{"id":34117,"date":"2026-08-14T14:53:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/?page_id=34117"},"modified":"2026-08-17T23:24:42","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T23:24:42","slug":"self-build-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/self-build-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-build in Spain: the ten steps of building your own house in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group fcg\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n<style>\n.fcg{\n  --surface:#fcfcfb; --ink:#0b0b0b; --ink2:#52514e; --muted:#898781;\n  --grid:#e1e0d9; --axis:#c3c2b7; --ring:rgba(11,11,11,0.10); --band:#f0efec;\n  --c1:#2a78d6; --c2:#eb6834; --c3:#1baf7a;\n  color-scheme:light;\n}\n.fcg .fcg-caja{background:var(--surface); border:1px solid var(--ring);\n  border-left:3px solid var(--c1); border-radius:8px; padding:16px 18px; 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You keep the developer\u2019s margin and take on the developer\u2019s role: the one in articles 9, 17 and 19 of Law 38\/1999 on Building Regulation (<em>Ley de Ordenaci\u00f3n de la Edificaci\u00f3n<\/em>, LOE).<\/p><p>The process is ten steps and about two years. They are all below, with what you need at each one and what changes in the <em>Comunidad de Madrid<\/em> \u2014 the region, a different administration from the <em>Ayuntamiento de Madrid<\/em>, the city council. On several steps it is not what most pages say.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ten steps<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"fcg-pasos\"><li><h3>Finding the right plot<\/h3><p>Before the price, five things: <strong>location<\/strong>, vehicle and pedestrian <strong>access<\/strong>, <strong>services<\/strong> \u2014water, drainage, electricity and telecoms up to the boundary\u2014, <strong>topography<\/strong> and, above all, <strong>planning rules<\/strong>: what can really be built there. They are municipal rules, so neighbouring plots can allow very different houses. See <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/what-can-i-build-on-my-plot\/\">what you can build on your plot<\/a>.<\/p><p>You also have to check charges, encumbrances and burdens, which are recorded at the <em>Registro de la Propiedad<\/em> (the Land Registry, a different body from the <em>Catastro<\/em>, the registry kept for tax purposes). It is the most expensive mistake in a self-build, because by the time you find out you have already signed. If the ground has steep slopes, fill or an odd history, look at the subsoil before buying, with a ground investigation report.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Buying the plot<\/h3><p>Financing a plot does not work like financing a house: you need more savings. Three routes. With a bank, bearing in mind that many lenders refuse to finance land and those that accept impose hard terms. With your own money. Or buying with the design and permit already under way \u2014 the best option, because the plot is then valued together with the house.<\/p><p>This is where the <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/self-build-mortgage\/\">self-build mortgage<\/a> comes in: it is not handed over in one go but in stages, against interim certificates of work built.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Appointing the architect<\/h3><p>Talk to several studios and look at their finished buildings, not just their renders. Once chosen: a contract with the services itemised, payment terms, a topographic survey and a ground investigation report.<\/p><p>Spanish law splits the site team in two, and both are compulsory: the <em>arquitecto<\/em> (architect), who directs the works (article 12 of the LOE), and the <em>arquitecto t\u00e9cnico<\/em> or <em>aparejador<\/em> \u2014 closest to a <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/quantity-surveyor-in-madrid\/\">quantity surveyor<\/a> \u2014 who directs their physical execution (article 13). You cannot hire only one; Fran Cort\u00e9s holds both.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Developing the design<\/h3><p>The <strong><em>proyecto b\u00e1sico<\/em><\/strong> (outline design) sets the general characteristics and is what you apply for the permit with, but it is not enough to build from. The <strong><em>proyecto de ejecuci\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong> (detailed design) develops it fully, defines every material and system, and is the one stamped and built from.<\/p><p>That stamp is the <em>visado colegial<\/em>: the architects\u2019 professional body, the <em>colegio<\/em>, certifies that whoever signed is registered, insured and entitled to sign. With the design goes the <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/health-and-safety-study\/\">health and safety study<\/a>: without it there is no <em>visado<\/em> and no permit.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>The administrative side<\/h3><p><strong>ICIO<\/strong>, the municipal tax on construction, installations and works, is charged on the material execution cost. Each town hall sets its rate and it cannot exceed 4 % (article 102 of the consolidated text of the Local Finance Act). On top goes the permit fee, a separate charge that also varies by municipality. It is the ayuntamiento, not the State, that sets the rate and the fee and decides how long the permit takes, which is why the same house costs a different amount in two neighbouring towns. See the guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/icio-building-permit-tax\/\">ICIO and the building permit tax<\/a>.