About SRM: a full-service contractor in Batumi

At SRM, renovation, construction and property management in Batumi are all handled by one company. That makes things simpler for an owner who has bought an apartment or a plot from abroad: there is no need to find a designer, a building crew, a property manager and a lawyer separately and then get them to work together. You explain the task once, and from then on the project manager runs it.

Full-service contractor in Batumi: five areas, one team

You can order each service on its own or combine several into one project: for example, buy an apartment in a new build, renovate it for renting out and hand it over to us to manage.

• We build private houses, villas and guest houses: design documentation, the permit, the shell, the building services and the finishing.
• We renovate apartments in new builds handed over in black frame or white frame condition, resale apartments, houses and offices.
• We produce full interior design projects: the layout, 3D renders, working drawings and a materials schedule with product codes.
• We rent out apartments short-term (daily) and long-term and handle the listings, the guests, the cleaning and the accounts.
• We support property transactions: we help you choose an apartment, check it with our partner lawyer before you pay and prepare homes for sale.

When one company handles all of this, tasks don't get lost in the gaps between contractors, which is where time and money usually go. The designer knows from the start that the apartment will be rented out and chooses finishes that will stand up to a steady flow of guests and a damp winter. The foreman accepts the apartment from the developer and records the defects in a way that feeds straight into the renovation estimate.

How a contractor differs from a developer

We don't build residential complexes, and we don't sell apartments of our own. We build private houses, villas and guest houses to order for the owner of the plot. A developer makes money by selling square metres in its own building, while a contractor is paid for the work the owner has ordered and answers to the owner under the contract.

For an apartment buyer the difference shows straight away. When we help you choose, we have no property of our own that we need to sell first. We compare new builds from different developers and resale apartments on the same criteria: the Public Registry record, encumbrances, the condition of the building and what the contract says the frame condition includes.

We check that last point especially carefully. The law does not define black, white or green frame, so each developer decides for itself what goes into them. In two neighbouring buildings, "white frame" can mean a different set of work: in one the windows and front door are already in, in the other they are not.

How a project is run

Every project has one manager. They gather your requirements, prepare the estimate and the contract, answer you by phone and on WhatsApp during working hours and tell you what is happening on site. Questions about money, timing and changes all go through them, so nothing agreed gets lost between people.

A site foreman works on the property. They manage the schedule, receive materials, check the tradespeople's work before each stage sign-off and photograph concealed work before it is closed up. If you ask, the foreman will join a video call straight from the site.

Engineers handle the electrics, water supply, drains and ventilation, and on construction projects the structure as well. Finishing is done by tradespeople, each in their own trade. On a design project you work with a designer, and in a transaction our partner lawyer steps in: they check the property in the Public Registry, prepare the agreement and oversee the signing at the Public Service Hall or a notary's office. Your contract is with SRM, and we are responsible for the work of everyone who comes on site.

Languages and working with owners abroad

We speak and write English, Georgian and Russian. The contract can be in English, Georgian or Russian, whichever suits you. Where Georgian can't be avoided, we handle it ourselves: in talks with the developer, the building's management company and the utility companies.

We organise the work so that you never have to visit the site. We take and return keys against a signed handover form. Every week we send a photo and video report, and you can accept stages over video and sign the acceptance certificates remotely, with the method of confirmation set out in the contract.

If we need to act on your behalf, for example to accept the apartment from the developer, you issue a power of attorney. We agree its wording with you in advance and include only the actions the project will need. We schedule calls around the time difference between Batumi and your city.

Where we work: Batumi and the Adjara coast

We work all over Batumi: Old Town, New Boulevard, Heroes Alley, the Khimshiashvili Street area, the Airport area, Boni-Gorodok, Green Cape, Makhinjauri, Gonio and Kvariati. Outside the city we take on projects in Sarpi, Chakvi and Kobuleti.

The location makes a real difference to the work. In beachfront buildings salt eats into metal faster, so we use stainless steel for fixings and external metal parts. On the slopes of Green Cape and Chakvi, a plot often needs retaining walls and drainage before the foundations go in. In older buildings we check the wiring, pipes and floor structures first and only then talk about finishes.

The whole coast has a humid climate: Batumi gets more than 2,400 mm of rain a year, and humidity is usually 70–80%, higher in winter. We include ventilation, moisture-resistant materials and waterproofing in the estimate from the outset. Adding them after the first mould appears costs more, because the finishes have to be redone.

What we don't do

There are things we don't do under any circumstances. Here they are up front, before any estimate.

• We don't sell apartments of our own or build residential complexes.
• We don't take prepayment for the whole job. The advance covers materials and the first stage, and after that you pay once you have accepted each stage.
• We don't name a final price until we have seen the property, at least in photos and on a plan. The service pages give guide prices, and we prepare the detailed estimate after measuring on site and agree it with you.
• We don't raise a stage's price if the scope of work hasn't changed.
• We don't cover up wiring, pipes or waterproofing until we have photographed them for the handover file.
• We don't touch load-bearing walls, slabs or columns without design documentation and a permit.
• We don't promise rental yields. Instead, we work out the income with you down to the net figure: after the booking platform's commission, cleaning, utility bills and tax, and allowing for the winter slowdown.

Documents, partnerships and careers at SRM

The list of papers you keep after each stage, from the estimate and contract to the property passport, is on the page “Documents”. How we work with estate agents, designers, developers and suppliers is described on the page “For partners”. If you would like to work at SRM, see the page “Careers”.