The five phases of a real estate project: from feasibility to delivery
Every real estate project — from a single house to a multi-unit development — goes through the same five phases. What sets the successful ones apart is the order of the decisions: each phase answers a question, and skipping questions is at the root of most delays and cost overruns. Here is the full journey, from idea to delivery.
1FEASIBILITY
2DESIGN
3PERMITTING
4CONSTRUCTION
5DELIVERY AND VALUE
1. Feasibility — what is possible, and for how much
Everything starts with the right question: what can this plot or building become? Reading the PDM and the constraints, the indices, the programme scenarios and the first numbers. It is the lowest-cost phase of the whole process — and the one that most shapes the financial outcome. This is where a purchase is negotiated well or an expensive mistake avoided; it is precisely the work of LANDSCOPE.
2. Design — from concept to detail
Brief, preliminary study, developed design and detailed design, with the engineering disciplines coordinated from early on. The golden rule of 2026: with the RGEU revoked and prior control reduced, the rigour of the design is the client’s main protection — and the quality of the detailed design is what keeps the construction budget on track.
3. Permitting — the right route, complete at first submission
Planning permission, prior notification or exemption: the route determines deadlines and risk. With DL 108/2026 in force from August, deadlines shorten and technical responsibility increases — the complete permitting guide explains the whole framework.
4. Construction — building what was designed
Specifications, careful selection of the contractor, a clear contract — and technical assistance from the design team through to the end. Overruns almost always stem from incomplete designs or improvised changes; a well-prepared construction phase is boring, and that is how it should be.
5. Delivery and value — the asset at work
Use permit, certifications, as-built drawings — and the product on the market. For a full cycle, plan for 24 to 48 months depending on scale; the numbers behind all of this are in the article on IRR and ROI.
“The five phases are not bureaucracy in series — they are five questions in the right order. Whoever answers them out of order pays to answer them twice.”
Tiago R. Correia
Architect
Frequently asked questions
Can I shorten the process?
You can cut the dead time — a complete application, disciplines in parallel, a strategic prior information request — but not the phases. Skipping feasibility or saving on the detailed design usually proves expensive.
When should I involve the architect?
Before buying: phase 1 exists to protect the acquisition decision. After the deed, the room to optimise has already shrunk.
Does the process change for rehabilitation?
The phases are the same, with a reinforced diagnosis in phases 1 and 2 — including, where applicable, the seismic vulnerability assessment.
What phase is your project in?
From feasibility to delivery, we follow the full cycle — and we can step in at any phase with a diagnosis of what was left undone in the previous ones.
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