Greece, on request: island villas, the meltemi and every litre counted

The meltemi and the open terrace

From late spring to early autumn, and strongest in July and August, a dry north wind, the meltemi, sweeps the Aegean. It makes the heat bearable and the terrace lively. Loose parasols fly, pergolas become sails, and an outdoor cabin has to be low, tied down and turned so the glass is not the windward face. The chiller likes the wind; the cover for the pool needs weights and straps. We draw for the worst day of the season.

This page quotes no station normal. We size every Mediterranean pool for 38–40 °C air, an engineering assumption that the quote states, and we ask for the nearest station's July and August maxima when the layout starts.

Every litre counted

Many Greek islands depend on desalination, tanker deliveries or limited wells. A swimming pool is a big request; a plunge pool of about 1,100 litres is a small one, filled once and topped up. We put the litres and the refill schedule in the layout so the question of water has a figure attached.

Islands, ferries and hoists

Crates travel by sea to Piraeus or Thessaloniki, by road to a port and by ferry to the island, then by lorry, tractor or hand to the plot. Ferry capacity, the pier's crane and the width of the island's lanes decide the plan. Ask the haulier and send us the island and the route; we plan the delivery window outside the peak season where we can.

Building rules on the islands

Some Greek islands, the Cyclades among them, are known for rules on height, colour and materials; ask the local planning office (poleodomia) what applies. A glass cabin in pale ash may need to be hidden, screened or approved as part of the main house. Ask what the plot permits and which authority approves what, and send the answer; we draw the least intrusive layout.

Villas, hotels and Athens

Island villas and small hotels come first, with Athens's gyms, padel clubs and apartments behind them. Athens's summers are fierce, so the chiller and the shade come first. See boutique hotels and holiday lets.

An island villa, in numbers

What a ferry day looks like

1. Crates leave the workshop by sea, with photographs at each stage.
2. They reach Piraeus or Thessaloniki and are cleared, then moved by road to a ferry port.
3. A ferry slot is booked, outside the peak weeks where possible. Lorries queue; the schedule is a negotiation.
4. On the island, a lorry or tractor carries them to the plot. Narrow lanes decide how many trips.
5. Installation follows: up to seven days, the glass last, the first firing on the sixth evening.

The Greek calendar

In winter the islands are quiet and often wet; a cabin is a pleasure and few people are there to enjoy it. In spring the guests return. July and August are hot and windy, and the cold pool is the product. September is kind to everything. Installation is best planned for October, after the season, so that the work is ready for the next.

Heat on stone: why the coping matters

Whitewashed stone reflects the sun, and a dark coping bakes. A pale, textured coping around a plunge pool stays bearable under a bare foot at midday; a dark polished one does not. We specify pale stone or light tile with a non-slip finish, put shade over the path from the cabin and keep metal handrails out of full sun or wrapped.

The mainland does what the islands cannot

Athens and Thessaloniki are not islands: delivery is by road, lanes are paved and cranes exist. Gyms, clinics, padel clubs and apartment terraces are the sites to think of, with the same arithmetic as in other cities. See gyms and studios and developers and architects.

Before you ask for a quote on an island villa

• Which island, and which side of it: the answer changes the wind and the road.
• How the water arrives: mains, a tanker, a well or desalination.
• The width of the lane and the nearest pier with a crane.
• Whether the house is let and when it is empty.
• What the local planning office has said about additions, in writing if possible.

The ferry and the hoist are priced in the layout; the cabin and the pool come from the price list, and the kit builder adds them up.