House in Obelya: a new roof, chimney and drains in the garden

The renovation of this house in Obelya, a district of Sofia, covered the roof, the garden and the rooms. On the roof, the new tiles sit on roof boarding, a waterproof roofing membrane, counter-battens and battens, and the gutters are new. The chimney got a new cap, a new drain line was laid in the garden, there is new aerated concrete masonry, and inside, suspended plasterboard ceilings were put up. The photos were taken during the work.

Below, the stages are set out in the order they usually follow in a house renovation – from the top down and from the outside in. We explain the reasons for this order in the article on renovating an old house. Here you can see what each stage looked like on this job and what the work costs under our price list. The amount for a particular house depends on the stages and the quantities, and it is set in the written quote after the site visit.

The photo at the top shows the timber formwork for the new chimney cap, the pipe of the new drain line in the trench in the garden and the new aerated concrete walls.

What the work costs under our price list

Most items in the price list are for labour only – the construction materials for them are on a separate line in the quote. The roof, the gutters and the downpipes are the other way round: their price includes materials.

Roof renovation: new tiles on a membrane and battens

The old tiles were taken off, and the new ones were laid on the roof boarding, the membrane, the counter-battens and the battens. We showed each of these stages step by step on this same house in the article on tiled roof replacement – from removing the old tiles to the last row of new ones. It also has a worked example for a 120 m² roof: under the price list, a new roof is €135.00 per m² including materials, and removing the old tiles is a separate item.

When the whole house is being renovated, the roof is the first stage after the site visit: it protects everything beneath it, and once it is closed, the work inside no longer depends on the weather.

Gutters and downpipes

The house has new gutters. In the price list, gutters are €50.00 per linear metre including materials. The downpipes, which carry the water from the gutters down to the ground, are a separate item at the same price – €50.00 per linear metre including materials.

At ground level, the water has to be led away from the house. That is why it is worth deciding where each downpipe will discharge at the same time as the work in the garden – while the garden is dug up, this is easiest.

When the eaves are high or there is no easy access around the house, scaffolding is put up for the work on the roof and the gutters – €18.00 per m² for labour. Whether it is needed is decided at the site visit.

A blocked gutter overflows, and the water runs down the wall again – so gutters need clearing of leaves and twigs, especially if there are trees next to the house.

Gutter

Tiles

The chimney: a new cap

The chimney of the house got a new cap. The cap is the top of the chimney: it covers the brickwork from above and protects it from rain and snow. When it is cracked or missing, water gets into the bricks, and over time frost breaks them up from the inside.

In Obelya, timber formwork for the new cap was put together around the top of the chimney – it is in the photo at the top of this article. A cap like this usually sticks out a little beyond the chimney, so that the water drips clear of the brickwork.

It makes sense to do the cap together with the roof: the chimney can then be reached from the roof itself, and the metal flashing around it is done while the new tiles are being laid. The price list has no separate item for a chimney cap – it is priced in the quote once the condition of the chimney can be seen.

New drains in the garden

A new drain line was laid in the garden. It carries the waste water from the house to the street sewer or to the septic tank, so when the existing connection is old, blocked or cracked, work inside the house does not solve the problem – a new pipe is needed outside.

The work goes like this:

1. The route. We work out where the drains leave the house and where they need to go, and where the other pipes and cables in the garden run.
2. The trench. It is dug along the route, at a depth set by the outlet from the house and by the connection.
3. The pipes. Orange pipes made for drains in the ground are laid with a continuous fall towards the outlet – with no low spots where water can stand.
4. Inspection points. At bends and on long runs, inspection points are left – openings through which the pipe can be cleaned without digging.
5. Checking and backfilling. Before backfilling, the fall and the joints are checked, and the trench is filled in layers.

The drains in the garden are done before the paving, the fences and the planting around the house – otherwise the finished work has to be dug up again.

In the price list, this work is ‘Digging and laying plumbing pipes’ – €48.32 per linear metre for labour. The pipes and fittings are materials and are charged separately. If a new connection to the street sewer is made, it is agreed with the water and sewerage company. There is more about drain work on the sewer repair page, and about septic tanks on the septic tank page.

Aerated concrete masonry

The new masonry is made of aerated concrete blocks. Aerated concrete is light, and the blocks are large and accurate in size. They are easy to cut – both when they are shaped on site and when channels for cables and pipes are cut into them.

On the outside, aerated concrete is covered with render or with insulation – left bare, it soaks up water.

When a new wall is going to carry a floor slab, beams or a roof, the type and thickness of the blocks are set by a structural engineer. The price of the masonry depends on the thickness of the walls and the volume of work – the price list has no separate item for aerated concrete, so it is priced in the quote.

Suspended plasterboard ceilings

Inside, suspended plasterboard ceilings were put up. A metal frame of profiles is fixed below the old ceiling, and the plasterboard sheets are screwed to it. This gives a flat new ceiling however uneven the old one is, and leaves room above it for the cables and lights.

The photos show the order: first the frame and the cables above it, then the boards. In the left-hand photo, a coil of cable for the lighting hangs from the middle of the room, and a chase has been cut in the wall to the back boxes for sockets – the electrical work is done before the walls and ceilings are closed. Before the ceiling is closed, the positions of the lights must also be decided: any change after that means a new hole in the finished ceiling.

If there is a cold roof space above the ceiling, mineral wool is laid over the frame – the ceiling then also insulates.

Under the price list, a suspended plasterboard ceiling is €18.79 per m² for labour, and with mineral wool €24.16 per m² for labour. The types of suspended ceiling and a worked example for a room with LED lighting are in the article on suspended ceilings with LED lighting.

Frame

Plasterboard

Frequently asked questions

How much does a house renovation like this cost?

It depends on the stages and the quantities: the roof area, the length of the gutters and the drains, and the ceiling area. Under the price list, a new roof is €135.00 per m² including materials, drains in the garden €48.32 per linear metre for labour, and a suspended ceiling €18.79 per m² for labour. The exact amount for your house is in the written quote after the site visit.

Do I need a permit for a new roof or new drains?

It depends on the scope of the work and on the property, so check with your district administration before you start. A new connection to the street sewer is agreed with the water and sewerage company, and changes to the load-bearing structure – the roof timbers, floor slabs or load-bearing walls – are made only with an assessment from a structural engineer.

What warranty do I get?

A written one, with a certificate: 72 months for roofs, plumbing and electrical installations, and 24 months for the rest of the work. On a job like this one, that means 72 months for the new roof and for the drains in the garden.

Who buys the materials?

For the roof, the gutters and the downpipes, the price-list price includes materials. For the drains, the ceilings and the masonry, the construction materials are charged separately and appear on a separate line in the quote.

All the photos from the job are in the gallery of the house in Obelya, and how we work on houses – from the site visit to the handover – is on the house renovation and reconstruction page.

For contracts signed by 31 December 2026, you get 10% off the whole quote – the labour and the materials we supply. The discount also applies to quotes we have already sent.

If your house also needs a new roof, new drains or work inside, book a site visit or call us on +359 888 802 618. The site visit is free, we reply to enquiries within 3–4 hours, and after the visit you receive a written quote broken down by stage. We work in Sofia and within about 80 km of it, as well as in Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv, Pleven and Blagoevgrad.