Kakhaberi, Batumi: a private house on a slope, a plot in a former village and utilities

Kakhaberi is the eastern edge of Batumi, where the city climbs into the hills. Under the city's division it is the Kakhaberi administrative district: to the west its boundary runs along Mamia Varshanidze and Khakhuli streets, to the south along the Batumi (Angisa)–Akhaltsikhe highway, and to the east and north along the city boundary. The district includes former villages, among them parts of Makhvilauri and Mejinistsqali, Shavlidzeebi, Kakhabri, Injalo and Todogauri. There are private houses with gardens, plots on slopes and new buildings closer to the city. Below is what to consider when buying a plot, building and renovating.

Kakhaberi: the city and former villages

Closer to Varshanidze and Khakhuli streets, Kakhaberi looks like the neighbouring residential districts: Soviet and new buildings, shops, schools. Further east the streets climb the slopes, and there the former villages begin, with private houses, gardens and vegetable plots. In 2009–2011 Batumi expanded by taking in villages of Khelvachauri Municipality, and some of that land is now part of Kakhaberi.

For a buyer this means that a plot here is Batumi city land, and building permits are issued by Batumi City Hall. But roads, utilities and the neighbourhood on the outskirts often remain village-like, and you can see this on the first visit to the plot. There are fewer apartment blocks here than in the neighbouring districts and more greenery: old houses have gardens with fruit trees, and plots are usually larger than in the city. The neighbouring districts are covered on our pages about the Aghmashenebeli district and Boni-Gorodok.

A plot on a slope

On the slopes of Kakhaberi a plot almost always has to be levelled. Retaining walls hold the terraces, rainwater coming down the hill after a downpour is led away from the foundation, and a geologist looks at the slope before purchase: landslides happen in Adjara, and cracks in the ground, leaning trees and wet patches give away moving ground.

We choose the foundation based on surveys and place the house so that a concrete truck can reach it. If the plot is reached by a narrow street with no room to turn, concrete and slabs are brought in smaller vehicles and more trips, and we include this in the estimate from the start. How we build on slopes is explained on our page about houses on slopes.

Utilities on the city's edge

In the former villages the city networks do not reach every plot. Water is supplied by Batumi Water (Batumis Tskali), electricity by Energo-Pro Georgia, gas by SOCAR Georgia Gas, and before buying we ask each company whether there is a line nearby, what capacity is needed and what the connection requires. If there is no central sewerage, we install a septic tank, and water is sometimes taken from a borehole.

Connecting to the networks on the outskirts can take no less time than building the shell, so we file the applications right after the purchase. How we bring water to a house is described on our page about water supply.

An old house or a new one

Many houses in the former villages were built long ago and extended in several stages: a second floor on top of the first, an extension, a canopy. We check such a house as we would in a village: does the building match the Public Registry extract, will the foundation carry a new floor, what state are the roof and floors in. Sometimes it is cheaper to demolish the old house and build a new one in the same place.

If the house is for living all year with children, the road to school and the bus to the centre matter. How we build a house for permanent living is explained on our page about houses for permanent residence.