Yesterday was the first day of the construction of our new house in the Spanish countryside on the Costa del Azahar. We could hardly believe it when we saw our builder in his machine, levelling the ground.
This is, because as it might be the first day of construction, it has actually been almost two years since we decided to build this house in Spain .

Maybe we were overcautious, but everything had to be right. Firstly we struggled with the Valencian LRAU, the infamous land grab law. In the end we decided that we did not have to worry that much about it on the Costa del Azahar - and land prices were so cheap, that we thought that even if they did take some of the land at some point in the future for a development, that would be a risk worth taking.

So we decided to buy some land, and luckily found a lovely plot that came with water and electricity as well as sea views - so fulfilled all our requirements.
We then needed to find an architect, get the plans drawn up and apply for planning permission. This was not as difficult as we thought, although we had to let go of the idea of mood boards and lots of creative input from the architect. Here you basically have to turn up with your own floor plans and the architect does the technical drawings to some more or less standard spec house.

The next step was finding a builder, which took a long time in our case. But finally we found one through recommendation. Not only did he prepare a proper detailed quote, but also the price seemed fair. Just as importantly, the chemistry was good and we know we can put some trust in him. He has been working as a constructor on the Costa del Azahar all his life, just like his father who is now retired.

Surely we will come across some more obstacles while the house is being constructed, but we are optimistic that in the end it will all have been worth it.

Land for sale Costa del Azahar

Info about effects of Valencian land laws, LUV, LRAU: Abusos urbanisticos no