Renovating property in rural Bulgaria, a layman's guide

ROOF REPAIRS

The first issue that needs to be addressed, even if a property has been purchased without the intention of immediately renovating it, is the roof. The roof should be checked for leaks, replacing cracked or missing tiles, where necessary, and fixing damaged sections of guttering. Fitting a completely new guttering system is in many cases desirable, as they are relatively inexpensive, and this is one of the areas where cutting corners is not advisable. Effective roofing, is crucial to protecting the interior and the rest of the structure from the adverse effects of the elements.

A more thorough course of action involves completely stripping the roof, as exposing the framework is preferable to trying to identify problem areas by just taking a peek through the inspection hole. Removing rotten and damaged timer frames, and treating the existing ones with wood protectors (or completely replacing all the original beams with new ones) is followed by the sheeting process, which basically entails the placing sterling board/chip board on top of the roof frame.

Once this task is completed, a water-proof membrane (roof felting) covers the whole roof, and wooden battens are nailed-in, in preparation for the re-tiling.

There are generally two types of tiles used in Bulgarian rural properties, older houses will sometimes have, what the locals call �Turkish� tiles, which are u-shaped and resemble those used in Spain; however most roofs are protected by what are referred to as �European� tiles which are flatter. Slate is often used in alpine regions of Bulgaria.

The gullies, where two faces of a roof meet, and the base of chimneys, are traditionally protected with galvanized tin sheets, not lead as is the case in the UK.

Guttering is then attached to the flashings, and together with the placing of rock wool or similar insulating products between the ceiling and the roof completes the process. This should result in a durable, watertight and well-insulated covering for the house.

INSULATION

Insulating and correctly water-proofing the walls and ground floor of a house, go hand in hand with the assembly of a sturdy roof. Individual houses can have particular requirements, and their owners different views on how to address them, but ultimately the object will be to guarantee a damp-free, warm-in-the-winter, cool-in-the-summer, comfortable and pleasing environment to live in.

An accurate assessment of what might need to be done to achieve this, involves taking into account following facts about property in rural Bulgaria:

It is not uncommon to find rural houses that are semi-submerged in relation to ground level, and/or built into a gradient. Traditional constructions lack cavity walls, concrete floors and damp course membranes.
Rural Bulgaria is blessed with generous helpings of rain and snow fall during certain times of the year (hence the lush and green countryside), and houses will be subjected to considerable temperature fluctuations (long hot summers and cold winters).
Many renovated properties in central and southeastern Bulgaria, will be used only as holiday homes, remaining unoccupied for extended periods of time. Locked doors and windows, seal a house, and result in poorly ventilated interiors. Spaces that are not allowed to �breath� trap humidity, and this can over time, result in damp and condensation appearing.

The renovation of certain properties or specific parts of them, must in varying degrees, make allowances for potential problems arising from abundant precipitation and the resulting ground moisture; and the restoration of the vast majority of rural houses must allow for their interiors to be correctly aerated, without compromising other requirements such as insulation or security.

Preemptive measures to block moisture finding its way into the interior of a structure from the outside involves the use of any, or a combination, of the following practices:

Ensuring that guttering and down spouts effectively channel rainwater away from the walls and base of the house. Keeping water on the move.
Digging away the surrounding soil, to bellow the ground-level of the lower floor and/or making a cement path around the house.
Placing water-proof membranes, or tarring the exterior side of submerged sections of walls.
Subsoil drainage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_drain).
Damp-coursing or tanking the lower floors, in the worst case scenarios. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damp-proof_course).

Tackling unwanted humidity trapped in the interior of a rural house, that can lead to condensation and its undesirable effects can be dealt with by:

Simply, installing airbricks, and/or window frames with vents, and maybe an electric fan in naturally humid places such as the bathroom.
Insulating all thermal bridges (re-enforced concrete components of the structure).
Wherever possible the use of naturally porous construction materials (cork granules or perlite (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/perlite) added to render, cork sheets as insulation, lime-render, whitewash, etc) that are impervious to water but allow the structure to release humidity.

