Turnkey construction of residential buildings and houses — site assessment, design, permits, structure and finishes, delivered under one contract and one programme.
One contract, from bare land to keys
Building a house is a long sequence of dependent decisions — what the plot allows, what the permit permits, what the structure requires, what the budget supports. Each one constrains the next. When those decisions are made by separate parties who never speak to each other, the cost of reconciling them lands on the owner.
Smart Construction S.A. builds detached houses and villas in Chania, across Crete and, following assessment, elsewhere in Greece. We take the project from the initial assessment of the plot through design, permitting, construction and handover, with a single programme and a single point of technical responsibility.
Every proposal is based on the actual plot, the planning constraints that apply to it, the intended use of the house and the budget available — confirmed on site before anything is priced.
Built for the place it stands in
A house in Crete is not a house anywhere else. Coastal sites demand corrosion-resistant specification. Summer heat and a long cooling season make orientation, shading and insulation a cost decision, not an aesthetic one. Seismic design is a legal requirement and a structural one. Slope, access and distance to utilities can shift a budget before a single wall goes up.
We design and build with those conditions as the starting point, so that the house performs for decades rather than merely passing inspection on the day it is finished.
What a turnkey build includes
The full scope is below. Some owners take the whole package; others bring their own architect or supply their own finishes. The quotation covers whichever parts you actually need from us.
Earthworks and foundations
Site clearance, excavation, retaining structures where the slope requires them, and foundations designed to the soil conditions confirmed by geotechnical investigation. On sloping Cretan plots this stage carries more cost variation than any other, which is why it is assessed before the budget is set.
Structural frame
Reinforced concrete structure designed to current seismic regulations, with certified steel and concrete, documented reinforcement and inspection at every pour. The structural design is produced and supervised by our own civil engineers.
Masonry and rendering
External and internal walls, lintels, thermal bridging details, external render and any stone cladding. Where a traditional stone finish is specified, the masonry detail is designed with the insulation layer rather than applied over it as an afterthought.
Mechanical and electrical installations
Full electrical installation with earthing and certification, plumbing and drainage, heating and cooling, hot water, and provision for photovoltaics, EV charging and smart-home control. Routes are planned against the structure before the slabs are poured, not chased into them afterwards.
Windows, doors and joinery
Thermally broken aluminium or timber frames with double or triple glazing, sliding systems, shading, internal doors and fitted joinery. For coastal sites we specify hardware, coatings and fixings rated for salt exposure — a choice that determines whether they still work in ten years.
Insulation and energy systems
External wall insulation, roof and floor insulation, airtightness detailing, heat pumps, underfloor heating, solar hot water and photovoltaics. The running cost of the finished house is calculated at design stage, when it can still be changed cheaply.
Interior finishes
Screeds, tiling, timber and stone flooring, plasterboard, ceilings, painting, kitchen, bathrooms and lighting. Finishes are specified early so that structural and service build-ups accommodate them, rather than being adjusted on site to fit.
External works and pool
Terraces, pergolas, paving, retaining walls, drainage, landscaping, parking and swimming pool with its plant room. Pool and external drainage are coordinated with the building’s own drainage from the outset to avoid rework later.
Connections and handover documentation
Electricity and water connections, septic or sewer connection, commissioning of all installations, and the full documentation set: certificates, warranties, the building file and the Energy Performance Certificate required for occupancy and for any future sale or rental.
From plot to handover
Seven stages. Each one closes before the next begins, so decisions are made when they are still inexpensive to change.
01
Plot assessment
Before anything is designed, we establish what the plot permits: buildable area, coverage and height limits, setbacks, slope, access, distance to utilities and any forestry, archaeological or coastal constraints. This is the stage that determines whether the house you have in mind is possible here at all.
02
Design and specification
Architectural design, structural design and building services are developed together, with the specification level agreed in writing. You see the house in drawings — layout, orientation, openings, materials — before any figure is committed to.
