Lots of statistics, tables and information are provided. Forest Products in Bulgaria Report from the US Department of Agriculture, February 1999. But the market can be expected to grow even more over the long term when the economy strengthens, along with the real estate market. Traditionally, Bulgarian buildings are made from unreinforced brick with concrete stucco, or more recently, from steel-reinforced concrete with brick infill. Some buildings have concrete shearwall, but extensive renovation of first floors of older buildings to create commercial space has resulted in many soft story buildings that are more susceptible to collapse if there were a strong earthquake.
Bulgarian buildings are energy inefficient, heavy, and take a long time to build.
Wood and steel frame buildings are almost unknown, though Bulgarian builders are starting to look at American style platform-frame wood construction and prefabricated housing. This situation offers many opportunities to promote high-tech American building materials based on advanced U.S. technology. However, low personal incomes have made home purchases increasingly difficult for working people. During 1999, there were only 8,643 housing starts in Bulgaria. One of Bulgaria's top priorities for the coming years is improving the physical infrastructure, especially in the transport and energy sectors.