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The housing boom in the country began in the 1960s and 1970s, when the rural population began to massively move to the cities for work. Urban population was growing quickly, people needed new housing, a lot of it. The problem was sold with "vertical" construction: it turned out to be cheaper to build up than in breadth.
Since then, many Spaniards have grown up in apartments in high-rise buildings with elevators. And many do not accept stairs at all, even in a private two- or three-story house.
The vast majority of Spanish high-rise buildings have at least one elevator. Even the old buildings of Barcelona's Born district or Madrid's Lavapiés are equipped with modern structures. But there are often no elevator in old houses in Valencia and Alicante, which affects the cost of apartments. However, residents can order the installation of an elevator. Despite the high cost of the service (from €600,000), it increases the cost of the apartments.
Traditionally, people in Spain are homeowners. But since the 1960s, the situation has been changing. Under the rule of Francisco Franco, home ownership was encouraged: the regime placed great value on the home and family as the foundation of Catholic society.
High-rise buildings with cheap (in comparison with private houses) apartments helped to achieve this goal and make savings at the high level of inflation at that time.
The forced need to move into apartments formed in the Spaniards a sincere sense of solidarity. People grew up surrounded by neighbors. This has strengthened social ties between people so much that even now Spaniards are happy to live in apartments.
Even the quarantine caused by Covid-19 did not change the love of locals for apartments (although it exposed their disadvantages like small common areas and thin walls that let in sounds). During the pandemic, people trapped in four walls found a way to stay in society. They moved to the balconies, where they spent a lot of time communicating with their neighbors.
Living side by side with other people was not a punishment for the Spaniards, but a social salvation during the period of imprisonment!
Traditional types of houses in Spain differ from a region to a region.
The house with a large plot and outbuildings (mill, barn, canals) - alquería - is typical for Levante. An alternative to it is the cortijo, a type of construction in rural areas of Southern Spain, designed specifically for the local land and climate.
In Granada, you will find the сarmen (the word "carm" has Spanish-Muslim roots and means vineyard) – small estates that used to be located outside the city walls. In Toledo - cigarral - luxury houses of the XX century, where the bourgeoisie used to live.
The architectural symbol of the south of Spain is the barraca, which is a country house often on the beach with its own garden. Previously, these houses were inhabited by fishermen who built "barracks" out of mud, reeds, reeds and straw.
Real mansions – masia - can be found in Catalonia. Their ancestors were Roman villas. Despite the difference in details, the houses of this type have common features: wide roofs on both sides, a south-oriented facade and the absence of living rooms on the ground floor.
Casa/casona types of houses are located in the mountains (Cantabria, Asturias, Castilla y León). They are reliable, built of stone, and have a recognizable wooden balcony with a canopy, always facing south. Historically, representatives of the propertied class lived here.
Another type of mansion for the nobility – pazo - is characteristic of Galicia. Externally, this building looks like a defensive structure with elements of Italian and Portuguese Baroque. The complex has not only the main building, but also a garden, gazebo and/or chapel.
In Spain, it is customary to call the first floor the one that in our understanding is already the second. The lowest one is planta baja, it is usually uninhabited. The second floor of the Spanish is called primer piso, the third - segundo piso, etc. So, if a local calls you to visit on the third floor, feel free to go up to the fourth one.
The numbering of apartments is also unusual, at least for us. Spain offers an understandable logic. The number consists of two elements: the floor and the door number on that floor. For example, the number 2o 1a (segundo primera) means segundo piso primera puerta – the second floor by Spanish standards and the first door on it.
There are usually no more than five apartments on a floor, that is, after the number indicating the floor, there will be a number from one to five. However, on the door itself, instead of numbers, there may be letter designations of apartments:
Or even the designation izquierda or derecha:
The lowest floor is traditionally given over to shops, cafes, utility rooms and other commercial premises. But sometimes residential apartments are also located on this level. They are cheaper than on other floors of the building, but sometimes they have their own bonuses. These can include a private entrance/exit or a private garden.
