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Some expand the living space by buying spacious housing, others demolish the "extra" walls inside the apartment, others take out the kitchen to the balcony, adding another living room. Georgians are taking more radical measures: they make up for the lack of square meters... with the help of self-construction!
Georgia looks authentic (Tbilisi) and modern (Batumi) on postcards. However, there is also a non-parade side: attached balconies, rooms, entire floors, and even additional buildings near many old houses!
At the same time, the number of floors of the original structure does not matter, citizens attach additional rooms even to nine-story buildings. It's not scary if there is nothing under you (and you live high up): an additional room can be put on long supporting beams.
As a phenomenon, unauthorized homebuilding began in the early 90s. Then and now these actions are illegal, and often such construction does not comply with any safety rules. Previously, unauthorized extensions were periodically demolished, at least in the capital and on state-owned lands. But last January, the deputies of the ruling party proposed to abolish fines for small-scale self-construction.
However, some experts believe that all extensions, including legalized ones, need to be dismantled, otherwise "house collapses cannot be avoided." Precedents, by the way, have already happened. So, in October 2021, one of the entrances of a five-storey building collapsed in Batumi. This happened due to the dismantling of the load-bearing walls on the first floor. And there are a lot of such violations all over the country.
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Construction standards in Georgia are not observed by developers. For example, a building of 15 floors instead of planned 10 erects in the area intended for parking.
All this leads to the fact that the building exists, but legally it cannot be put into operation. People move into such houses, but for years they cannot formalize ownership.
The problem of long-term construction in Georgia appeared in the 90s of the XX century, but has not been solved so far. For example, in 2020 there were up to 200 frozen construction sites in the capital alone.
In July 2021, the country adopted the law "On Building Amnesty". It is aimed at putting into operation long-inhabited houses. Minor violations are going to be forgiven, the main thing is that the building meets the security requirements. City services also promise to supply communications (gas and electricity) to the house only after the official commissioning of the facility – this should prevent the development of the problem.
In any case, realtors recommend paying special attention to the reputation of the developer when buying new buildings in Georgia.
Courtyards in the capital of Georgia are a cultural phenomenon. It is not difficult to recognize them - cozy, covered with vineyards, wide staircases, and carved balconies.
Some call Tbilisi courtyards "Italian" because something is constantly happening here. Running children, crowing roosters, hanging laundry, people are discussing gossip and news, outside dinners, backgammon tournaments, collective watching of football matches...
The central districts of Tbilisi are covered with pre-revolutionary buildings, which give a unique atmosphere and set the tone for the whole city. However, today the vast majority of old houses are in critical condition. Some central streets are waiting for reconstruction, while others are falling into disrepair.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to catch a piece of the history and atmosphere of the old Tbilisi courtyards, excursions are conducted here. The romance of the most beautiful, but dilapidated courtyards is appreciated only by tourists and elderly locals. Young people are striving for a different level of comfort, which is offered by new residential complexes.
Georgia is changing. And its modern architecture impresses with the originality of its forms. Many buildings become landmarks like the House of Justice and the Alphabet Tower in Batumi, the Parliament building in Kutaisi, the concert hall, and the Peace Bridge in Tbilisi…
Approaches to housing construction have also changed. In the vicinity of Tbilisi, you can find organized cottage settlements with minimalistic villas, as in Cyprus or Spain. In Batumi, you'll see dozens of impressive skyscrapers - multifunctional complexes with developed infrastructure, where in addition to apartments there are gyms, swimming pools, restaurants, conference centers… Even typical new buildings correspond to European ideas of comfort: indoor and outdoor Parking lots, playgrounds, well-groomed courtyards with landscaping, neat lobbies…
Foreign buyers in Georgia prefer such projects. But Georgians themselves increasingly buy modern housing as well.
The utility service system in Georgia was destroyed in the 90s. There was not enough money for restoration, so the authorities took all possible measures. For example, they introduced a toll on elevators in residential buildings.
The so-called boxes for small change were installed everywhere in the lifts. Only by dropping a coin there, it was possible to climb to the desired floor. Many have not abandoned this practice until now. Moreover, there are paid elevators both in old houses and in relatively new residential complexes (built in the early 2000s). In the first type, the system remained the same, but in the second type you need to use a "travel card".
Some Georgians save money, preferring to climb to their floor on foot, others regularly pay. But there are also law-abiding citizens: they ride for free using a coin on a rope. The cost of a one–time elevator ride is low - about two to five cents. A monthly travel pass (however, with a limit of, for example, 200 trips) is about $ 5.
The money is taken by the housing association, and it pays for electricity, the work of the elevator operator, and the work of the service company.
The phrase "central heating" exists in Georgia, but there is no such thing as a phenomenon. The boiler house system has sunk into oblivion after 'perestroika'. Now, this role is taken over by a gas column installed in the apartment, which distributes water through pipes and radiators.
Gas heaters called Karma are also popular. It looks like a small gas fireplace built into the wall. Among the advantages is the simplicity of installation, low price, as well as the ability to quickly warm up the premises. However, this method is not considered the safest, it is recommended to turn off the heater at night and when no one is at home.
Stoves and fireplaces are usually used in rural private homes. In apartments, many install underfloor heating and electric heaters, however, in the case of their active use, the bills for light increase significantly.
In Georgia, The tax on the rental of residential real estate in Georgia is small, only 5% of the profit. The fine for illegal work(without signing a contract and paying taxes) starts from $50 to several hundred dollars if the violation is recorded repeatedly.
The tax service can find out about this from disgruntled neighbors or the owners themselves if they contact the police when there are problems with tenants. However, in practice, a contract is very rare here.
Very often, a bilateral agreement is not recorded in writing but is kept only on an honest word. However, in most cases, an oral agreement can be trusted. Reputation in Georgia plays a significant role because the absence of bad reviews is more expensive for local people than material benefits.
Homeowners, as a rule, do not bother tenants – they do not come without warning and do not call for a month to find out how things are going. They get in touch only to receive payment or at the initiative of the tenant.
The money is taken by the housing association, and it pays for electricity, the work of the elevator operator, and the work of the service company.
The main room of a true Georgian is a hall. Combining it with the kitchen is a trend of recent years. Until recently, the living room was separate.
The hall in the Georgian dwelling is the most spacious room. At the same time, even in a large apartment (say, 120 meters), it will occupy most of it, and the bedrooms will be miniature.
Another pride of the Georgian can be called a chandelier. If the scale of housing allows, then there will be an interesting, memorable, often large, and luxurious chandelier. But this rather applies to objects in the old housing. Apartment owners in new buildings still prefer a modern IKEA-style design with an unobtrusive interior. This is especially true of apartments intended for renting.
A vine shoot often becomes the accent in the traditional Georgian interior (real one on the balcony, in the courtyard of a private house, or an artificial one in an apartment). For example, it can frame the headboard of a bed, be depicted in a painting, or be carved on the wooden armrest of a chair.
Georgians love details that give the room an atmosphere and comfort (for example, a wall carpet with a national ornament, a wine decanter, an antique lamp, etc.). At the same time, their dwellings do not look crowded, on the contrary, they differ in spaciousness.
And if all of the above mostly applies to wealthy citizens (housing looks simpler for poor people), then there is a corner with icons everywhere. This is because Georgians are very religious people.
