Category Archives: Security in Portugal

Though much safer than most countries, it still pays to be prudent. So helpful advice is on offer to help your house and contents stay safe.

English Speaking Architects Portugal

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English Speaking Architects Portugal

If you are looking for an English speaking architects in Portugal they do exist and you will find them in most locations. Here in central Portugal they are a little thinner on the ground so finding a good architects practice that also speaks English and most importantly understands and agrees to do what we crazy northern Europeans want is a major bonus.
Your requirements no mater how normal to you will not be run of the mill Portuguese. It could be that you want Eco construction methods and materials, a space age design copied from a photo that you saw in California or New Zealand. The inclusion of a snug or some other “not normal” feature in Portugal.
If you architect (English speaking architects ) cannot understand what or why you want what you want you are going to have a bumpy ride during your design project experience. Castelo Construction are used to working with local architects and suggests that you talk to more than one before selecting who to work with on your new home.
We recommend that you discuss your ideas with Projecentro – Projecentro Studies and Projects Ltd
Address, Av Volunteer Fire Department, New Ed Penela, r / c B, 3230 – 274 Penela
Tel 239 569 606, Fax 239 561 204 Email projecentro@gmail.com

They have a lot of experience in working with people from all over the world.
Here is what a recent client said about them – “Still can’t stop looking at the picture. Absolutely perfect, exactly how we wanted it to be. Thanks again.

There are a few differences as to how they operate in Portugal Vs how an architect operates for example in the UK.
Once the design project is completed and the plans passed for building you rarely see a Portuguese architect on site again. So don’t expect to be able to discus changes or additions once the build is going ahead. You can have these conversations with your builder who will then talk to the architect if drawings are required.
When talking to your architect don’t be shy, ask questions, insist upon what you want. Insist on keeping to your budget. Use the experience of your architect to help you solve problems with your design. It costs a lot less to make changes on paper than in bricks and mortar.

English Speaking Architects Portugal

bargain house for sale Portugal

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bargain house for sale Portugal

If you are looking for a bargain house for sale Portugal or want to buy cheap or discounted properties there is a way. Local finance authorities ( the tax man( sell properties when debts are not paid. A good percentage of these properties are taken out of the auctions when the debts are paid at the last moment

vende se

bargain house for sale

however bargains can be had.
Try http://www.casteloconstruction.com/property/index.htm
The banks also dispose of properties via auction and use this site http://portal.uon.pt/vendas/Imobiliario.aspx?lang=PT
What to do one you have bid for and bought your bargain home. It will no doubt be in a distressed state. Very often the properties will have door locks damaged, wiring and light fittings stripped out. Plumbing wrenched from the walls and snapped off. Anything of value will have been stripped out including kitchens and interior doors.
Why not ask Castelo Construction to carry out a property appraisal so that you will know exactly what needs to be done to make the property habitable and also how much it will cost to bring back to its former glory.
If you want down to earth guidance on what can be achieved within your budget go to  http://www.casteloconstruction.com

Or contact us via email   info@casteloconstruction.com
talk to us on SKYPE   Castelo or Phone 00351 967922513

bargain house for sale Portugal

First floor deck or veranda

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First floor deck or veranda

Occasionally people want to take advantage of views only accessible from the first floor of their home. You could build a solid structure first floor deck or veranda in concrete or concrete or wood if you have the money and planning permission or you can build in timber.

First floor deck or verandaor vera

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First floor decks can build in timber. which docent normally require planning permission. These decks can be very effective and large enough to position a large dinning table for entertaining or sun loungers for sun bathing and relaxing

 

 

Depending upon the location and early morning sun they are ideal breakfast ares when placed outside a bedroom First floor deck

 

deck 7deck 9deck 3contact Castelo Construction for advise on installing a first floor deck or veranda

www.casteloconstruction.com

info@castelocconstruction.com

SKYPE  CASTELO

First floor deck or veranda

4 bed house Penela central portugal

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4 bed house Penela central portugal

 

A four bedroom house in Penela, central Portugal. Beautiful setting and completely modernized.

