Follow the site from home
Your site manager, builder or a neighbour uploads photos and drone video. You see progress on your phone without flying out every month – and everything lands in a site diary with date and weather.
Build in Spain
Building in Spain? Keep track from home
Building a house in Spain, Portugal or another country while you live somewhere else? Distance, language, currency and unfamiliar rules make it hard. MinePlaner keeps drawings, photos, budget and every conversation with your architect and builder in one place – and translates between English, Spanish and Norwegian as you go.
Talk to your architect in your own language
You write in English, your architect reads Spanish – and replies in Spanish that you read in English. Pin comments to the exact spot on a drawing and refer to photos; both of you get e-mail notices in your own language.
A budget in euros you can trust
Track estimate, actual cost and what has been paid for every item. Payments in other currencies are locked at the rate on the day you paid, so you always know what the house has cost.
Drawings explained – in your language
Upload the architect's PDF. AI reads the plans floor by floor, finds rooms and areas, translates the room names and makes a rough build-cost estimate with local prices including labour.
How building a house in Spain works
Most new builds in Spain go through the same stages: buying the plot, design with an architect, the building permit from the town hall (ayuntamiento), construction, and finally the completion certificate and registering the new house. Each stage has its own documents and its own people, and most of it happens in Spanish.
If you live abroad, the hard part is rarely the building itself. It is keeping track from a distance: what has been decided, who said what, which drawing is the latest, and how much has actually been paid?
- Plot and NIE: you need a foreigner identification number (NIE) to buy land and sign contracts.
- Design: the architect prepares the project (proyecto básico and proyecto de ejecución); the construction project must always be approved (visado) by the college of architects.
- Building permit: the licencia de obra is applied for at the ayuntamiento. Processing times vary a lot between municipalities.
- Construction: an architect and a building engineer (arquitecto técnico/aparejador) supervise the work on site.
- Completion: the certificado final de obra, the occupancy permit and registering the new building with a notary and the land registry.
The documents to keep
A Spanish build produces a lot of important paperwork. You will need much of it again – for financing, insurance, repairs and the day you sell. Collect it from day one, with dates and versions.
- Title deed for the plot (escritura) and a land registry extract (nota simple)
- Architect's contract and building contract with the payment schedule
- The project and every revision of the drawings
- Building permit (licencia de obra) and receipts for fees
- Invoices and proof of payment for each instalment
- Completion certificate, occupancy permit and warranties
What does it cost to build a house in Spain?
Build cost varies widely with region, plot, finish and how much groundwork is needed. Coastal areas and sloping plots cost more than inland areas and flat plots. On top of the building itself come architect and site supervision, municipal fees, insurance and connecting water, power and drainage.
MinePlaner can make a rough estimate per package – groundwork, structure, roof, windows, electrics and plumbing, kitchen and bathrooms – from your drawings and local prices including labour. Use it as a starting point when comparing quotes, not as a binding price.
- The municipal construction tax (ICIO) is usually a percentage of the building budget
- VAT (IVA) on building a home is normally at a reduced rate
- Plan a contingency for the unexpected – especially in the groundwork
Communicating across languages
Misunderstandings cost money. When your architect writes that a window moves "medio metro hacia el este", you need to be sure you understood – and your architect needs to understand your answer.
In MinePlaner each side writes in their own language. Messages are translated automatically with the right building vocabulary, the original is always one click away, and you can drop a pin on the exact spot of the drawing you are discussing. Everything stays on record, so you can see later what was agreed and when.
Share with family – no login needed
Family and friends want to follow along. Make a presentation with the best photos and videos and share a short link or a four-digit code. They need no account, and you decide exactly what each link shows – family see the progress, the architect sees the drawings.
Guides for people who build
What does it cost to build a house in Spain?
The cost of building a house in Spain: build cost per m², architect and supervision, ICIO, VAT, connections, notary and contingency – and how to keep the budget.
Building permit in Spain (licencia de obra) – step by step
How to get a building permit (licencia de obra) in Spain: NIE, architect, proyecto básico, visado, applying to the town hall, timing, completion and occupancy.
How to work with a Spanish architect
Working with a Spanish architect: stages, fees, visado, what to agree in writing – and how to communicate well across language and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Does MinePlaner work for building in Spain and Portugal?
Yes. MinePlaner works for projects in any country. Spanish is one of the languages, the budget can be kept in euros, and architects and builders read and write in their own language.
Does my architect or builder need an account?
No. They get a personal link where they see the drawings, can write messages and upload photos. Notices arrive by e-mail in their own language.
How good are the translations?
Messages are translated automatically with building vocabulary. The original text is always shown alongside, so important details can be checked. Agreements with legal weight should still be confirmed in writing.
Can I keep the budget in more than one currency?
Yes. Each item can be recorded in its own currency. Payments are locked at the exchange rate on the day you paid, so the total is right.
Is this legal advice about Spanish rules?
No. This guide is an overview. Rules and fees vary between regions and municipalities, so always check with your architect, lawyer (abogado) or the town hall.
Ready to show off your project?
30 days free. No card. €45 a year per project if you want to continue.