Landscaping in Stróvolos

10-30% at signing is typical, often structured as deposit, staged payments at milestones, and a final payment on completion. Be wary of demands for 50%+ upfront — materials for early stages don't cost that. Never make the final payment before snagging is done and you've walked the finished job.

Sometimes — but contractors mark up materials partly to warranty them, so supplying your own paving usually voids the guarantee on the surface (though not the workmanship). Plants are the better DIY-supply candidate if you can source quality stock. Discuss it at quote stage; springing owner-supplied materials on a contractor mid-project causes friction and disclaimers.

One mobilisation is cheaper per unit of work — machinery hire, waste logistics, and crew setup get amortised. But phasing spreads cash and lets you live with the garden before committing to later stages. If you phase: do groundworks, drainage, and irrigation conduits first, even for areas finished later. Retro-digging finished areas is the expensive mistake.

A planting refresh: 1-3 days. A patio or new lawn: 3-7 days. A full garden rebuild: 2-6 weeks depending on size and weather. Add lead time — good landscapers in Stróvolos book out weeks or months ahead in spring. Weather delays are normal for excavation and paving; a realistic contractor builds buffer into the schedule rather than promising exact dates.

Landscaping is project work priced by scope, not time. The two big cost drivers are hardscape share (paving, walls, decking cost 2-4x planting per unit area) and access (tight access means hand-carrying materials). A planting-only refresh sits at the bottom of the range; a full redesign with paving, lighting, and irrigation sits at the top. Get itemised quotes so you can see where the money goes.

Look for: an established business with reviewable past projects (ask to see one in person or talk to a past client), public liability insurance, itemised written quotes, and no pressure tactics. In markets with trade licensing, verify the licence covers the structural work quoted. Photos of 'their work' prove nothing — completed local references do.

Finished landscaping runs roughly €40-€150 per m² depending on hardscape share — well below northern Europe on labour, though imported materials narrow the gap. A typical villa garden build lands at €3,000-€20,000; gravel-and-drip Mediterranean designs at the lower end, lawn-and-paving designs at the upper.

Only with eyes open: a lawn needs daily summer irrigation, and water is metered and increasingly expensive on the island. Many villa owners are replacing lawns with gravel gardens, native planting, and artificial turf. If you want real grass, warm-season varieties (bermuda) plus a proper irrigation system are the minimum — budget the running cost, not just the installation.