Bought an old house in Portugal

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Bought an old house in Portugal

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, damp house, Living in Portugal, refurbishment, woodworm wood worm June 12, 2015

Whether you call it a house, villa, quinta, quintal or Solar. If you have just bought an old house in Portugal it is very likely to exhibit the same problems.

Here are the five most common things to require attention by you after the sale.

1, Keeping the rain out. There are probably broken roof tiles, a sagging timber roof that is causing the roof tiles to break. Before you start to replace the roof tiles with the exact equivalent tiles(this is important) check that the roof is structurally sound or call Castelo Construction to take a look first if you’re not sure what to look for.

2, Windows and internal timber shutters may just paint up once you have killed the woodworm. Any timber window and door frames will no doubt need some attention or replacing. External shutters will need to be check without doubt as the sun dries them out making them twist.

3, Wall bulges and settlement cracks. Don’t just shove an old newspaper in and point over you need to add strength to the crack to top it spreading in the winter. The rain will get into the cracked wall causing potentially calamitous problems.

4, Insulation – We live in a hot country but we are very focused in keeping the heat in. It is true that if you keep the heat in in winter you will by default keep the heat out in summer it’s a real win/win situation. Insulating your old house in Portugal is very important. There are many people who having spent one cold miserable winter in an old damp Portuguese house have packed up never to return. Which is a shame as a little insulation would have solved the problem.

5, Heating and lots of it. Don’t just rely on a couple of electric heaters. Our power supply can go off. Invest in a new or second had wood burning stove and make sure that it is big enough for the job 12-14KW

Dry, Warm and Snug in Portugal

www.casteloconstruction.com

Tags Bought an old house in Portugal castelo construction central portugal Wood Worm damp insulation problems traditional

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