[Anonymous]

I’ve never understood this. Why do foreigners buying in Spain want houses with round towers?

[attachment=0:3rtvpj6j]spanish-property-round-tower.jpg[/attachment:3rtvpj6j]
Round towers are all very well for storing grain, but not for living in. Trying putting a bed or wardrobe in a round room. You can’t use all the floor space you have paid for.

People seem to think that round towers are in some way traditional Spanish, but they aren’t. They only caught on as a design feature when foreigners started buying villas in Spain back in the 60s/70s.

Generally speaking, the Spanish avoid them. That means they can be harder to sell, as Spaniards are the biggest group of buyers.

So why do people buy houses with round towers?

[Anonymous]

Could it be for reasons of Don Quixote & the Molinas of La Mancha that was being pushed as tourist souvenirs along with the castanets, plastic bullfighter & flamenco dancers etc.

[angie]

I could understand people who’ve previously lived in oast houses Mark, wanting round towers in Spain.

[Melosine]

I seem to recall a certain Surrey based International developer used to promote such villas. Personally the ones I have seen between San J de T and Mojacar, that look like their, are absolutely ghastly.
Not sure if it was this particulary company but was told that with many of these properties one couldn’t actually access the tower.

[petej]

When we were looking to buy we loved the idea of some round rooms, in the end they were the only types we wanted to look at, different to the stuff we get in the UK i guess 😕

[Anonymous]

I quite like them too. 🙂 I doubt they are an enclosed space inside. perhaps a feature of a larger internal area. They could house a staircase also. I’ve seen far, far worse things in Spanish & UK construction.

The photograph used as an example, is attractive to look at IMO. It is quite a small building and more pleasing to the eye than 4 straight walls. Horses for courses I guess.

[katy]

Can’t see anything wrong with a tower. A friend has a second floor tower and part of it is a wet room with views. Looks considerably better than this.

http://www.propertyshowrooms.com/spain/property/p-773419/house-villa-elviria.html

[Anonymous]

Mark,

I always thought the towers were modern takes on the windmills that once dotted the land?

Obviously the windmills had a practical function but many have since been integrated into adjoining homes which may explain the modern intrigue. There’s also the mini-castle appeal but surely people would not buy solely for this reason?

As for the impracticality of round houses / spaces… just ask the Mayor of London what its like to work in the ‘testicle building’ at More London next to Tower Bridge or ask the developers of the Gherkin at St Mary’s Axe why they can not command Grade A rental price for their office space. I’m sure the owners of the similar designed office building located on Diagonal experience the same problem. Iconic buildings yes, but office furniture and home furniture, does not fit into round corners… to much dead space.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Katy, I could be persuaded to live in that “ugly” building! 😆

[katy]

Hmmm. Not ugly but “boxy” 😆 I know the house, has fantastic views but not much useable garden as it’s on a steep slope. As you know I am a quirky type of person 🙂

Just a thought, very similar to our Florida house (ours has a better kitchen) for which we paid the grand sum of $425,000, about £240,000 at the time. The one above is 1.7 million euro 😯 Not that I am saying Spanish houses are overpriced of course 😉

[Anonymous]

If the tower is at least 5 metres in diameter, with arched windows all around, makes a nice dining area with a round dining-table.

Smaller than that doesn’t work as well unless you’re built like Peter Crouch.

[Anonymous]

@katy wrote:

For a while there couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong with the look of that house; then I read the Peter Crouch comment. The pillars are too skinny. 🙂

I like the round turrets on a house, adds some character. Not so keen on those I’ve seen with the glossy dark blue tiles though.

[Melosine]

After seeing your friends villa Mark can understand now why the title of this thread.
What a magnificently stunning villa. If we were looking to buy in Spain then it would certainly be at the top of our list,
Unfortunately though most folk go for the more characterful properties in preference to stylish as is seen by the ghastly mock tudor homes all the rage in UK and houses with impractical, if usable !!!!!, round towers here.

[petej]

One thing to add, if you are looking at a house to buy with towers take a look at the condition of the windows, they are “Mucho dinero” to replace as most are arched at the top and also curve round with the tower ❗

[katy]

Round tower or a box…no contest for me. Expensive boxes too. A flat roof is a nightmare in Spain. Spanish architects need to do some studying in other countries

[Anonymous]

Man, I’ve lost count the times I have tried to convince clients not to get a “torreon”. Waste of time, solarium, round tower and pool are always a must (I can understand the pool but not a solarium on a 500m2 plot)

[Melosine]

Agree Katy I wouldn’t touch a mass built property anywhere in the world that had a flat roof anywhere on the property however this is of a special architectural design and the roof should therefore be dressed with copper or zinc. Something one cannot see from the photo.

[adiep]

ive figured out what towers are good for – dining rooms with round tables.

[adiep]

ive figured out what towers are good for – dining rooms with round tables.

