Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

I was wondering who has actually acquired their own land,drawn up,plans and permissions and built or had it built ?

Iam looking for advice ,pitfalls to be taken into account etc .

How easy was it to get planning ?

I would be considering buying land now ,then over 5 years have the house built in stages if easy

Kav
Thanks in anticipation

we did just that but you will need to pm me if you want further info

Hi Kav
We also got our own land and then built the house, not going to say it was easy and if we ever done it again i am sure we would make a few changes but for us it was the only way to get the house we wanted.

wedinnorthcyprus wrote:Hi Kav
We also got our own land and then built the house, not going to say it was easy and if we ever done it again i am sure we would make a few changes but for us it was the only way to get the house we wanted.

So it was all worth the stress .
Are you west or east ?
From start to finish how long was the process etc

I will pm you ok

Kav

The build process took 8 months from start to finish, we are in Karsiyaka

Built in 10 months from start to finish. Developer changed specs ie type of marble floor, whilst I was not in country, to increase his profit. Had contract but was not worth going through courts. House was completed which was a good thing. Probably would not do again...

Whatever you do, you or somebody you trustmust be there more or less all the time!!! We did not build a new house but had an old one renovated. We had to make sure, that they did not get rid of any of the old features.
Learn from Soner, they will do stuff you don't want. We wanted a simple arch in the middle rooms of our house as there was a newish ugly door. David explained exactly and drew a picture, first we got a almost gothic arch and then we nearly ended up with two plaster 'grecian' columns. We were in England, but luckily our daughter spotted it on her visit there. When the builder(he renovated the arch houses in Dipkarpaz) made two new windows, he spent most of his time in the coffee house. The workmen cheated and did not put lintols over the windows!!! If we had been there....
When our Turkish friend had his old house renovated, he made his father stay there all day!!!

I bought the land and then built my own house - that was 10 years ago - a different world from now perhaps.
However, I still think the essential factor is that you have someone available and totally trustworthy in North Cyprus to oversee everything. I did and as I said, that was ages ago but it helped hugely with all of the red tape and pitfalls.
Without making light of it you of course need a good lawyer, trusted bona fide deeds, proven builder, permissions etc coupled with an acknowledgement that you have to adhere to the local rules whether you like or not.
Overall, I would say it is not for the faint hearted - you need a good business acumen, a clear head ( not ruled by the heart) and a love of North Cyprus sprinkled with a great sense of humour!
I probably could write a book about it all but every time I sit on a verandah enjoying the splendour around me I don't regret a thing.
Best Wishes to you in your endeavour.

Well there are some scary realitys to think,and rethink about .

I see some issues between the story's above That are a concern and really can only work if it's done with " project manager " approach to guide if all through .

Do each stage of the house need to be signed off like UK to ensure regs are in place ......or I am just miles off the pace ?

Kav

Soner hit the nail ,probably wouldn't do it again

We bought land and had a builder build a house to our spec based on a bungalow we had rented and plans for another we had seen. Our builder's architect drew up the plans in consultation with us. We were advised to stay away from multi-build sites and estate agents which we believe was good advice. We employed our own independent lawyer who got contracts for the land purchase and the builder drawn up and signed at the same time/day. Our builder got the Tapu out to check the land boundaries before he started work - this is very important. We have had a lot of good luck and have full title deeds, although it still took a long time even though our property ticked all the right boxes. You must make sure your builder agrees to acquire all necessary permissions and permits including the all important final approval which ours obtained before we even moved in, love him! I must declare that our house was finished at the beginning of 2006 and a lot has changed since then.

I will also say that though not perfect, our builder, who is also a qualified engineer, was very good, stuck to the script and was conscientious about protocol and legal requirements. We knew him because he had built a house we rented prior to buying the land. We bought land from people we knew and felt we could trust, although the brief checked for mortgages on the land and otherwise satisfied himself and us that all was in order. We had the usual rocky journey along the way of construction but overall we were very happy, lucky and satisfied.

Just make sure you are clear in what you want and there to oversea. On completion of build I had asked developer to skim the top of the garden with a bulldozer to flatten and clear a bit. Had a call from neighbour when I was in London telling me that they had removed 48 truck loads of soil. Went back and OK looked better but had cost me just under £2000 when I only expected to pay about £150.

You live and you learn.