Basic information
Construction codes and building regulations in Greece are governed by the General Building Regulations (Γενικός Οικοδομικός Κανονισμός, or ГОК), as amended by local laws. Understanding the Regulations is quite difficult - the document contains many references and terms that are specific to Greek law. At the same time, profitable investments in the construction of real estate imply the maximum use of construction site potential. Having decided to build a house in Greece, it is better to first study building codes nd regulations and understand the intricacies of Greek law.
Construction grants the owner with the same rights to obtain a residence permit for property owners as buying a finished house
Construction coefficients
Four main coefficients are used for assessment of the site potential: build-up area, development ratio, coverage ratio and number of storeys
BUILT-UP AREA
COVERAGE RATIO
DEVELOPMENT RATIO
FLOORS OF THE BUILDING
Build-up areas
An important criterion in determining the plot potential in Greece is the type of land allocated under construction. There are two types of land plots: ikopedo and agrotemahio.
Ikopedo is a piece of land within the limits of the settlement layout. Depending on the region ikopedo development ratio ranges from 0.4 to 2.4.
Agrotemahio can be understood to mean a plot of agricultural land. In Greece, it is allowed to build on these plots although development density is significantly different from ikopedo. At the same time, construction of commercial facilities is allowed on agrotemahio, for example, hotels, production facilities, as well as arrangement of solar parks generating electricity for subsequent sale. Moreover, development ratio in this case rises to 0.2. However, in order to obtain a building permit for a hotel, the minimum size of agrotemahio must be between 1 and 1.5 ha, depending on the region. For agrotemahio, the permitted building area depends on the area and is calculated as follows: - On plots up to 4,000 sq. m - 186 sq.m.
- On plots up to 8.000 sq.m. - 200 sq.m. plus area exceeding 4.000 sq.m., multiplied by 0.02
- On plots over 8.000 sq.m. – 280 sq.m. plus area exceeding 8,000 sq. m., multiplied by 0.01
For large plots of agrotemahio adjacent to roads between settlements, segmentation is allowed to increase the building area.
For plots located on the first line from the sea, there are restrictions on the number of floors: on ikopedo plots the height of buildings cannot exceed three levels, not counting the hypogio (ground floor). For agrotemahio plots the limit is two levels and a hypogio.
As for agrotemahio, it must be taken into account that the buildings must be arranged at least 15 m from the plot boundaries. This rule makes some of the plots not suitable for construction
When building several houses on one plot, it is necessary to observe the distance between the buildings established by ГОК. For ikopedo it cannot exceed 8 m, for agrotemahio - 3.75 m. In addition, buildings on agrotemahio must be joined by a roofed structure 1 to 6 m wide, made of the same materials as the main buildings. On Ikopedo, buildings can be completely separated from each other.
Specialists of Greece Invest construction department can carry out complete analysis of the land plot to calculate the development ratio and other building chriteria along with the due diligence of the plot.
Consideration of staircase area
For a more rational use of build-up space, rules for staircase area design are regulated separately.
For low buildings the area of external stairways is not taken into account. Internal stairs connecting the hypogio with the first floor (in Greece it is called isogio) are referred to as isogio area.
In cases where the last (upper) staircase flight in a multi-storey building is an extenstion of the staircase connecting the hypogio with the isogio, its area is not included in the total residential area. The area of internal spiral metal stairs is not taken into account during construction.
Technical buildings
Technical facilities are necessary for maintenance of houses. Such facilities are built between the main buildings in order to circumvent the rule of the maximum distance between the buildings. In relation to the latter, all buildings must also be connected by a covered structure, whereas the technical building must consist of at least one level (apart from hypogio), the area of which is regarded as residential.
Construction stages
We cooperate with a professional architect who develops architectural and planning concept. Jointly we will approve the design to satisfy your needs and to obtain a buildimg permit in Greece
To obtain a building permit the design shall be submittedto relevant authority. At the same time it is necessary to collect evidence from the forestry department to certify that the allocated plot is not included in the Greek forestry fund, and from the archeology department to certify that the plot represents no archaeological value.
Here again, expertise and knowledge of an architect engineer will be required to present and defend the design in relevant authorities.
Plus technical oversight. At this stage presence of the archaeological service representative is mandatory when performing earthworks.
This stage includes completion of construction, as well as collection and signing of the documents required for registration of the end facility in the relevant authorities
When construction is completed, at the discretion of the owner, we can perform additional repair or finishing works of any kind.
Building permit in Greece
The cost of a building permit may vary depending on many factors:
- type and size of land
- number of buildings erected within the plot
- total and residential area of the premises
- area of technical buildings and hypogio
For example: for maximum use of construction potential of a 200 sq. m. plot, without swimming pool construction, total cost of obtainig building permit upwards of 25,000 euros. This amount includes the costs for design, government fees and expenses for technical oversight during construction.
The term for obtaining a building permit ranges from several to six months. To optimize the term it is better to entrust the whole process to experts.
To build a swimming pool on the plot a specific license is required. In Greece, a swimming pool is regarded as a luxury element, and costs for respective building permit may seem unrasonably high. The size of the future pool is of crucial importance. Such costs can be significantly reduced if the pool license is obtained as part of the main construction permit.
After building permit is obtained, any modifications to the approved project can only be made in agreement with relevant authorities. Such modifications are made at additional cost which depends on number and type of changes.
Building plots
See allFAQ
The term "living space" in Greece has a completely different meaning than the usual sum of all areas of living rooms. In accordance with the General Regulations on Construction, living space includes all premises located within the facility, with a number of exceptions. A detailed list of exceptions is given in the mentioned Regulations. These include, in particular, garage spaces, hypogios, balconies, etc.
Covered garage spaces, or κλειστοί χώροι στάθμευσης, are up to 20m parking premises adjacent to the house. They can be located both at hypogio and isogio levels.
Legislation does not impose any restrictions on the location of garage spaces on the same level as living ones. The main condition is to organize an unhindered entry for vehicles.
Warehouses and storerooms can be arranged on any floor, with no size restrictions. At the same time, unless they are at hypogio level, their area is regarded as residential.
The minimum height of isogio level from floor to ceiling should be 2.4 m. The purpose is to avoid artificial lowering of the ceiling level on the drawings when adding an extra floor.
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