Demand for swimming pools growing fast
These days, an estimated 6,000-7,000 private swimming pools are built annually around the country, a trend that has been increasing over the past five years and which has brought the total country-wide figure to about 100,000. In Europe, Greece is now second only to Italy in the demand for private pools. In Attica alone, about 2,000 more are installed every year, mostly in the newer outer suburbs, at a minimum cost of 15,000 to 17,000 euros each. Gerasimos Stratigos, who lives on Lycabettus Hill, has built one on the roof of his house. «Nothing compares to the feel of water – a 10-minute swim after work really refreshes me,» he said. It’s a feeling that many who can afford it are now anxious to share. In northern Attica and on the Mesogeia plain, a pool is now automatically presumed to be part of new housing complexes – on roofs, in courtyards or backyards – and also as an additional investment in the property. «People no longer see pools as a luxury,» said engineer Katerina Bati, who works for a pool construction company. «Apart from the pleasure gained by the adults, it’s great for their children who can learn to swim at home and let off steam as well.» All that is needed is a building permit, a rule that is not always obeyed, although Bati says the number of illegally built pools has dropped in recent years. There are about 200 pool construction and maintenance firms in the country. The greatest demand is in the new suburbs around Athens such as Gerakas, Glyka Nera, Drafi, Paiania and Keratea, and to the north in the older established areas of Kifissia, Ekali, Drosia, Aghios Stefanos, Dionysos and Pendeli. «Recently there has been an increased demand for them in the inner city,» added Bati. «In Kolonaki, Gazi and Lycabettus, as well as Aghia Paraskevi and Halandri.»
