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Jane Mulberry wrote:
Kayleigh Uden wrote:
I need to visit the kmetsvo, or even just try and chat to our village mayor about our plans. It is our intention to build on the same footprint as the old house we have. Whenever I have asked for information online, there have always been mixed answers and opinions so I definitely think I need to get some courage (and my Bulgarian translate app) and visit them in person.
You have an excellent channel, I've watched some of the videos in the past!
Yes, no matter what the question, in Bulgaria there will be multiple answers.
On building, one person says as long as the new building doesn't go over the original footprint or if you keep the original house and build a secondary dwelling on the property, there's no problem. Others say no, even replacing roof beams on the existing house needs a permit! On the D visa to get residency, the official line is strict rules to qualify and masses of paperwork even to renew an existing residency, yet I still hear of post-Brexit Brits rocking up to their local immigration office with nothing more than their UK passport and the notary deeds and being given residency.
There's also the risk of being told locally, "Don't worry, do what you want with your building" and then someone else coming along and saying it has to be demolished. Or for us with residency, selling up in the UK and moving when someone bent the rules slightly and gave us what we thought was legal documentation without meeting all the requirements, then getting refused renewal and deported a year later.
The problem is, officially if you do apply for a building permit, they have to follow the EU line. I imagine cob or adobe being traditional could be okay. Straw bale shouldn't be too much of a problem. There are definitely a few strawbale buildings in Bulgaria, though possibly not officially permitted but secondary dwellings on the property. Earthship might be pushing boundaries. I wonder if any of the members here in other EU countries have experience with Earthship style building. Or is there an EU alternative building group you could ask? There's one on Facebook, but I don't think there are many Bulgarian members. Still, if you can find a precedent of approval being granted somewhere else in the EU, it would help your case a lot. This book might be a bit out of date as it's 10 years old now, but it could be useful -- or contacting those involved might get you some useful guidance: https://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/publications/earthships-in-europe None in Bg, but if they were approved under EU building regs it should help show precedents.
Nancy Reading wrote:I found your youtube channel: Oh my! I love the kids 'helping'!
I'm sure that the overshed on the caravan will make it much cooler in summer as well as warmer in winter - good idea!
You seem to have a lot of stone...It would be great to be able to use that inside the house for thermal mass, especially with the temperature swings you are getting. Have you looked at rocket mass stoves? That could be a good central feature perhaps. Life never takes you in a straight line, but it is fun exploring the twists and turns of the road. Thank you for sharing your life.
Jane Mulberry wrote:Hi Kayleigh! I don't know much about building permits, as we bought a property with an old house already on it. Though this isn't official, I've been told that one can often get away with building something else low-key on the land if there's a house already on the cadastral map for the property,
As you may have already found out, it seems in Bulgaria there are two sets of rules, the official what-the-EU-says rules and the local rules that actually get enforced. Have you had an informal chat with someone at the kmetsvo to find out what might be okay, even if it's not quite a match with the EU rules? Our village seems very relaxed about these things!
We're counting down the days till I qualify for my D visa and we can move!