There are still a few houses in Santa Cruz where you can walk through the front door and immediately realise they were built in a completely different era.
Two such properties have recently appeared on the market, both in the centre of the capital and both offering plenty of character, along with a fairly serious renovation project.
They are being marketed by Proyectos Insulares, with asking prices of €1.5 million and €660,000.
The €1.5 million property
The first house sits on the corner of Calle Horacio Nelson and the Rambla, giving it a highly visible position in the city.
Built in 1956, the property has around 365 square metres spread across three floors, with ten rooms and five bathrooms.
The location and size mean it could potentially be used for more than simply a private home. The estate agent suggests possibilities including offices, a private clinic, educational centre or co-working space.
There is also potential to extend the building and recover a garage with access from the Rambla, although that would depend on the relevant planning regulations.
As you might expect from a property of this age, it isn’t exactly a case of changing the curtains and moving in.
A substantial renovation would be required.
The €660,000 house near the Hotel Mencey
The second property is on Calle Fernando de Massy, close to the Hotel Mencey.
Dating from 1939, it is smaller, with 192 square metres and three bedrooms, but it has some of those original details that are becoming increasingly difficult to find.
There are high ceilings, original flooring on the ground floor, wooden carpentry and stained glass windows, along with an internal wooden staircase connecting the different levels.
The ground floor includes a lounge, another room and kitchen, while upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom.
The rooftop has a terrace, another room and an additional bathroom.
There’s also an internal courtyard, providing natural light and ventilation.
Again, though, this is a restoration project rather than a move-straight-in house. The property needs comprehensive renovation to restore its original features while adapting the building to modern requirements.
Two very different projects
The two houses are relatively close together, but they offer quite different propositions.
The Horacio Nelson property has the advantage of size, visibility and a particularly central location.
The Fernando de Massy house is more compact but retains a collection of architectural details that would be difficult to recreate in a modern building.
Both sit in an interesting part of Santa Cruz, where older properties with plenty of history sit alongside modern apartment buildings, shops, hotels and businesses.
For the right buyer, these aren’t simply renovation projects. They’re an opportunity to take an old house and give it another few decades of life.
The less attractive part is working out exactly how much that renovation is going to cost.