What is design–build architecture?

Design–build architecture is an integrated approach where one team handles both design and construction, ensuring efficiency, cost control, and cohesive design execution.

Do you offer turnkey home design and construction in Puerto Vallarta?

Yes, Bernal Architecture Studio provides complete design–build services — from concept and permits to construction and interior delivery — across Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit.

Can you work with clients living abroad?

Absolutely. We work closely with international clients, managing the design–build process remotely with transparent communication, progress reports, and site supervision.

How do I know what I can legally build on my land?

That is the first thing we check, before any design, because it is the most expensive thing to get wrong. The feasibility and site study reviews land use and zoning, the buildable area under COS and CUS, setbacks, slope, access and services, and whether the title is clean. If you have not bought yet, we can run this before you commit to a lot.

How long do building permits really take in Puerto Vallarta?

Plan on eight to fourteen weeks from the moment the construction documents are complete, running in parallel with engineering rather than after it. Timelines differ between the municipality of Puerto Vallarta and Bahia de Banderas in Nayarit, and inside Punta Mita you also clear the resort design review first. Coastal sites in the federal zone add a ZOFEMAT step. We file everything and appoint the DRO.

Do you charge for handling permits and engineering?

Yes, separately and transparently. The hard costs, the municipality, the structural and MEP engineers and the soil lab, are billed at cost with receipts, so you pay exactly what we pay with no markup. On top of that we charge a coordination fee for the work of running them: appointing the DRO, filing the licence, briefing and checking the engineers, and walking the paperwork through the municipality so nothing stalls. You see that fee before we start.

What if I want to change something once construction has started?

Changes you choose are always yours to make. What we work to eliminate is the other kind, changes forced by a drawing that missed something, which is what quietly inflates most builds. We resolve those on paper first, where a change costs an eraser instead of a demolition. Nothing is bought and nothing is changed without your written approval in the portal.

Can foreigners own property in Puerto Vallarta, and does it affect the build?

Yes. Inside the restricted coastal zone, foreign buyers hold title through a bank trust called a fideicomiso. It is set up with a notary and a bank rather than with us, but it has to be in place before permits are filed in your name, so we plan around it and connect you with the notaries and lawyers we work with.

Do you work in Spanish and English?

Both, throughout. Drawings, contracts, reports and site meetings are handled in whichever language you need, and your project manager is bilingual.

ARCHITECTURE SERVICES / DESIGN-BUILD ARCHITECTURE

One firm. One contract. Accountable for everything from the first sketch to the final key.

Bernal Architecture Studio designs and builds luxury homes across Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita, and the Riviera Nayarit — under a single agreement, with a live budget you can check from anywhere.

START YOUR PROJECT

See how it works

Buying land or a home from abroad already carries enough uncertainty

Coordinating an architect in one office and a contractor in another — while you're living in another country and another time zone — is where most renovation and new-build budgets in Mexico quietly come apart. Nobody is lying to you; nobody is fully accountable either. Design-build removes that gap by making it structurally impossible for the design team and the construction team to blame each other, because they're the same team.

HOW DESIGN-BUILD WORKS

What "one firm, one contract" actually gets you

Single-contract accountability

What we design is what we build — because we're the ones building it. No second negotiation, no finger-pointing between architect and contractor.

A live client portal

Budget status, schedule, and photo updates in one place, accessible from wherever you are. Every cost above scope needs your written approval first.

Costs billed at cost

Materials and labor pass through at cost with receipts. Our coordination fee is disclosed upfront as its own line — never folded into the numbers.

A bilingual team

Every meeting, every budget line, every permit update is available to you in English or Spanish, so nothing gets lost in translation between owner and site.

HOW THE PROCESS LOOKS

A project that moves from idea to key handover

The same team carries your project through all four stages — nothing changes hands, and nothing gets re-explained to a new contractor halfway through.

Design

Concept, site analysis, and full architectural and interior drawings, developed around the tropical climate and the site itself.

Permits & pre-construction

We carry the full municipal and federal permitting sequence — land use through construction license — so ground doesn't break on a legal assumption. See the full permit process →

Construction

Our own crews and vetted subcontractors build to the approved drawings, with budget and schedule visible in your portal throughout.

Delivery

Final walkthrough, punch list close-out, and handover — furnished and ready if FF&E and interiors were part of your scope.

Your budget, visible in real time — from anywhere

You shouldn't have to fly to Puerto Vallarta to know whether your project is on budget. The client portal gives every owner a direct, current view into their own project.

Running budget vs. actual spend, updated as costs are incurred
Written approval required before any cost above agreed scope proceeds
Schedule status and site photos for remote owners
A single record of every decision, so nothing depends on memory

YOUR DREAM HOME STARTS HERE

Tell us about the site and how you want to live.

A short conversation is the first step — where the site is, what you're picturing, and what stage you're at. From there we can tell you what design-build would actually look like for your project.

Reply within 24 hours, in English or Spanish

No fee for the first conversation

Design only, or design and build — your choice

Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit & Punta Mita

ABOUT THE DESIGN-BUILD PROCESS

Common Questions.

Can I oversee construction remotely if I don't live in Mexico?

Yes. Every owner gets access to the live client portal showing budget status, schedule, and photo updates, and every cost above the agreed scope requires your written approval before work proceeds.

What's the difference between hiring an architect and hiring a design-build firm?

With a standalone architect, you sign a second contract with a separate builder, and any dispute over what was designed versus what's actually buildable becomes your problem to referee. With design-build, one firm holds both contracts and answers for the outcome.

How are construction costs billed?

Hard costs — materials, labor, subcontractors — are billed at cost with receipts. Our coordination fee is disclosed upfront as a separate line, so there's no markup hidden inside the numbers.

Do you help foreign buyers with the legal side of owning property here?

We can point you toward the general process for foreign ownership in the restricted zone and connect you with the notary and bank contacts who handle it — that orientation isn't a substitute for independent legal advice. We can also recommend the best real estate agents to find and close on the ideal property lot for your project.