Shuakhevi: an old village house, a hillside plot and building in the mountains
Shuakhevi is a small town in the middle part of the Adjaristsqali gorge, the seat of Shuakhevi Municipality, about 65 kilometres from Batumi. It is higher and snowier than Keda, and the villages stand on steep slopes above the river. People come here for an old village house, a plot for a new house or a guesthouse for tourists. We take on renovation and construction in the mountains by separate arrangement and plan them by the season.
Housing
The villages of Shuakhevi are mostly old private houses: two storeys, with a stone lower floor and a timber upper floor, sometimes with a room for livestock below. Next to them stand block and brick houses built over recent decades. There are almost no apartment buildings, and new houses go up in the town itself and along the highway.
Many houses were inherited without registration, and plot boundaries in the villages often rest on agreements between neighbours. More and more houses are being converted for guests, with rooms upstairs and a shared kitchen.
Terrain, sea and soil
The town stretches along the Adjaristsqali and the highway, while the villages stand on steep slopes and in side gorges. There is little flat land, plots are levelled with terraces, and rain and melting snow wash out the ground. Landslides do happen in mountain Adjara, so a geologist looks at the slope before purchase.
Winter here is snowier than in Keda, and snow lies longer. We design the roof for the snow at the plot's altitude and include seismic loads in the calculation just as in Batumi: Adjara is seismically active.
Infrastructure
The Batumi–Akhaltsikhe highway runs through the town, and minibuses leave the old Batumi bus station for Batumi roughly every hour. Shuakhevi has a school, shops and the municipality's city hall, while for a hospital and big shopping people go to Batumi.
The villages have more and more guesthouses where the hosts feed their guests. Tourists walk the gorges to fortresses and arched bridges, to the shepherds' settlement of Chirukhi and along the route to Goderdzi.
Shuakhevi is a small town in the middle part of the Adjaristsqali gorge, the seat of Shuakhevi Municipality, about 65 kilometres from Batumi. It is higher and snowier here than in Keda, and the villages stand on steep slopes above the river. People come here for an old village house that can be renovated, a plot for a summer or year-round house, or a guesthouse for tourists heading into the mountains. We take on renovation and construction in the mountains by separate arrangement.
Shuakhevi: the middle of the gorge
Shuakhevi Municipality lies in central Adjara, between the Meskheti and Shavsheti ranges. The villages are small and live off farming: people keep livestock and grow tobacco. The town stretches along the river and the highway, while the villages climb the slopes and the side gorges, Chvana and Mareti.
Medieval fortresses and arched bridges stand along the gorge, and hiking routes from Shuakhevi lead to the shepherds' settlement of Chirukhi and on to Goderdzi. In summer more and more guesthouses open in the villages, where tourists stay and eat with their hosts.
An old village house
Many people buy not a plot in Shuakhevi but an old house: two storeys, with a stone lower floor and a timber upper floor, sometimes with a room for livestock below. Such a house can be kept if the walls and floors are sound. First we inspect the foundation, beams and roof, then decide what to keep and what to replace: the timber upper floor is often damaged by woodworm and rot, and the roof has leaked for years.
During renovation we insulate the walls and roof and install heating, water and a septic tank if the village has no networks. How we renovate such houses is explained on our page about renovating timber houses.
Slopes, landslides and water
The slopes in mountain Adjara are steep, and rain and melting snow wash out the ground. Landslides do happen here, so a geologist looks at a hillside plot before purchase: cracks in the ground, leaning trees and wet patches on the slope give away moving ground. We do not put a house on a landslide slope, even if it has the most beautiful view in the village.
On a stable slope we level the plot with terraces and lead water away with drainage and storm drains so it does not undermine the foundation. We design retaining walls for the pressure of soil and water. How we build them is described on our page about retaining walls.
Snow and the building season
In Shuakhevi snow lies longer than in Keda, so we plan building by the season: we close up the foundation, walls and roof between spring and autumn, and carry out interior work in winter if the house is already closed and the road to it is open. We bring materials with a margin, since the trip from Batumi and back takes half a day.
The engineer designs the roof for the snow at the plot's altitude, and we lay the insulation so that snow on the roof does not melt from below and form ice at the eaves. How a rafter system works is explained on our page about rafter systems.
The hydropower plant, protection zones and documents
The Shuakhevi hydropower plant operates on the Adjaristsqali, and its structures have protection zones. We check a plot near them, near power lines or by the road before purchase: what can be built on it and whether there are restrictions. Land in the villages is often not fully registered, so we compare the Public Registry extract with what stands on the plot.
Building permits are issued by Shuakhevi Municipality City Hall. How we check documents before a deal is described on our page about document checks.
Questions and answers
Is it worth buying an old village house in Shuakhevi?
If the walls and floors are sound, such a house can be renovated and kept. Before purchase we inspect the foundation, beams and roof: the timber upper floor is often damaged by woodworm and rot. We also check the documents, because old houses were often inherited without registration. After the inspection we tell you what can stay and what will have to be replaced.
How can you tell a slope is prone to landslides?
From signs on site and from a geologist's report. Cracks in the ground, leaning trees, wet patches and bulging soil show that the slope is moving. We ask the neighbours whether the ground has slipped after downpours. The surveys make the final call, and we do not put a house on a landslide slope, however good the view.
Can you build in Shuakhevi in winter?
We plan outdoor work here from spring to autumn: snow lies longer than in Keda, and concrete, masonry and roofing go badly in frost. If the house is closed and the road is open, we carry on with interior finishing in winter too. We bring materials early and with a margin, because the trip from Batumi and back takes half a day.
Who issues building permits in Shuakhevi?
Shuakhevi Municipality City Hall, and we file documents where the plot is. The steps are the same as in Batumi: land use conditions, design, permit and commissioning. Near the structures of the Shuakhevi hydropower plant, power lines and the highway we also check protection zones and building restrictions.
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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