In an interview with BPN.ge, Shota Gujabidze discusses the issue of illegal and makeshift building extensions in Tbilisi, the associated technical and safety risks, and the necessity of applicable sanctions. The interview also addresses the impact of such extensions on real estate market value and the condition of older, often deteriorated, multi-storey residential buildings: https://www.bpn.ge/article/31105-neli-mokmedebis-nagmebi-tbilisshi/
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Building extensions in our capital do indeed involve risks. In some cases they pose a significant danger, while in others the danger is relatively minor. Therefore, the fines and sanctions imposed on illegal extensions are justified. The distortion of the city’s appearance is one issue, but the main concern is still the risk associated with makeshift construction.
Building extensions and the expansion of apartments in this way began in the 1990s. Naturally, everyone developed a desire to expand, and people began en masse to add loggias or additional structures to apartment buildings. In many places, enormous structures have been attached to old, already existing buildings. The question is what technology was used, what materials were used, and how reliable those materials were. Another factor that must be taken into account is that the apartment building to which an extension is intended to be added is often already deteriorated. In such a case, an extension is particularly dangerous. Any family may wish to alter the façade of a building or build an additional structure on the top floor and expand its space. When an extension is makeshift, there is always a risk; therefore, the municipality fines every illegal extension about which the municipal architecture service has no information. Every illegal extension or additional construction is subject to demolition or financial sanctions. The severity of sanctions differs from case to case, and this is a good thing, because people should understand that architectural works should not be carried out arbitrarily.
When dealing with real estate transactions, we often encounter the following problem: how should the price of an apartment with an extension be assessed? In such cases, it is very difficult for a real estate expert to determine the value of the added floor area. An extension increases the size of an apartment, but ultimately both the price and the prestige of such a property are lower. Naturally, one square meter of space in a newly constructed apartment building nearby will have a completely different price from one square meter in an apartment containing an added extension.
Moreover, extensions are mostly found on “Khrushchev-era” and older apartment buildings, most of which are more than 50 years old. Fifty years does not mean that such a building will necessarily collapse, because with proper operation and maintenance, multi-storey apartment buildings can last much longer. However, older apartment buildings have not received such maintenance, and therefore most of them are deteriorated. A building should always be subject to restoration and rehabilitation, and if it cannot be restored or rehabilitated, then something new and better should be built in its place.