Kitchen renovation and new windows: what to coordinate on ventilation before ordering

Neutral editorial AI illustration of two closed folders and finishing-material samples on a kitchen table beside a closed window; not a technical diagram, a real property or evidence of adequate ventilation.

An apartment owner on the Costa Blanca is choosing new windows and ordering a kitchen at the same time. The window company discusses frames and glazing, while the kitchen company discusses cabinets and an extractor hood. But who checks how these changes fit the apartment’s ventilation? Resolve this question before placing the final order, while the products and furniture layout can still be coordinated without remaking components already manufactured.

The aim is not to calculate air exchange yourself or declare an older home unfit. It is to obtain a coordinated technical solution for the specific renovation and understand which unknowns prevent approval of the order. Below is an editorial sequence of questions for the owner. It does not replace inspection, design, checking applicable requirements or obtaining approval for work affecting common parts of the building.

Bring both orders into a single description of the changes

Place the window and kitchen proposals side by side. Mark what will remain and what will change: window assemblies, the cooking area’s location, partitions, doors, the ceiling and furniture near existing ventilation components. Include only work actually planned. An attractive image of the new kitchen does not show every condition affecting technical feasibility.

Ask each contractor to list their assumptions. For example, the kitchen design may assume an existing duct can be used, while the window order may say nothing about incoming air. This is not proof that the companies have made a mistake: the check may simply be outside both contracts. The important thing is to identify that gap before ordering, rather than assign blame after installation.

Put a joint question to a technical professional: what must be retained or changed so that the chosen windows and kitchen layout are compatible with the applicable ventilation solution? Give them both versions of the orders and the available apartment documents. Do not limit the assignment to approving an extractor model if other parts of the space are changing too.

Distinguish functions that cannot be reduced to a single extractor hood

CTE DB HS, section HS 3, distinguishes general ventilation of the dwelling, supplementary natural airing and separate mechanical extraction of pollutants from the cooking area. In the general ventilation arrangement described, air moves from dry rooms towards wet rooms through the designated inlet, transfer and extraction components. The cooking extractor has a duct independent of general ventilation. This is a brief account of the functions in the regulatory arrangement, not a conclusion about a particular existing apartment.

For the renovation discussion, ask three separate questions: what provides general ventilation; what is provided for supplementary airing; and how is extraction from the cooking area arranged? Have the professional connect their answers to the rooms and changes in your project. The single word “extractor” in a quotation does not reveal which of these tasks the contractor has actually undertaken.

Do not draw conclusions from the presence of a button, grille or opening window sash. Ask for the purpose of each relevant component and its operating conditions to be explained. If a recirculating appliance is being considered, do not treat its name as evidence that every air-extraction issue has been resolved: ask for its role in the specific project to be justified separately. This article does not select an appliance or authorise its connection.

Establish how the requirements apply to the existing apartment

The official page on the scope of the CTE includes interventions in existing buildings. Where strict compliance is impossible or incompatible, conditional flexibility is provided for; the performance achieved and associated conditions of use and maintenance require justification. This is not an automatic exemption from requirements or permission for the owner to choose a convenient exception.

Do not therefore turn a modern arrangement into a universal verdict that “all older apartments are illegal”. Equally, “the building is old, so nothing needs checking” does not answer the question about a new intervention. Ask the professional to identify the applicable approach, the scope of the work under consideration and the information still missing. The building’s age is part of the starting information, not a standalone answer about whether the renovation is permissible.

If retaining the existing solution is proposed, ask exactly what will be retained and why that is relevant to the chosen scope. If a change is required, clarify its effect on both orders. The answer must relate to your apartment; an example from another building can aid the discussion but cannot replace assessment of the location.

Clarify what is unknown about ducts before furniture is manufactured

Gather available plans, documents from previous renovations and information from the comunidad’s administrator. Mark separately what is known about the purpose of existing ducts and what is still assumed. Do not infer a concealed route from the nearest grille or from where a neighbour once connected an appliance. Established use is not documented proof of suitability for the new order.

If an inspection is needed to answer the question, ask the professional to define its scope and access arrangements. The owner should not dismantle a duct, drill a test opening, remove hazardous components or conduct a homemade smoke test. For an organisational decision, it is enough to establish which professional check is needed and who will perform it. A photograph of an accessible section can supplement the description but does not show the system’s concealed construction.

