Legal home workshops for artisanal businesses

Hi Russell! Getting your Irish citizenship will be a big help for a move to Bulgaria, as otherwise it can be a challenge for working-age non-EU citizens.

I know nothing about joinery, timber sourcing, or legalities of home workshops, but hope you can find what you want. There does seem to be a lack of good joiners in Bg -- I can't find anyone to make replacement wooden windows for my house!

Sourcing decent timber of any kind is a perennial problem here; exotic wood is probably a no-no unless you're prepared to buy it elsewhere in the EU and ship it in.

@janemulberry

With good reason, almost nobody wants to put in wooden windows! :-)

If you're forced to (i.e. you have some kind of listed property) it's possible, but they're definitely specialists that you have to track down. From my experience, such windows are very expensive, and don't have the lifespan of older wooden windows (i.e. modern wood's not much cop).

If I'm allowed to, I rip them out and put in uPVC... as most folks in Bulgaria do.

It's similar if you're renovating your old wooden windows, rather than outright replacing them. I suspect it's as expensive to get a craftsman to renovate, as it is to replace with modern ones. If you're totally DIY, then you can perhaps do a decent job of renovating them yourself, but with a lot of time and effort.

@gwynj

Thank you for all the input, this is great to hear despite the fact hardwoods are difficult to get hold of, Scandinavian redwood joinery quality maybe an option if I can find it. I prefer oak windows and doors, staircases etc etc, It lasts forever..

@JimJ

Hi JimJ

Scandinavian Redwood Joinery quality is technically a softwood, but because of it's slow growth in a cold climate it's very stable for joinery, provided it's preserved and painted correctly, like all these things, maintenance is key for longevity.

Thank you for your feedback.

@janemulberry

Thank you for your feedback, yes I'm very excited about the Irish citizenship. I guess I'm going to search for an English speaking Tax adviser re the business setup from home ?

Hopefully as an artisan it's not as complicated as the French registration was......

@janemulberry

I can put you in touch with some possible suppliers - but you're looking at serious money, I'm afraid...the quotes I've been getting are around 4 or 5 times the cost of decent uPVC ones of the same size.

@JimJ Thank you. I did rather expect that it would cost a lot more, which is why I will most likely need to settle for PVC.

On our first trip to Bg we stayed in a place owned by a British couple who'd moved before Bulgaria joined the EU. He'd managed to find an old local joiner who made them superb doors and windows -- the old fashioned "double glazing" with a paired set of windows and doors. The joiner even designed them so the outside window lifted off its hinges and could be replaced with beautiful matching insect screens. The wood didn't need to be painted, it needed to be oiled.

But I imagine finding someone to make similar for us now would cost more than the house is worth!

Those old-style wooden windows look nice but they're pretty much useless when it comes to insulation. uPVC with sealed double glazed (or triple if your numbers have come up on the lottery) panes is definitely the way to go 😎

@janemulberry

Yes you're right, I am paying 4000 euro's per meter cube for QB1 best quality joinery Oak, It's the best and to be honest it's worth every penny, I'm so lucky having made curved Oak windows here in France for a chateau and also 7 meter double story oak staircases for clients in private properties here too, It truly is an art, unfortunately it's a trade that's dying. Doing a 5 or 7 year apprenticeship on low income doesn't really fit into the world we now habit. I shall probably be installing UPVC windows in my little French property prior to selling up, having bespoke made beautiful oak windows will not increase the sale value, I will however, once set up be making all the joinery for my Bulgarian renovation, If the tax figures and business fee's work out to be viable, I may be setting up a similar type joinery business for private clients. We'll have to wait and see.

@JimJ

Yes triple is the way forward, Double glazing is good if you can afford crypton and argon gas combined as the U value is better. No skilled joiner would make single glazed windows for a property, that's a pointless exercise. It doesn't comply with any building codes. 4/4/4 configuration sealed units is the slimmest I have used for heritage / patrimonial windows. In terms of cold bridging everything has a U value, It's the drafts that need to be eliminated and good quality insulation to stop heat escaping. The other option is an envelope type building, I've also had the pleasure of building one of these, but I don't fancy living in one. Some fresh air is good for the lungs.....

Building codes are like 🚦 in Bulgaria, purely optional 😎 They certainly exist but if you cross the right palms with silver then you'll find that all the approvals are like the GTP (MOT) test were until quite recently - you'd book a test and then roll up that afternoon to collect your pass certificate, without your car ever being looked at.

Starting a business as you describe might be a money-spinner, although there are a couple of companies who've cornered the market in the equivalent of historic/listed building renovation and most foreign owners are looking to renovate on the cheap. There are all sorts of hoops to jump through as a self-employed individual/small business, so it'll certainly pay dividends to get professional advice from an accountant who really knows what they're talking about.

@JimJ

Thank you that's sound advice, I've e mailed a couple of chartered accountants so hopefully I can get some clear answers soon, as for the market being sewn up, healthy competition is a good thing . Re your comments on building code, that's a shame that this exists, but reputation will prevail in the end if quality work is the reward.