Buy a house in Portugal

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, House for sale, property problems August 11, 2015

If you are searching Portugal for a property to buy you will have no doubt studied many websites.

Found a region that suites your taste and pocket and then started a thorough search to buy a house in Portugal

You are no doubt focused on buying your ideal house in Portugal but do you know if is going to be a money pit or smart investment.

Take these two properties one new and one old.

Both have serious cracks in the external walls. Which one would you buy and which one would you run away from.

In order to choose between the two properties we need to look at what caused the cracks in the first place.

This old house appears to have suffered from broken roof tiles letting the rain water into the exterior wall.

The roof tiles probably broke as a result of the roof timbers sagging.

The newer property has subsided a little and the reinforced concrete of the veranda is not strong enough to support the weight.

Lisbon,Lisboa,Oporto,Porto,Braga,Amadora,Gaia, Queluz,Coimbra,Setubal,Agualva-Cacem,Almada,Abrantes,Agualva-Cacém,Sintra,Agueda,Albufeira,Alcácer do Sal,Alcobaça,Almada,Almeirim,Alverca do Ribatejo,Vila Franca de Xira,Amadora,Amarante,Amora,Seixal,Anadia,Aveiro,Barcelos,Barreiro,Beja,Braga,Bragança,Caldas da Rainha,Câmara de Lobos,Caniço,Santa Cruz,Cantanhede,Cartaxo,Castelo Branco,Chaves,Coimbra,Costa da Caparica,Almada,Covilhã,Elvas,Entroncamento,Ermesinde,Valongo,Esmoriz,Ovar,Espinho,Esposende,Estarreja,Estremoz,Évora,Fafe,Faro,Fátima,Ourém,Felgueiras,Figueira da Foz,Fiães,Santa Maria da Feira,Freamunde,Paços de Ferreira,Fundão,Gafanha,Nazaré,Ílhavo,Gandra,Paredes,Gondomar,Gouveia,Guarda,Guimarães,Horta,Ílhavo,Lagoa,Lagos,Lamego,Leiria,Lisbon,Lixa,Felgueiras,Loulé,Loures,Lourosa,Santa Maria da Feira,Macedo de Cavaleiros,Maia,Mangualde,Marco de Canaveses,Marinha Grande,Matosinhos,Mealhada,Mêda,Miranda do Douro,Mirandela,Montemor-o-Novo,Montijo,Moura,Odivelas,Olhão da Restauração,Olhão,Oliveira de Azeméis,Oliveira do Bairro,Oliveira do Hospital,Ourém,Ovar,Paços de Ferreira,Paredes,Penafiel,Peniche,Peso da Régua,Pinhel,Pombal,Ponta Delgada,Ponte de Sor,Portalegre,Portimão,Porto,Vila Baleira,Porto Santo,Póvoa de Santa Iria,Vila Franca de Xira,Póvoa de Varzim,Praia da Vitória,Quarteira,Loulé,Queluz,Sintra,Rebordosa,Paredes,Reguengos de Monsaraz,Ribeira Grande,Rio Maior,Rio — New built has cracked walls

There is a similar problem on a veranda further along the block.

Which is the money pit or smart investment.

My personal preference would be for the older house.

I believe that the cracked wall problem although it looks worse is actually easier to fix and it will remain fixed for the foreseeable future.

The newer property has a problem associated to bad structural design or bad construction methods or materials.

The fact that there is a similar problem further down the road would have me running away fast.

This is probably the tip of a very long series of problems that these apartments will face.

If you would like the peace of mind that our property appraisals give you. Contact info@casteloconstruction.com and take the doubt out of your property purchase in Portugal.

These links will take you to further posts on cracks in buildings
http://wp.me/p2d75q-wT

http://wp.me/p2d75q-KK

http://wp.me/p2d75q-r1

Tags Buy a house in Portugal castelo construction central portugal Wood Worm ideal refurbishment property Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal portugal refurbishing property rendering repairing stone wall rising damp stone walls traditional walls What to look for when buying an old house in Portugal windows

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