Gecko Towers
The Doctors and Nurses of the Costa del Sol, along with their compatriots in the Police and the Fire Services are, quite rightly, the much-praised heroes of life here in the Marbella region. They confront on a daily basis the challenges that may impose on the lives of residents and visitors alike. But I was also thinking who else deserved an honorable mention when it comes to being largely unseen but well-deserving of praise.
Cleaners: The last thing many of want to do when the summer heat hits us is to clean our homes. An army of cleaners – that comprised one of the required and State sanction “essential services” during the Pandemic – diligently and with enthusiasm and fortitude are to be found vacuuming, scrubbing and dusting. Their work often takes our home from scruffy to pristine and the reliability of their service can often be taken for granted. A good cleaner is worth their weight in gold.
A sub-set of the Cleaners are those specialized in the cleaning of swimming pools. Many of us after a long dusty day cannot wait to get home to throw ourselves in the tepid azure waters of our community or private swimming pools. There is little less engaging that trying to while away the day’s stresses in a algae-rich greening pool. But who knows how the wonder of a cut-glass pool is achieved? It is the combination of knowledge and experience that tells a pool technician about the right chlorine/ph balance and how to solve the devastating effects of a “La Calima” – the often seen Sahara sand-storm.
Gardeners: The incredibly rich and varied soil of the Costa del Sol is usually fabulous for growing all manner of garden plants, including oleander, wisteria and bouganvilla, that, once established, need little water – a genuine benefit in times of drought. However, the experienced green fingers of a gifted gardener can turn an urbanisation or smaller, even patio, garden into a thing of great beauty.
The mysteries of careful planting and managed irrigation are the kind of insight that grows with years of hands-on experience. It pays dividends to listen to the advice of an expert gardener, as you will discover that your treasured fig trees need minimal water whereas your avocado trees are a thirsty little blighters and need a lot more as their fruit grows. Such experience cannot be second-guessed and prudently should be relied upon.
Taxi Drivers: This year, particularly, we are hearing many who are expressing doubts about renting cars for the duration of their holiday stays. The rental prices have increased as the stock of cars “let go” during the pandemic needs replacing. The viable alternative is to book a taxi from the airport and even use local services for pick ups from preferred grocery stores.
A well informed licensed “white taxi” driver will often know many of the quicker “rat runs” along the coast and by using Uber or “Bolt” you can pre-agree the cost of your journey to avoid surprises should you become stuck in a multiple car tailback. Bigger vehicles to cater for families with holiday baggage can be pre-ordered to meet flights around the clock. For those new to the coast they can deliver an excellent solution.
Bin Men: I say Bin Men as I am not sure that I have seen a Bin Woman either driving a dust truck or hanging off the back. Singularly, deserving of the most respect, the employees of “Urbaser” – others are available – sometimes do the grimmest of jobs at usually the most antisocial hours so we can have neat and presentable streets with minimal offensive odors.
My heart sinks when I see items of furniture a chair, a mirror or a pile of loose leaves or cuttings dumped beside the grey recycling bins, but in some way it seems culturally understood that such offensive behavior is acceptable. It’s not to me. Please avoid leaving any bags on the ground near the bins – if they are full find another – as the Bin Men operate a collection system where the large bin is harnessed to the back of their truck and tipped into the relevant space. Getting off the truck to pick up carelessly discarded rubbish is not only disrespectful, it wastes time.
For some it may come as a surprise that ‘gate collections’ tend not to exist in Spain and you are obliged – often during the summer months during limited daily hours – to place your rubbish into one of four large road-side bins (Basura) opened by a pedal bar at the base. The four most common are Bagged Household Waste (Residuo), Plastic Packaging (Envases), Glass (Vidrio) and Cardboard and Paper (Papel). It becomes reasonably habit forming and you can satisfy your inner Greta Thunberg that correctly placed waste is usually correctly recycled.
Builders: I am very supportive of the rationale that you can often take the bones of an existing villa, townhouse or apartment and with some careful planning turn it into your dream home – please see an earlier post – Could renovation deliver your Marbella dream property?
The issue is that you will need perhaps and Architect or, more likely, an Arquitecto Tecnico (akin to a UK Quantity Surveyor) to assist you with your project but nothing can be realised without the skills of a team of builders. Brick layers, painters, plastered, tilers, plumber, carpenters and electricians.
They form an reasonably invisible army arriving usually at 8.00 and finishing at 17.00. There is a large amount of work around for these trades currently but finding a skilled team you can rely on is truly a God-send. In addition, a good project manager with knowledge, skills and a winning personality is very useful to keep the team on track.
I’d recommend, when using such a team, that you follow a procedure that results in the preparation of a budget which should then be stuck to – subject to agreed variations. The quality of the finish is all important so “snagging” should be carefully managed, and even post completion of the building works, the contractors should be obliged to return to rectify quality issues which in my experience tends to be usual.
Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our multi-disciplinary team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent Abogados (Spanish Lawyers) and Asesores Fiscales (Tax Accountants) are ready to help you.
We are not estate agents, but we know some hard-working and reputable ones, if needed.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, or e-mail me at mark@biznagapartners.com
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Please note that our posts are for general interest. There is no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
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