White villa with tiled roofs, a pool and a lawn, in the heart of an olive grove in Opio, with mountains in the background

OpioBuilt by Midi Mas

Building plots around Opio · From Cannes to Monaco

Before you buy a plot in Opio, find out which villa it will allow.

A listing shows a surface area, a view, sometimes a permit. It rarely tells you what you will see from your living room, what the slope and its dry-stone terraces (restanques) will demand, or what the town’s rules will let you build. Come with us to visit the plots we present, and see them through a builder’s eye: we have been designing and building villas since 1993.

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More than 400 completed villas

Our building sites are open to visitors: villas at every stage of construction, from structural work to finishes.

What surface area does not tell you

Three plots, almost the same size. Three houses with nothing in common.

Take three plots we have presented in Mougins. Their listings use almost the same words: sought-after area, peace and quiet, easy access. Seven square metres separate the first two. Yet here is what has been approved or deemed feasible on each:

  • Plot 4,270 m2 Permit granted A 345 m2 villa

    With a pool.

  • Plot 4,277 m2 Feasible A villa of up to 600 m2

    With a pool and garage.

  • Plot 4,477 m2 Permit granted Two villas, 330 and 290 m2

    With pools and garages.

Based on the details of the plots presented by Midi Mas in 2024 and 2025. Bars: villa floor area, to the same scale.

The difference has nothing to do with surface area. It comes from the shape of the plot, its slope, its access, the planning rules that apply to it, and the project chosen for it: a permit fixes one project, not necessarily everything the plot allows. All of this can be read on site and on the plans, provided you know where to look.

You do not buy a plot by the square metre. You buy it for the house it allows.

The plots we present

Building plots around Opio, from Cannes to Monaco.

Each one is described by what it allows, not just by what it measures. Several already have a building permit (permis de construire). Price and availability, confirmed with the seller, and the status of the permit: we give you all of this in our very first conversation, plot by plot.

Around Opio

15 plots

Further afield

From Cannes to Monaco

Midi Mas presents these plots with a view to designing and building your villa on them. The plot details were published in late 2024 and updated in early 2025: since then, some plots may have found a buyer, some permits may have expired, and the planning rules of several towns have changed (in Mougins, for example, the local zoning plan, or PLU, was amended in December 2025). We confirm everything, plot by plot, in our first conversation.

None quite right? Show us the plots you spot, in Opio or anywhere from Cannes to Monaco: we look at them with you, through a builder’s eye, before you decide to buy.

Visit plots with us
Cross-section of a sloping plot From the highest point of the plot, the eye clears everything and reaches the horizon. At the level of the future living room, further down, it runs into the neighbour’s house. The required setback fixes where the house stands, and the slope calls for a retaining structure. 1 2 3 4 5
  1. 1On the day of the visit, from the highest point: the horizon.
  2. 2From the living room, a few metres lower: the neighbour’s roof.
  3. 3The setback required by the planning regulations, which decides where the house can stand.
  4. 4The retaining structure the slope calls for.
  5. 5What the neighbour is still entitled to build.
Illustrative diagram: on a sloping plot, a drop of a few metres is enough to change a view.

What a listing does not show

You look at the view. We look at where you will see it from.

A plot in Opio, one Saturday morning. The gate opens onto dry-stone terraces (restanques) planted with olive trees, a fringe of pines and, in the distance, the line of wooded hills. It is what the listing promised, and it is true.

You do what everyone does: you climb to the top of the plot, where the view is finest, and you are already picturing the terrace right where you stand.

But your living room will not be there. It will be lower down, or further back: wherever the slope, the setbacks required by the planning regulations and access for construction machinery allow it to sit. That day, you will no longer be standing on a plot. You will be sitting in your own home. That is where the plot will have to keep its promises.

We, for our part, stay down below for a while. We look at where the construction machinery will come in, where the hill’s shadow will fall on a December afternoon, what the zone’s regulations allow here, in height as well as ground coverage, and what the neighbour could build tomorrow between you and the view. Then we climb back up, and ask the only question that counts: from your living room, what will you see?

