Khelvachauri: a plot and a house near Batumi, gorges, rain and documents
Khelvachauri is a former town on the right bank of the Chorokhi, about 8 kilometres from central Batumi, and the municipality of the same name around the city: 64 villages from Sarpi on the Turkish border to the foothills. In 2011 most of the town became part of Batumi. People buy plots and houses here to live near the city, and guesthouses in the gorges. We check where the plot is and what land it is, and build houses and guesthouses.
Housing
The municipality's villages are mostly private houses with gardens, many with two floors and extended in several stages, next to new houses for year-round living and guesthouses. There are few apartment buildings, and those are closer to Batumi.
Land in the villages is often registered as agricultural, old houses were inherited without registration, and plot boundaries rest on agreements between neighbours.
Terrain, sea and soil
The municipality covers the valleys of the Chorokhi, Adjaristsqali and Machakhlistsqali and the slopes above them, and the highest peaks of the Shavsheti Range rise above 2,000 metres. The former town of Khelvachauri stands at about 80 metres. In the valleys the rivers rise fast after downpours, and slopes need terraces and a landslide check.
The north-east of the municipality, Mtirala National Park, is called the wettest place in Georgia. Adjara is seismically active, and we design the house with earthquakes in mind.
Infrastructure
The municipality is governed from Batumi, and minibuses run from the villages to the city's old bus station. The larger villages have schools and shops; for everything else people go to Batumi.
The road to Sarpi and the Turkish border runs through the municipality, and in the gorges there are the Machakhela and Mtirala national parks, guesthouses and hiking routes. The medieval arched bridges at Mirveti and Tskhemlara are a few minutes from the road.
Khelvachauri is a former town on the right bank of the Chorokhi, about 8 kilometres south-east of central Batumi, and the municipality of the same name that surrounds the city to the south and east. In 2011 most of the town became part of Batumi, and the rest remained in Khelvachauri Municipality. The municipality itself is governed from Batumi and includes 64 villages in 11 communities, from Sarpi on the Turkish border to the foothills. People buy plots and houses here to live near the city, as well as summer houses and guesthouses in the gorges.
Khelvachauri: a town that became Batumi
From 1968 to 2011 Khelvachauri was an urban-type settlement. When Batumi expanded in 2009–2011, ten villages, Makhinjauri and Khelvachauri itself passed to the city. Today the former town is mostly part of Batumi's industrial district by the Chorokhi, and a small part has remained in the Sharabidze community. So the address "Khelvachauri" can mean either Batumi or a village of the municipality.
A lot depends on this: which city hall issues the building permit, which building rules apply and which municipality sets the property tax rate. So the first thing we do is look at the Public Registry extract to see where exactly the plot is.
The Chorokhi, Adjaristsqali and Machakhela
The villages of the municipality stand in the valleys of the Chorokhi, Adjaristsqali and Machakhlistsqali and on the slopes above them. Medieval arched bridges survive here, including at Mirveti and Tskhemlara, and there is a national park in the Machakhela gorge. In summer people come here from Batumi for the day, and guesthouses open in the villages, where the hosts feed their guests. In the Machakhela gorge famous flintlock rifles were once made, and this is still something tourists are told about.
In a valley we set the house above the flood mark: mountain rivers rise fast. If the house is built for guests, we design a separate entrance and rooms with their own bathrooms. How we build guesthouses is described on our page about guesthouses.
The rainiest place in Georgia
The north-east of the municipality is taken up by Mtirala National Park, which is called the wettest place in Georgia. Even Batumi gets more than 2,400 mm of rain a year, and near the mountains there is more. For a house this means wide roof overhangs, gutters with spare capacity, water led away from the foundation and a ventilated plinth.
At the bottom of the walls and plinth we use moisture-resistant materials, and outdoor timber is impregnated and allowed to breathe. How we size and install a gutter system is explained on our page about gutters.
A house to live in near Batumi
A plot in the municipality's villages is usually cheaper than in the city, and the nearer villages are not far from Batumi. For living all year what matters is a road a car can use in winter and in a downpour, a school and a bus to the city, and utilities: electricity, water, sometimes gas. Land in the villages is often registered as agricultural, and a foreigner cannot buy such land, except in cases such as inheritance, so we check the land designation before the deal.
Permits for a house in the municipality's villages are issued by Khelvachauri City Hall, and for plots within Batumi by Batumi City Hall. Many people want a house higher up the slope, with a view of Batumi and the sea, but the higher the plot, the longer the access road and the more expensive the utilities. How we build a house for permanent living is explained on our page about houses for permanent residence.
Questions and answers
Is Khelvachauri part of Batumi or not?
Both. Since 2011 the former town of Khelvachauri has mostly been within Batumi, while a small part of it and 64 villages around remain in Khelvachauri Municipality, which is governed from Batumi. So for each plot we look at the Public Registry extract: it determines which city hall issues the permit and which building rules apply.
Can a foreigner buy land in Khelvachauri villages?
Non-agricultural land, yes. A foreigner cannot buy agricultural land, except in cases such as inheritance, and village land is often registered exactly that way. So we check the plot's designation before the deposit. If the plot is agricultural, its designation is changed before the deal, which takes time and costs money.
Who issues building permits in Khelvachauri?
For the municipality's villages, including Sarpi, Khelvachauri City Hall; for plots within the city, Batumi City Hall. The procedure is similar: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. For a plot by a river we also check the riverside protection strip, where building is banned or restricted.
How do you build in such a rainy place?
So that water runs away from the house. We make wide roof overhangs, gutters with spare capacity, an apron and drainage around the foundation, a ventilated plinth and moisture-resistant materials at the bottom of the walls. The house itself is placed above where water runs off the slope, and by a river above the flood mark.
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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