Please note that most properties sold, due to their positioning, constituent materials and design, are passed on by their original owners in perfectly good condition, and extensive insulation/water-proofing measures are not a crucial prerequisite. The more severe procedures that have been describe above, apply to specific cases, such as abandoned and poorly maintained dwellings, or those that have been built on sites with a propensity or predisposition draw and retain humidity.

WALLS

As far as protecting the walls of rural houses is concerned, there are two schools of thought, one that advocates placing the of insulation materials on the inside of the structure, and the other working on the outside. Both have their merits and shortcomings, and often the intended use of a Bulgarian rural property, will determine the best option.

Insulating and water-proofing the outside of a house, has the advantage of allowing for more effective, and cheaper ways of maintaining a comfortable interior. During the winter months, the solid brick and stone walls (shielded from the elements) will absorb and store heat from fire places and other heat sources, and then slowly irradiate it back into the interior of the house, long after the fire has gone out. During the summer, if prevailing breezes are taken advantage of, and especially if some windows are left open during the night, the reverse occurs, and the interior will remain fresh/cool well into the afternoon.

The main disadvantage is that, as the walls are sealed from the outside, their ability to �breath� or release moisture outwards will be compromised. This can be counteracted, as has been mentioned, by the use of airbricks, and naturally porous insulating materials (cork insulation sheets, and/or cork and perlite added to the render).

A second drawback is that the attractive traditional stone bases will disappear, concealed behind their new covering.

This approach if often preferred by those intending to move to, or spend considerable amounts of time in rural Bulgaria. As lower heating costs and cozy interiors are a primary concern, and combines with the fact that homes that are �lived-in� do not have a tendency to trap humidity, since they are regularly ventilated and inevitably heated during the colder and damper months.

The process entails the placing of insulating sheets ( EPS or cork) on the walls and then rendering over them. Submerged parts might additionally require the adhesion of some form of water tight membrane, or hydrophobic material.

Insulating and water-proofing the inside of rural houses is easier (especially for the builders as it doesn�t involve a lot of digging, or erecting scaffolding). It allows the exterior of the property to maintain the traditional Bulgarian �red brick� look, and the walls will also naturally release moisture outwards.

Heating the interior, on the other hand, will be limited to regulating the �air� temperature in the house, as the walls will loose their ability to act as thermal reservoirs. During the winter months, rooms will warm up rapidly, but will cool down just as quickly when the fire dies down, or the air conditioning unit is turned off.

Insulating the interior generally involves placing a damp-proof membrane and insulation sheets on the walls, and then dry lining with plasterboard leaving an air gap between the wall and the gypsum board.

A popular middle-of-the-road compromise, and probably the more practical option for holiday home owners, and those buying and renovating rural properties in Bulgaria, with the intention of renting or reselling, is to combine both approaches, insulating the external side of the walls of the second floor, and doing the reverse on the ground floor. This leaves the attractive stone walls exposed, which can subsequently be cleaning and treated to bringing out their true aesthetic qualities.

The ground floors, generally chosen as living spaces, will still remain relatively cool during the summer months, as they are protected by thick stone walls and shaded by the rest of the structure, and the surrounding vegetation ( grape-vines, trees, etc); and the bedrooms, upstairs, will not suffer from wide temperature fluctuations, because of the buffering effect of the external insulation

Rural houses that are renovated according to this formula (with the addition of an airbrick or two), are pleasing to the eye as they maintain their traditional appearance, and can be left unattended for extended periods of time for they are adequately protected from the elements and the risk of internal condensation.

GROUND FLOORS

Many houses in rural Bulgaria lack a concrete floor. Rather than viewing this as a setback it should be seen as an advantage for renovators. As the need for one, is also linked to a number of different improvements that can be made to the property.

The absence of cement floors means you can, without much effort, dig-out a foot or two of substrate, increasing the height of the rooms on the ground floor. New plumbing can easily be laid to drain waste-water from the bathroom and kitchen, and the option of under-floor-heating also becomes a feasible proposition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underfloor_heating). Tilting in the bathroom and kitchen, and other components such as toilets, sinks, bathtubs will have the correct surface to sit on. And obviously, the potential problems associated with ground moisture permeating through the floor, and heat loss can be averted.

