Ozurgeti: a house with a garden in Guria, plantation land and an apartment by the sea in Batumi
Ozurgeti is the main town of Guria and the seat of Ozurgeti Municipality, which includes the resorts of Ureki and Shekvetili. About 14,000 people live here; the town stands on a slope between the Bzhuzhi and Natanebi rivers, 21 kilometres from the sea. People buy houses with gardens and plots here, and Ozurgeti residents look for apartments by the sea in Batumi. We check land and houses and find apartments in Batumi, and take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement.
Housing
In the lower and middle parts of the town there are Soviet apartment buildings, markets and public buildings, and higher up the slope private houses with gardens. Around the town are villages with houses, gardens, tea plantations and hazelnut groves.
Land under gardens and plantations is often registered as agricultural, old houses were inherited without registration, and extensions are not always shown in the Public Registry extract.
Terrain, sea and soil
The town stands on a slope in three terraces between the Bzhuzhi and Natanebi rivers, and hills surround it to the north and south. Under a large part of the town the Natanebi flows underground, and surveys before building are especially necessary here.
The climate is humid subtropical, it rains all year, and snow is rare, mostly in January and February. We design the house to Georgian seismic standards.
Infrastructure
Ozurgeti has five public schools, nine kindergartens, a college, markets and shops, and the town has been linked to the rest of the country by rail since 1923. The sea at Shekvetili is 21 kilometres away.
In the centre are the Alexander Tsutsunava drama theatre, the history museum and the Gurieli Palace. The resorts of Ureki and Shekvetili belong to the same municipality. For specialist doctors, big shopping and airports, residents often go to Batumi or Kutaisi.
Ozurgeti is the main town of Guria and the seat of Ozurgeti Municipality, which also includes the resorts of Ureki and Shekvetili. About 14,000 people live in the town; it stands on a slope between the Bzhuzhi and Natanebi rivers, and the sea at Shekvetili is 21 kilometres away. Ozurgeti is the region's centre for processing tea and hazelnuts, and around the town are gardens and plantations. People buy houses with gardens and plots here, and residents of Ozurgeti often look for an apartment by the sea in Batumi. We take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement.
Ozurgeti: a town on three terraces
The town descends the slope in three steps: markets at the bottom, public buildings and parks in the middle, and private houses with gardens higher up. Hills surround it to the north and south, most of the town lies between the Bzhuzhi and Natanebi rivers, and under a large part of the town the Natanebi flows underground.
The town has a drama theatre founded in 1868 and named after Alexander Tsutsunava, a history museum and the Gurieli Palace of 1873. The railway linked Ozurgeti to the rest of the country in 1923.
A house on a slope and an underground river
Private houses in the upper part of the town stand on slopes, and a plot is usually levelled with terraces on retaining walls. Where the Natanebi flows under the town or the groundwater is close, surveys are especially important: they determine which foundation will carry the house and whether a basement is possible.
Guria gets a lot of rain all year, so we lead water off the slope away from the foundation and give the roof wide overhangs and gutters with spare capacity. How we hold terraces on difficult plots is described on our page about retaining walls.
Gardens, tea and hazelnuts: land in Guria
Around Ozurgeti there are many gardens, tea plantations and hazelnut groves, and sometimes a house is sold together with a plantation. Such land is often registered as agricultural, and a foreigner cannot buy it, except in cases such as inheritance. So we check the land designation in the extract before the deposit, and if needed it is changed before the deal. If you are buying a plot with tea or hazelnuts for the harvest, we separately check who tends the plantation and whether it has been leased to neighbours.
Old village houses were often inherited without registration, and we compare the extract with what stands on the land. How to choose and check a plot is explained on our page about buying a land plot.
An apartment by the sea in Batumi for an Ozurgeti resident
Residents of Guria often look for an apartment by the sea: for summer, for children studying in Batumi, or for letting. We find apartments in Batumi, check the building and documents and handle the deal, and you do not need to come to every viewing: we send videos and reports, and you come once for the signing. How to choose an apartment by the sea is explained on our page about apartments by the sea.
Building and documents in Guria
Building permits in Ozurgeti and the villages of the municipality, including Ureki and Shekvetili, are issued by Ozurgeti City Hall. The procedure is similar to Batumi's: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We usually work in Batumi and Adjara, and take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement, allowing for the travel and the crew's accommodation. Properties on the municipality's coast are covered on our page about Ureki.
Questions and answers
Where is Ozurgeti?
In Guria, on a slope between the Bzhuzhi and Natanebi rivers. It is the region's main town and the seat of Ozurgeti Municipality, which also includes the resorts of Ureki and Shekvetili. The sea at Shekvetili is 21 kilometres away. About 14,000 people live in the town.
Can a foreigner buy a house with a garden near Ozurgeti?
A house on non-agricultural land, yes. But plots with gardens, tea and hazelnuts are often registered as agricultural, and a foreigner cannot buy such land, except in cases such as inheritance. So we check the designation in the extract before the deposit. If the land is agricultural, its designation is changed before the deal, which takes time and costs money.
How do you build on a slope in Ozurgeti?
With surveys and terraces. We level the slope with retaining walls and lead water off it away from the foundation, and where the groundwater is close or the Natanebi flows under the town, we decide on the foundation and basement only from the survey results. It rains a lot here all year, so we give the roof wide overhangs and gutters with spare capacity.
Who issues building permits in Ozurgeti?
Ozurgeti City Hall: it is responsible for the town and the villages of the municipality, including Ureki and Shekvetili. The procedure is similar to Batumi's: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement and cost the travel and the crew's accommodation in advance.
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