<\/p><p>VAT comes at two rates: <strong>10 %<\/strong> on the building work of a dwelling contracted directly with the builder, and <strong>21 %<\/strong> on professional services and supplies of goods. Municipal taxes carry no VAT. The whole split, with the rates of your own town hall, is in the <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/tools\/construction-cost\/\">cost calculator<\/a>.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Appointing the builder<\/h3><p>A good part of the outcome is decided here. Give the builders all the information in the design, get your technical team in the room with them, and settle a <strong>fixed-price contract<\/strong>. Agree in writing that any extraordinary change is priced at project rates.<\/p><p>Check that the contractor and subcontractors are entered in the <em>Registro de Empresas Acreditadas<\/em> (the register of accredited construction companies): compulsory information on the notice of opening of the site.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Starting on site<\/h3><p>By the day the <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/acta-de-replanteo\/\"><em>acta de replanteo<\/em><\/a> (the setting-out record) is signed, everything has to be settled: permit granted, detailed design stamped, health and safety plan approved by the coordinator, notice of opening of the site filed by the contractor, <em>libro de \u00f3rdenes<\/em> (order book) endorsed by the colegio, and <em>libro de incidencias<\/em> (incident book).<\/p><p>The <strong><em>aviso previo<\/em><\/strong> (prior notice) that still turns up in many guides has been repealed since 2010. Its content goes today into the notice of opening of the site.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>During the works<\/h3><p>Visit the site, but do not take over from your technical team. Any change goes first to the <em>direcci\u00f3n facultativa<\/em> and is recorded in writing in a variation record, priced, and signed by all parties.<\/p><p>Payments go against a <strong><em>certificaci\u00f3n de obra<\/em><\/strong> (interim certificate): the builder invoices, the direcci\u00f3n facultativa checks what has been built and issues the certificate. With a mortgage, that certificate is what releases the money.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Completion<\/h3><p>Three documents. The <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/certificate-of-completion\/\"><em>certificado final de obra<\/em><\/a> (the completion certificate), signed by architect and aparejador and stamped by the colegio. The <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/libro-del-edificio\/\"><em>libro del edificio<\/em><\/a> (the building manual). And the <strong><em>acta de recepci\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong> (the handover record), the formal handover, which starts the ten-year, three-year and one-year warranty periods.<\/p><p>You can accept the works with reservations. If you do, the warranty periods run from the day the items are put right, not from the signature.<\/p><\/li><li><h3>Legalising the house<\/h3><p>Final settlement of ICIO on the real cost. <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/first-occupancy-licence\/\">First occupancy<\/a>, which in Madrid is no longer a licence but a <em>declaraci\u00f3n responsable<\/em> (a self-certified declaration). <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/declaracion-de-obra-nueva\/\"><em>Declaraci\u00f3n de obra nueva<\/em><\/a>, the notarial deed that makes the house exist on paper, and registration at the Registro de la Propiedad. And entry in the Catastro.<\/p><p>With that the house legally exists and the permanent supplies can be contracted. Both deeds pass through a Spanish <em>notario<\/em>, a public official who answers for the legality of what he authorises. He is not a solicitor and does not act for you, so you still want your own lawyer.<\/p><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three things almost every guide gets wrong<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"fcg-cards\"><div class=\"fcg-card\" style=\"--tono:#eb6834\"><div class=\"cab\">Common mistake<\/div><h3>The aviso previo<\/h3><p>Still listed as a step on dozens of pages. It has been <strong>repealed since 24 March 2010<\/strong> by Royal Decree 337\/2010. Its content was folded into the notice of opening of the site.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"fcg-card\" style=\"--tono:#eb6834\"><div class=\"cab\">Common mistake<\/div><h3>The c\u00e9dula de habitabilidad<\/h3><p>In the Comunidad de Madrid it <strong>has not existed since 2018<\/strong>: Decree 111\/2018 abolished it. Nobody issues it. If you are asked for one, someone is applying another region\u2019s rules.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"fcg-card\" style=\"--tono:#eb6834\"><div class=\"cab\">Common mistake<\/div><h3>The warranty periods<\/h3><p>They do not start with the completion certificate. They start with the <strong><em>acta de recepci\u00f3n<\/em><\/strong> (article 6.5 of the LOE). The certificate only fixes the date the works finished.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you need to be clear about before you start<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"fcg-check\"><li>What can be built on the plot, with the planning rules in hand<\/li><li>What all of it costs, not just the building work<\/li><li>How much you have and where it comes from<\/li><li>Whether the land carries charges, easements or burdens<\/li><li>Who directs the works and who directs the execution<\/li><li>What contingency reserve you will keep<\/li><li>How the bank will release the money, if there is a mortgage<\/li><li>How long the permit takes at your own town hall<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"fcg-nota\"><p><strong>The number that causes the most grief.