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BULGARIA - RENOVATIONS....what you need to know! 1. Renovations are NOT cheap - VERY IMPORTANT, DO NOT BUY AN OLD RURAL HOUSE UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND IT IS GOING TO COST YOU A MINIMUM OF 15,000 TO 20,000 EUROS FOR BASIC RENOVATIONS FOR A SMALL HOUSE Many people come over with the preconception that they will be able to buy a house for a few thousand and then renovate it to a good standard for a few thousand more. Renovations can get expensive. For example a new septic tank (required in most cases) will set you back 1,000 to 2,000 Euros depending on plumbing required, new PVC windows are around 75 Euros per square metre at a rough estimate so for an average small rural house budget for at least another 1,000 to 2,000 Euros or so for the cheapest type, a shower room together with tiling and appliances will be maybe another 1,000 Euros, kitchen will be at least another couple of thousand Euros, any structural work gets expensive. For a small rural house you are looking at all new wiring, plumbing, putting in a bathroom, a kitchen, often internal plastering, roof repairs, new windows and so on. Budget at least 15,000 Euros for modest renovations but to do up to a good standard at least 25,000 Euros. 2. You need bucket loads of patience and nerves of steel! The most important thing to remember is everything takes forever in Bulgaria. The supply chain is horrendous, nothing arrives on time, an early start usually means around midday, there are then numerous fag breaks....For example it took two days to fit a small kitchen in one of my apartments. All the cupboards came flat packed so just needed putting together. The walls were rather uneven but all the same it took forever and little progress seemed to be made. The fitters would arrive at midday and then work until past 8.00pm. And then they did not plumb in the sink or wire up the hob because that was not part of their job! Regardless of the date you are given for delivery of items, add a further two or three weeks to this at most. My kitchens arrived 6 weeks later than anticipated and then it took a further two weeks to get the fitters scheduled in to deliver and fit the kitchens. My new staircase and balcony railings were meant to be ready and delivered by the last week in October... they arrived mid December. Just because you order and pay for something does not mean it will arrive or indeed even be available. I ordered blinds in a particular colour, paid for them and was told they would take around 2 weeks. A week later I received a phone call to say the colour I had chosen was not available so I had to choose another one which meant a further two weeks wait! Tiles I choose months ago are suddenly no longer produced, despite still being on show in shop! A delivery date for furniture of 30 days after ordering, is more likely to mean 45 to 60 days later. 3. There WILL be unforeseen costs When giving a quote for renovations on a house we can give a cost for certain work such as new windows, re-plastering, re-roofing etc but please keep in mind that until we knock off the old plaster and look at current wiring we cannot see whether this will require replacing or whether an extra circuit will be needed, until we get into the loft space we cannot see if any of the beams will need renewing and so on...Be prepared and put something aside in your budget for some unforeseen costs that are bound to arise. We usually include a small amount, hundred or so Euros in any quote for small unforeseen costs but you may come across larger works that need doing and were not apparent on the initial inspection to give the quote. 4. Bulgarian vs British (or foreign) Prices Much is made about foreigners being ripped off and charged extortionate amounts for building work, much more than a Bulgarian would be expected to pay. And of course this does happen in some cases. I am often asked about building costs and usually explain that the costs of a new build are between 400 to 450 euros per sqm (finished costs with bathrooms, plastered, painted etc). This is often met with the belief that these are 'British' prices and the customer only wants to pay 'Bulgarian' prices and refuses to be ripped off. And you can get work done for cheaper than this, by locals in the village say, but I have seen renovations done by cheaper, village builders and the reason why the work is done for less is because the standard is nowhere near as good as it should be. Plus can take forever. You get what you pay for at the end of the day. And please also take into account that Bulgarian renovation and building standards, particularly in the villages, is not high. I do not mean this derogatively but they finish buildings so they are functional, not necessarily pleasing to the eye. So for example, new doors and windows will be put in, but the plaster around the new frames will not be carefully filled in or smoothed off so you could be left with large holes and exposed brick work, tiles are sometimes not laid straight, wood may not be properly treated, there may not be proper insulation included, guttering and downspouts may not be replaced and so on..... Whilst it is much much cheaper here to build a house from scratch or renovate here than it is in say the UK, do not expect to buy a plot of land and build a new 2 bedroom house (100sqm say) for under 50,000 Euros. And do not buy an old rural property and expect to renovate it for any less than 15,000 to 25,000 Euros. Be realistic. Prices of petrol and thus transport and delivery have gone up a fair bit in the last couple of years, bricks, concrete and so on have also increased. You can still build or renovate a lovely house here for a fraction of the price in the UK, but not for peanuts. Oh and architects are expensive here. They charge 15 to 16 Euros per sqm and this is a set price. Therefore for designs, plans and permissions for your 100sqm house, the architect alone is going to cost you at least 1500 Euros. And at the end of the day, you are NOT Bulgarian, so why should you expect to pay Bulgarian prices. I used to live in a very touristy area back in the UK and it used to really agitate me that I as a local, born and bred in the area, had to pay 'tourist' prices for things. And property there had gone through the roof fuelled mainly by people buying holiday homes in the area. We used to often bemoan the fact that there was no affordable property for locals, that we were being pushed out the market, that building work was expensive and hard to come by. So please keep this in mind when considering what you are paying for property and building in Bulgaria. The locals have seen their property prices rise and while in some ways this is great for them, it also means for older folks having to move back into the city, apartments are unaffordable now, for young couples getting their first home is difficult, locals also have a hard time finding and paying for decent building work. And they want their cut of all this as well so do not expect them to work for peanuts and do a good job. Example Of Costs Below is a short breakdown of the costs you could expect for general renovations, but please keep in mind much depends on the size of your house, the state of repair, your choice of finishing works such as colour and type of PVC windows (white cheaper than wood effect say), tiles, wood or laminate flooring and of course size of rooms but it should give you some idea: Septic Tank & Plumbing, Pipes etc
2,000 Euros On top of this there will be some transport and carrying costs and off course commission! Carrying costs will usually be around 3% to 8% of renovation costs depending on how rural your village is and how accessible, and then there will be a charge of around 10% commission on total cost - this covers profit (got to make something!), project management, time spent visiting property regularly, sending reports back to you with photos (and possibly video footage), taking photos of say tiles and fixtures and fittings and sending to you to choose colour and style etc and telephone calls. Post Renovation After renovations are completed I can
help your source furniture, kitchens, appliances, curtains, blinds etc. I will also be starting a management service to look after your holiday home when you are not here - check the house regularly, pay utility bills, open windows to air house, turn on heating in winter, check for damp etc, give a quick clean every so often to keep dust and dirt at bay and so on... |