03
Permits and approvals
We prepare and submit the building permit application together with every supporting study and any additional approvals the site requires. Timescales here depend on the authorities, not on us, which is why they are built into the programme explicitly rather than assumed.
04
Detailed budget and programme
You receive a budget broken down by work package, with quantities, specifications and stated exclusions, alongside a programme showing each phase, its duration and the points at which your decisions and payments are required.
05
Construction
A site manager runs the build and sequences the trades. You receive regular progress reporting with photographs, and every variation is priced and approved in writing before it is carried out.
06
Inspections and testing
Structural inspections at each stage, pressure testing of pipework, electrical testing and certification, and commissioning of heating, cooling and renewable systems — documented as the work proceeds rather than reconstructed at the end.
07
Connections and handover
Utility connections, snagging, final cleaning and formal handover, with warranties, certificates, the Energy Performance Certificate and the complete building file.
Questions about costs, permit timescales, payment stages or building from abroad are answered in the frequently asked questions at the bottom of this page.
What it costs to build
Construction cost is driven by three things: the plot, the specification and the complexity of the design. A level plot with road access and nearby utilities, built with a straightforward rectangular plan and standard finishes, sits at one end of the range. A steep coastal site requiring retaining structures, a long access road, a utility extension, large glazed openings and high-end finishes sits at the other — on the same floor area.
After the plot assessment and the agreed specification, you receive a budget broken down by work package. That structure lets you adjust individual items — glazing, finishes, pool, landscaping — without reopening the whole project.
Why a price per square metre is not an answer
A rate quoted before anyone has seen the plot cannot account for excavation volume, retaining works, foundation depth, access for machinery, distance to the nearest connection point, or the specification you actually want. It is an average applied to a situation that is never average.
Such figures are revised upwards once ground is broken — the outcome every owner is trying to avoid. We would rather assess the plot and give you a number that holds, with the assumptions written down beside it.
The plot decides more than the design does
Most expensive surprises in a new build originate in the land, not in the construction. They are also the ones most easily checked in advance.
Check before you buy, not after
Whether a plot is legally buildable, how much of it you may cover, how high you may build and how far from the boundaries — these are not negotiable later. Outside town plans, minimum area requirements and road frontage rules apply, and plots that look identical can have entirely different rights. We carry out this assessment for buyers before purchase, which is considerably cheaper than discovering the answer afterwards.
Access, utilities and ground conditions
Can a concrete truck reach the plot? How far is the nearest electricity pole and water connection, and who pays for the extension? What does the soil investigation say about foundation depth? On sloping sites, how much retaining structure is needed before any house exists? Each of these can move a budget substantially, and all of them are knowable before you commit.
Permits, approvals and engineering
A new house requires a building permit supported by architectural, structural, mechanical and energy studies. Depending on where the plot sits, additional approvals may be required from the forestry service, the archaeological service, or the authorities responsible for coastal zones and traditional settlements. Each adds time that must be planned for rather than discovered.
Our engineering team prepares and submits the full application, manages the approvals process and issues the certification required on completion. Having design, permitting and construction under one roof is what allows a technical problem to be resolved in days rather than passed between parties for weeks.
Building in Crete from abroad
Many of the houses we build belong to owners based elsewhere in Europe or further afield. The project is structured so that your presence is not required: scheduled photo and video reporting, remote approval of drawings, samples and variations, coordination with your lawyer, notary and accountant, and management of utility applications on your behalf.
Where you prefer, the works can proceed under a power of attorney, so that permit applications and connections are not held up waiting for signatures to travel.
How long a house takes
Design and permitting typically take several months before any work begins on site, and this period is governed largely by the approval authorities. Construction of a typical detached house then runs roughly twelve to eighteen months, depending on size, site conditions and specification. Villas with pools, extensive external works or difficult access run longer.
We give you a programme with dated phases at budget stage, and we tell you immediately when something shifts rather than letting the completion date drift quietly.