[Anonymous]

@marjal wrote:

Man, I’ve lost count the times I have tried to convince clients not to get a “torreon”. Waste of time, solarium, round tower and pool are always a must (I can understand the pool but not a solarium on a 500m2 plot)

This is my point. Torreones (Spanish architects call it ‘Alicante Style’) are not practical or traditional, and as has been rightly pointed out, the windows can be very expensive to replace. It’s bizarre how northern Europeans are so keen on them. Where does this fetish come from?

The original picture I used was perhaps rather flattering to round towers (a photo I took of a villa in the La Manga Club – I don’t know the owners). This picture is less flattering.

[Anonymous]

@marjal wrote:

Man, I’ve lost count the times I have tried to convince clients not to get a “torreon”. Waste of time, solarium, round tower and pool are always a must (I can understand the pool but not a solarium on a 500m2 plot)

This is my point. Torreones (Spanish architects call it ‘Alicante Style’) are not practical or traditional, and as has been rightly pointed out, the windows can be very expensive to replace. It’s bizarre how northern Europeans are so keen on them. Where does this fetish come from?

The original picture I used was perhaps rather flattering to round towers (a photo I took of a villa in the La Manga Club – I don’t know the owners). This picture is less flattering.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it’s the loo??? 🙂
Looking at the cracks between the windows and running down below left window, it’s lucky they didn’t build a second floor. With the gap appearing between foundations and gravel, there’s definitely subsidence. Nevermind, the pergola will hold it all together and stop it falling over.

[Anonymous]

Maybe it’s the loo??? 🙂
Looking at the cracks between the windows and running down below left window, it’s lucky they didn’t build a second floor. With the gap appearing between foundations and gravel, there’s definitely subsidence. Nevermind, the pergola will hold it all together and stop it falling over.

[Anonymous]

Although the windows look to be standard fit in that photo.

I like round towers, and my fetish could well stem from a love of old castles.

An Englishman’s home is his castle, right?

[Anonymous]

Although the windows look to be standard fit in that photo.

I like round towers, and my fetish could well stem from a love of old castles.

An Englishman’s home is his castle, right?

[angie]

‘Invest in Bricks and Mortar’ is the old saying, but in Spain, it’s more like ‘Invest in Blockwork and Poor Render on Unstable Ground’.

Talking about the run of the mill stuff here, not necessarily La Zagaleta etc 😉

[angie]

‘Invest in Bricks and Mortar’ is the old saying, but in Spain, it’s more like ‘Invest in Blockwork and Poor Render on Unstable Ground’.

Talking about the run of the mill stuff here, not necessarily La Zagaleta etc 😉

[katy]

The gap between the path and foundations is present in almost every villa I have seen. They don’t seem to have the “technique” to knit them together. I saw a villa being built close to where I lived (used to walk around with the dogs when the builders left), by the time it was almost finished there was a metre gap between the house and the base…the Spanish are experts at covering up 😆

As for La Zagaleta, don’t believe they are any better built, just finished off well. I know someone who moved in 2 weeks before Xmas 2006, was throwing a big party, by the time Xmas arrived they had moved into a hotel! So many major faults they were out of it for 5 months…no-one ever seems to have a survey in Spain!

[katy]

The gap between the path and foundations is present in almost every villa I have seen. They don’t seem to have the “technique” to knit them together. I saw a villa being built close to where I lived (used to walk around with the dogs when the builders left), by the time it was almost finished there was a metre gap between the house and the base…the Spanish are experts at covering up 😆

As for La Zagaleta, don’t believe they are any better built, just finished off well. I know someone who moved in 2 weeks before Xmas 2006, was throwing a big party, by the time Xmas arrived they had moved into a hotel! So many major faults they were out of it for 5 months…no-one ever seems to have a survey in Spain!

[angie]

katy, that’s a surprise about la Zagaleta, you’d think at their prices, they would be perfect!

One of the problems in Spain is, that they hardly ever put in correct drainage on hillsides before building, so when Winter rains come, lots of the sub-soil gets washed away from beneath villas and apartment blocks which then causes cracking and subsidence.

They tried correct drainage at San Jorge near Alhaurin, but the developer went bust so now this potentially nice villa development looks like a dried up, unfinished bomb-site, trapping those few early buyers (buy now to reserve your plot spiel) with unsaleable property! 🙄

[angie]

katy, that’s a surprise about la Zagaleta, you’d think at their prices, they would be perfect!

One of the problems in Spain is, that they hardly ever put in correct drainage on hillsides before building, so when Winter rains come, lots of the sub-soil gets washed away from beneath villas and apartment blocks which then causes cracking and subsidence.

They tried correct drainage at San Jorge near Alhaurin, but the developer went bust so now this potentially nice villa development looks like a dried up, unfinished bomb-site, trapping those few early buyers (buy now to reserve your plot spiel) with unsaleable property! 🙄

[Author]

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