House reconstruction design in Batumi: measurements, inspection, strengthening, extra storeys

House reconstruction design: first understand what is there

A house reconstruction design differs from a new design in that it starts not from a blank sheet but from an existing building. It first has to be measured, inspected and understood: what it stands on, which walls are load-bearing, what the floors are made of, where the pipes run, and whether it can take the new load and seismic forces. Only then does the architect draw what changes and the structural engineer calculate what to strengthen. Without this, reconstruction becomes a series of surprises, each of which costs money.

Typical tasks

• adding a storey or an attic floor;
• an extension, a terrace or a garage added to the house;
• a layout change that moves load-bearing walls;
• converting a house into a guesthouse or mini-hotel;
• a major reconstruction of an old house with new services.

For any of these tasks you need to know the condition of the house; more on the building inspection page.

Measured survey

Most old houses in Adjara have neither a design nor as-built drawings, and what is in the registry often does not match reality. So the first step is a measured survey: floor plans, sections, elevations, the position of load-bearing walls, columns and beams, thicknesses and materials. These drawings become the basis of the design and will be useful when the house is sold.

Calculations and strengthening

The structural engineer builds a model of the existing house with the new load and seismic forces and shows what to strengthen: the foundation, corners, piers, floors, adding ring beams or an in-situ concrete frame inside the old walls. Sometimes strengthening costs more than the extra storey itself, and then it is more honest to say so straight away. How foundations are strengthened is on the foundation strengthening page.

An extra storey or an attic floor

The most common task is adding a storey or a habitable attic. A light attic on a timber or steel frame often goes ahead without serious strengthening; a full storey of concrete and blocks almost always needs the foundation and walls strengthened. More about houses with attics on the houses with an attic floor page.

A guesthouse from a family home

Converting a house into a guesthouse or mini-hotel means more than adding bathrooms. The load on floors and services changes, and you need a fire alarm, escape routes, ventilation in every room and enough power for air conditioners in all rooms at once. The design shows how many rooms really fit and what has to be rebuilt to get them.

An old house as a whole

If the house is old, reconstruction usually goes together with replacing the roof, windows, services and finishes. The design decides what to keep, what to replace, in what order to work and how to live there if part of the house stays occupied. How old houses are renovated is on the old house renovation page, and major renovation is covered on the major house renovation page.

How much a reconstruction design costs

A reconstruction or extra-storey design for a house with architecture, strengthening and services costs from 78 ₾ per m². Measured drawings of an existing building from 6.5 ₾ per m². An inspection of an existing house with a report on its earthquake resistance from 2 820 ₾, a structural survey for an extra storey or reconstruction with calculations from 4 200 ₾. Foundation calculations and working drawings based on the soil report from 1 680 ₾, a structural engineer's check of a finished design from 1 680 ₾. The final cost is set after inspecting the house and agreeing the scope of the design.