Variations, decisions and payments
A construction programme is a chain in which each trade depends on the one before it. A late material decision or a delayed payment rarely affects only that item — booked trades have to be rescheduled, and the recovered date is usually later than the delay itself.
Every decision deadline is flagged in advance in writing, with the date by which it is needed. Variations are priced and approved before they are carried out, and nothing is added to the account retrospectively.
OUR PROJECTS
Why choose Smart Construction
Thirteen years, 250 clients
Founded in 2013 and based in Chania, with a team of engineers, project managers, certified technicians and administrative staff who have delivered private, public and U.S. Government projects across Crete.
Certified procedures
We operate under ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and ISO 37001 — quality, occupational safety, environment, energy management and anti-bribery. The same documented procedures apply to a private villa as to a public contract.
Engineering in-house
Structural design, permit applications, cost control and site supervision are handled by our own engineers rather than subcontracted — which is what allows decisions to be made quickly when the ground, the weather or the authorities present a surprise.
One point of responsibility
One contract, one programme, one site manager. You are not coordinating an architect against a structural engineer against a builder, and there is no argument about whose responsibility a defect is.
Cost control as a discipline
Quantity surveying, cost analysis and procurement are functions we run as standard on major contracts, applied here to keep a build budget accurate from the first estimate to the final account.
Energy performance by design
Orientation, shading, insulation, glazing and renewable systems are decided at design stage, when they are still inexpensive. The running cost of the finished house is treated as part of the brief, not as an upgrade to consider later.
Management is what keeps a build on schedule
On a project with dozens of trades, suppliers and inspection points, the difference between finishing on time and finishing late is rarely craftsmanship. It is sequencing, procurement and early identification of problems — the parts of construction nobody photographs.
How we organise and monitor a project is set out in our guide to construction project management.
Read The Guide
Planning and scheduling, site organisation, monitoring against the programme, and delivery. How to keep time, cost and quality under control on every project.
Start with an assessment of your plot
Frequently asked questions
Design and permitting usually take several months before work starts on site, largely determined by the approval authorities. Construction of a typical detached house then runs roughly twelve to eighteen months, depending on size, site conditions and specification. Villas with pools, extensive external works or difficult access take longer, and this is reflected in the programme you receive at budget stage.
Yes, and we recommend it. We establish whether the plot is legally buildable, what area and height you may build, the setbacks that apply, access for construction machinery, the distance to electricity and water connections, and whether forestry, archaeological or coastal constraints apply. This assessment costs a fraction of what it costs to discover the answer after purchase.
Either works. We can take the project from the first sketch through to handover, or build to a design produced by your own architect. Where you bring an external design, we review it against the plot constraints, buildability and budget before construction begins, and raise anything that would cause problems on site.
We are based in Chania and build throughout the Chania region, in Rethymno and Heraklion, and elsewhere in Greece following assessment. For distant sites, the assessment determines whether we can supervise the works to the standard we require.
Yes. Many of our clients are based outside Greece. You receive scheduled photo and video reporting, remote approval of drawings, samples and variations, and coordination with your lawyer, notary and accountant. Works can also proceed under a power of attorney so that permits, connections and administrative steps are not delayed.
The budget is fixed against the scope, quantities and specifications it defines, and exclusions are stated explicitly. It changes in two situations: if you change what you want, or if ground conditions differ from what the soil investigation indicated. Both are priced and approved in writing before the work proceeds.
Payments are staged against defined construction milestones rather than calendar dates, so each instalment corresponds to work actually completed and inspected. The schedule is set out in the contract before work begins, together with the retention held until snagging is closed at handover.
At handover you receive a workmanship guarantee, manufacturer warranties for installed equipment and materials, electrical and mechanical certification, the complete building file with permit documentation, and the Energy Performance Certificate. Our procedures are certified under ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001.
Yes, and it is worth deciding early. Layout, the number and position of bathrooms, storage, outdoor space, pool access, durability of finishes and the registration requirements that apply all differ when a property will be rented rather than lived in. These decisions are inexpensive at design stage and costly afterwards.