Important Information on Bulgarian Renovation
Firstly, older Bulgarian houses are built differently than in the UK. This is particularly true of Bulgarian resale properties in the villages. As Bulgaria is in a seismic zone, and the climate is hotter in summer and slightly colder in winter, building requirements are not the same. Bulgarian homes are built with concrete reinforced joists on the corners, and if the house is large, there will be more of these internally and along the outer walls. The brickwork is nonsupporting, and a monolith concrete slab generally rests on the joists. The roof will be built over this. Windows are wood framed and quite rough in most cases. Bulgarian brickwork is "higgeldypiggeldy", and when owners can afford, this will be rendered. The current trend is to put polystyrene sheets against the external walls for insulation, then rendering is done (in a pattern) over the insulation and this is definitely very effective. Plastic corner trim holds the insulation in place. Walls are thick, and you'll find that rural homes are fairly cool during the summer and warm during the winter. Nothing is straight and Bulgarians have no idea what a plumb line is, and if they do, they wouldn't admit it, much less be caught dead using one. Bulgarians are recycling masters and make use of everything they have This is manifested in their homes. Practically all village homes will have external stairs, external toilet, teeny weeny kitchen (actually a hallspace with a sink), and a cellar (this is usually kind of a "halfstory" high). In Bulgaria, the idea of a living room, dining room and bedrooms is alien. Every room is a miscellaneous room with beds. Many houses will have what's called a "summer kitchen". This is an additional building with a cooking area, a bedroom and often a bathroom. Nowadays, older folks tend to live in the summer kitchen and leave the "main house" for their offspring, whether they live there or not.
So you can see that some work will need to be done to make the place "your own". Despite some of these major differences in houses here, you will not fail to fall in love with one of them. This is just to give you an honest appraisal. By the way, this relates to the older properties. Now that Bulgaria has joined the EU, there are definitely standards to which homes are built and in the main you'll find that newbuilds are to comparable UK standards.
Old rural properties will cost a minimum of 15,000 Euros for BASIC renovation work on a small house. Many sites and agencies will promote the idea that renovation work is cheap. This gives the false impression that for a few thousand Euros you can complete your house to UK standards.
It's true that by comparison to other EU countries, labour and materials are much less expensive, and similar work would cost many times more in the UK. However, if you're on a budget and you buy a house with only a few thousand Euros left over, you will have a problem.
As an example, most properties will need a new septic tank, this will cost 1,000-2,000 Euros. New double glazed windows are approximately 75 Euros per square meter for the cheapest type, so count on at least another 2,000 Euros for a small house. You will usually need to rewire and re-plumb, and put in a bathroom and kitchen. For a modest renovation, set aside 15,000 Euros.
Patience and tolerance are the order of the day when it comes to having ANYTHING done here. Just remember, "everything takes much longer in Bulgaria". Things don't arrive on schedule. Bulgarians are lovely, but time keeping is not their strong point (Hospitality, Kindness and Generosity, however, are the highest we've seen anywhere). It's wise to add 3-6 weeks for delivery of items, and an additional 2-3 weeks to get the workers. The estimated time for completion of the project is almost always later than expected (even with our own time tolerance added!) Pushing and/or "cussing" does not seem to help, it only creates resistance. Friendly relations and holding back full payment are the most successful actions in getting the job done.
There most certainly will be unforeseen costs. When we give a quote for renovation work, we can provide a price for specific works, but please keep in mind that until we knock off the old plaster and look at current wiring, we can't see whether it will require total replacement or an extra circuit. Until we get into the loft crawl space, we can't see if beams will need renewing, or whether the ceiling is even connected to the wall. Be prepared and put some money aside for unforeseen works which may need doing. This will certainly occur. We usually include a hundred or so Euros in any quote for small unforeseen costs, however, it's very possible you may need more for unexpected larger works.
There's been media about foreigners being overcharged and paying much more than a Bulgarian would expect to pay. The truth is that the costs of a new build are between 400 to 450 Euros per sqm (finished, with bathrooms, plastered, painted etc). This price also depends on which part of the country you're in. Sofia and Varna will have much higher prices per sqm. Sliven region will provide much better value.
In truth, you CAN get the work done more cheaply and Bulgarians often do get these lower prices as they use local or village labour. Local labour has a different standard, they live and work at a basic functional survival level, and don't mind that the socket is loose in the wall, that cupboards are crooked, that floors are not level, that the shower doesn't work properly, and that the finish is absolutely AWFUL. You do get what you pay for. So yes, Bulgarians do often pay less and also get a much lower standard of work.
Many of our clients do have diy experience and some are actually in the building trade. By doing some of the work yourself, this will reduce your renovation cost. Our advice in this case would be to have the major structural work done by professionals and save on the internal finishing if you have these skills.
It is much less costly here to build a house from scratch or to renovate than it is in the UK. It would, however, be incorrect to expect that you could buy a plot of land and build a new 2 bedroom house of 100 sqm for less than 50,000 Euros. If you would find something for less, you know that you can expect problems during or after the build. When you buy an old village property, don't expect to pay any less than 15,000 to 25,000 Euros for renovation. Be realistic. Cost of building materials transport and petrol have all gone up over the past two years.
The good news is that what you WILL have is a house with a large plot in great surroundings with wonderful neighbors and a wonderful lifestyle for a fraction of what this would cost you in the UK or almost anywhere else in the world. You will have predominantly wonderful weather, great fresh organic foods, coast nearby, skiing nearby, and wonderful travel opportunities to the rest of Europe just a drive away. We wouldn't be anywhere else!
