Frequently asked questions

A realistic number starts with what the site legally allows, so the first documents we look at are the title deed, the current zoning status (imar durumu) and the survey sketch. On top of that we need your brief — how many units, what use, what level of finish — which becomes a room-by-room specification. Only then does a figure mean anything; anything quoted before that is a guess that will move once building starts. We treat the first meeting as fact-finding and write the offer afterwards.

The real difference is where the money comes from. Under kat karşılığı you pay no cash — the contractor is paid in units of the finished building. Under cost-plus you fund the build, you see the invoices, and the finished building is wholly yours. Which one suits you depends on the cash you can commit, where the plot is, and how much time you can give the project. Our article "Flat-for-Land or Cost-Plus?" sets the two side by side on risk, control and timing.

A lump-sum price holds for the scope written into the contract, for as long as that scope does not change. Three things actually move it: changes you request to layout or materials, conditions nobody could see until the ground was opened, and revisions forced by regulation. What protects you is the paperwork attached to the contract — a detailed room specification, a technical spec and a schedule of unit rates — so extra work can only be priced against agreed rates and only with written approval. If any escalation is to apply, the formula belongs in the contract from day one, not in an argument later.

Legally the owner is the applicant for the building permit; the design team is who prepares the file, draws it and deals with the municipality. Where we hold both the architectural design and the main contract, we run that process, while the signatures and the fees stay with the owner. Building inspection (yapı denetim) is a separate body, independent of the contractor, engaged by the owner and appointed through its own procedure. Spell out in the contract which side handles each step, and confirm the current procedure with the municipality concerned.

You do not pay up front; payment follows work that is already standing on site. At agreed intervals — usually monthly — completed work is measured, an interim payment certificate (hakediş) is issued, and it becomes payable once you or your site supervisor sign it off. A retention is held back from each certificate at the rate set in the contract and released after acceptance, which is the owner's most practical security against snags that appear later. The effect is simple: no work, no payment.

Yes. Our office is in Ataşehir, but our work is not limited to İstanbul — our 2022 hotel project in Pelitköy, Balıkesir (4,000 m2) is an example. Outside the city the deciding factors are less about distance than about the local municipality's process, site set-up and supply logistics, all of which we assess separately when pricing. Tell us where the site is and we will be straight with you at the outset about whether the job is workable for us.

What matters as much as the paperwork is who gets to decide. If the plot is jointly owned, or the building belongs to several flat owners, we need the ownership list, any decisions already taken and where you stand on powers of attorney — in practice that is what costs the most time. On the document side, beyond the title and zoning papers, a soil report, earlier architectural drawings, an old permit or an urban-renewal risk report will move things along noticeably. Bring what you want to do and the date it has to be ready by, too; those two usually shape the conversation more than anything else. Come even if some of it is missing — we will work out together what to obtain and where.

A soil investigation is a measurement job that has to happen before the structure is designed: boreholes establish bearing capacity, groundwater and how the ground will behave in an earthquake. The result dictates the foundation type and is one of the most volatile items in any budget — two identical buildings on different ground sit on very different foundations. For that reason we push to have it done early, before the price is settled. It is carried out by an independent licensed firm and the report stays in the owner's file.

We will not give you a fixed date, because the timetable belongs to the municipality and the other authorities involved, not to us. Two things decide it in practice: whether the file goes in complete the first time, and how many rounds of revision follow. The programme should therefore be built on the assumption that approvals may not be quick. We will confirm what to expect for your specific project with the relevant municipality rather than quoting a date nobody can guarantee.

Changes are normal; what matters is when they arrive. A layout change during the structural phase touches the frame and usually the approved drawings, which means a permit amendment and a longer programme. Changes to materials and fit-out during the finishing phase are far easier to absorb. The safeguard for both sides is the same: price the change and its effect on the programme in writing, and agree it before anyone starts building it.

The occupancy permit (iskân) certifies that the building was completed in line with its permit and approved drawings; it rests on the building inspector's final reports, clearance letters from the relevant authorities and an inspection by the municipality. Without it, permanent utility connections and the move to freehold title (kat mülkiyeti) become a problem, so handover and the occupancy file should never be treated as separate matters. The exact steps and paperwork vary between municipalities, so get the current list from the one your site falls under before applying.

At handover you receive the drawings, the documentation for the installed systems and the manufacturers' warranties for equipment such as heating plant and lifts. The contractor's own liability for defects in workmanship is defined in the contract, and we would rather see its scope and duration written there in black and white than promised verbally. Beyond that, continued support is one of the principles we set for ourselves, and what it covers — and for how long — is written into the contract.