The most prestigious and expensive housing is upstairs. In principle, apartments become more expensive with each floor. The last floor – atico – is the most appreciated, because usually such objects occupy the entire level and have their own terrace, which can be equipped with a barbecue area and a green garden. And there is a great view from there!
The Spaniards are open people, and this is manifested not only in personal communication, but also in the arrangement of the home. Therefore, private homes are not hidden behind high solid fences, preferring decorative fencing.
The same goes for the balconies, usually they are open. Locals like to spend time there for breakfast, and for dinner in warmer seasons.
Traditionally, the Spaniards have small ascetic bedrooms (a bed, a wardrobe (often built-in) and a nightstand), and it does not matter what the total area of the apartment is. Locals only sleep in the bedrooms, all the rest of social life takes place in the salon (the living room).
The number of rooms in an apartment is calculated by the number of bedrooms. The latter are necessarily separated from the Spaniards. Even in a compact studio, the bed will be at least visually separated from the main room by a screen or other furniture.
On an area of 80 sq.m accommodates three or four bedrooms, one or two bathrooms and a living room (the largest room). However, now the situation is changing: buyers, including foreign ones, are looking for more modern layouts with enlarged bedrooms.
Really large apartments (more than 100 sq. m) in cities can only afford very well paid-off locals, the rest of them buy compact housing. In the suburbs, spacious apartments and houses with their own garden, swimming pool, garage or parking are accessible to more people.
The price of Spanish real estate rarely directly depends on the number of rooms or square footage. More often, it is affected by repairs, proximity to the city center or the sea, the number of floors and the availability of additional amenities such as a swimming pool.
Real estate in tourist areas is often not adapted to live in it on a permanent basis. Thin walls (8-12 cm), lack of central heating, leaky windows, cool ceramic floors, a minimum of furniture or kitchen appliances – the interior is sharpened for a short stay, most often in the summer.
However, developers are already trying to build new buildings with an eye to year-round living, including with parquet and good noise and thermal insulation.
Typical Spanish housing is made in a simple Mediterranean style: light, often white walls, no wallpapers, just paint. The emphasis is often on dark furniture (black, mahogany or walnut). Outside, the house is decorated with wrought iron grilles and/or railings, ornaments and mosaics.
By the way, the Spaniards generally pay more attention to the improvement of the yard, and not the apartment, because they try to spend all their free time on the street.
Here they love natural materials like stone, wood and ceramics. In the homes of the older generation, they are combined with the classic style, while the young people fit them into minimalism (for example, wooden beams on the ceiling).
In general, tiles are primarily a rational solution, not a design. The warm climate is conducive to the presence of cool surfaces. In the cold season, the heated floor system is used.
The windows in the houses of the Spaniards, in particular the Southerners, are almost always large (except for the bedrooms) or even panoramic, often with access to the balcony. This is because locals, like their French neighbors, love abundant natural light. Protection from the sun must be installed everywhere, hung blackout curtains or fixed blinds for protections from the heat.
In the cold season, in the absence of general heating in some homes, even in modern apartments, the Spaniards are saved by a fireplace (often decorative). Stone or steel, wood or bio, it not only serves as a source of heat, but also creates comfort.
Family cohesion is an integral part of the life of Spaniards, so a mandatory attribute in their homes is a large dining table in the salon. The kitchen itself is just a compact area integrated into the living room and is not intended for collecting space. Therefore, residents always move to the dining area.
Another nuance of Spanish apartments is a large corridor. It takes up a lot of space, but you can't use the meters usefully.
The Spanish housing has what is called a comunidad de vecinos. Its members are all apartment owners. Utilities for the maintenance of common areas (stairs, elevators, swimming pools, gardens, water and garbage chutes) are paid by the residents themselves on a monthly basis (€50-1,000, depending on the range of services and the number of residents into which the amount is divided).
Houses without homeowner associations also exist. Almost always, they can be distinguished by their appearance: both the facade of the building and the common areas in them look unpresentable, and sometimes frankly bad.
Pictures: pixabay.com
