedding look out for packs labelled 'juegode sabanas' which contain a fitted sheet, flat sheet andpillowcase cover, again a long one for the long pillow. Thesummer nights are unbearably hot and it's worthwhile having afew cheap sheet sets because you will need to frequently changethem. If you are looking for familiarity you might want to take a tripto Gibraltar where Marks and Spencer and BHS have some choice,although it is not quite what we are used to with our bigger UKstores. When decorating children's bedrooms there is a lack of choicecompared to the UK and if you have a particular theme in mind,it might be worthwhile bringing bed linen and accessories inyour luggage. However, if you are into Pooh Bear and MickeyMouse, they are everywhere! Winter Warmers If you've ever spent time in Spain during the winter you willknow that it does get really cold indoors at night. You willcertainly need a couple of electric heaters and these can bebought at the stores mentioned above or any other electricalappliance shop. Some people use gas heaters, however you willhave to be approved before a company like Repsol will issue Gas.Electric blankets are useful for preventing the damp bed feelingthat you get on retiring for the night. Before you go kittingout every room with heaters, I should point out that electricityis much more expensive than in the UK and do not be surprised ifyou are landed with a big bill at the end of winter. Don't forget to buy a couple of rugs for the floor. Althoughmarble and tiled flooring can be refreshingly cool during thesummer, it can feel like walking on ice when bare foot in thewinter. Bring your cosiest, fur lined slippers and flannelettepyjamas for winter! If you decide to buy leather sofas, you will definitely needthrows for the winter. You can again pick these up at the usualstores or at any of the various markets, which are held ondifferent days in different towns. Markets and more On the subject of markets, be prepared to haggle, furniturebargains can be had. Look out for the market in Marbella forchests of drawers, mirrors and all sorts of eclectic pieces. If you are looking for soft furnishings, which are little, morestylish than the hypermarket fare, check out Zara Home, LaCanada, Marbella. It looks like it should be very expensive butit is probably in line with Marks and Spencer prices. They havethemed ranges covering bed linen, beautiful tableware etc. Another
good chain of shops worth mentioning is CASA, La Canada,Marbella who have candles, glasses, and accessories etc. Check out your local Euro shops, the equivalent to a pound shopfor useful bits and pieces. Top tip for landlord/ladies If you are going to rent out your apartment, do not waste moneyby filling it with toddler tempting, unnecessary ornaments. Myadvice would be to think more basics and fewer frills. Peoplelike to relax on holiday, not spend the whole time on edgethinking that they might smash your best china! As kitchens tend to be small with limited cupboard space inoff-plan apartments try to avoid filling the entire cupboardwith glasses and crockery. Remember to leave sufficient cupboardspace for food storage. On a budget Spain could really do with Argos as there is a lack of cheap andcheerful kettles and toasters. Prices aren't competitive, evenin the hypermarkets. However, microwaves are cheap. Before youask, no there isn't an Argos in Gibraltar, although I have heardthat there is an Argos ordering service. Although, it is not always possible, if you are budget consciousit is advisable to take your time when furnishing your newapartment or house. To begin with buy only the very necessarythings then take your time to let the rest come together.Otherwise, it can be an enormous initial cost if it is donehastily. Mr/s Mop Don't forget the boring housework related stuff a clothes airer,ironing board and iron, mop and bucket, dustpan and brush etc. Iwould advise anyone to get a hard floor specific vacuum cleaneras sweeping can be back breaking and it really isn't in ourBritish nature to be sweeping. If you enjoy sweeping (some do)then take no notice of me. Let's Go Outside If you have outdoor space terrace or garden, you might want tocheck out Agro Jardin, a fantastic garden centre on the N340 km164. It also has a lovely coffee shop and children's play area.Worth saving for a rare rainy day. Second-Hand When you make the decision to buy an off-plan property you areso preoccupied with finding the payments that you tend to pushfurniture to the back of your mind. However, before you know it,your place is built and it's time to go shopping. If you are ona budget, take a look at the classified ads in El Sur inEnglish. People drag all kinds of stuff with them from the UKand often find it no longer fits in with the look of their newSpanish home. If you are not on a budget and money is no object, thendisregard all of the above, get yourself down to Puerto Banusand hire the most expensive Interior Design company you can find! Practical Guide to Supermarket Shopping * Familiar supermarket names particularly along the Costa DelSol are Mercadona (excellent value for money), Carrefour (lotsof choice), Supersol (geared towards expat demands), Eroski,Hipercor (part of El Corte Ingles). * Mothers of more than one young child, be prepared, I am yet tofind a supermarket, which has twin-seated trolleys. * Mothers, you won't be getting annoyed with childless driverspinching mother and baby parking spaces as they don't exist. * Always have a euro coin at hand or 50 cents for some trolleys. * Lots of supermarkets have underground parking, excellent forextremes of temperature. The UK supermarkets should take note. * Unlike the increasing trend in the UK, you will not be chargedto park in the Supermarket car park. * Supermarkets are generally quieter than in the UK especiallyfirst thing in the morning and mid-afternoon when the Spanishhave lunch. * Supermarkets have less convenience food than in the UK so youwill either want to dust down your old recipe books or dump themand go out to eat! Frozen food usually has to be fried. It isquite hard to come across oven food and chips. * There is a wider selection of fruits and vegetables on offer.Again, you will not find washed and prepared vegetables in handylittle microwaveable bags. And you may even have to chop yourown lettuce, although I have started to see bags of choppedlettuce appearing on the shelves. * Ready made pizzas in the chiller counters are great forconvenience, as are the Spanish omelettes. * There is a huge choice of fresh and frozen fish and seafood. * There is a much wider choice of yoghurts, dairy desserts andcheeses than in the UK. * People tend to rely on their local shops for their every dayproduce. You see housewives still visiting the local butchers,fruit and veg shops on a daily basis for fresh produce to cookon the same day. * My advice to anyone who wants to cut the food shopping billswhilst in Spain is to follow the Spanish housewives because theyknow the best deals! * If you really miss your familiar foods then you might want tothrow the towel in and take a trip to Morrisons in Gibraltarwhich stocks everything you are used to. About the author:Susan Pedalino is Masters degree qualified in InterculturalCommunication and teaching English as a foreign language. Havingmoved to Spain to set up a business and buy property, she hasgained invaluable experience in buying off plan property inSpain. Susan regularly writes for Eye on Spain(www.eyeonspain.com).
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