Shekvetili: a summer house by the pine forest, magnetic sand, ground and building in Guria
Shekvetili is a resort village in Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, at the mouth of the Natanebi, about 45 kilometres north of Batumi. A pine forest runs along the sea, the beach has black magnetic sand, and nearby are the Black Sea Arena, a dendrological park and a miniature park. Summer houses and family hotels are built here for the season. We take on construction in Guria by separate arrangement: we check the land, build on sandy ground and prepare houses for winter.
Housing
Along the shore stand family hotels with yards, parking and pools, summer houses and guesthouses, most of them open only in summer. There are almost no apartment buildings, and fewer than 200 people live in the village permanently.
Plots among the pines by the sea are the most sought-after and the most disputed: part of the forest and the shore may belong to the state or have building restrictions. Old summer houses were often extended without registration.
Terrain, sea and soil
The village stands almost at sea level, about 2 metres, on sandy and alluvial ground at the mouth of the Natanebi. The groundwater is close to the surface, basements are damp, and we choose the foundation based on surveys, often a slab or piles.
Along the shore there are about 5 kilometres of pine forest, humidity is high all year, and salt quickly damages metal. We design the house to Georgian seismic standards, as in Adjara.
Infrastructure
The S2 highway runs through the village, there is the Natanebi railway station, and Batumi is about an hour away by car. The nearest shops, schools and doctors are in Kobuleti and Ozurgeti. Batumi airport is about 50 minutes away by car, Kutaisi airport about an hour and a half.
In summer the Black Sea Arena, the dendrological park, the miniature park, the musicians' park and the Tsitsinatela amusement park are open, and from autumn most hotels and cafés close.
Shekvetili is a resort village in Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, at the mouth of the Natanebi river, about 45 kilometres north of Batumi. A strip of pine forest about 5 kilometres long runs along the sea, and the beach has black magnetic sand. Here are the Black Sea Arena concert hall, a dendrological park, a miniature park and the Tsitsinatela amusement park. People come in summer, and buy and build summer houses and family hotels. Shekvetili is no longer Adjara, and we take on construction here by separate arrangement.
Shekvetili: pines, magnetic sand and concerts
Shekvetili lies between the resorts of Ureki and Kobuleti and 21 kilometres west of Ozurgeti. The beach is about 3 kilometres long, the sand is black and magnetic, and the shallow water by the shore suits families with children. The pine forest behind the beach separates the sea from the road and the houses.
In summer concerts take place at the Black Sea Arena, which seats more than 10,000 people, and the 60-hectare dendrological park, the miniature park and the musicians' park are open. The rest of the year the village is almost empty: according to the 2014 census, 175 people lived here permanently.
A plot in the pine forest
The most sought-after plots here are among the pines by the sea, and they raise the most questions. Part of the forest and the shore may belong to the state or have building restrictions, and then building is not allowed or is possible only on special terms. So before the deposit we check the Public Registry extract, the land designation and what may be built, and on site we compare the boundaries with the fence.
We try to keep the pines on the plot: the house and access road go between the trees, and we do not cut the roots with trenches for utilities. How we choose and check plots is explained on our page about buying a land plot.
Sand, water and the foundation
Shekvetili stands almost at sea level, about 2 metres, on sandy and alluvial ground at the mouth of the Natanebi. The groundwater here is close, closer still after rain, and a basement will almost always be damp. We choose the foundation based on surveys: often a slab or piles down to a firm layer, and we raise the house on a high plinth.
How pile foundations work is described on our page about pile foundations.
A seasonal summer house and a family hotel
The season in Shekvetili is short: in summer everything is full, and from autumn to spring the shore empties. We build a summer house here so that it survives the winter without its owners: a ventilated plinth, moisture-resistant materials, outdoor units protected from salt. We design a family hotel with rooms that have their own bathrooms, a yard, parking and, if the plot allows, a pool: that is how most hotels on this shore are arranged.
How we build summer houses is explained on our page about summer and garden houses.
Guria, not Adjara: documents
Shekvetili belongs to Ozurgeti Municipality in Guria, so building permits are issued by Ozurgeti City Hall, not by the city hall of Kobuleti. The procedure is similar: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We usually work in Batumi and Adjara, and take on construction in Shekvetili by separate arrangement, allowing for the travel and the crew's accommodation. We bring materials from Batumi or Kobuleti along the S2 highway and house the crew near the site, and this goes into the estimate from the start.
Questions and answers
Where is Shekvetili?
In Guria, in Ozurgeti Municipality, at the mouth of the Natanebi river, between the resorts of Ureki and Kobuleti. Batumi is about 45 kilometres away, roughly an hour by car, and Ozurgeti 21 kilometres. The S2 highway and the railway with Natanebi station run through the village.
Can you build in the pine forest by the sea?
It depends on the plot. Part of the forest and the shore may belong to the state or have restrictions, and then building is not allowed or possible only on special terms. Before the deposit we check the Public Registry extract, the land designation and the land use conditions, and on site we compare the boundaries. We try to keep the pines on the plot and do not cut their roots with trenches.
What foundation is needed on sand by the sea?
The one the surveys point to. Sandy and alluvial ground at the mouth of the Natanebi bears loads differently from place to place, and the groundwater is close. Most often it is a monolithic slab or piles down to a firm layer; we raise the house on a high plinth and do not build a basement: it will almost always be damp.
Who issues building permits in Shekvetili?
Ozurgeti City Hall, because Shekvetili belongs to Ozurgeti Municipality in Guria, not to Adjara. The procedure is similar to Batumi's: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. We take on construction here by separate arrangement and cost the travel and the crew's accommodation in advance.
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.
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