Bodrum is sprinkled with tumbledown old stone houses, often open to the elements and slowly crumbling like a Turkish version of Pompeii. It’s a shame. Some of these gorgeous derelict dwellings may not be suitable for modern family living but what about a little tourist income? With a little imagination and investment many could be sensitively recycled into lucrative holiday lets attracting top dollar from the more discerning visitor. Not many addresses can claim to share the same street as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Tomorrow’s post – Old Bodrum Renewed.
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Perking the Pansies 
It’s a real shame isn’t it? We have many derelict stone houses in our village. Sadly, we have an ageing population. The younger generation have gradually moved away, so when the older generation die, no-one in the family can be bothered to do anything about these properties.
However, there has been interest from outsiders recently, and I’m hoping that some of them will buy and restore these houses. I wish I had the money to buy up some of them myself, because they are incredibly cheap at the moment.
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I think the time will come when people really start to appreciate these old buildings and work harder to preserve them.
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It is a shame when you see places slowly decay. I think there was a place in Italy that was offering houses for 50 euros but you had to restore it and it was too much work so most of the places remained empty.
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That’s a huge shame. Only 50 euros? I’ve booked my ticket!
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It seems there is a policy to restore some of the Ottoman structures but the houses you talk about might be out of scope.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=turkish-projects-seek-to-revitalize-ottoman-architecture-in-balkan-2011-11-04
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Ironically the article talks about old Ottoman buildings in what was once Ottoman domains but now lie outside modern Turkey.
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My dream is to get my hands on one of these houses and complete restore it in traditional Turkish style. Something for my old age I think
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That’s a long way off.
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You make it sound so easy! I wish you wouldn’t say that because honestly it takes a lot more than a little time and a little money to work with those stone houses. In Bodrum a lot of them have preservation orders on them from the Ministry because they are Rum Evi and restoring them is hugely expensive and heavily regulated.
It would be lovely to see the stone houses restored both in Bodrum and in the villages but as someone who has already done one and is planning another I know just how hard it is, it is totally worth it, but it requires even more homework than buying an ordinary villa because it has different legal pitfalls, particularly in the villages.
Karen
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Not easy but possible. You are testament to that as are our landlords.
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It is the same problem here, except that the tumbledown houses are sitting on high cost land in Bodrum. The owners don’t want them but no one else can afford to buy them to renovate…this is how the building boom started around the outskirts of Bodrum, which led to the expanse of white boxes across the peninsular. It is a shame but unless the Belediye step in and force the owners to renovate they will simply crumble away and Bodrum will lose some of its charm.
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Is it beyond the imagination of the authorities to offer grants and/or financial incentives? Bodrum is foremost a tourist town and there’s money in history.
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Uh they do. But the Turkish Ministry of Culture works with 85,000 listed buildings and sites through its regional offices across Turkey and naturally they have to prioritise. They do encourage co-operation between NGO’s, business and private owners and there is a wealth of knowledge and free help out there if you know where to look.
Karen
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Our house had been derelict for 15 years, but we were able to trace an owner and make an offer. Others are derelict because an owner died without traceable survivors; or because the survivors could not agree about disposal.
We trusted a Brit couple to renovate (I knew them in UK). Work was shoddy, sometimes dangerous, a big rip-off. The renovations are being renovated to high standards by a Kurdish friend.
Some buildings we have seen (Doganbey) have been derelict since the expulsion of ‘Greeks’ 90 years ago. Is there any question of title to such properties?
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No idea but maybe not since the expulsion was mutually agreed by both governments and sanctioned by the League of Nations. No right of return, I suspect.
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Here in Okcular we are 1.5km from the road and there a number of old cottages, all empty and in varying states of dis-repair. Restored they would make fabulous homes but the locals turn their noses up and want beton because it’s modern. Modern means cold concrete in winter, hot in summer; condensation and seeping water – old means stone walls a metre thick; beautiful, warm wooden ceilings and great open fire places. Custom made for the local climate and comfortable living.
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A lost opportunity, methinks.
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Okcular calls.
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