Professional Ethics
It’s important to note that both the Spanish Institute of Architects and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors hold their members to high standards of professional ethics and in this case you are looked after by John Wolfendale MRICS and Luis Llopis a Chartered Architect.
The law requires that certain professionals with specific responsibilities are involved in every building project in Spain. Some laws can vary between municipalities. We take responsibility for all handling all aspects of the bureaucratic processes, regulations and licences. This allows us to be efficient, minimise delays, and get the job finished quickly.
Openness and Transparency
We are open and transparent with you about what things cost and that includes our own margins. You know exactly how much we make and can decide for yourself whether or not you are getting value for money.
Supporting you through the Feasibility Assessment
When you are considering buying a site we can support you as follows:
1. A formal assessment of the planning situation
2. A broad assessment of the costs involved in building your home
3. Some initial drawings for layout and volumes
4. An informal analysis of the local market conditions to put the asking price of the site you have in mind in perspective.
5. A formal independent valuation of the site you’re interested in.
You might find our guide to buying land land safely in Spain useful.
Our Unique Way of Working During the Design Phase
When your architect is designing your home conventionally they would give you broad estimates for how much things might cost. We think this is insufficient. You’ve probably seen Grand Designs. Most people end up way over budget. That’s normally because things weren’t properly thought through during the design phase.
So we do it differently. We involve our builders and engineers in the project right from the outset. In fact we invite you to meet them early on in the design phase so you can be confident you have chosen the right people.
Then during the design phase we consult with them so that you can make decisions on the cost / performance trade offs as we go so when we’ve finished you are within budget.
We believe our approach is unique in Spain. There are a number of benefits:
1. You are comfortable you have selected the right team right at the beginning to take you all the way through to the end.
2. We go faster and make fewer mistakes because the whole team is coordinated behind clear objectives.
3. The energy efficient design works as it should because everyone in the team knows why we are using certain materials and techniques.
4. You get a tailor made specification which matches your budget before you sign the construction contract.
5. You sign a fixed price contract with us – no cost overrun – having that confidence is important.
Quotes, Contracts, Payments
Everything we do for you will be preceded by a written quote and a contract. We ask for part payment in advance and we start work when we receive payment. We complete the job when we have received full payment.
Eco Vida is the trading name of Arqur, a long standing architectural practice owned and managed by Luis Llopis, and The Eco Design and Build Company S.L. which is owned and managed jointly by John Wolfendale and Luis Llopis. These two companies operate together as Eco Vida. Architecture and design work is contracted with Arqur and construction work and everything else is contracted with The Eco Design and Build Company S.L.
Prepayments for the construction phase are held strictly in accordance with the law which specifies that your money is held in a separate account and you receive a bank guarantee.
Communications
We understand that miscommunications can result in time being wasted and costs rising. So to eliminate these we minute our meetings and telephone conversations with you and we ask you to confirm back to us that you agree with them. This also gives you an opportunity to make any amendments or to further raise any issues you are not happy with. We then proceed on the firm basis of what has been recorded in the minutes.
Our Own Guide to Design & Build in Spain
We have produced our own guide to Design and Build in Spain which we can let you have in a pdf. Here is the index of that document. Please contact us to request a copy.
Index
Who’s Who in the Team
We Manage the Three Phases: Feasibility, Design, Construction
The Feasibility Phase
1. Meeting With Us in Our Office in Granada
2. Payments, Contracts and Timing for Professional Services During the Feasibility Phase
3. Option 1 for land graded as “urban” – A Site Inspection and Oral Report
4. Option 2 for land graded as “rustic”: A Report on the Planning Situation
5. Option 3 Preliminary Designs and Cost Estimates
6. Option 4 – A Current Market Valuation on the Site and Estimated Value of the Finished Building
7. Important Notes on the Valuations
The Design Phase
1. Outline Designs (anteprojecto)
2. Detailed and Final Designs (proyecto basico y de ejecucion)
The Construction Phase
1. The Contract
2. Work on Site
3. Finishes and Licences
Keeping Your Money Safe: Who you pay and when
• Fees for the Design Phase
• Payments During the Construction Phase
• A Retention of 5%
• A Complete List of What’s Included / Excluded
Responsibilities, Guarantees, and Project Management
• Professional Ethics
• Communications
• Architectural and Project Management Responsibilities
• Planning Consent
• 10 Year Guarantee
• Independent Monitors
• Topographical and Geotechnical Report
• Health and Safety Plan
• Building Works Insurance
• Licence of First Occupation
Your Guarantee of Safety
