How big the hole is
A pool is dug larger than the pool: add 50–60 cm all round for the walls, the formwork and the pipes, and 20–30 cm under the floor for the base. The usual sizes on the island come out like this:
6 × 3 m, 1.4 m deep
Hole: 7 × 4 m, 1.7 m
Volume dug: about 48 m³
Loose, on the truck: about 60 m³ — 5–6 loads
8 × 4 m, 1.5 m deep
Hole: 9 × 5 m, 1.8 m
Volume dug: about 80 m³
Loose, on the truck: about 100 m³ — 9–10 loads
10 × 5 m, 1.2–1.8 m sloping
Hole: 11 × 6 m, 1.5–2.1 m
Volume dug: about 120 m³
Loose, on the truck: about 150 m³ — 13–15 loads
12 × 6 m with a deep end
Hole: 13 × 7 m, 1.6–2.4 m
Volume dug: about 180 m³
Loose, on the truck: about 225 m³ — 20–22 loads
| Pool | Hole | Volume dug | Loose, on the truck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 × 3 m, 1.4 m deep | 7 × 4 m, 1.7 m | about 48 m³ | about 60 m³ — 5–6 loads |
| 8 × 4 m, 1.5 m deep | 9 × 5 m, 1.8 m | about 80 m³ | about 100 m³ — 9–10 loads |
| 10 × 5 m, 1.2–1.8 m sloping | 11 × 6 m, 1.5–2.1 m | about 120 m³ | about 150 m³ — 13–15 loads |
| 12 × 6 m with a deep end | 13 × 7 m, 1.6–2.4 m | about 180 m³ | about 225 m³ — 20–22 loads |
Rock and soil swell by 25–30 % once dug, and a three-axle tipper takes 10–12 m³ a load. That is why the removal often costs as much as the digging: count the loads before you count the days.
Which machine
An 8 × 4 pool in soil is a day for a 5–8 t excavator with its operator, or two to three days for a 3 t mini digger. In rock — Paphos, the hills above Limassol, the slopes around Nicosia — the same hole is a day and a half to two days for an 8–14 t excavator with a breaker, and a week for a mini digger; the machine with the heavier breaker wins by a wide margin. Access decides between them: the excavator needs about 3 m of width and a firm way in for the low-loader, the mini digger goes through a 1.5 m gate. Where the only way in is a garden gate, a 3 t mini digger with a breaker and patience is the answer, and the operator will say so.
Where the spoil goes
The trucks are half the job. The operator usually brings the tippers too, or works with a haulier: one truck shuttling to the tip for a small pool, two on rotation for a big one so the digger never waits. Clean rock and soil go to a licensed inert-waste site or, often, to a nearby plot that needs fill — that is cheaper and the operator knows who needs it this month. Keep some on site if you are landscaping: a quarter of the spoil levels a garden and saves two or three loads.
Days
6 × 3
Soil: Half a day to a day, 5–8 t
Rock: One day, 8 t with breaker
8 × 4
Soil: One day, 5–8 t
Rock: One and a half to two days, 8–14 t with breaker
10 × 5
Soil: One to one and a half days, 8 t
Rock: Two to three days, 14 t with breaker
12 × 6
Soil: Two days, 8–14 t
Rock: Three to four days, 14–20 t with breaker
| Pool | Soil | Rock |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 3 | Half a day to a day, 5–8 t | One day, 8 t with breaker |
| 8 × 4 | One day, 5–8 t | One and a half to two days, 8–14 t with breaker |
| 10 × 5 | One to one and a half days, 8 t | Two to three days, 14 t with breaker |
| 12 × 6 | Two days, 8–14 t | Three to four days, 14–20 t with breaker |
What it costs
The excavator with its operator is priced by the hour with a minimum, or by the day; the breaker adds to the rate. Each truck load to the tip is priced on top, and the tip fee is in it. For an 8 × 4 pool, operators on the island land in the range of one to one and a half days of a 8–14 t machine plus nine or ten loads — the operator's quote names both numbers before you agree. The figures the island actually quotes:
- Self-drive, 1–2 t
- €150–220 a day, cheaper per day for a week
- Self-drive, 3–5 t
- €220–300 a day
- With operator
- €350–450 a day, or €50–70 an hour with a €150 minimum
- Breaker or auger
- €30–60 a day on top
- 5–20 t with operator
- €55–85 an hour, minimum 4–8 hours; about €450–700 a day
- Low-loader transport of a tracked machine
- separate, by distance
- Taking the soil away
- per tipper load, on top
What operators on the island usually quote (open listings and price lists, October 2026), VAT not included unless stated. Your operator confirms the exact price for your job before anything is agreed.
What to send the operator
- The pool size and depth, and a sketch or the pool company's drawing with the hole dimensions.
- Where the pool goes on the plot and a photo from the street: the operator sees the access, the slope and where the trucks turn.
- What the ground is, if you know — a neighbour's pool or a geotechnical report tells. If not, the address is often enough.
- Whether the spoil goes or some stays, and whether the pool company has a date for the shell or the steel — the hole should not wait open through a winter.
