The preliminary stage is the selection and registration of the property on which the house will be built. To begin with, the customer can consult completely free of charge in person, by phone, skype or by mail and ask any questions, without fear that the question will seem strange or inappropriate, we will be happy to share information about Greece, whether it’s the specific terrain, climate, traditions or indicative prices of our services. The client chooses a plot of land for the house himself or with our help, at his discretion. Then you need to check the site according to the following criteria:
- a) Legal side: title deeds, absence of unpaid taxes, whether the property is pledged, whether it is not involved in litigation, etc. This check is carried out by a company lawyer.
- b) The possibility of building a house of the desired parameters in a given area – the construction ratio in a given area, will there be problems with obtaining permits from the Forestry and Archaeological Departments, the angle of the plot, road, communication, etc. Correction of the topographic scheme is often required. This part of the work is performed by an architect or our mechanical engineer.
1) House design – approval of the project. This is the most creative stage of the project, at which the main parameter of successful implementation is the mutual understanding of the engineer and the client. The client’s wishes are consistent with local GOST requirements, which vary from locality to locality. So, on the islands, GOST requirements differ from mainland Greece. In addition, increased requirements are applied to materials from the point of view of seismic stability, and in many respects the construction process itself differs from the Russian one. This task is most interesting in a creative sense, but also the most meticulous. Usually at the very beginning of the conversation we discuss which house our customer wants to build. We look at our portfolio together, combine, fantasize, define the basic geometric proportions and make the first drafts. Now we are approaching how to make an individual project, with our own face, to extract the maximum of comfort without losing in the aesthetics, we discuss in detail the internal and external spaces, the configuration of the pool and landscape design. This work is executed by a contract between the architect and the customer. Next, the architect develops a house project and conducts an estimated costing of the stages of construction for the customer. The customer approves or adjusts the project, then the project is submitted for approval to government bodies, which will be the final permit for the construction of a particular house on a particular site.
2) Approval of the project in the State Urban Development Service. This service checks the project for compliance with Greek law and is the key to any project. It is she who decides whether or not to issue a building permit. Unfortunately, due to their corruption, it is not uncommon for this permission to be issued even when the natural conditions themselves do not allow construction on this site. For example, in some municipalities of Athens, entire areas have been built in places where natural water flows occur, which form only during the rainy season. As a result, every year in the period of intense rains, Greek television is replete with reports of flooding of the first floors of entire areas, people cry and complain about a life that is so cruel to them and every year steadily destroys their household utensils …
3) Issue of a building permit. Depending on the workload of the area, the State Urban Planning Service issues it within a month and a half to three months. This is your “pass” to your dream. Then follow some not difficult, but important steps that need to be taken.
4) Registration with the police about the start of construction. This is necessary for both parties in terms of ensuring that the police are aware of the construction and that the appearance of bulldozers and escalators is not an unexpected and unpleasant surprise for anyone.
5) Application for temporary electricity for construction purposes. It is at this stage that the exclusively bureaucratic part of the project ends and its direct implementation begins.
The same thing happens with water. If there is no water near the site, then permission is obtained to drill an artesian well or to install a water tank on the site. If it is located near the sea, then a water desalination plant is installed.
You must understand that the above stages are applicable to the project of building a private house or villa. If we are talking about a large project, hotel construction, or any other form of commercial construction, the stages change qualitatively. The most important concept used by the State in this case is how beneficial this project is to this area, how many jobs for the local population and what kind of infrastructure development it will provide. The main thing is that the project itself should be as environmentally friendly as possible. Greece is a small country in which government circles have always welcomed large investors, and this should always be remembered.