Naquera, Spain

- Illustration of my skills -

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From property acquisition to the complete renovation of a single-family house combining minimalist elegance, low energy consumption and the well-being of its occupants.

The property search:

The project began with the search for a property with high renovation potential that was within the market price and budget, including completed works.

The property enjoys a privileged location in La Calderona natural park. The villa is set in 6 hectares of land, mainly planted with pine trees. This gives it peace and privacy, while being just 30 minutes from Valencia and 5 minutes from the shops in Náquera.

In addition, the property already has a good base of bioclimatic architecture. By improving certain aspects, it will be able to take full advantage of its environment to reduce energy consumption and enhance the comfort of its residents.

This opportunity required a major refurbishment, with the constraint of not modifying the built surface area, as it is located in a protected rural area. After diagnosing the condition of the property, a sketch of the renovation project and an estimate of the cost of the work were drawn up.

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The architectural design of the villa:

The 150m2 villa has been redesigned in a minimalist style inspired by Ibizan architecture. It is functional but warm in its choice of materials and textures. Its white façade is adorned with anthracite window frames and softened by its rounded edges. The interior combines a subtle mix of wood, tiles imitating stone and marble, nuanced paints, textured plaster, and so on.

The interior has been redesigned to increase the size of the spaces, open up views, improve circulation and optimise lost spaces in storages. The kitchen, with its refined design, now opens onto the living-dining room to create a large, convivial living space of 60m2. The five small bedrooms have been remodelled into three spacious bedrooms. There is a suite on the ground floor and 2 bedrooms with dressing rooms and a bathroom on the first floor.

The old windows have been replaced by beautiful large bay windows that bring light and panoramic views towards the garden while giving an indoor-outdoor feel. French windows have been created to facilitate access to the terraces, and the kitchen benefits from a new opening giving it a magnificent view of the swimming pool.
 

Outdoor spaces:
 

The villa and its annexes have been renovated in the same style and are situated on an esplanade in the heart of a wood left in its wild state. There is a wood-fired sauna, a gym, a workshop/garage, a swimming pool, a tennis court, a fruit tree orchard, a permaculture vegetable garden and a pond.

The salt-water swimming pool reminds of white sandy seas with crystal-clear water. Completely remodelled and equipped, it is lined with a polyester shell installed in situ for perfect impermeability. It has an equal depth of 1.4m, including a large submerged deck that invites guests to relax.

The villa has a large covered terrace with a bioclimatic pergola, and a summer kitchen. The same tiles cover the interior of the villa, the 200m2 terrace and the pool surrounds.

Sustainable features:

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The villa already had good bioclimatic features, such as its location, orientation, the fairly compact shape of the building, the thermal inertia of the floor and stone walls, the covered terrace to the south, trees providing shade to the west, and so on.

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First of all, buildings are made healthy and safe. Structural damages are repaired and facades and roofs are made watertight. Some trees that are too close are removed to avoid the risks of fire, humidity, destructive roots and unwanted shadows. The electrical installation and sanitary network are brought up to current standards. Secondly, improvements are made to minimise energy consumption while using solutions with a low environmental impact.

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The building is insulated from the outside, taking care to minimise thermal bridges. The sunny façades are covered with 10cm of cork and the rest with 10cm of polystyrene. The flat roofs are covered with 12cm of cork and 5cm of lightweight/insulating concrete, then coated with polyurethane paint. The attic of the inclined roof is filled with 30cm of blown-in cellulose. Cork and cellulose are excellent ecological materials with good heat phase shifting properties, while polystyrene is less expensive but very satisfactory because of its greater insulating power.

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The new PVC double-glazed windows play an essential role in thermal insulation, acoustics, airtightness, luminosity, views and natural ventilation. They feature argon gas and Guardian Sun technology to minimize heat exchange between inside and outside. They are also fitted with anti-intrusion glass and locks, eliminating the need for grids and blinds.

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Most of the electricity is generated by 6.5 kW photovoltaic panels, which are combined with low-energy appliances and LED lighting. The house is not self-sufficient in electricity, as the batteries do not yet provide a good return on investment, but the bill has been reduced by 2/3.

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Interior thermal comfort is provided by a radiant ceiling (heating and cooling) coupled to a reversible 7 kW aerothermal heat pump with a COP of 5 (= 5 kW produced for 1 kW consumed). This heating system offers even more advantages than underfloor system: it improves ambient comfort because it reduces humidity and the temperature is homogenous (no furniture on top); it's easy to install, integrated into the false ceiling (no need to raise the floor and no problems with doors); no feeling of heavy legs; the water temperature is even lower, which requires less energy to supply.

Domestic hot water is provided by another independent heat pump with a tank. Ventilation is both mechanical (in humid rooms) and natural in order to renew the ambient air and avoid the risk of condensation.

Rainwater is collected, stored, filtered and used for all purposes on the property and for drinking. As well as being free and not damaging domestic appliances, it is excellent for the health of humans and plants.