Reclamation, Recycling and Deconstruction in Portugal

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, Construction land, How to . . ., Living in Portugal, property problems, refurbishment September 3, 2012 0 comment

Reclamation, Recycling and Deconstruction in Portugal

I came across an article on the internet the other talking about “deconstruction” which intrigued me. This is basically where you re use materials that you remove or demolish in your building or refurbishment project and re use them back in the new construction or refurbishment. Its something that we do all the time.
For instance during one enlargement and refurbishment of an old stone house we re used all the stone demolished from the internal walls. The great thing about this is that the stone is usually the exact same colour as the rest of the house so that it matches in perfectly when used to build extensions or additions.
In effect we are unconsciously ” Deconstructing” Reclamation, Recycling
On the other hand, roman style “half round” sun dried clay tiles are usually not so easy to re use because they are usually so brittle or have hairline cracks from years of hot and cold premature stress. Even when you take them off a roof very carefully they break. They also break during transport and break again when they are re installed. Its far better from a financial point of view to choose modern look alike tiles because they will look the same but are also frost proof and they don’t continually break causing on going maintenance and replacement.
For advice on woodworm treatment contact woodworm@casteloconstruction.com
Altogether harder to deconstruct or recycle is pre used timber, beams, joists, flooring and doors. The number 1 culprit is wood worm or various types. Any timber that you re use that is not pre treated will have the live woodworm or their eggs inside it just waiting to come out and infest your nice new timber. A major hazard is the use of lead paints which will have to be safely removed before a door or window can be re used.

Here is a photograph of a very nice traditional chestnut ceiling with clay tile infil.
The owner spent an absolute fortune on having this ceiling installed in a new house. I think it looks fantastic. A real taste of Tuskany, trouble is the ceiling now has woodworm infestation !!! The beams were infected from old timber left untreated in the refurbishment. The owner now has an expensive and messy solution to this problem to pay for.

Here is the piece on Deconstruction

Click to access Why%20deconstruction%20is%20not%20adequaly.pdf

Tags central portugal Wood Worm ideal refurbishment property pool covers Reclamation Recycling refurbishing property render rendering repointing roof stone stone walls traditional traditional build walls windows wood

About Castelo Construction Lda

Castelo Construction Lda are builders in Central Portugal. We have 12 years’ experience of working with and delighting clients in Portugal. Tel 00351 927168247 or kelvin@casteloconstruction.com If you need an English speaking builder for renovation or new build work we will provide free estimates, fixed prices and carry out your work to a very high standard. Many of our clients are not in the country full time so rely on our regular photographic updates and written reports. They are always surprised when they make inspection visits. New Construction and Refurbishment of Portuguese Property It’s exciting for both our team and of course our clients to mark out on the earth the site of a new home. We will have been with them during the design process and have spoken to the architect many times so we will be comfortable with what we are about to do. For many clients, this stage is a little daunting as it’s hard to see without experience just where the house is going to be in relation to other things on the property. Once the foundations are dug out the house normally looks smaller than they thought, As the pillars and foundation wall start to go you get a much better idea of scale. You can see with your mind’s eye the location of the kitchen, bedrooms and so on. Once the walls are up and the first floor is in place the rooms start to looks smaller again (something to do with the light absorbing properties of the bricks) once the walls are plastered the rooms look a lot larger and it starts to feel more like the home our clients imagined building. As the build progresses we are involved with many specialist subcontractors and it is our job the get them on site at the right time so that the trades do not overlap and time is not wasted. Once the roof is on and tiled it is traditional in this area to have a dinner on site. Everyone who is involved in the build is invited to share a suckling pig dinner with local bread, oranges and of course wine. This is a great way for the clients to enjoy some local hospitality and meet the craftsmen who are building their new home. We also invite the near neighbors so that they get a chance to see what’s going on (when the house is at a very basic stage) and it gives our clients a relaxed opportunity to make their acquaintance. As we always accompany our clients to choose, kitchens, tiles, bathroom fittings or whatever they want. We can help with translation and of course negotiation! As the house is coming to completion we always have them professionally cleaned so that when we hand over the keys it feels more like a home than a building site. 2 months after the house is finished we are back to check for any small faults that may need attention and of course we are available to help and advise should that be needed. Central Portugal builders

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