A-PLUS VILLAS 

We are a small firm with Belgian roots that designs and builds modern luxury villas on the Spanish Costa del Sol. We take care of all development phases – from a custom design to the final delivery and acceptance. A-PLUS VILLAS reconciles the comfort requirements of its Northern European clients with the highly complex Spanish building regulations.

Unlike most developers, A-PLUS VILLAS works with a so-called open-book system that allows transparent control of the construction budget. While architecture and design are the firm's core activities, A-PLUS VILLAS also provides services to help you find the right location and qualified building contractors. 

Team

The A-PLUS VILLAS team is formed by: 

1- the architect and ‘author’ Gie Wollaert who has more than 35 years of experience in building quality homes in several countries;

2- a Spanish construction engineer who is responsible for calculating all structural elements in accordance with Spanish standards;

3- a local Spanish architect who follows up the design aspects under the supervision of the architect-author during the construction phase;

4- a so-called ‘aparejador’ or technical surveyor who co-ordinates all safety and technical aspects during construction;

5- a trilingual Spanish architect based in Belgium who reconciles the Northern European requirements with the rules of the Spanish bureaucracy;

6- an interior decorator;

7- a trilingual secretary who facilitates all communications between the various parties.

The building application

Following a number of high-profile scandals in and around Marbella, the Spanish authorities put their house in order and introduced new and more stringent building regulations that have taken the level of legal integrity to new heights in Andalusia. These regulations also include the inspection of plot dimensions and status, the position of trees, etc.

The building application consists of three phases:

1- submitting the ‘proyecto basico’ or basic design outline so the authorities can provide permission with regard to the surface areas, volumes, shapes and materials.

2- submitting the ‘proyecto de ejecucion’ or detailed design outline to obtain permission from the College of Architects and the authorities for the technical aspects of the building. The latter implies the submission of all plans and specifications, including those for all technical installations (electricity, sanitary, HVAC) in full detail.

3- applying for the ’licencia de primera occupacion’ or first occupier license whereby the authorities check the conformity of the project on-site against the submitted plans. This license is required in order to connect to the public utilities. 

In addition, all parties involved in the construction works must be insured. And last but not least, payments are only made for work performed and accepted by the architect.  

Timing and quality

The A-PLUS VILLAS team is committed to tight schedules. The building application is submitted at the latest within six months. Allowing around another six months for the application procedure, the final acceptance of the building is approximately one year after the first groundbreaking. This means the client can move into the villa within two years following the initial contact.

Quality is controlled throughout the project.

1- In the first place, technical inspection is required by the authorities regarding the bearing strength of the soil, the quality of the concrete, the strength of weld joints, etc.

2- The A-PLUS VILLAS team provides highly detailed plans and visits the building site regularly to ensure all work is performed in accordance with our high standards – and in keeping with our excellent reputation. 

3- And finally, the building contractor is selected carefully from among the best-performing firms that are currently still in business after the crisis.