Poti: a port in the Rioni delta, weak ground and an apartment by the sea in Batumi
Poti is a port city in Samegrelo, in the Rioni delta, with about 41,000 residents, surrounded by Kolkheti National Park and Lake Paliastomi. Containers and building materials arrive in Georgia through Poti port, as through Batumi. We work in Batumi and Adjara: for Poti residents we find and renovate apartments by the sea in Batumi and let them, and we take on construction in Poti itself only by separate arrangement.
Housing
The city has Soviet apartment buildings and private houses with yards, and by the port there are warehouses and industrial areas. A free industrial zone is being developed next to the port, and around the city are drained lands with citrus plantations.
Apartments in Poti are usually bought to live in, while for holidays by the sea city residents often look towards Batumi. Extensions to old houses are not always shown in the Public Registry extract.
Terrain, sea and soil
Poti stands almost at sea level, about 2 metres, in the marshy Rioni delta. The ground is weak: peat, silt and alluvial sand, with groundwater at the surface. A house here is placed based on surveys, more often on piles.
The climate is humid subtropical: about 2,000 mm of rain a year, snow lies on average for less than three days a winter, and summers can be very hot. We design the house to Georgian seismic standards.
Infrastructure
Poti has a sea port that handles about 7.7 million tonnes of cargo a year, a free industrial zone next to it, and since 1872 a railway linking the city directly with Tbilisi. Tbilisi is about 312 kilometres away.
Around the city are Kolkheti National Park and Lake Paliastomi, and in the centre stands the cathedral built under mayor Niko Nikoladze. The city itself has shops, schools and hospitals.
Poti is a port city in Samegrelo on the Black Sea coast, in the Rioni delta, about 312 kilometres west of Tbilisi. About 41,000 people live here; the city is surrounded by Kolkheti National Park, and Lake Paliastomi lies to the south-west. Poti port handles about 7.7 million tonnes of cargo a year, and through it, as through Batumi, containers and building materials arrive in Georgia. We work in Batumi and Adjara, and help Poti residents with housing by the sea in Batumi. We take on construction in Poti itself only by separate arrangement.
Poti: a port in the Rioni delta
The city stands in the marshy Rioni delta, almost at sea level, about 2 metres. Some of the drained marshes around it are taken by citrus plantations, and the rest is Kolkheti National Park with Lake Paliastomi. In 1872 the Transcaucasian Railway reached Poti with a direct line to Tbilisi.
In 2008 the state sold 51 % of the port to an investor from the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, which received a 49-year concession and is developing a free industrial zone next to it. In the city centre stands a large cathedral built under mayor Niko Nikoladze, who ran Poti from 1894 to 1912.
Materials and containers through the port
Sea containers arrive in Georgia through the ports of Poti and Batumi, including those later used to build container houses, along with some imported building materials. For building in Batumi this means we put the sea delivery and customs clearance time into the schedule before the work starts, and order long-lead items first.
New and used containers are sold in Georgia, so there is no need to look for them abroad, and before buying we inspect a container for rust and dents. How we build with them is explained on our page about container houses.
Peat, silt and water: if you build in Poti
The ground in the Rioni delta is weak: peat, silt, alluvial sand, and the groundwater almost at the surface. Average rainfall here is over 2,000 mm a year, and snow lies on average for less than three days a winter. On such ground we place a house only based on surveys, most often on piles down to a firm layer, and we do not build a basement. Warm winters and humidity here are similar to Batumi's, so we protect the house the same way: ventilation, moisture-resistant materials, water led away from the foundation.
Similar peaty ground is found in Kobuleti, and the approach to it is the same. How pile foundations work is described on our page about pile foundations. Building permits in the city are issued by Poti City Hall.
An apartment by the sea in Batumi for a Poti resident
Poti residents often look for an apartment in Batumi: for summer, for children studying in Batumi, or for letting. We find apartments, check the building and documents, handle the deal and the renovation, and afterwards let the apartment if you live in Poti and cannot look after it yourself. We run the renovation without you being there: you accept the stages by video and pay for them one by one. If the apartment will be let, we choose finishes that do not need refreshing every season.
In summer an apartment by the sea is let by the night, from autumn long-term, and we calculate the income over a full year, not by the best month. How we find tenants and run lets is explained on our page about letting an apartment.
Questions and answers
Do you work in Poti?
We usually work in Batumi and Adjara. For Poti residents we find, check and renovate apartments by the sea in Batumi and let them if you cannot look after them yourself. We take on construction in Poti itself only by separate arrangement: the ground here is weak, and the design starts with surveys.
What foundation is needed in Poti?
The one the surveys point to. In the Rioni delta there is peat, silt and alluvial sand, and the groundwater is almost at the surface, so a house is most often placed on piles down to a firm layer. A strip foundation on such ground may settle unevenly and crack, and a basement will almost always be wet.
Can you buy an apartment in Batumi without leaving Poti for long?
Yes. We view apartments on site, send videos and check the building and documents, and you come for one or two viewings and for the signing. If it is more convenient, a representative completes the deal under a power of attorney drawn up by a notary. We take the keys by a handover certificate, then renovate the apartment and let it.
Do building materials come through Poti port?
Sea containers and some imported materials arrive in Georgia through the ports of Poti and Batumi. For building this means we put the sea delivery and customs clearance time into the schedule in advance and order long-lead items first. New and used containers for container houses are sold in Georgia.
Tell us about your project, and we’ll work out the timeline and budget
We reply within an hour during business hours. Message us or leave a request: we’ll call you back, go over the details and suggest the next step.
Mon–Fri 10:00–19:00, Sat 11:00–16:00