Finishing works in Varna: from BDS to turnkey

What finishing works in Varna are, and who needs them

Finishing works in Varna turn a bare building shell into a home you can live in: plastering and skim coats, screeds, tiling and flooring, drywall ceilings, painting, bathrooms and kitchens. Most of our clients here are foreign and Bulgarian buyers of new-build apartments in Vinitsa, Briz, Galata or Izgrev, and owners of houses in Priboi, Asparuhovo or Kaysieva Gradina, who have received the property “to BDS” and now need a reliable contractor for the interior fit-out of a new-build apartment in Varna.

Finishing is not the same as renovation: there is nothing to strip out, so you start from a clean shell. If your property already has old surfaces that must come off, see our renovation work in Varna. If you also need the house itself built, take a look at house construction.

From shell (BDS) to turnkey: what is included and what is not

New homes in Varna are usually sold in stages: off-plan, rough structure, BDS and turnkey. We offer the two houses of our Priboi houses project in Varna the same way. “BDS” stands for Bulgarian State Standard (Български държавен стандарт), but in practice it is not a strictly defined package. What it contains is whatever your contract and its attached specification say, and it differs from one developer to the next.

As a general rule, a property sold to BDS usually includes:

• the finished structure, external walls and partition walls;
• external windows and the entrance door;
• interior plaster and a floor screed;
• plumbing and electrical installations “on pipe”: cables and pipes without the end fittings (sockets, switches, taps, sanitary ware);
• an insulated façade with external render.

It usually does not include fine skim coats and paint, tiles, flooring, interior doors, sanitary ware and taps, light fittings, the kitchen or wardrobes. “Turnkey” covers all of that: you receive a home ready to move into, sometimes even with a kitchen and wardrobes. Here too, the exact list is only what is written in the contract.

What our finishing works include

We cover the whole chain from the first plaster coat to the last skirting board, so you do not have to coordinate five different tradesmen, especially from abroad. These are the main trades.

Plastering, skim coats and painting

Smooth walls are built from the base up. Gypsum plaster gives a flat surface in dry rooms but is not suitable for bathrooms and other wet areas, where lime-cement plaster is preferred. Then come priming, a two-coat skim, sanding and painting with latex, high-durability (washable) or decorative paint; we can also hang wallpaper. We inspect every wall in raking light, because that is the only way to see the flaws that otherwise show up once a lamp is switched on.

Tiling with porcelain stoneware

Porcelain stoneware and wall tiles are the least forgiving of an uneven base. Large formats need a flatter substrate, full adhesive coverage and even joints; with underfloor heating we use adhesives and grouts intended for it. For terraces, steps and yards we choose frost-resistant, slip-resistant tiles or terracotta, as Varna winters are not kind to exterior paving.

Flooring installation: laminate, parquet and vinyl

Laminate and parquet go on a dry, flat screed once the material has acclimatised in the room. Expansion gaps are left along the walls and the moisture of the base is checked before installation. Vinyl is thin and shows every imperfection beneath it, so it needs the flattest substrate. Terracotta and natural stone are selected according to the room and the traffic it will carry.

Drywall and suspended ceilings

With drywall we build partitions, niches, concealed cornices and designer ceilings with integrated lighting, using LED profiles and spotlights. In bathrooms and kitchens we use moisture-resistant boards. Lighting points, ventilation and access hatches are planned before the ceiling is closed, because afterwards every change means breaking it open.

Bathroom fitting and kitchens to your design

The bathroom is the most technically sensitive room in a home: waterproofing across the floor and up the walls, a proper fall towards the drain, tiling, sanitary ware and furniture. Kitchens are made to an individual design; cabinets are measured once plaster and tiles are finished so that they fit exactly, and water, drainage, power and the extractor are prepared in advance. A bathroom built from scratch also needs close coordination with the plumbing, electrical and HVAC installations.

Our process and the right order of works

The order of works affects quality more than most owners expect. On our sites it runs like this:

1. Installations first. Electrical, plumbing and heating pipes are laid and pressure-tested before plastering, because afterwards any change means cutting into finished walls.
2. Plaster. Applied to a checked base and left to dry.
3. Screed. A standard cement-sand screed usually needs at least 3 to 4 weeks, and a thicker one longer. Before parquet or laminate its moisture is measured, not assumed.
4. Waterproofing in bathrooms and other wet areas, before the tiles: across the floor and up the walls, and higher around the shower.
5. Drywall ceilings and skim coats on walls and ceilings.
6. Tiles and wall tiling.
7. Painting, once the dirty trades are done.
8. Flooring, skirtings and interior doors, and last of all sanitary ware, lighting and the kitchen.