Sometimes the answer confirms the plot you fell for. Sometimes it turns your heart towards another, less photogenic in its listing but better able to carry the house you want to live in. Either way, you decide with full knowledge of the facts.

Everyone looks at a plot through the lens of their own trade. Ours is building a villa on it.

The estate agent knows the market, the surveyor measures the plot, the notary (notaire) secures the sale, the architect draws: each has a role. But it is by building that you learn what a slope, an access road or the ground itself really demands of a house. Since 1993, we have done both: design, then build. And that eye matters before you sign: unlike buying a house, buying a building plot in principle gives you no cooling-off period, except in a subdivision that requires a development permit (permis d’aménager).

A builder’s eye

Nine questions we ask of every plot before we draw a villa on it.

Here is what we examine, on site and on the plans. Keep this list: it will serve you on every plot you visit, with or without us.

How many square metres of footprint does this plot allow?

It is the figure listings rarely give, and the one that, together with the permitted height, caps the size of your villa. In Opio’s neighbourhoods of detached houses (zone UC of the local zoning plan, or PLU, revised in January 2026), ground coverage is in principle limited to 14% of the plot in sector UCa, and 8% in sector UCb. A new building, pool included, stands at least 10 metres from each neighbouring boundary; in sector UCb, these setbacks must also total 30 metres, to be divided between the opposite boundaries and the rear of the plot. In sector UCc, only existing houses may be extended.

What will you see from the living room?

A view is judged from the level you will live on, not from the highest point of the plot. In zone UC (sectors UCa and UCb), height is in principle limited to 5 metres at the ridge, in other words a single-storey house, and to 7.5 metres if the building’s ground coverage exceeds 140 m2. It is measured from the lowest point of the house, at natural ground level before works: on a slope, every metre counts.

Is the villa you have in mind allowed there?

The rules on appearance also shape your house. In zone UC, roofs are in principle covered in curved canal tiles; contemporary architecture is accepted only where it is not conspicuously visible in the same view as its surroundings (co-visibilité); white is ruled out for façades, and a new building must incorporate solar collectors for hot water. Almost the whole town lies within a listed site (site inscrit): the state heritage architect (Architecte des Bâtiments de France) is consulted, and work can begin only four months after the application is filed.

Is the plot in a red zone?

A wildfire risk prevention plan (PPRIF) has covered Opio since 2007. In the red zone, new buildings are in principle prohibited. In the blue zone, they are allowed subject to conditions: in sectors B0 and B1, a new house must, among other things, stand no more than 150 metres from a standardised firefighting water point, and brush clearance (débroussaillement) extends 50 or 100 metres around it, depending on the sector. This is checked plot by plot, on the zoning map.

What does the ground tell you?

According to Géorisques, the French government’s risk portal, a large part of Opio has high exposure to clay shrink-swell, and the rest medium exposure. In these zones, the seller of a building plot must give you a preliminary geotechnical study (étude géotechnique préalable). It describes the site, not your house: the foundations of your villa are decided with the design. Appended to the local zoning plan is a study by the French geological survey (BRGM) on gypsum-related collapses: in the areas concerned, a geotechnical study is recommended before any planning application.

How far can you reshape the slope?

A slope offers levels, terraces, often the view. In zone UC, you follow it more than you correct it: no digging deeper than 1.5 metres (except for a cellar of no more than 25 m2), no backfill higher than 1 metre, and then only by creating stone terraces (restanques); boulder walls (enrochements) are prohibited. Every olive tree removed must be transplanted or replaced with an olive tree at least 20 centimetres in circumference.

How will the machinery get in?

A lane that is charming by car can become a real question for construction machinery: in 2007, the wildfire prevention plan noted that many of Opio’s municipal lanes were less than 3.5 metres wide. In zone UC, a private road must be at least 5 metres wide, and a new building must hold back its rainwater: 100 litres per square metre of sealed surface. Without mains sewerage, it must be possible to install a compliant on-site wastewater system (assainissement autonome) on the plot.

