Building a villa, from plot to keys

The seven phases, how long each one takes, and where projects usually slip.

What you will learn

• The seven phases and their durations
• What is decided in the first three months
• How materials are chosen in one or two meetings

A new build on the Costa Blanca North runs through seven phases: planning and feasibility, design and permitting, pre-construction, marketing and sales for investment projects, construction, post-construction, and completion and handover. Put together they take roughly two to three years, and construction alone takes between ten and twenty-four months.

The first three months decide most of what follows. Goals, budget and timeline are agreed, the plot is selected and assessed against its cadastral record, and a feasibility study covers the market, the legal position and the first cost projections. Architects, builders, designers and lawyers are brought in at this stage, not later.

Permits are where projects usually slip. Working through the Entidad Colaboradora Urbanística of the Valencian Community accelerates approval. Materials are the other time sink, so our designer curates the options and most are chosen in one or two meetings. See the building plots in Jávea and the new build villas in Benissa on the market now.

Written by Nicolas Strebel.