How does a villa project unfold? A roadmap from plot to handover

The first meeting and the brief: where does a villa project begin?

At the first meeting we listen far more than we draw. We try to understand who will live in the house, at what times of year it will be used, how often guests will stay and how your days actually unfold. Where you would like to have your morning coffee, whether you work from home, or what the children will need as they grow up can matter more than a list of square metres. Hobbies, pets and needs that may change in the future are part of this conversation too. These conversations are the raw material of the brief on which every later decision will rest.

The brief, which we call the needs programme (ihtiyaç programı), turns those conversations into a written document. It sets out which spaces are needed, their approximate sizes, how they relate to one another and in what order of priority. We add your budget range and your expectations on timing to the same document, because balancing the wish list against the budget early on is far less painful than having to shrink the design later. The brief is not a fixed contract; it is updated as the project develops, but every update is recorded as a conscious decision.

• Occupants and use: permanent or seasonal; how many people and of what ages.
• Room schedule: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen layout, study and hobby spaces.
• Easily overlooked needs: storage, laundry, plant room, parking and a guest wing.
• Outdoor spaces: terraces, pool, garden, shaded seating and a service yard.
• Limits: budget range, expected timeline, and which wishes are essential and which are flexible.

Reading the site and its context: view, sun, wind and slope

Before starting the design, we make a point of seeing the land in person and at different times of day. The direction in which the view opens up, the way the sun moves across the day and the seasons, where the prevailing wind comes from and the slope of the ground together determine where and how the villa should sit. Neighbouring buildings, road access, existing trees, rock outcrops and the way rainwater runs across the plot are also on our list. We read these observations alongside the existing site survey (halihazır harita) and the zoning information.

The purpose of the analysis is not simply to capture a fine view. Turning the largest glazed wall towards the view can backfire if that same direction takes the full afternoon sun or a strong wind. Privacy matters just as much: the areas you would rather not have overlooked from the road or from neighbouring plots shape the plan from the very start. So before the first sketches we prepare a simple layout diagram showing which way each space should face and which outdoor area it should connect with.

Concept and design development: how does a villa design mature?

At concept stage we usually put several different approaches side by side. One might be a single-storey plan spreading out around courtyards; another a more compact volume rising towards the view. We discuss these alternatives through sketches, simple physical models and three-dimensional massing studies. What we ask of you at this point is to focus on the overall feel rather than the details: how the house sits on the land, how it is experienced from the entrance onwards and which arrangement lets daily life flow most comfortably.

Once a direction has been chosen, design development begins. Plans, sections and elevations take shape; window sizes, the depth of the eaves, the character of the materials and the main structural logic are settled. Several rounds of revision at this stage are natural, even healthy, and their number and scope depend on the scale of the work and the pace of your decisions. What matters is that, at the end of each round, we record together what has been fixed. As the design matures we also update the rough cost estimate, so that a decision out of step with the budget is spotted at the drawing board rather than on site.

Why should the landscape and pool be part of the design from the start?

One of the most common mistakes we see in villa projects is thinking about the garden and the pool only once the building is finished. Yet the pool’s position, its depth and its plant room have a direct effect on the volume of excavation, the retaining walls, the structural system and the routes of the services. Whether the pool gets sun, how it looks from inside the house and how close it is to the bedrooms also shape everyday comfort. Making these decisions at concept stage avoids having to break things up and rebuild them later.

The landscape deserves the same approach. Levels, paths, rainwater drainage, irrigation and outdoor lighting become much harder to add if they are not prepared during the groundworks. Existing trees worth keeping should be marked before work begins and their roots protected from machinery. Where needed, we bring a landscape architect on board early; when planting, shade and privacy are planned together with the building itself, the garden works as an extension of the house and matures alongside it over the years.

Permits, construction and detail drawings: coordinating with the engineers

Once the design is fixed, the permit process begins. Broadly speaking, the architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical drawings are prepared in line with the relevant regulations, submitted to the municipality and used to apply for a building permit (yapı ruhsatı); a building inspection firm (yapı denetim kuruluşu) also joins the process at this stage. Depending on where the plot is, additional opinions or approvals may be required. Because the timing varies with the municipality, the nature of the project and the completeness of the file, it would be wrong to promise a fixed schedule. As regulations can change, we always confirm the current requirements with the municipality concerned.

Permit drawings show that a building can be approved; they do not explain in detail what is to be built on site, or how. That is the job of the construction and detail drawings. At this stage we work with the structural, mechanical and electrical engineers by overlaying their drawings with ours: a ventilation duct must not run into a beam, underfloor heating must match the floor build-up, and the lighting plan must line up with the furniture layout. The earlier this coordination happens, the fewer questions arise on site.

• Structure: the structural system, spans, cantilevers and how the pool structure relates to the building.
• Mechanical: heating and cooling, plumbing, the pool plant room and the position of service shafts.
• Electrical: lighting scenes, socket positions, low-voltage systems and home automation infrastructure.
• Architectural details: windows and doors, stairs, balustrades, wet rooms and façade junctions.

How do you choose a contractor and follow the work on site?

The soundest way to choose a contractor is to have every bidder price the same set of documents. Once the construction drawings, quantities and technical specification are ready, the bids become genuinely comparable. Looking only at the bottom line can mislead: what is included and excluded, the programme, the payment schedule and the care the firm has shown on similar work all need weighing up. Reading the bids with you line by line and making the differences visible is an important part of our role at this stage.

Once building starts, statutory inspection falls to the building inspection firm; our own supervision focuses on making sure the design is built as intended. We visit the site regularly, answer the contractor’s questions, and approve material samples and, where needed, mock-ups prepared on site. Every decision is recorded with a date, and we keep you informed through regular reports. That way, any change on site is managed with a clear record of who decided what and why, and does not become a point of dispute later. The frequency of visits is adjusted to the intensity of the work.

Handover, the snagging list and the first year

As construction draws to a close, we walk through the house with you room by room and collect any unfinished or defective work into a single snagging list. The list is shared with the contractor and each item is closed off as it is resolved. Handover should involve more than the keys: as-built drawings, equipment manuals, warranty documents and maintenance information should all change hands too. Obtaining the occupancy permit (yapı kullanma izin belgesi) is also part of handover, and starting to prepare the necessary documents while construction is still under way keeps this step from dragging on.

The first year is when you really get to know the house. As you live through all four seasons, small issues such as a sticking door, a hairline crack in a joint or a system that needs fine-tuning may appear; this is normal in a new building. During this period we suggest you note down your observations and share them in batches at regular intervals. If you are still at the start of the road, a concrete next step could be this: visit your land at different times of day, jot down short notes on the view, the sun, the wind and the neighbours, and bring those notes to your first meeting.