Building your own villa in madeira

We are interested in having your company build our ideal villa, how long does this take?

Normally 12 -18 months for the construction period plus a further 3/6 months to obtain the architectural approval and building licences. A smaller villa can take just 12 months to complete while a complex cliff edge villa will take longer.

How do I budget for the costs involved in building my own bespoke villa?

We can break the costs down and through the building period, this could be with 6 to 8 payments.

When we find an ideal plot that belongs to Bespoke Villas, what happens next?

We go and see the architect to see the construction that could be made. You will not incur any costs as we discover and design a project that fits your wishes.

What about planning permission, how do I know the land I choose will be granted planning for my project?

We own at any time between 30 to 40 separate building plots, we only buy plots where we know we will have planning approval granted. No major financial commitments will take place from our clients until we have the right approvals in place.

Do you have land on the front line of the sea?

We are a specialist in ‘front line of the ocean’ plots with several premium plots always in our land bank.

What are the tax costs of a bespoke project?

There are large tax differences between buying a market resale property and undertaking a Bespoke Villas project. Our average client will save around €60,000 in taxes.

How do I know we will be safe with your company, what happens if you go bankrupt or there is an accident on our purchased land and building site.

Your lawyers will be responsible for carrying out regular checks on our building and accident insurance. We sell the land to our clients at the start of the construction phase, in doing so we are building on the clients land, this is considered a safe way of building.  Should anything happen to our company you can contract the rest of the work to a 3rd party contractor. We have been continuously trading since 2001 and have a solid financial base.

What happens if I have a problem after the property is built?

We have an office that is open 12 hours a day 6 days a week, we are always here and will attend any problem quickly. In the very unlikely event of a construction complication, all our villas are covered by construction guarantees. We pride our business on satisfied clients and continuous client referrals.

What about the project construction costs, how do I know I won’t get sudden and unexpected large bills?

Once we have agreed all the building costs and commissioned a legal construction contract, the building costs will only rise when a client chooses to upgrade finishes or commission additional construction work that is not in the agreed plans. For instance, an installed air-conditioning system or fitted wine cellar will incur additional costs.

What about the legal procedure?

We only work with clients who have a local lawyer, your lawyer will explain the best legal process to you.

Can you build us a special shoe wardrobe or spiral staircase?

We build anything you wish, just send us photos or provide us with some sketches and our carpenter will create it for you.

What is the most common error a buyer makes when undertaking a construction project with you?

The most common mistake is made by those who need Euros to make a purchase. For example, buyers with British Pounds or Swiss Francs using high street banks attract poor exchange rates and high handling fees. A specialist FX currency trader will save buyers around 2% on the overall transaction when compared to your bank. We advise all potential buyers to register with a specialist currency trader in order to be ready to act quickly. Please contact us to benefit from our rates with our FX partners.

What extra costs outside the build do buyers forget about?

Few buyers think deeply about the enjoyment of quality outside furniture, we advise saving at least €8,000 for your outdoor furniture expenditure. In Madeira you can spend lots of time enjoying the garden and entertaining friends.

What about future proofing our villa, what would you recommend?

Installing a lift shaft that can be a storage area until a later date is a good example, another might be a retractable pool cover housing

How will I know you build correctly with good foundation and retaining walls? I know in Madeira there are some new properties with crumbling foundations and cracked walls.

A very good question, our company builds deep and strong foundations we have been doing this since 2001. We encourage clients to appoint an engineer who can be their ‘works inspector’ arriving on site on a weekly basis. We have a ALVARA number issued by the Portuguese government in 2001 and being in continued licence use since then. A construction company with recent issue ‘ALVARA’ number is a warning signal about potentially poor building practices. We also have client references available from constructions finished in 2002.

We want to buy and ship goods to Madeira for our new villa, can you unload the container for us and help with new furniture assembly?

No, we do not offer furniture assembly or container unloading as part of a bespoke building service. These services should be provided by a professional moving company.

We want a tropical garden, flowers, exotic fruits and palms, this is included right?

These are not included as part of a bespoke building service or are they a part of a building contract. We do however offer these services at an extra cost.

Can you guarantee us our a ‘forever view’ on the right plot?

That will depend on the land however our plots have been chosen to avoid such future consequences. We classify our ‘forever view’ plots as a premium.

What will be the resale value of a completed off-plan Bespoke Villas project verses a comparable market resale property?

The end resale value of a completed Bespoke Villas project will be far higher than a resale villa. Also the significant quality difference of a Bespoke Villas property will attract buyers who seek a high level of luxury and bespoke carpentry.

We already live in Madeira and want to get on site every week to watch the progress, will you accompany us?

Some of the time we will, however once we have the building underway our locally based clients can visit when they wish, they are required to wear protective equipment on every visit and sign paperwork.

How much do I need to think about spending when thinking of a project with your company?

We build Bespoke Villas and you will require a good budget for this undertaking. Frontline or ocean plot projects are higher in price and demand. Frontline well located plots are also ever less in number as more clients are discovering Madeira and relocating to our unique locations. Please contact Robert Webb for an informal conversation about your own property aspirations.

I would like to see the list of building materials used and finishing options available, where can I see this?

A Bespoke Villas client will have a login code provided where you can see the full description of building materials and brochures. We also have listed our preferred partners or suppliers.

Will we be able to use our own contractors for some jobs such as air conditioning upgrades or curtain installations. Is this ok?

We are your project partners. All contractors should be contracted directly through Bespoke Villas and fall under our own management.

What about delays, I know they can happen.

As project partners to our clients will not refuse changes, alterations, extensions, upgrades or even a hold to production, naturally these situations will incur a delay. To avoid a delay we advise all our clients to make advanced decisions on building materials, upgrades and finishes.

So we want your company to be our builders, what happens now?

We can be your project partners as a luxury building company.

I have seen other approved villa projects for sale pre-construction in Madeira, what’s the difference between this and a Bespoke Villas project?

An advertised pre-approved project means the project can be started within a period typically around 8 to 12 weeks. A Bespoke Villas project means you really get what you really want while enjoying the design stage. The bespoke route adds 3-6 months onto the entire process, it means we are able to start building very soon after local approval.

I have met a property agent offering me pre-approved, pre-construction projects, they said they have worked with Bespoke Villas before and they had other similar projects available.

This is sometimes mentioned by property agents. Bespoke Villas has never worked with local real estate agents, we are exclusively direct to client.

We are interested in a pre-approved project and want to start quickly….

If you are interested in pre-approved build projects that are ready to enter construction immediately, please visit our sister company BuildMadeira.com by clicking here. There you will find residential villa projects ready to start construction now with build times from just 12 months until completion and handover.