Goderdzi: a chalet or a house to let at a ski resort, snow and building
Goderdzi is a ski resort by the pass in Khulo Municipality, at about 2,000 metres and roughly 110 kilometres from Batumi. Hotels and cottages are going up around the lower gondola station, and people look for plots here for chalets and houses to let to skiers. Building here depends on snow, the road and a short summer, so we take it on by separate arrangement and prepare it in advance.
Housing
Around the resort stand hotels, apartments and cottages, most built in recent years around the lower gondola station. Private houses here are most often chalets and timber cottages on a stone or concrete plinth. Few people live here permanently: houses are built for holidays and letting.
There are free plots around the resort, but some cannot be reached in winter, and power and water still have to be brought to them. We check this before purchase, together with the documents and what may be built.
Terrain, sea and soil
The resort lies below the Goderdzi Pass, with ski runs from roughly 1,700 to 2,400 metres. The slopes are open, the wind is strong, and snow lies from December into spring, plenty of it. The engineer designs the roof and frame for the snow at this altitude.
Summer is short and cool, and outdoor work runs from roughly late May to October. Humid air from the sea reaches this far, fog is frequent, and we account for seismic loads in the calculation just as down by the sea.
Infrastructure
The resort stands on the Batumi–Akhaltsikhe highway, about two and a half to three hours' drive from Batumi. The road from Batumi to the resort is cleared in winter, while the section over the pass towards Akhaltsikhe is usually closed in the snowy months.
The resort has a gondola and lifts, equipment hire, hotels and cafés. For shopping, a doctor or paperwork people go to Khulo or Batumi. Nearby is the Goderdzi petrified forest, which tourists visit in summer.
Goderdzi is a ski resort by the Goderdzi Pass in Khulo Municipality, at about 2,000 metres above sea level and roughly 110 kilometres from Batumi. In winter people come here to ski, in summer to walk in the mountains. Hotels and cottages are going up around the lower gondola station, and more and more people are looking for a plot here for a chalet or a house to let to skiers. We take on construction at this altitude by separate arrangement: it depends on snow, the road and a short summer.
Goderdzi: a resort by the pass
The resort lies below the pass on the Batumi–Akhaltsikhe highway. The ski runs go from roughly 1,700 to 2,400 metres, the ski season usually lasts from late December to the end of March, and a lot of snow lies at the top. Next to the resort is the Goderdzi petrified forest, a natural monument that tourists visit in summer.
The road from Batumi to the resort is cleared in winter, while the section over the pass towards Akhaltsikhe is usually closed in the snowy months. The drive from Batumi takes about two and a half to three hours, and longer in a snowfall.
Snow and the roof
The main load on a house at Goderdzi is snow. There is a lot of it, it lies from December into spring, and wet snow coming off the sea is heavier than dry snow. The engineer designs the roof and frame for the snow at this altitude, we make the rafters with a margin, and we choose the roof shape so that snow slides off where it bothers no one: not onto the entrance, the path or the car.
An insulated roof is not only about warmth: if the roof is heated from below, the snow melts, and icicles and ice build up at the eaves. How we insulate roofs is explained on our page about roof insulation.
Chalets and timber houses
At Goderdzi people most often build chalets: a stone or concrete plinth carrying a timber house with wide roof overhangs. The plinth lifts the timber above the snow and damp, and timber goes up quickly in a short summer. Glued laminated timber and timber frame both work, and for a small house to let so does an A-frame, whose steep roof sheds snow on its own.
How we build such houses is described on our page about chalets. For a house that stands empty in winter we install heating controlled by phone and a standby mode that keeps the temperature above freezing so the pipes do not freeze.
A short summer and logistics
At this altitude outdoor work runs from roughly late May to October, and in a cold year the window is shorter still. In that time the foundation has to be laid, the house assembled and the roof closed, so we prepare the design, materials and crew in advance, already in spring. We order timber and windows so that they arrive at the start of the season, not in the middle of it.
We bring materials from Batumi along the mountain road and do not send long lorries up the serpentine: we order the house elements in lengths that smaller vehicles can deliver. The crew lives on site, and their accommodation is part of the estimate.
A house to let to skiers
A house at Goderdzi is often built both for the owners' holidays and for letting. In winter skiers rent it, in summer people who come to walk in the mountains. Between the seasons there are few guests, so we calculate income over two seasons, not by the best month. How we design a house for letting is explained on our page about houses for letting.
Plots near the resort deserve particularly careful checks: what may be built on them, how to reach them in winter, and where power and water will come from. Building permits are issued by Khulo Municipality City Hall, just as for houses in Khulo, and we clarify the land use conditions near the resort before the design.
Questions and answers
What kind of house is best to build at Goderdzi?
Most often a chalet: a stone or concrete plinth with a timber house on it and wide roof overhangs. The plinth lifts the timber above snow and damp, and a timber house can be assembled in a short summer. For a small house to let an A-frame also works: snow slides off its steep roof by itself. In any case we design the roof for the snow at this altitude.
When can you build at Goderdzi?
Outdoor work runs from roughly late May to October, and in a cold year the season is shorter. In that time we lay the foundation, assemble the house and close the roof, so we prepare the design, materials and crew already in spring. Interior finishing can continue later if the house can be reached in winter.
Does a house at Goderdzi let well?
In winter skiers rent it, in summer people who come to walk in the mountains, and between the seasons there are few guests. So we calculate the income over two seasons, not by the best month. A lot depends on how close the house is to the lifts and whether it can be reached by car in winter.
What should you check before buying a plot near the resort?
The documents and the Public Registry extract, what may be built on the plot and which land use conditions apply near the resort. Then we look at winter access: whether the road to the plot is cleared. And we find out where power and water will come from and what bringing them in will cost. Without this a cheap plot can end up costing more than a ready one.
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