HEALTH WARNING:
Warning – attempting to build anything more than a garden shed in Poland may result in severe medical difficulties including but not limited to: stress, shock, mental breakdown, sudden hair loss, suicidal tendencies and in extreme cases the urge to kill your builder and/or council’s building inspector. Other side effects may include marital problems such as arguments and in severe cases divorce. All building work is associated with financial discomfort which if untreated may turn in to a haemorrhage and ultimately bankruptcy. Symptoms may last over an unexpectedly long period of time. Proceed at your own risk and if in doubt contact your spouse’s experienced Uncle.
Introduction
Right now I am in the middle of building a large garage so thought I would share my experiences. This article is the first in a series of posts. I will cover before the build, the build itself and after the build.
The rules for building anything are the same regardless of whether it’s a garage, a house, a shop or a warehouse. You still have to jump through the same hoops.
My general advice:
- read through these articles a couple of times to make sure you have covered all of the points. If you do something in the wrong order or miss a step then it can sometimes have nasty consequences.
- check these steps with your architect and supervisor – I can’t guarantee that these steps won’t change or aren’t slightly different elsewhere in Poland
- always get at least 3 quotes for everything. It’s amazing how the prices vary for the same service. Sometimes as a foreigner I am given ridiculous prices so I always get multple quotes.
- try and use people who have been recommended to you. The last thing you want is added stress.
- expect everything to take longer than it does. I spent 3 months chasing my architect and another 3 months getting permission to build from the council. Best do the paperwork during wintertime so you can start building by Spring.
STEP 1 – Find Land
I am presuming you already have a parcel of land to build on. Things to check:
- can you build on it? Or is it classified as agricultural land or part of a protected area?
- do you have access to the land? Can you drive on to it from the road or do you need access through your neighbour’s land?
- is the land big enough to build on? Different councils have different rules about what the minimum plot size is for a house, and how many metres you need to keep back from the borders/neighbours/road.
STEP 2 – Get your “Wypis” from Council
Fill out the form at your council to get an extract from the ground registry (“wypis i wyris z rejestru gruntów”) for your piece of land. You will also get a copy of the council’s “local open spaces development plan” for you area which outlines the rules the architects need to follow. In Polish it’s called the “Miejscowy Plan Zagospodarowania Przestrzennego”. Expect it to take a week or two and you need to pay a small fee.
STEP 3 – Find a Surveyor
You need to find an approved surveyor (“geodeta”). (S)he will survey your land and do an update of the map held by the council. It’s called an “update of the map for project purposes” – “aktualizacja mapy do celów projektowych”. This map is what the architect will use for the project. For this map expect to pay 500 – 1000 PLN and wait a few weeks.
STEP 4 – Find an Architect
You can buy projects online, but if you need to make even a single change then you will need an architect (“projektant”). Use somebody local because you will need to meet him/her 10 times more often then you will expect. Also a local architect will be best able to advise you about local procedures and waiting times. Your architect must be an officially qualified one. Expect to pay upwards of 3000 PLN. Find out if these includes him/her taking care of the formalities with the council on your behalf.
The architect will need your surveyor’s map from step 3 and the council stuff from step 2.
STEP 5 – Get Permission to Build
Now that you have got your project you need to get it approved by the council. Normally your architect will take care of this for you. It can take a month or two. It can take longer if the council requests changes to the project. It can take months longer if there are problems with your neighbours. The council will write to every registered owner of the plots of land which neighbour on to yours to give them a chance to inspect your plans and file objections. If even one of these owners has died or moved abroad, or generally is not contactable by registered post then expect problems because they will refer the matter to court and that adds six months of delays straight away…
Once you are through this hoop you will be the proud owner of an approved project plus a building site diary (“dziennik budowy”).
STEP 6 – Find a Supervisor
You need to find somebody who is qualified to be your official site supervisor (“kierownik budowy”). He/she needs to register with the council’s building department (“nadzor budowlany”) that he has taken this role. They also register your intention to start building. After 7 days you can officially commence the build.
The purpose of the supervisor is to have someone who is independent of the builder check that the builder is doing things properly and legally. The supervisor is supposed to check each stage of the build and sign the diary along the way. In reality the builder often has a colleague and he just goes to him to get signatures without the supervisor ever seeing your site and they charge you for the privilege. Therefore it’s best to sort out with the builder whether they have their own supervisor or if you are going to use your own. Expect to pay upwards of 1000 PLN for the supervisor.
Very cheap and very effective – I bought this 