<\/strong> Most of the shocks in a self-build come not from the building work but from starting with the wrong number in your head. Someone multiplies square metres by a price read somewhere and finds out six months later that the town hall, the works outside the plot, the VAT and the contingency were missing. The <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/tools\/construction-cost\/\">cost calculator<\/a> adds up every item with your municipality\u2019s rates; the figures behind it are in <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-house-in-spain\/\">how much it costs to build a house in Spain<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"fcg-faq\"><div class=\"q\"><h3>What exactly is a self-builder?<\/h3><p>The person who promotes the building of their own home instead of buying it from a developer. In law you take on the developer\u2019s duties in article 9 of Law 38\/1999 on Building Regulation (<em>Ley de Ordenaci\u00f3n de la Edificaci\u00f3n<\/em>, LOE): commissioning the design, appointing the technical team, obtaining the permits and signing the <em>acta de recepci\u00f3n<\/em>.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>How much do you save by building it yourself?<\/h3><p>You save the developer\u2019s margin. It is not a fixed or guaranteed figure: it depends on the land, on the builder and on the design being properly closed before work starts. What is certain is that you take on the risk and the management the developer used to take on.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>Do I need ten-year structural insurance if I build for myself?<\/h3><p>No. The second additional provision of the LOE exempts an individual self-builder of a single detached home for their own use. With a catch: if you sell within ten years you must take the policy out for the time remaining, unless the buyer expressly releases you and you can show you have lived in the house. Without that the sale deed is neither authorised nor registered.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>How long does a self-build take from start to finish?<\/h3><p>It depends above all on the town hall. From commissioning the design to the keys usually runs to two years: six to nine months of design and permit, twelve to sixteen of building work. The permit is the least predictable variable, because it is the <em>ayuntamiento<\/em> (town hall) that grants it and each one sets its own deadlines.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>Can I start work as soon as I have the proyecto b\u00e1sico?<\/h3><p>No. The <em>proyecto b\u00e1sico<\/em> is what you apply for the permit with, but it is not enough to build from. You need the <em>proyecto de ejecuci\u00f3n<\/em>, stamped by the <em>colegio<\/em>, and the permit granted. Starting before that is building with no authorisation. See <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/building-permits-requirements-in-madrid\/\">building permit requirements in Madrid<\/a>.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>Is the aparejador compulsory?<\/h3><p>Yes. The LOE requires a <em>direcci\u00f3n facultativa<\/em>, and on a house the direction of the physical execution belongs to the <em>arquitecto t\u00e9cnico<\/em> (article 13). The completion certificate is signed by both, architect and <em>aparejador<\/em>.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>What happens if I run out of money halfway through?<\/h3><p>That is the real risk of a self-build, and why the contingency reserve is not optional. With a <a href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/guides\/self-build-mortgage\/\">self-build mortgage<\/a> the bank releases money against interim certificates: a site that has stopped generating certificates stops receiving money.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>Can I engage the trades directly and do without a main contractor?<\/h3><p>You can, and Royal Decree 1627\/1997 (article 2.3) has an exception that stops you becoming the contractor when you engage self-employed trades for your own home. But you are still the developer: the health and safety study and the coordinator remain compulsory. And if you bring in self-employed workers, you become an employer for all purposes.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"q\"><h3>Is the Comunidad de Madrid the same thing as the Ayuntamiento de Madrid?<\/h3><p>No, and the difference matters at almost every step. The <em>Comunidad de Madrid<\/em> is the region and legislates on land and habitability; the <em>Ayuntamiento de Madrid<\/em> is the council of one of its municipalities. Region-wide rules such as Decree 111\/2018 come from the Comunidad; the permit, the ICIO, the fee and the timescale come from your own town hall.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"fcg-cta\"><h2>We take you through the ten steps<\/h2><p>As <em>direcci\u00f3n facultativa<\/em> we sign the design, direct the works, issue the certificates the bank releases money against and sign off completion. We also handle the ayuntamiento, where most of the time gets lost.<\/p><p>Tell us where the plot is and what stage you are at.<\/p><div class=\"btns\"><a class=\"p\" href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/contact\/\">Talk to the studio<\/a><a class=\"s\" href=\"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/tools\/construction-cost\/\">Work out what my house will cost<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"fcg-fuentes\"><strong>Sources.<\/strong> Law 38\/1999 on Building Regulation, articles 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, 19 and second additional provision. Royal Decree 314\/2006, the Spanish Building Code (<em>C\u00f3digo T\u00e9cnico de la Edificaci\u00f3n<\/em>). Royal Decree 1627\/1997 on health and safety on construction sites, with the repeal of the <em>aviso previo<\/em> by Royal Decree 337\/2010. Royal Legislative Decree 2\/2004, consolidated text of the Local Finance Act (<em>Ley de Haciendas Locales<\/em>), article 102. Law 37\/1992 on VAT, article 91.One.3.1\u00ba. Law 9\/2001 on Land of the Comunidad de Madrid. Decree 111\/2018 of the Comunidad de Madrid.