Beshumi: a mountain summer house, a house under snow and a one-summer build
Beshumi is a summer resort in the mountains of Khulo Municipality, at about 1,850 metres and roughly 30 kilometres from Khulo. Summers here are cool, and people escape to it from hot Batumi, while in winter deep snow almost cuts the resort off from the road. We build and renovate summer houses and timber homes here that stand under snow for half the year without their owners. We take on the work by separate arrangement and fit it into one summer.
Housing
Beshumi is mostly summer houses: timber and stone single-family houses, many built long ago. Next to them are guesthouses, small hotels and new timber cottages. There are no apartment buildings, and almost no one lives here permanently.
Old summer houses were often extended without registration, and plot boundaries rest on agreements between neighbours. After many winters under snow, houses often need repairs to the foundation, roof and bottom beams.
Terrain, sea and soil
The resort lies in the mountains at about 1,850 metres, among conifer forest and meadows. Plots are on slopes, there is little flat land, and melting snow and summer rain wash out the ground. A geologist looks at the slope before purchase, and we lead water away from the foundation.
Summer is cool, and winter is long and very snowy: until spring the road here is almost closed. We design the roof for the snow at this altitude, protect the pipes from frost, and account for earthquakes in the calculation, as everywhere in Adjara.
Infrastructure
People reach Beshumi from Khulo along a mountain road, and in summer minibuses run from Batumi. In season cafés, shops and guesthouses are open, and in autumn almost everything closes. For a school, a doctor or paperwork people go to Khulo.
Power reaches the resort, but it has to be extended to remote plots, and we find out where the water will come from before purchase. In winter the snow cuts the resort off from the road, and reaching a house is almost impossible until spring.
Beshumi is a summer resort in the mountains of Khulo Municipality, at about 1,850 metres above sea level and roughly 30 kilometres from the town of Khulo. Summers here are cool, and people escape to it from hot and humid Batumi, while in winter deep snow lies and the resort is almost impossible to reach. Summer houses, timber homes and small guesthouses are built and renovated here. We take on mountain construction by separate arrangement, and in Beshumi it has to fit into one short summer.
Beshumi: a summer resort in the mountains
Beshumi lies high in the mountains, among conifer forest and meadows. In summer families come here from Batumi and other towns of Adjara, stay in summer houses and guesthouses and walk in the mountains. Cafés and shops work only in season, and in autumn the resort empties.
In winter the snow cuts Beshumi off from the road, and until spring almost no one lives here. So a house here is nearly always a summer house: built for summer, on the assumption that it will stand under snow for half the year without its owners.
A house that stands under snow for half the year
A summer house in Beshumi has to survive the winter without its owners. The engineer designs the roof for the snow at this altitude, and we choose the roof shape so that the snow slides off without breaking the eaves, the porch and the fence. Before leaving, the water is drained from the pipes and the water heater: frozen water bursts pipes and taps, and in spring the owners find a wet house. For this we include drain valves and sloped pipes in the design.
We close windows and doors with shutters or strong roller shutters but leave the ventilation open so the house does not get damp. How we renovate such houses is explained on our page about summer house renovation.
One summer to build
Outdoor work in Beshumi runs from roughly June to September, and in that time the foundation has to be laid, the house assembled and the roof closed. That is why timber houses work well here: solid timber, timber frame or an A-frame go up quickly, and concrete is needed only for the foundation. We prepare the design and materials in winter and spring so that the crew can start as soon as the road opens.
If the house could not be closed before the snow, we stop the work and mothball the site: we cover the roof and walls and move the materials under cover. How we build with timber is described on our page about timber houses.
An old summer house: renovate or build new
Many summer houses in Beshumi are timber and were built long ago. Over years under snow their corners sag, the bottom logs and beams rot, and the roof leaks. First we look at the foundation and the timber, then decide whether to renovate the house, replace part of the structure or build a new one in the same place.
Old summer houses were often extended without registration, and plot boundaries rest on agreements between neighbours. Before buying we compare the Public Registry extract with what stands on the land. How we check documents is described on our page about document checks.
Power, water and the road
Power reaches the resort, but it has to be extended to remote plots, and this is worth finding out before buying. Where the water will come from we also establish in advance: from the network, a spring or a borehole, and we install a storage tank in the house. If the owners also come between seasons, we include backup power. How we set it up is explained on our page about backup power.
The road to Beshumi climbs from Khulo up a serpentine, and we bring materials in smaller vehicles and with a margin. Building permits are issued by Khulo Municipality City Hall, just as for houses in Khulo.
Questions and answers
Can you live in Beshumi in winter?
Hardly. In winter deep snow lies here, the road is almost closed, and shops and cafés are shut. So we build a house in Beshumi as a summer house: for summer, on the assumption that it will stand under snow for half the year without its owners. For year-round living in the mountains it is better to look at Khulo or Keda.
How do you prepare a summer house in Beshumi for winter?
Drain the water from the pipes, water heater and heating, close the windows with shutters and leave the ventilation open so the house does not get damp. The roof must be designed for snow, and the snow must slide off where it will not break the porch and fence. We include drain valves and sloped pipes in the design so that in autumn the whole job takes half an hour.
Can a house be built in one summer?
A small timber house usually can, if the design and materials are ready in advance. Outdoor work runs from roughly June to September: in that time we lay the foundation, assemble the house from solid timber or timber frame and close the roof. Interior finishing is sometimes moved to the next summer. If the house could not be closed before the snow, we mothball the site.
What is better for an old summer house: renovation or a new house?
We decide after an inspection. If the foundation holds and the timber is damaged only in places, we renovate the summer house: we replace the bottom logs, beams and roof. If the house has sagged badly and rotted, it is more reliable to build a new one in the same place. Before that we check the documents: old summer houses were often extended without registration.
Terms used on this page
- Public Registry extract
- A document from Georgia's state registry: the owner, cadastral code, area, legal use and encumbrances of a property on the date of issue.
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