When you have finished the purchase of the plot the next step is to get an architect to design and make drawings of the property. The drawings need to get approved by the board of architects (colegio de arcitectos), and are needed to present the application for the building license.
As to the design of the property you can decide if you want to leave it up to the architect or if you want to be involved in the whole design process.

If you are building a property for your own use we can recommend giving a detailed explication to the architect about what you expect. Apart from the physical design of the house you will have discuss details like:
- The situation of the house on the plot.
- The views you are getting from each part of the property.
- The distribution of the property.
- The size and number of rooms needed.
- If you have any special requirements like need of wheelchair, space for guests,
- Extras like pool, garage, storage, tennis etc.

As mentioned it is necessary to provide detailed information and drawings of the property to be able to get the building permit, which you have to apply for at the local town hall.
In the past, it was accepted practice to build without obtaining the necessary licence in advance. A fine would subsequently be imposed which was a relatively low sum. Today this practise has changed as fines are very expensive and the government is paralysing many constructions or even knocking it down.

The architect will normally take about 6-8 weeks to get the design ready for submission to the authorities. The project is first submitted to the Board of Architects for their approval. Once approved the project is submitted to the Town Hall, along with the health and safety project and certificate from the College of Aparejadores. The license (if all the paper work is in order) will normally be ready in about 4 to 6 weeks.

When you have the licenses you will be ready to start the construction but before that you will of course have to find a constructer.
There are many constructers around of different sizes and nationality and most important with different reputation and results / quality of previous work done.
It can be very difficult to distinguish the god constructers from the bad ones and if you don't have previous experience with constructing in Spain the only fact you can use is previous work done.

Although you have a good constructer the most important point is to make sure that the contract with the constructer is covering all important areas including the payment terms, completion date with penalty clause for late completion, construction standards, materials used, etc.

The building process can take everything from 4 months to a couple of years depending on what you are planning to build and the terms of your contract with the constructer.
The process is normally divided into different phases like the fundament, the structure, the roofing, the inside installations and the finishing.

During the construction it can be highly recommended having an independent technical architect (aparejador) hired by you and not the constructer to make sure that the constructer complies with the construction standards given by the architect.

When the property is finished it is important that you make sure that the builder obtain the certificate of completion of the building and the certificate of first occupancy which is given by the town hall as otherwise you will not be able to get a contracts for light, water and phone.

The next step will be to get the new property registered at the Spanish Property Registry, as the title deed only contains the registration of the plot. To be able to register the new property in the title deed it is necessary to make a declaration of new work (declaración de obra nueva) and to provide the full certification of the construction including the building license, the certificate of building completion and the certificate of first occupancy.

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