Technical feasibility and the right to carry out work are separate questions. A solution affecting a communal duct, the façade or another common part requires a separate check of the necessary approvals. Do not treat an installer’s spoken answer as permission from the comunidad or municipality. This article does not establish a particular form of consent, application contents or right to install a new route.

Coordinate the window specification with the overall task

Before making the final selection, ask which features and components of the window order matter to the accepted ventilation solution. Supply the specification of the proposed product, not just the range’s marketing name. If one participant discusses a system characteristic and another only the ability to open a window, ask them to clarify the difference in relation to the project.

Do not silently instruct the window company to remove an unidentified component for a cleaner appearance, or the kitchen company to cover it with a cabinet without a technical explanation. Instead, add the disputed location to the coordination list: where it is, what is proposed and who will confirm the solution. An unknown purpose is a reason to ask a question, not an instruction to retain or alter every component yourself.

If the window model, door position or part of the furniture changes after coordination, tell the professional before production. Approval relates to a particular version of the solution. It should not silently carry over to a different set of products simply because the overall order price has hardly changed.

Compare proposals by their boundaries of responsibility

Instead of comparing competing advertising figures, ask who is responsible for assessing the existing system, coordinating solutions and carrying out the work. List exclusions separately: inspection, design changes, necessary approvals or subsequent checking. An item’s absence from the price does not mean it is unnecessary; its necessity depends on the actual scope, and its cost should be clarified separately.

A useful proposal explains not only the supply of an appliance but also how the work relates to the approved solution. Ask what result will be handed to the owner: an up-to-date diagram or description, information on changes made, instructions and relevant work documents. Do not demand a universal “certificate that there will never be damp”: such a guarantee does not replace a verifiable scope of order.

If two contractors give incompatible answers, pass both versions to a competent professional. Do not choose a technical arrangement by a vote in the building’s chat or solely by the lower price. Sometimes the sensible next step is to clarify the starting information, not immediately buy more powerful equipment. This article contains no calculation of capacity, opening sizes or permissible duct length.

Keep a checkpoint before finishes conceal the work

Agree in advance with the responsible professional when conformity of the completed work with the accepted solution must be confirmed, and what information should be retained before finishes close off access. This concerns planning professional checks, not instructing the owner to test draught. It is useful to connect this checkpoint with furniture and ceiling work in the schedule, so that one team does not assume another has finished without confirmation.

If a difference from the agreed solution is found, record the question and obtain a professional decision before continuing the affected stage. Do not accept “you can open the window later” as a substitute for explaining the changed design. The need for a particular correction, its method and its effect on timing must be determined on site, not from general advice in an article.

Tell the professional separately about any fuel-burning equipment affected, if present. Assessing its conditions of use is not the same as choosing kitchen furniture. This article does not cover checking gas appliances, diagnosing carbon-monoxide exposure or authorising the use of an unknown installation. Do not start equipment to conduct your own ventilation test.

Close the order with a clear result, not just the word “finished”

Before completing the renovation, compare the final list of products and work with the agreed version. Ask for changes to be marked, conditions of use and maintenance to be explained and a contact for questions to be named. Keep original documents separate from your notes. A spoken promise should not become the only source of information about concealed parts of the completed solution.

If the apartment is handed over to family or a tenant, provide instructions relevant to the installed equipment and clear limitations. Do not devise your own operating routine from a photograph or suggest that occupants conduct homemade tests. An unresolved technical question belongs with a professional; an acknowledgement that a folder has been received does not prove safety or compliance with all requirements.

A good outcome is a coordinated window and kitchen order, clear boundaries of professional checking and a documented solution for identified changes. This approach helps decide whether the chosen specification can be approved now or the design must first be revised. It does not promise freedom from every smell, moisture issue, expense or future fault.

Sources and scope

On 31 October 2026, the scope and dwelling-ventilation provisions in HS 3 of the official DB HS were read, along with the CTE page on application to new and existing buildings. The consolidated PDF is informative; applicable legislation and the technical solution must be checked for the specific renovation. The rest of the order-coordination sequence consists of Laverna editorial recommendations, not an official mandatory checklist. This article has not assessed an individual apartment, its permissions or its design.