If  you have found a piece of land that you feel is ideal for your purposes, your first task is to find out whether or not you can get permission from the Town Hall to build on it. Sometimes building will only be allowed on plots two or three times the size of the one you want -  your lawyer can find out from the Town Hall department if building permits are being issued.

You must check the Town Plan at the Kadastro. If your plot is  in an existing approved development, the permit should be no problem but you must check. You should be sure that the development is an approved one. Some developments have never received official approval and  building is suspended because developers failed to meet the legal requirements for the services they must provide, such as roads , or water supply. Find out by asking to see the plan project at the town hall. This is really important - you could end up with land you can't use!

Once you are confident about the building permit and that there are  no special limitations on the land, check the land use. This escritura publica describes the land, but sometimes that description isn't exact enough and then you will need an official survey.

Once you find that you can build and you know the exact borders of your land, check that the seller is in fact the owner of the land. Are you buying from the developers, or from an individual? If the land is in the development, does it really belong to the person who claims it or does he share it with his two brothers, one of whom would not sell under any circumstances. Perhaps there is a mortgage on it. The same rules apply as for any property purchase - check the property register.

Finally you can buy the land and register it at the Land registry Office. You should have learned of any restrictions from the Town Hall and any difficulties you may expect from building code problems. Do you have to leave three metres between your boundary and any building? Can you put a wall closer to the road than one metre? Are two stories the absolute limit? This is where your lawyer comes in, and he or she should be able to make sure that the way is clear for you to start building.

You can use a British or architect from any other EU country although logically a Turkish architect familiar with local conditions, rules and regulations is likely to prove of more use to you. Fees for blueprints are calculated per square metre of the building. This will include supervision of the project and an estimation of the cost. The latter will be less than either your real cost or the real market value of your house when completed.

The price will include final plans and the copies needed for approval by the Chamber of Architects and for your building permit. It should also include preparation of the memoria, or building specifications which includes items such as the size of pipes, the formula for the concrete, and the type of materials to be used. Atthis stage you will be choosing electrical and bathroom fittings and tiles for the kitchen and bathrooms, type of windows etc. You really need to give this careful thought. The memoria is what you will give your builder in order to get his bid on the job. He will set his price according to the materials stated in the memoria and any changes you decide to make later or any additions will cost you extra.

You now need to start looking for a builder. In fact you need to find as many as possible in order to give yourself the best opportunity of finding the best price and the best work. Remember, low prices may not represent your best interests just as high prices do not signify high standards. Again the best way is to ask around, if the name of a particular builder keeps cropping up, go and see him and ask to see examples of his work.

Examples of Construction Supplies and Home Furnishings in Turkey:

Paints: www.dostboya.com.tr/interboya.htm

Ceramics / Tiles: www.kale.com.tr/en/urunler/katalog/default.htm

Kitchen / bath / armchairs and tables: www.tepemutfak.com.tr (click "urunler")

Once you find a good builder to undertake the project for you, he will offer you several models of homes, together with their prices and specifications, all included from site preparation to curtain selection. You choose what you want, suggest a few personal needs and changes, agree to payment terms and then all you need is to check on progress from time to time, and make sure they are giving you what they promised. This is by far the easiest way. It's a little more expensive, because all this service costs money.

Your contract with the builder should include the memoria. It should state the total price and you should try to ensure that site grading , preparation and final cleanup are included.

There are no such things as standard payment terms, these are what you negotiate with the builder. Many opt for 50 per cent up front with the balance over the remaining period.

Once building starts so will the nail-biting. Delays, problems, impatience and all the emotions associated with building your own house will wear down the strongest of couples but eventually you will have your dream house and hopefully, have retained your health, sanity and sense of humour.

Registration of your property can be left to your lawyer, together with the other odds and ends of paperwork which when complete will mean that you are the official and legal owner of the house that you built.