OVERVIEW:

 

A comfortable property converted six years ago to the most modern standards. Sits in an ideal location in the center of Penela, a beautiful market town straddling the traditional lifestyle with modern amenities.

Accommodation comprises four bedrooms, 2 & 1/2 bathrooms (one en-suite) and a separate WC.

 GROUND FLOOR

LIVING ROOM

A light filled room with Sky TV point, ceramic tiled floor and stairs to first floor.

DRESSING ROOM

A separate room accessed from the lounge and leading to the main bedroom. Features four meters of fitted mirrored wardrobes.

BEDROOM 1

A large double bedroom with ensuite bathroom and external access. Spacious and light, decorated with ceramic floor tiles.

EN-SUITE BATHROOM

With shower, toilet and sink.

UTILITY ROOM

This room has a large work surface and is plumbed for an automatic washing machine. There is also space for a tumble dryer and freezer. A central heating kombi boiler installed.

 BATHROOM 1

A modern and sleek bathroom with bidet, WC, wash basin, large shower and shaver point. Decorated with white and grey ceramic tiles.

4 bed house Penela central portugal  FIRST FLOOR

 Accessed by stairs connecting the corridor and living room.

BEDROOM 2

Large double bedroom with  oak laminate flooring which has French doors opening on to a sunny balcony.

BEDROOM 3

A double bedroom with oak laminate floor.

BEDROOM 4

Single bedroom or office oak laminate . Broadband internet at 8Mb and phone line are connected.

KITCHEN

A modern and newly installed kitchen fully equipped and fitted with a new range of solid wood (beach) kitchen units, granite work surfaces, dish washer, hob, oven, large fridge, microwave and extractor hood. Access ro large sun terrace and covered dining area.

SUN TERRACE

One of the main and most striking features of the house, with stunning views of the Serra de Lousa mountains. The covered dining area. and terrace is perfect for outdoor barbeques, dining and private sunbathing.

WINE CELLAR

The large wine cellar is carved into the same rock on which the castle stands. Keeps very cool and if you not into wine makes a very good storage area of aproximatly 16 Square meters

STORAGE For gas bottles

 

FURTHER COMMENTS

All windows are double glazed

A satellite dish tuned for UK Sky TV reception.

Broadband Internet access is connected.

The house is fully rewired and all water supplies have been replaced.

The house is connected to the council sewerage system.

 Parking is free and available on two sides of the property.

 

CITY AND BEACH DISTANCES:

 

The historic city of Coimbra is 37km (30 minutes) away whilst the beaches of Figueira da Foz are a quick hop down the motorway, being 81km away and roughly 1 hour 5 minutes.

THE AREA:

 

Penela is a beautiful, cared for village community located in the center of the region. It plays host to many traditional fiestas throughout the year and also appeared in the Guinness Book of records as the place where the largest game of cards is held every year!

The council are also keen to encourage development, and have built swimming pools, cinemas, libraries and internet cafes within their jurisdiction.

Penela is an area surrounded by Roman ruins and historic castles, which are some of the most beautiful, historic and well preserved in Iberia. The town itself was established as long ago as 1137. The medieval part of Penela deserves a visit: among the houses you can wander through the Manueline style pillory, the Renaissance Church of Stª Eufémia and the beautiful Misericordia Square and church.

4 bed house Penela central portugal

 

Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal

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 Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal

If you have read part one of Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal you will be starting to realize that there are a lot of factors which potential clients find uncomfortable which in turn causes them not to make a serious offer on your property.