Drying times are only a guide: gypsum plaster usually needs anything from a few days to two or three weeks depending on thickness and ventilation, and between skim and paint coats we follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Rushing here is paid for with cracks and stains months later.

Humidity, materials and quality control on the Varna coast

Sea air and humidity

The air in Varna is humid, and a new building also releases construction moisture from plaster and screed. So we ventilate during works, never paint or glue flooring onto a damp base, and choose moisture-resistant materials for bathrooms and kitchens. Salt in the air speeds up corrosion of cheaper metal fittings on balconies, and cold winters call for frost-resistant exterior paving. If the property is a holiday home that stands empty in winter, arrange ventilation and keep an eye on damp: mould in corners and swollen skirtings most often appear exactly then.

The materials we choose

The result depends on materials as much as on the tradesmen. For wall tiles and porcelain stoneware we use cement-based adhesives of the right class: improved (C2) for standard cases and deformable (S1) for large formats, underfloor heating and external paving. Bathroom grout is moisture-resistant and corners and transitions are filled with silicone. Paints and primers are chosen by room: washable for hallways and children’s rooms, moisture-resistant for bathrooms and kitchens. If you have already picked tiles or flooring, tell us before you order: we check that they suit the base and the underfloor heating, if there is any.

What we check before handover

• Flatness: walls, ceilings and floors checked with a two-metre straightedge, with deviations within a few millimetres;
• Corners and plumb: square corners and vertical walls;
• Tiles: even joints, level surfaces between tiles and full adhesion (checked by tapping);
• Silicone: an elastic joint in corners and around sanitary ware, not rigid grout;
• Falls: water in the bathroom and on the terrace must run to the drain, not collect;
• Paint: even colour with no marks in raking light;
• Function: doors, windows, sockets and switches work and sit at the right height.

What affects the cost and timeline of finishing works

Two properties of the same size can end up with very different prices, so we do not quote a price per square metre without seeing the site. The main factors are:

• floor area and the number of wet rooms, as bathrooms cost more per square metre than bedrooms;
• the condition of the base: how flat the walls and floor are after BDS;
• the grade of materials: paint, tiles, flooring, sanitary ware;
• complexity: large-format tiles, multi-level ceilings, decorative finishes, bespoke furniture;
• changes during the works, which alter the schedule and quantities.

The timeline depends on the same things, plus drying times and delivery of made-to-order items (kitchen, doors, glass). That is why we give a detailed, free quote with a written schedule after visiting the site. If you also need architectural design to rework the layout, it is best to settle that before we start.

Owner’s checklist: how to avoid the most common mistakes

• Get and read the BDS specification, and do not rely on the seller’s verbal promises.
• Decide on sockets, lighting and kitchen connection points before plastering and ceilings.
• Choose tiles and flooring early: some items take weeks to arrive, and their size dictates how the base is prepared.
• Do not hurry the screed or the paint, because drying cannot be sped up without consequences.
• Ask for a written quote with listed materials and a schedule, not just a total.
• Agree every change in writing, including its effect on price and time.
• Inspect the property in daylight and at an angle before the final payment and signing the handover record.
• If you plan to move or remove walls, clarify approvals first: interior finishing usually needs no building permit, but work on structural elements does.
• If you are abroad, agree how you will receive progress reports and who can approve decisions on site.

Why choose Altea Build

Altea Build began as a small family business and now has more than 15 years of construction experience. We work in Varna and the surrounding area (Briz, Galata, Asparuhovo, Vladislavovo, Evksinograd and others), as well as in Veliko Tarnovo and across Bulgaria. Finishing works are carried out by our own vetted crews rather than random subcontractors, with quality control at every stage, and we give long-term warranties on all key elements. You can see what a current project of ours looks like, and how we offer homes in stages, on the Priboi houses page and among our projects.

Ask for a free finishing works quote in Varna

Tell us about the property and the timeframe: we will visit the site, tell you honestly what you need and send a detailed quote with a schedule. Reach us through the contact page, on 0887 37 77 13, 0894 38 33 85 or 0894 51 47 57, or write to office@alteabuild.com (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 18:00).