Land in the village looking for a resident. It could be an advertisement from any town in empty Spain, but it is a reality that you may face after inheriting that land from your second cousin or with that land at a bargain price that you have obtained.
Now that you own a plot of land, what's next? Building a house? Not so fast! Before you get started on the job, there are a few things you should consider. We'll tell you all about them in this guide to help you make sure you don't get lost when building your house.
Find out if the land is buildable
Not all plots of land have the same use. The administration is the one who decides what you can do with each plot of land and whether or not you can build your house there.
How do you know if a plot of land is buildable or not? The answer lies with the Urban Planning Department of the City Council to which the land belongs. This is where you can check the urban planning status of the land or property to find out whether or not it is a buildable plot. In addition, you can also check how many floors can be built and other possible additional requirements.
What if the land is not suitable for development? What are the options? You can use the land as indicated by the regulations or ask the City Council to start the process to convert its use into developable land. In any case, remember that this is something that will no longer be in your hands.
Make your budget
Before embarking on building, it is essential to calculate the amount you can afford and carefully review your budget. How much you can and want to spend.
The costs of a self-promoted house are totally different from those of an already built home:
• Expenses related to architects, permits, etc.
• Costs related to the choice of materials and components, which may influence future savings, particularly in terms of energy efficiency. They will depend on aspects such as quality and number of floors.
• Taxes and fees, ranging from the City Council's Construction, Installations and Works Tax to building permits, in addition to the preparation of the project by the architects.
• Extra costs for accessories such as swimming pool, garage, fencing of the land, etc.
On the Internet you will find simulators that will help you to estimate this budget. Once you have it, will you find a suitable mortgage? Surely you will, you can rest easy. There are mortgages on the market for self-builders with land... This type of mortgage will finance the cost of the works, delivering the loan in partial payments as the work progresses ( here you can see how they work exactly )
Let's get to work: this is the process to make your house a reality
With the financial part closed and well tied up, it would be time to turn that idea into a reality. In other words, to build your house. Here it doesn't matter if you are going to build your house from plans or if you have a prefabricated house in mind. There are formalities that you will have to attend to anyway.
These are the steps to follow:
• Hire an architect to prepare the general execution project, as well as the general health and safety study.
With these documents you will have to process the visa at the College of Architects.
In addition, it will also be necessary to have a material execution budget or PEM, which adds up the cost of materials and labor, but not the rest of the technical fees or taxes and fees.
• Apply for a planning permit at the Town Hall. This allows work to begin.
• Ask for the visas, which are the ones you have already seen.
• Hire the construction management and the construction execution management. The first will have to be an architect and the second can be a quantity surveyor.
Finally, with the license and paperwork in order: The work begins! This is when you build your house.
Work finished, now what?
Your house is now ready, but before you move in you will have to complete the following procedures: Certificate of completion of work and First Occupancy or Habitability License.
This license is issued by the city council and certifies that the home meets the safety and health conditions required for habitation. Once you have it, you can contract the utilities for the home.
Finally, you will need to register the property in the Land Registry and the cadastre. Once you have done this, you will have finally completed the process to create a property on your own land!
