Say what is wrong
If you already know which trade you want, the band below is the faster route. If you do not — which is the usual case — describe the problem instead and let it work the trade out.
Pick a trade
Drag the band, or use the arrow keys. Every card goes to what that trade actually deals with here — the failures that are specific to this island, not a generic description of the job.
Or start from the problem
Most people do not know which trade they need, and guessing wrong costs a wasted callout. These are the things people actually write to us.
- 01 Waterproofing “Water coming through the bedroom ceiling”
- 02 Electrician “The power keeps tripping when it rains”
- 03 Solar & heaters “No hot water, and the tank is on the roof”
- 04 Air conditioning “Air conditioning died and we have guests”
- 05 Cave-house work “Damp patch spreading on an inside wall”
- 06 Septic & drainage “Drain backing up in the shower”
- 07 Structural “A crack has opened above the door”
- 08 Locksmith “Locked out, key snapped in the door”
- 09 Pool maintenance “Pool has gone green in three days”
- 10 Pergolas & shading “Wind took the pergola apart overnight”
- 11 Pest control “Ants in the kitchen, every summer”
- 12 Handyman “A dozen small things before the season”
The full list
- 01 Electrician Rewires, boards, faults, outdoor and pool circuits.
- 02 Plumber Leaks, pressure, tanks, bathrooms, hot water.
- 03 Air conditioning Split systems, servicing, the August breakdown.
- 04 Painter Interior, exterior, and the annual whitewash.
- 05 Mason & stonework Walls, pointing, terracing, dry stone.
- 06 Carpenter Doors, shutters, built-ins, roof timbers.
- 07 Tiler Floors, wet rooms, terraces, repairs.
- 08 Plasterer Render, skim, traditional lime finishes.
- 09 Waterproofing Roofs and terraces, before the winter rain.
- 10 Roofing Flat roofs, vaults, parapets, drainage.
- 11 Pool maintenance Weekly service, pumps, chemistry, repairs.
- 12 Solar & water heaters Solar hot water, cylinders, immersion.
- 13 Gardener & landscaping Planting, irrigation, terraces, upkeep.
- 14 Glazier & aluminium Glazing, frames, screens, broken units.
- 15 Welder & metalwork Railings, gates, pergola frames, repairs.
- 16 Marble & stone cutting Worktops, sills, thresholds, steps.
- 17 Septic & drainage Blockages, tanks, soakaways, pumping.
- 18 Water tanks & cisterns Cleaning, lining, pressure, refills.
- 19 CCTV & networks Cameras, wifi that reaches, door entry.
- 20 Cave-house restoration Yposkafo work: damp, cracks, vaulting.
- 21 Cleaning & property care Between-let turnarounds, absent-owner checks.
- 22 Locksmith Lockouts, cylinder changes, safes, gate locks.
- 23 Appliance repair Fridges, washers, ovens, commercial kitchen kit.
- 24 Pest control Ants, rodents, wasps, mosquitoes, bed bugs.
- 25 Pergolas & shading Pergolas, sails, awnings, wind-rated fixings.
- 26 Generators Backup power, install, service, changeover.
- 27 General handyman The list of small jobs nobody else will take.
Trades that are really professions
Some of what people ask for is not a trade at all but a licensed professional, and on Santorini you cannot proceed without one. A civil engineer signs off structure. An architect and the Council of Architecture decide what a building in a traditional settlement is allowed to look like. The Ephorate has a say anywhere near a site of interest, which here is most places.
These are covered separately because the sequence matters: engaging a builder before the professional who has to approve the work is the most expensive ordinary mistake made on this island.