Accessibility If there are narrow track leading to your home buyers may believe that they need a 4×4 as their perspective is the rain snow and ice of northern Europe. Many women are also very nervous of steep narrow unfenced tracks and the perceived danger,

Even level but narrow access roads put off many people

Accessibility to cafes and shops as most shopping in the uk is done at the local mega store people don’t mind driving so a shop around the corner isn’t that attractive however a cafe is. Proximity to a town or large village with a post office, bank, restaurant or cash point is an advantage 2 to 3 miles maximum distance

Land, I have heard many times that people came out here and bought some land with a house or to build a house on. Then the opportunity came a long to buy some more land it was so cheep we bought 2 hectares 5 acres. But what are you going to do with it and are you willing to take on the responsibility of keeping it clear to prevent brush fires having a large amount of land is rarely an advantage unless its big enough to farm. I have not met a person yet who came to Portugal to farm so that gives you an idea of the number of potential buyers out there.

 Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal

The ideal size of garden is 1,000 to 2,000 square meters. It’s a size that people can manage to control and just as importantly water in the summer.

Fences and perimeter walls For some reason people love to be able to see exactly were the limits of their domain are . This becomes important when you want to sell

Too Rustic, too modern, too alternative will all negatively affect the price and time it takes to sell your property

Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal

Exterior Lighting

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People often ask what is the best way to light the exterior walls of their home, garden walls or patios.
Fortunately in Portugal we have access to lighting designs from all over Europe and this is were the problems start. Most people buy light fittings by how they look unlit not how they will look when its dark and the lights are illuminated. This may appear obvious, you buy from shops where the lights are not turned on and even if they were the shop has its lights on which defeats the purpose. A real catch 22 !
There are ways that you can get around this. Some of the more intelligent lighting manufactures will have photos taken at night with their products in action which makes life a lot easier. The other way is to do some investigation into the three other factors of selecting lighting. Firstly what shape is the light that comes from this fitting that you like. The lighting CONE id described on the packaging normally in degrees. Secondly what is the maximum power of bulb that the light fitting can take. This dictates how much light you are going to paint on your wall or patio and therefore how many lights you are going to need.
Now we come to what sort of light do you want There are many shades of white light without concerning ourselves with coloured bulbs.
If you still feel a little lost try talking to WWW.CasteloConstruction.com info@casteloconstruction.com or alternatively go to buildings in your local area at night and see how the professionals have illuminated as it’s called your local civic buildings and churches. You will see the number of lights that they have used both in ground and wall mounted to create the desired effect, You will also notice that the lighting isnt, super strong or covering the whole of the area its actually bathing the area and that’s the effect you should try to achieve. You can do this by spacing the light fittings properly and reducing the power of the bulbs. The effect of correct illumination can be enchanting so go for it and give it a try.

What to do to your new property in central Portugal

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What to do to your new property in central Portugal

What to do to your new property in central Portugal

Podentes portugal

Make sure that its properly registered in your name.

Make sure that is watertight and that the roof is not leaking

If you not living there full time. Make sure that there are no garden bird scaring devices left making a noise all the time

Turn off any outside taps or turn off the water at the mains

Keep the rough ground surrounding the perimeter of your property “mata” clear by striming its the law.

Make sure that your swimming pool is covered with a safety cover

Organize a contact in Portugal such as Castelo Construction Lda who can act quickly if there is a problem while you are out of the country.

If you have a local key holder leave an easy to read list of local contacts somewhere obvious so that its easy to sort things out. Or fit a key safe somewhere on the outside of your house so that you can allow access to the property in a time of emergency.

key safe allows access to your home when you are not there

Key safe

Don’t leave anything in your fridge or freezer, short power outages are common here especially in the winter.

Pile up your pool side furniture and tie it together of put it inside the house as they can blow away.

Keep your house ventilated if you are not living in it for more than a few weeks

 

Reputable builder Portugal

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Clients find us through our good reputation its the only way to find a Reputable builder Portugal

We have worked together with many clients on multiple building projects. They like the regular communication and photo reports that we send.

Gradually they begin to trust that we will do high quality work behind the scenes as well as in the finishing details. We have had many clients say that previous builders that they asked for prices from said “you can’t do that in this house” and then we came along and just got on with it.

