I have just had someone quote me for putting a new roof on the barn,

Winter is coming and I was doing it....and have now broken a few ribs in the UK last week

For the work, 20 Lev per meter square

Materials, I go with them and buy them, they seem very low cost, came to about 100 lev or all new wood, main wood structure 90% changed, not fully sheeted this time just the thin bars and replace some tiles

is 20 lev per sq meter ok price? seems ok to me?, I pay once job done, not pay them or work per day.

will666 wrote:

I have just had someone quote me for putting a new roof on the barn,

Winter is coming and I was doing it....and have now broken a few ribs in the UK last week

For the work, 20 Lev per meter square

Materials, I go with them and buy them, they seem very low cost, came to about 100 lev or all new wood, main wood structure 90% changed, not fully sheeted this time just the thin bars and replace some tiles

is 20 lev per sq meter ok price? seems ok to me?, I pay once job done, not pay them or work per day.

Not sure about the price, but worth bearing mind that 20 Leva is what most BG's are happy earning for a day's work. The wood here in BG is not seasoned and is damp to handle, it is soft wood or I believe known in the trade as green wood, therefore not recommended on any load bearing situation, the wood will bend unless it is supported at very short intervals. Best to buy reclaimed wood if you can or a barn that is being knocked down, most old barns were built using oak, especially when the roof was not tiled but slabbed with great big stones.

That seems to be about right there are those who will try to charge more and then those who will charge a little less just to get the work but on the whole 20lv is what I would pay

My builder charges me 220lev a day for 4 men that is 55le each man I cannot get anyone cheaper here in Silistra -they are not prepared to work for anything under Even to get someone to come and do the garden they charge 30lev plus 10 or 15lev fo the fuel and that is going through the mayor.

Last year we had our roof taken off and relayed using same materals just replaced broken tiles and fixed the hole the creacher made That took two days at a cost of 400lev plus any materals for two men. I suppose it all depends on the area you work, the same job was quoted for over 5000 lev 5 days work so what do you do. I am a s mad as hell here as the transport costs for the job has cost me over £700 in total but nothing I could have done about it. I need more cement for the floor probably 4 more loads at 35lev a trip nothing I can do about it and they know it.

I'm afraid that's how it is Berni it's getting the same everywhere it used to be a lot cheaper but not anymore, I think the reason being that there are a lot of brits returning to the uk so there is less work about and they feel they can charge whatever they can get away with.

LisA wrote:

I'm afraid that's how it is Berni it's getting the same everywhere it used to be a lot cheaper but not anymore, I think the reason being that there are a lot of brits returning to the uk so there is less work about and they feel they can charge whatever they can get away with.

Excellent analogy LisA

oddball wrote:

My builder charges me 220lev a day for 4 men that is 55le each man I cannot get anyone cheaper here in Silistra -they are not prepared to work for anything under Even to get someone to come and do the garden they charge 30lev plus 10 or 15lev fo the fuel and that is going through the mayor.

Last year we had our roof taken off and relayed using same materals just replaced broken tiles and fixed the hole the creacher made That took two days at a cost of 400lev plus any materals for two men. I suppose it all depends on the area you work, the same job was quoted for over 5000 lev 5 days work so what do you do. I am a s mad as hell here as the transport costs for the job has cost me over £700 in total but nothing I could have done about it. I need more cement for the floor probably 4 more loads at 35lev a trip nothing I can do about it and they know it.

Our friend Bernard will not let anyone overcharge us and we go to him every time we need a craftsman to work on the property. He got a local man to sort out our kitchen roof last year when the wind moved some of the tiles and then he went up on the main roof of the house and sorted that out as well. The cost for an hour and a half work was 30 ciggi's. But yes Berni, some of the villagers try it on and we are wise to them now, some will work for the right cost, but it is finding them that is the problem. Others are lazy and try it on with the Brits and get away with it. We have Nadka do our garden and she works like a trojan, even in the blistering sun, we give her drinks and the odd ciggi and she also comes into the kitchen for food, but well worth the effort for us. Some mayors charge a commission for supplying workmen, but expats wouldn't know about it because it is cash back to him from the workmen.

