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All I want is a little stone cottage
By Anna Baran
There is something very appealing about having a quaint little cottage in the countryside, somewhere where you can communicate peacefully with nature. Not too much money, ideal spot, a few comfy rooms and a piece of land to call my own... it’s no too much to ask for, or is it?
Even though there are plenty of old and seemingly abandoned village houses about the place most of them are not for sale. Bargains are there to be had, but too few to pin your hopes on. Now that the price of land is climbing forever upwards the old houses with more than a postage stamp of land command premium prices. Unfortunately, most are snapped up to be bulldozed over to accommodate high density ‘improved’ housing for eager foreigners. And the heck with trying to blend the ‘improvement’ with the rest of the village!
At times, determination does pay off and you can find exactly what you have you been looking for. But if you thought finding your cottage was hard enough, try finding expert tradesmen in Paphos to restore it! If you do find them, with property development growing apace everywhere it is almost impossible to secure their services and, even if you do, odds are ten to one that what you thought would be few months' of restoration turns into anything but that.
Luckily for us who would not waiver in our desire for ‘a little stone cottage’ there are those who do provide just that! Solid stone walls, even with little traditional recesses, stone arches inside and out, exposed solid wood ceiling beams plus all the mod cons to make the idyllic life even more enjoyable. What’s more, these gems are usually set in secluded and truly beautiful settings.
Good bets are Scarifoza Development Ltd and Lithos who specialize in recreating the ‘old world charm’ homes. Drawing on the traditional architectural style and using natural stone and wood their masterpieces blend perfectly with the environment offering perfect tranquillity and privacy. Perhaps the only giveaway that these homes are brand new is the not-so-mature garden. But then again, in Cyprus we are very fortunate in that plants grow like wild fire so this is remedied very quickly!
Sometimes these specialists come across village ’gems’ and, being a sensitive lot, decide to restore the old relic to the new heights of the old world splendour. Here again, you are a winner because you can be assured that a lot of thought, dedication and expertise went into the restoration effort. You may have to pay a bit more, but for the peace of mind, it's worth every penny.
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