Five things to know about a typical Portuguese roof

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Five things to know about a typical Portuguese roof

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, House for sale, property problems October 21, 2014

Advice to save you money – Five things to know about a typical Portuguese roof

This roof design and construction is very typical of Portuguese homes built in the last 100 years.

What do you need to know if you have bought or are buying a house in Portugal?

The roof is made of wood. The large round pole at the top page the picture is a whole tree and it is Eucalyptus. The round pole lower in the picture is a roof purlin and is also Eucalyptus This tells us that the roof has been replaced in the past.

The roof joists, running at an angle each side of the roof are also sawn Eucalyptus and they are way too thin and weak to be used on a roof resulting in a roof that will flex in high wind and storms which can loosen roof tiles and or break them.

The tile laths are made of Portuguese pine and are very prone to wood worm attack. This typically allows a roof tile to move and allows rain water to soak the roof joists and purlins where they meet to house walls. The moisture rots out the ends of the joists and purlins causing roofs to collapse.

The roof tiles are often laid at too shallow an angle so that they cannot work properly allowing rain to blow back under them and on to the roof timber resulting in rot. You will also notice in the photograph that you can see daylight through gaps in the roof tiles. These gaps will also let rain into the roof space.

Here is an example of a roof that Castelo Construction built using correctly dimensioned timbers that will last for generations.

oude dak, alte Dach, gamle tag,gamla taket — A new roof that will last for generations

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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