We went though the mayor last year but when they workman came he just cut the tops off the weeds leaving the stems about 6 inches abouve the ground, we could have done that ourselves. He wanted 20lev for fuel Dougie said no and filled the strimmer up it only needed filling up once about a gallon of petrol. When he finished he was waiting for the money Dougie said he will get it tomorrow. Next day he went to he Mayors office with the 30lev the worker expected hiim to give it to hiim and not the Mayor - he than told everyone we did not pay him for the work. Natrually when I got there I soon put that right.. The job was commissioned through the Mayor and the mayor told Dougie no money to worker.. The mayor probably only paid him the daily rate of 2 or 3 lev.

oddy it will cost you more in the long run going threw your mayor...as he has his cut out of it as well !
you just gotta stick your ground and let them know because you are foreign you will not be trampled on with charges...it took us a few years to get to that stage mind.... lol

as to the O/P .... that price is what I paid last year for the work..and as you , went with them to get materials...and we are in a high bracket for workers in this area
go for it if your happy they can do the job properly as IMHO its a fair price

I have had them here today, 6 working..... , apart from about 3 hours spent trying to fix a chainsaw to cut the neighbours trees down....not paying by the day so not a problem!

Job has expanded a bit ( knew it would ) now its the barn behind the house and to the side of the house, all the wood is here, mounds of it as its now aprox 140 sq meters of roof

Roof is stripped on one, a bit is down on the big one

And.....they managed to talk me into walking up the de-constructed roof, onto the other barn....missing the bad bits, and up again to sit by the chimney and have lunch......

I could do this myself now..... they have cured me of the fear of standing on top!

No HSE here!

Every day its the same.....They cant understand why I dont want wood all over the house roof ,

The barns it was fine, but the house roof, they keep finding Engish speaking people to tell me I need boards, who then tell them I am planning clear roof tiles on parts and taking the celing out underneath, they think I am mad and ask again every day....every day a car journey to see someone else who again translates.....

They think I am mad, mad English......

And as or when I said after clear roof tiles were fitted ( not sure how many till I see how much light from them and how many I will be allowed by the mayor... ) I was filling in between with foam board between the thin bars......polystyrene foam is not for roofs...its for walls!

Little barn done, no tiles, big barn done with tiles, house roof being smashed apart as I type....

Old tiles being used as they mainly are good , filled in with good tiles from small barn so small barn new tiles if needed , so house roof is all one colour ....sort of!) , no need for that many new tiles and I hate the `new bits slotted in` look ( unless they are clear! )

It sounds like turmoil for you. Could you put for pics on the Forum so we can see what building work you are doing. You are not alone, most us have had lots of work done since arriving here in BG and our house and garden constantly looks like a builders yard!

2 days of quiet here now s its been too wet, only a quick visit from them today to see if anything is leaking, back tomorrow or the day after when its not raining to chop a few tiles straight and add some more cement and gutters etc

Small barn roof with new tiles
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Gutters
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Front of house, rendering being done next year, waterproof for now, different colours here and there as some bits are concrete....
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Back of house with the big barn, chimneys flashing sort of finished, I will render the chimneys if it stops raining long enough!
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The old bits of wood, I kept them as mostly they are fine, bad bits will be used as firewood good bits to build greenhouses , some nice bits are in the house to make things like a table from as it has a nice grain pattern in it, broken tiles were kept to edge things in the garden
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They only just made it water proof in time for the very heavy rain today, this rain water ( 200 Litre barrel ) was collected in just about an hour off just 28 square meters of the roof at one end
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They took 10 cart loads of old concrete, rotten wood, rendering, smashed roof tiles, mud away for me as well, lots of it not from the roof work
I kept some of the mud/straw mix to repair things but dont need that much of it

They should be back Sunday.....,Monday......,Tuesday.....when its not raining... to finish the roof

will666 wrote:

2 days of quiet here now s its been too wet, only a quick visit from them today to see if anything is leaking, back tomorrow or the day after when its not raining to chop a few tiles straight and add some more cement and gutters etc

They only just made it water proof in time for the very heavy rain today, this rain water ( 200 Litre barrel ) was collected in just about an hour off just 28 square meters of the roof at one end

They took 10 cart loads of old concrete, rotten wood, rendering, smashed roof tiles, mud away for me as well, lots of it not from the roof work
I kept some of the mud/straw mix to repair things but dont need that much of it

They should be back Sunday.....,Monday......,Tuesday.....when its not raining... to finish the roof

It looks like a job well done. I have tried a bit of roofing and it isn't easy, there are several designs of tiles and also if you get the two ridge tiles they come in different sizes. Sealing the sides in is important because a strong wind gets into the roof space and lifts them up and away they go all over the place.