How are they calculated in Croatia and why they matter? When talking about gross building area and net usable area in residential buildings, these two terms may at first sight sound pretty self-explanatory.However, there are some details that should be taken into account when building or buying a property in Croatia.Especially when we know that…
About floor plans
Value vs price per square meter When someone buys an apartment in Croatia, the most common question he is asked is: “What’s the price per square meter”. The question is legitimate and Croatia is probably not an exception from other countries in that sense, but there are numerous other things to be considered when buying…
Use permit for swimming pools. Is it required?!
Hundreds of swimming pools have been built in Croatia in the past several years without knowing whether it was necessary to look for a use permit or not. If there were any doubts before, the newest amendments of the Ordinance on simple and other construction works now made the picture clear. Use permit for swimming…
Old buildings, new ideas, new values
The city of Zagreb has many old districts with authentic and pretty residential buildings. Their beauty, unfortunately, faded away with time due to lack of resources for maintenance and for many other reasons.However, some new but also some old owners decided to change the current state. With the complete refurbishment of the inside and outside…
Energy efficiency retrofit – residential building
After numerous projects of energy efficiency retrofits of the family houses we proudly announce one recently finished project of a multi-storey residential building: The project was co-financed with the funds of the European Union. The building is located in Zagreb, it has seven apartments and the total gross area of 782 m2. The retrofit itself…
New building on the block
And the block is changing in a good sense 🙂 The multi-storey building of Zagreb-Gredice is completed and ready to move in. We have already written about the project, as well as about all the advantages of the location. The vicinity of kindergartens, schools, sports grounds and Lake Jarun itself, to just name a few….
PRIVATE POOLS AND PROJECTS FOR HOUSES WITH SWIMMING POOLS
Functionality and harmony with the environment In one our previous posts, we mentioned that the basic task of an architect is to place every building on the best possible position on the plot of land, at the same time conforming to legal requirements, functionality, aesthetics and harmony with the environment. The same rule applies to…
CREATION OF ONE NEW TOURIST SPOT IN HERZEGOVINA
Special project on a special location Long-term commitment of the investor, long-term collaboration and a lot of hard work and effort will finally result in obtaining the building permit. This is only a little hint of our future project in Herzegovina, a region which also has high potentials for tourism, which will soon be further…
Some of Croatian mistaken beliefs on building practice and real estate
Traditional beliefs and inherited habits We recently published a series of videos demystifying some common misconceptions and misunderstandings concerning construction and real estate ownership in Croatia. Almost five decades of socialist Yugoslavia left some deep traces in land management practices and ways how people managed building their living spaces. Due to rigid bureaucracy and numerous limitations…
From interior to exterior
Is there anything more beautiful than a cozy interior opening towards breathtaking outdoors?! And, of course, it does not necessarily have to be sea view. One such example is located in the hills around the small town of Samobor. The house has recently been refurbished, both its interior and exterior, from top to bottom. There…
ENERGY EFFICIENCY RETROFITS OF FAMILY HOUSES 2017-2018.
Current status and what to expect in years to come Our clients often ask us what is the status of the program of energy efficiency retrofits of family houses? Based on the currently available information, we can say: the last programme of family houses energy efficiency retrofits was conducted in 2015 and it was financed…
Getting a building permit in Croatia, procedure and expenses
Building permit and requirements for its issuance What is the cost of a building permit for a family house, that precious license which will open the doors for us to construct and complete our project?! In our today’s post, we will try to specify all of the costs pertaining to the process of obtaining the…
CONCEPTUAL, MAIN AND DETAILED DESIGN
Conceptual, main and detailed design – what are they and what are the differences between them? Each more substantial building endeavor, whether the building permit is required or not, should be conceptualized. I.e. there should be a project prepared. In this post we will focus on projects for buildings. When we say ‘buildings’, what we…
DESIGNING RENTAL APARTMENTS
Design as an exceptional value It is generally well known that high-quality design greatly contributes to the sales of a product.Well designed restaurants see greater numbers of guests. Well-conceived buildings and well-designed apartments reach higher prices and are sold faster. The better the design of rental apartments, the longer the booking season, in addition to…
INTERIOR DESIGN: A FAMILY APARTMENT IN ZAGREB
60m2 for a family of four One of our recent interior design projects was for a 60m2 apartment, for a family of four. The apartment was in a building dating from 1968, in the Zagreb city center. The original layout had only one bedroom, with separate dining and living rooms. Certain modifications were needed to…