This ability takes an awful lot of experience and structural understanding. We don’t take risks with people’s homes despite them often wanting a cheap and cheerful solution perhaps because they don’t understand the complexity of what they want done or have heard from a non builder friend “i would just do that…if I were you”

Architects and structural engineers are professionals for a reason and may have to be consulted if what you are trying to achieve makes a significant change to the original property. It does not have to be expensive in fact it can be free as we have very good relations with local architects.

Once we have a chat about what is required we often produce a sketch which we can discuss and make changes too before we start work its always cheaper that way.
From the sketch we can quickly transform the old building into a habitable home. Changes along he way happen all the time and we are used to incorporating them into the work.

Our regular reports and free flow of communication make adding these changes easier.

Recommending a Portuguese builder

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Recommending a Portuguese builder

People often tell our clients that they have heard good things about the quality of our finishing work and attention to detail.

We all like to think that our refurbishment or new build is well built and finished to a high standard. But do you actually know what is considered a high quality build in Portugal and what type of interior and exterior finishes you can expect here.
Here is a true none related story of the cultural difference between a British client and a Portuguese supplier. When he bought a car the English guy said to the garage that he would pay the agreed price for the car if the garage put in a new battery. Three days after the car was purchased it duly broke down due to the battery. The owner lifted the bonnet of the car and saw that the battery which had been fitted was not brand shinny new but an old one taken from a car in a breakers yard.
After much swearing and spanner wielding the battery was taken back to the garage and a brand new replacement demanded. The garage owner said that he had fitted a new battery *new to this car* as requested. The fact that it wasn’t brand new and unused escaped him.
Both people were right just caught up in a cultural difference …..Cultural differences that could cost you dearly in something like a house build or refurbishment. It is very often this tat is at the heart of the occasional horror stories we hear of.

Choosing the right windows and doors

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Choosing the right windows and doors

 

Windows and Doors are a very important area which is often overlooked during the refurbishment of a property here in Portugal is the doors and windows of your home. Obviously you are going to have some but in what style, what will they be made of and what about the glazing and type of finish.

Choosing the right windows and doors The right windows and doors provide some of the key features to a property in the same way that a smile or eyes do to a person’s face.
Arch toped patio doors in aliminium

The wrong size or shape of windows and doors can adversely affect the level of light entering the living area, can make the house less attractive or welcoming to people arriving at your home and adversely affect the resale price of your home. Before we even look at the practicalities of good doors and windows a moment should be spent on the choice of window design. Is it compatible with the style for the house that you trying to achieve. An old house may suite traditional coloured or wooden doors and windows with smaller panes of glass.
A more modern property or radical conversion may suite bi-fold doors which open up an entire wall of a property to the outdoors. Doors and windows of exaggerated height can also be used to provide a striking feature.
In the end of course it all comes down to price. There is not an area of refurbishment that is more price sensitive. Probably due to windows and doors being a fit and forget item.
The bigger, bolder and more different from the main stream the more you are going to pay. However the subtle changes that make windows and doors really suit a property are not that much more money and make a big impact.
Factors such as light, thermal insulation, UV protection, security and ease of use and easy maintenance all come into play. For the purpose of this blog they are taken as a given.
Because of the climate and the wood-boring insects that we have in Portugal the most common types of windows are powder coated (painted) Aluminum, Brazilian or African hardwood windows and windows and doors in PVC coming a distant third.
Wooden windows of a decent quality look very nice but are expensive and require high levels of maintenance on an annual basis.


Returning to the STYLE issue. Before refurbishing or building your new home do some research at the library or internet to identify the shape of windows that will suite your home best. It’s too easy for an architect to put in square or oblong windows into a design because he happens to have then too hand in a cut and paste file on his computer.
Here are a few links to inspire you when choosing the right windows and doors . http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/windows/window-buying-guide/window-design-ideas/

http://www.capoferri.it/Products/wood-metal-windows.aspx

http://www.milgard.com/understanding-windows-and-doors/window-style/