Rough cost for new build

As a very rough guess, 500-1,000 euros per m2. Very unlikely 250 euros per m2, and you'd be hard-pushed to spend 1,500 euros per m2. :-)

Construction materials are expensive, but I doubt they will come down significantly. There's huge variability in terms of what you can design and build and your specification for roof and wall materials, amount of insulation, type/size/number of windows. There is a lot of variability in labour cost too, so it depends on who's gonna build it. And the budget depends a lot on whether you're referring to build cost to "Bulgarian Standard" (weatherproof box with roof and windows and front door), or fully-finished (including flooring, internal/external wall finishes, bathroom and kitchen installed), or fully-furnished and ready to live in (furniture, appliances, window coverings, etc.).

My buddy (Anton K) in Plovdiv has a very successful business with prefab houses which he imports from Turkey (which, due to currency issues, is a pretty cheap source right now). He has a website with a catalog online (homeskisiov dot bg). He has a budget range which looks very prefab, and he has a luxury range which looks like traditional build.

He did one for himself recently on a plot of land he purchased just outside Plovdiv (so you could go look at it, if you wanted). It's a 2 bedroom in 100 m2 or 110 m2 and it looks pretty fab. I was expecting it to be as cheap as chips, but he said it cost him around 120k euros (I'd guess that was fully-finished, with very fancy tiled floors, expensive kitchen, very nice bathroom, but not including cost of the land).

This year, I did a small cabin using 10cm SIPs (too thin, in hindsight). And without bothering with a concrete base. Still came in at nearly 15k for a 24 m2 unit (small 1 bedroom with shower room and living/kitchen).

While looking around, I found tophouse (dot bg) who have typical prefab cabins. They have a site near me in Plovdiv so I stopped in to have a look. A ready 1 bedroom was around 20k euros. Plus transport + concrete base + connections. But pretty easy option.

I also found sweethomebulgaria (dot com) who do very nice prefabs that look like proper modern homes.

I also found epspanel (dot eu) who are a Bulgarian manufacturer of SIPs. And they seem to have construction services, and they even quoted the paltry sum of 550 LEVA per m2 for a constructed house (with SIPs) which maybe merits a bit of investigation.

The budget option for a holiday stay is to park a caravan that you buy on Ebay. :-) The next step up would be to get a ready cabin from Ali Baba (dot com, search for luxury prefab cabins or expandable cabins or similar) or from a local supplier (tophouse or equivalent). Then figure out a "proper" house in the years to come.

If you want to build it yourself, I think the way to go (as my neighbour has done this, very successfully) is to knock down the old house, and lay yourself a modern reinforced concrete slab (with appropriate insulation and moisture barrier and services connections). Weld a steel frame together. Put some SIPs on the walls and roof (tile effect ones), and install your door and windows. Easy-peasy. :-)

Thanks for the very detailed reply. Your rough guess is what I was thinking....around 800-900 euro per m2.

To reduce the costs, I am exploring splitting the plot in half and building two identical houses and selling one of them. It has a street on either side and is in the ideal center, so I am hoping it won't be too hard to sell.

I think I will need to get plans drawn up and go get quotes to really work out the costs and talk to some agents about what would sell etc.

So maybe it's a false dream waiting for prices to come down....

@Zooldrool

What you describe would work in lots of European countries, and especially in the UK. But in those countries you can also buy a ruin, do a nice renovation, and sell it at a profit... and other variations of amateur property development a la Homes Under the Hammer, or Location, Location, Location. :-)

This is just my opinion, and I may be completely wrong, but I don't think this kinda thing works very well here. I love Bulgaria, and I have a great life here - one that I could not afford elsewhere. But it's a cheap country, and most (expat) folks come here looking for bargains. And we have Bulgarian buyers too, but, understandably, most of them are (relatively speaking) poor, and hence can't afford gringo prices. Plus most are pretty specific about wanting new(er) properties, and city (or city-adjacent) properties for easy access to work (and schools for their kids).

In addition, the language issue (I don't speak Bulgarian, maybe you do) means it's even harder to manage any kind of property project, and get the right folks to build it, source your materials at the best prices, and get the right permissions. It's a bit of a headache, innit. :-)

Thus, personally, I'm kinda assuming that anything I do with our village house is a bit of a labour of love. I can turn it into a very nice country house, which comparing like-for-like (a large detached house next to a UK National Park) is a tiny fraction of the price over there. But I doubt I'd ever get my money back if I sold it. I'm planning to die in it, rather than sell it. :-)

The least headache to my way of thinking is to rock up to a TopHouse site and pick a ready prefab cabin, and have them plonk it down on your land somewhere. Or go see Anton and pick a nice Turkish house from his catalog, and let him deal with permissions and most of the building aggravation.

You make an interesting point.

A lot of expats in Bulgaria appear to go for the village houses and "good life experience" ...in the beautiful nature. I love visiting the villages, so peaceful.

However, I think that the remote villages vs city/town centers are a totally different market in Bulgaria and the gap seems to be getting bigger and bigger with recent price rises.

Actual construction costs are about 400 EUR/m2. That is for the phase of  "rough construction" direct translation of the term in Bulgarian, which means the house without any finishing. All the rest is profit.

On the other hand, the "finishing" part can sometimes exceed the "rough construction" phase in terms of cost per m2.

@kristiann

Thank you! That was certainly my experience with my "Bulgarian Standard" apartments in Plovdiv. I've chosen very middle-of-the-road materials and fittings, and I'm coming in at around 400-500 euros per m2. It has been a massive shock (and not just to my bank account)! :-)