A Life Enhancing Experience: Villa Ligera, Las Chapas, Marbella

Our clients are now the proud owners of a beautiful, carbon-zero villa in Las Chapas. The photos of the inaugural party say it all.

The villa is very comfortable with open-plan spaces that allow you to move seamlessly between the inside and shaded outside terraces. It has underfloor heating and as much cooling in the summer as they want, all powered by free energy from the sun.

The property has all mod cons, including a heated pool, fire pit for those balmy evenings, and sea views from the first floor.

It is close to the beach and some 10 minutes east of Marbella.
The villa is a popular holiday let and provides them with a rental income. It is available as a try-before-you-buy model. It is a savvy financial investment.

They have lowered their carbon footprint and that of their tenants. It is energy certificate A.

About our client

Svetlana is a very smart lawyer. Born in Leningrad in the Soviet era, she lives between Spain and Belgium with her international family. Her husband is a professional in the property industry and his company installs renewable energy systems. They were both new to the business of building a villa in Spain and looked to Eco Vida Homes for support.

Having identified a suitable plot, at the right price, it was apparent that her right to build on it was questionable. Svetlana couldn’t find the right professional team to advise her even on a paid basis. Initially, she didn’t know where to turn. Spain’s notorious bureaucracy was set to rain down on her carbon-zero villa in the sun, but there was still hope for the struggling lawyer’s dream home…

The Villa Ligera story

Eco Vida Homes was able to help her evaluate the building license. It turned out that no new building licences were being granted in the area, and the license they had was 12 years old and should have expired. Several weeks later, we were able to establish with the local authorities that the building license was still valid and the build could go ahead.

As soon as the legal wrangling was taken care of, Eco Vida Homes got to work helping Svetlana assess the financial and negotiate a great price for the plot.

With all that taken care of, we made several suggestions on how best to improve the existing design to make it energy-efficient, affordable, and generally more attractive. We showed Svetlana several options for the finishes. She made the decisions on the windows, floors, tiling, doors, bathrooms, and swimming pool to suit her tastes. Then we added the pièce de résistance: a gorgeous, eco-friendly timber roof.

Then during construction, a serious issue arose with the water and electricity supply. The utilities didn’t conform to regulation, so on Svetlana’s instructions, we liaised with the energy supplier, as well as the neighbours who had also been suffering because of it.

Even though we managed to solve the energy supply issues, the villa is fully kitted out with photovoltaic panels and a battery system that provides all its energy needs. It powers the latest home appliances, underfloor heating… even the heat from the air conditioning is recycled into the hot water system.

After a long journey, Svetlana celebrated with a joyful inauguration event at the villa. She is able to enjoy a rental income, letting the villa as a highly sought-after holiday property. If you are interested in a try-before-you-buy experience, why not rent the property for a week or weekend? We can introduce you to Svetlana and meet you there to run through your vision and discuss the details of the property in situ.

Key features of the villa

Carbon zero

Villa Ligera is stacked to the rafters with modern appliances that cater to the tenants’ every need, including a washing machine, drier, underfloor heating throughout with temperature control in every room, air conditioning, and even a heated pool. Energy efficiency enthusiasts may be interested to note that the heat generated by the air conditioning is channeled into the hot water system. All of this is powered by free energy from the sun.

Profit maker

Svetlana saw the investment potential in building a villa in beautiful Las Chapas, which is 10 minutes east of Marbella. She now sees a steady stream of satisfied holidaymakers taking advantage of all the perks this one-of-a-kind home has to offer.

Fire and water

There’s nothing better than being poolside in the Costa Del Sol’s summer sun, but drying off and seeing in the evening by a roaring outdoor fire really takes Villa Ligera to the next level of luxury.

Blended Inside / Outside Space

There is an open plan kitchen living dining area that blends seamlessly with the shaded outside terrace area and pool/fire pit so the whole space can be used as one. The ergonomics work beautifully for family life.