<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What exactly is a self-builder?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The person who promotes the building of their own home instead of buying it from a developer. In law you take on the developer\u2019s duties in article 9 of Law 38\/1999 on Building Regulation (Ley de Ordenaci\u00f3n de la Edificaci\u00f3n, LOE): commissioning the design, appointing the technical team, obtaining the permits and signing the acta de recepci\u00f3n.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much do you save by building it yourself?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"You save the developer\u2019s margin. It is not a fixed or guaranteed figure: it depends on the land, on the builder and on the design being properly closed before work starts. What is certain is that you take on the risk and the management the developer used to take on.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Do I need ten-year structural insurance if I build for myself?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The second additional provision of the LOE exempts an individual self-builder of a single detached home for their own use. With a catch: if you sell within ten years you must take the policy out for the time remaining, unless the buyer expressly releases you and you can show you have lived in the house. Without that the sale deed is neither authorised nor registered.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How long does a self-build take from start to finish?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It depends above all on the town hall. From commissioning the design to the keys usually runs to two years: six to nine months of design and permit, twelve to sixteen of building work. The permit is the least predictable variable, because it is the ayuntamiento (town hall) that grants it and each one sets its own deadlines.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I start work as soon as I have the proyecto b\u00e1sico?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The proyecto b\u00e1sico is what you apply for the permit with, but it is not enough to build from. You need the proyecto de ejecuci\u00f3n, stamped by the colegio, and the permit granted. Starting before that is building with no authorisation. See building permit requirements in Madrid.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the aparejador compulsory?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. The LOE requires a direcci\u00f3n facultativa, and on a house the direction of the physical execution belongs to the arquitecto t\u00e9cnico (article 13). The completion certificate is signed by both, architect and aparejador.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happens if I run out of money halfway through?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"That is the real risk of a self-build, and why the contingency reserve is not optional. With a self-build mortgage the bank releases money against interim certificates: a site that has stopped generating certificates stops receiving money.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I engage the trades directly and do without a main contractor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"You can, and Royal Decree 1627\/1997 (article 2.3) has an exception that stops you becoming the contractor when you engage self-employed trades for your own home. But you are still the developer: the health and safety study and the coordinator remain compulsory. And if you bring in self-employed workers, you become an employer for all purposes.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the Comunidad de Madrid the same thing as the Ayuntamiento de Madrid?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No, and the difference matters at almost every step. The Comunidad de Madrid is the region and legislates on land and habitability; the Ayuntamiento de Madrid is the council of one of its municipalities. Region-wide rules such as Decree 111\/2018 come from the Comunidad; the permit, the ICIO, the fee and the timescale come from your own town hall.\"}}]}<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In short. A self-builder \u2014 autopromotor in Spanish \u2014 promotes the building of their own home instead of buying it from someone else. You keep the developer\u2019s margin and take on the developer\u2019s role: the one in articles 9, 17 and 19 of Law 38\/1999 on Building Regulation (Ley de Ordenaci\u00f3n de la Edificaci\u00f3n, LOE). [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":34116,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rank_math_title":"Self-build in Spain: a ten-step guide for Madrid","rank_math_description":"The ten steps of a self-build in Madrid, from the plot to the Land Registry: the rule behind each stage, who grants what, and what changes in Madrid.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"self-build in spain","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_robots":"","rank_math_facebook_title":"","rank_math_facebook_description":"","rank_math_facebook_image":"","rank_math_twitter_use_facebook":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-34117","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34129,"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34117\/revisions\/34129"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/34116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/francortesarquitectos.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}