The method of restoration or repair of any old house is strictly individual and depends on many factors – both objective and subjective.
Originally a technical surveying of the house is made, detailing the foundation of the house, the condition of walls and ceilings, features of the terrain, the state of doors and windows, interior and exterior plasters and putties, condition of the roof and sub-roof structure. Indicated are areas where there have been leaks or likely occurrence of leaks in foundations, walls and ceilings. We make approximately architectural surveying, which will be used for making further offer of restoration or repair of the house.
Usually the houses built in this country in the period from the 60s to the 80s of the last century, are mostly identical, built on standard projects, usually one- or two-storey and most often without basements.The walls are brickwork, inside with plaster and putty the outside with plaster and cement splatter decoration. The foundations are mostly striped, made of concrete, floors and floor slabs are implemented as concrete. The roof is made of tiles, with tiles bearing battens without boarding or other insulation. The doors are made of solid wood or more recently as plywood or fiberboard. The windows are wooden with two leaves or tip-top system.
Houses built during the 30’s and 60’s of the last century are of quite rich architectural palette, where special attention is paid to the architectural elements that make the appearance of the house beautiful. Mostly they were built as a one-story with a basement or cellar. The ground floor was a 50 to 70 cm above the ground level. Typical of this period of construction are the high ceilings, reaching 3.50 meters. The walls are brickwork, inside with plaster and putty, the outside is with plaster and cement sprayed decoration. The foundations are of stone masonry. The floor is made of wooden beams and the space between them is filled with cinders. The flooring is usually made of thick wood. The ceiling is also made of trimmer joists. Tile roof is insulated with adobe immediately below the tiles. The doors are made of solid wood; the windows are wooden with two leaves with single glazing.
Houses built in our 30 years of the last century are also of rich architectural palette, where architectural elements were not skimped to make the house beautiful. These are usually one-story houses type “wattle.” Most of them were built with a basement in one of the rooms. Usually walls are made of wattle of the so called “ritlovitsi”, thin resilient rods, entangled as a network in combination with mud or clay and straw. The foundations are built of stone, which was sealed with clay or soil. The floor is made of wooden beams and the space between the beams is filled with soil. Usually used for flooring is compacted by stamping clay. The ceiling beams are hewn by hand, and between the beams there is upper planking, plastered with clay. The roof is made of pantiles or stone. The doors are made of solid wood, the windows are wooden, with one leaf, as characteristic about them is that they have opened out.
Successfully restored houses from the beginning of the last century can be seen in Koprivshtitsa, Nessebar, Troyan – Terziysko, Shipkovo, Balabansko and elsewhere.
Old Bulgarian house has its specifics – it is largely unique, charming and in harmony with nature, because the natural materials from which it is built, and because of its place in the landscape of the area where it is placed.
A characteristic feature of the old Bulgarian house is dry stone masonry basements, part of the first floor, exterior walkways and stone walls. The specific combination of masonry stone and wood facade gives unique cozy appearance of the old Bulgarian house.
The decision to restore, strengthen or rebuild an old house depends on its condition and the intention of the investor. Each material has its own life and operational capabilities. In many cases there are components that have reached their bearing capacity limit due to the impact of weather – sun, rain, humidity, condensation, snow.
We will offer you what to do with your inherited old house, how much will the repair cost, what technologies to use to keep the authentic look of the old house and also provide it with all the modern amenities.