The process will initially involve digging out a few cubic metres of soil. Once the desired or optimum/advised depth has been reached, the builders will then proceed to lay a layer of sand, followed by a heavy duty polythene sheet (preventing humidity rising into the house from the ground), a metal mesh (which gives added strength to the new base), and then a cement, sand and stone mix is then poured onto the floor. Insulation can take the form of polystyrene or cork sheets, or by adding perlite or cork granules to the concrete mix. After a few weeks the new floor will be ready for tiling. Where wooden floors are desired extra drying/setting time is needed, and generally the use of a hydrometer will indicate when this is possible.

ELECTRICITY AND PLUMBING

Before the inside walls of the property are completely re-rendered and plastered, channels must be prepared to hide the cables and pipes that for part of the electric and plumbing installation.

The old fuses, together with antiquated switches, plugs and wiring, should be replaced, with modern electrical alternatives. For this job, it is always advisable to employ a certified electrician, who will guarantee the safety and operation of the system. The rewiring of a rural house as part of the renovation process, apart from the safety aspects, also allows the new owner to customize the layout of plugs, lighting, air conditioning units, kitchen appliances, and so on.

Plumbing involves the use of polypropylene pipes for the water intake, and PVC for the drainage of waste water to the septic tank.

The desired location of toilets, sinks, shower and/or bathtub, dishwasher, washing machine, etc need to be established, as well as that of the boiler, (and/or a solar heating panel) that will provide the kitchen and bathroom with hot water.

Following the re-wiring process and the laying of pipes, the inner walls can be plastered, and prepared for painting.

GETTING UPSTAIRS WITHOUT GOING OUTSIDE

In many traditional rural homes, the upper floors are accessed using an external (exposed to the elements) staircase, the reasons for this architectural feature is a mystery (to your author), however it does seem to maximize the living space inside the house.

Many people that have purchased rural houses in Bulgaria, especially those with young children, or those who have chosen to live in BG on a permanent or semi-permanent basis, have expressed their wish to create some form of internal access to the upper floor. This can be achieved either by installing a new staircase inside, which is generally the cheaper option, but involves compromising some of the interior living space; or enclosing the existing external staircase, by building a brick or wooden wall around it.

Internal staircases made of wood are popular, relatively inexpensive, and blend-in well with wooden flooring. Metallic spiral staircases take up little room, allowing them to be installed pretty much anywhere, and they can generally be custom made and fitted by local ironmongers or welders; alternatively reinforced concrete stairs can be constructed

Building a wall around the original external staircase, obviously increases the size of the house, but the �multi-dimensional� nature, if you will, of the traditional Bulgarian rural home, will be somewhat lost, resulting in a box like structure. This can, to a certain extent, be counteracted by using wood rather than brick and render, and/or installing large windows or glazed areas, which additionally will help to regulate the temperature and amount of natural light that enters the house.

SEPTIC TANKS

As mentioned previously, the upgrading of most villages properties will require the construction of a septic tank. The builders will dig a deep hole and line it with, what is in effect, a permeable rock wall, it will then be sealed with a reinforced concrete lid, covered with soil and generally grass is planted over it. This is a perfectly hygienic and odorless way to deal with waste, as it is biodegraded into the sub-soil of the garden in the form of water and nutrients.

It is important to note that in the traditional Bulgarian household waste water from sinks, showers, washing machines, etc (grey water), and (brown water) human waste are disposed of in separate ways. Septic tanks that are designed to receive both will have to be considerably larger than traditional ones, a fact that is sometimes overlooked by local builders. Before a septic tank is constructed, the intended use of a property ( holiday home, permanent residence, B&B, etc) must be considered in order to establish the optimum size of the cesspit.

Other considerations, for the home owner, might include much bleach and other chemicals will be flushed into the system, as high levels can have an adverse effect on the bacteria and micro organisms that act on the waste water. If a tank becomes too full due to over-use, or rain water filtering in, it can be emptied by local companies.