Has the permit been granted, or is it beyond challenge?

A third party can challenge a permit in court for two months from the first day it is continuously displayed on the plot; without proper display, that period does not start to run. The mayor can withdraw an unlawful permit within three months of its issue. Every permit has a period of validity and passes to the buyer only on application to the town hall, with the agreement of its holder. The conditions that protect you are written into the preliminary contract (avant-contrat), with your notary (notaire).

What is it like at 8 am on a Tuesday?

A Saturday visit tells you nothing about weekday traffic. South of Opio, the RD 4, between Plascassier and Valbonne, is rated category 2 in the road noise classification, with a noise-affected corridor of 250 metres on either side; the RD 3, which crosses the town, is rated category 3 or 4 depending on the section. Come back on a weekday, and in winter if you can, when the sun is low.

None of these questions is a reason to give up on a plot. A slope can offer a view that flat land never will; an existing permit is a valuable starting point. But every one of these questions will come up one day.

Before you sign, it is a question, and it has an answer. Afterwards, it is a constraint.

Rules cited: the Opio local zoning plan, or PLU (general revision approved on 27 January 2026: regulations for zone UC and general provisions; appended to it, the 2012 BRGM study on gypsum-related collapses and the list of public-interest easements, including the listed site of the coastal strip from Nice to Théoule, designated in 1974), the wildfire risk prevention plan (PPRIF) approved by prefectoral order of 12 April 2007 (regulations and explanatory report), the road noise classification of departmental roads (prefectoral order of 18 August 2016), the clay shrink-swell exposure map published by Géorisques, the Planning Code, or code de l’urbanisme (listed site, legal challenges, withdrawal and transfer of permits), the Construction and Housing Code, or code de la construction et de l’habitation (preliminary geotechnical study). They vary from one zone to another: every plot must be checked.

These questions are not settled by reading a listing. They are settled on site, plans in hand. That is exactly what we do during a visit.

Visit plots with us

From plot to villa

What a plot becomes, when you know how to read it.

A slope, a view, an orientation: every plot sets its own conditions. In these villas, the house began with the plot. What these photos no longer show (earthworks, retaining structures, the structural frame), you will see on our building sites, which we open to visitors at every stage of construction.

  • Villa with tiled roofs, a large timber terrace and a pool, set against stone terrace walls, facing the hills and mountains.

    Soléa

    Roquefort-les-Pins

    The plotStone terraces (restanques), facing the mountains.

    The answerThe villa backs onto the stone walls; the terrace and pool open onto the landscape.

  • Contemporary hillside villa: glazed openings over two floors, stone cladding, a glass-edged terrace and a curved infinity pool above the greenery.

    Sillage

    The plotA slope facing the landscape.

    The answerThe terrace and pool reach out towards the view, above the lower level.

  • Single-storey villa with stone pillars, full-height glazing and an infinity pool facing the hills.

    Rivage

    Roquefort-les-Pins

    The plotA distant view to capture.

    The answerOn a single level, the entrance, the living room, the terrace and the pool line up with the landscape: your eye travels through the house before your feet do.

Photographs of villas built by Midi Mas.

Press

Midi Mas, une signature haute couture

Article in the magazine Perspective
Entrance façade of a white contemporary villa with a large black-framed glazed wall, pale stone cladding and wide roof overhangs.
Sillage, Vallauris: glazed wall, stone cladding and wide roof overhangs.

The plot visit

Let’s visit the plots that interest you, together. Before you sign, you will know which villa each one allows you to build.

Don’t take our word for it. Come and look, with us, on site.

