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Without your own dedicated reservoir, where do you expect the water to come from to pump with more force?  The pump may be useless if it isn't supplied sufficiently.

Tradesman who quoted you is more than likely following the water regulations, that you require break tank  or reservoir of some kind if you have pump installed.

That's why lots of Spanish houses have asbestos header Tanks on the roof.

@romaniac

Thanks for the feedback, rather than a full reservoir would a pump with a pressure tank on it do the job, something like this?

@gettravelling I think you are misunderstanding the problem. The main supply is not providing sufficient volume. If you just connect a powerful pump to it, it will just instantly empty out the upstream pipe. The reason he suggested a reservoir/tank is to provide a sufficient amount of standby water that when you switch the pump on, it has enough supply to pull through, without running dry. If the supply comes from a higher place than your house, you could put a tank on the roof, or high enough that it is above the piping system in the house. Then in that scenario, when you use water it will flow via gravity pull from the tank - it might be enough pressure. If the house is not lower than the supply, you could still put a tank anywhere after the main, and either use a pump or not from the tank, depending on the pressure required.

    @romaniac
Thanks for the feedback, rather than a full reservoir would a pump with a pressure tank on it do the job, something like this?
-@Gettravelling

No.  A few liters of air (for the pump to build pressure) still does not solve the water supply issue. @Perpetual_traveler's comment is I think, an appropriate explanation.  You need water volume to support increased pressure, otherwise it will just be a short burst of higher pressure, then you're out of water and getting nothing.

With all respect, you hired someone to propose a solution and do the job, because you don't know how to solve it yourself, and don't understand the factors at hand in solving it.  That's fine, not everyone is all-knowing or carries years of experience in a particular trade.  That's why the average person hires a professional to do the job and solve it.

@Perpetual_traveler

Thank you for the advice.

So I would need a reservoir tank it seems, and do you know the usual size of these for a small (3 bedroom) property? Would it be 1000 litres or so?

T

@Gettravelling Hi - yes, 1000L is about the average size. Many houses in Spain have that size. Check with a plumber for the actual location that makes sense for your specific house/pipe setup - only they can tell you that if you have no experience with this kind of thing. Right now the main feeds into the house. In the future the main will go into the tank, then the house, so that needs re-plumbing. It might or might not be trivial depending on where the tank goes. In addition, where the tank goes will determine whether or not you need a pump.  I would get a few quotes. People see dollar signs when they deal with foreigners - do you speak Spanish? Things will be easier if you do. Ask the guy to explain everything to you in detail, and make notes so you understand his logic, and so he actually justifies his solution. The good news is that in winter they are less busy, as the main demand for water related work is in the summer.

@Gettravelling Your Plumper is correct  You need to build a water tank that holds a lot of water that will supply your house for at least 2 weeks. Calculate how many toilets you have, bathrooms, kitchen sinks etc.

Your Plumper will build  a pump cubicle  ABOVE the water tank that is rain proof. He will connect a pipe that drops into the bottom of the water tank and another that connects to your house pipe. He will then connect an electrical connection inside the cubicle  that contains your pump. He will then plug in the pump. When you turn on a house tap, the pump will start and turn off automatically  when you turn the tap off.  When he builds the cubicle  it must be big enough for him to climb in to connect the house water pipe to the pump.  Your Plumber will have a lot of experience  on building rural  house water tanks that are supplied by Wells.