  1. A first conversationYou tell us what you are looking for and the life you want to live in this house. We select the plots that could fit, and confirm their availability.
  2. Visiting the plotsOn each plot, we look with you at what the listing does not say: where the living room would sit, the path of the sun, the slope and what it would call for, the access, the neighbours, the planning rules.
  3. Our building sites, at every stageWe take you to see villas under construction, from structural work to finishes: what a real plot demands of a real house, and how we respond. You judge our work on the evidence, including what a finished villa no longer shows.

What you take away

  • a clear reading of every plot you visit;
  • the questions to ask of any plot;
  • a precise idea of the house that could stand there.

Have you spotted a plot elsewhere in our area? Mention it in the form: from our very first conversation, we will work out together how to look at it with the same eye before you decide to buy.

A plot is chosen in a few weeks. Your house will stand on it for decades.

Visit plots with us

Before you write to us

Who this visit will be useful to, and who less so.

It will probably be useful to you if

  • you are looking for a plot on which to have your villa built, from 200 to 1,200 m2, in Opio or between Cannes and Monaco;
  • you have spotted a plot, or not yet: either way, now is the right time;
  • you would rather understand a plot before buying it than after;
  • you care as much about the quality of construction as about the location.

It will probably be less useful to you if

  • you are looking for a plot to invest in or resell, with no plan to build a house;
  • you want a house you can move into straight away: buying an existing villa will no doubt meet that need better;
  • you are searching outside our area.

Does the first list sound like you? What happens next is simple.

Visit plots with us

Frequently asked questions

The questions to ask before you buy a plot.

Is your question not listed here? Keep it for our first conversation: we will answer it in person.

Are the plots presented here still available?

They were presented in 2024 and 2025, and some may have found a buyer since. Tell us what you are looking for: we will tell you which remain available and, with the seller’s agreement, arrange a visit to those that suit your project.

Why are prices not shown on this page?

Because a published price ages quickly: these details date from 2024 and 2025, and a price may have been revised since. In our very first conversation, before any visit, we give you the current price of each plot that interests you, with its availability and what it allows you to build. That is how you really compare prices: two plots at the same price can carry two villas with nothing in common.

If a permit has already been granted, do I have to build the house it describes?

No. A permit proves that a project was judged compliant with the planning rules on this plot: that is valuable information. But it was drawn for someone other than you. If it matches the house you want to live in, it can be transferred to you with its holder’s agreement, as long as it is valid: you then avoid having a new application processed. If not, it makes way for a new application for the villa you really want. We go through this with you, plot by plot.

I don’t have a plot yet. Is it too early to contact you?

No, it is actually the best time. You read a plot better when you already know how you want to live on it, and you avoid buying a plot that will not allow the house you imagined. We can help you choose the right plot.

I have spotted a plot that is not listed here. Can you look at it with me?

If it is within our area and you are thinking of having your villa built on it, we can advise you before you decide to buy, with a technical analysis of the plot if needed. Name its town in the form: we will discuss it in our very first conversation.

What happens after the visit?

You leave with a precise reading of the plots you visited: what each one allows, what it demands, the house it could carry. If one of them convinces you and our way of working suits you, we move on to designing your villa. If not, you will look at the next plots with a different eye.

I don’t live in the area. How does the visit work?

The first conversation takes place remotely: together, we shortlist the plots worth the journey, with their price and availability. The visit is then arranged for a date that fits your next stay on the French Riviera, and can include our current building sites. What matters to us is the town where the plot is, not where you live. Let us know your preferred language, too.

What comes next

The best time to look at a plot with a builder is before you buy it.

The first conversation is there to prepare your visit: understanding what you are looking for, selecting the plots that meet it, confirming their availability. To make it useful, have in mind:

  • the area that draws you: Opio, or another town between Cannes and Monaco;
  • the plot you have spotted, if any, and the date you have in mind for the preliminary sale contract (compromis de vente);
  • how you would like to live there, in a few words;
  • a timescale, even a rough one.

The form guides you through the rest, one question at a time.

Visit plots with Midi Mas

A few questions, one at a time. Under two minutes.

Start

No plot yet? Just say so: we will help you recognise the right one.

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