Have you just opened up your holiday home and got a fright

Open tread stairs, danger in portuguese houses

Have you just opened up your holiday home and got a fright

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in Building in Portugal, buying property in portugal, damp house, property problems August 11, 2015

Have you just opened up your holiday home and got a fright

You recently arrived in Portugal for a well earned holiday and opened up your holiday home to find it hot and steamy like a tropical jungle.

You may think that it is because it was locked up for so long and a few days with the windows open will fix it.

Keeping the windows opened will definitely improve the interior atmosphere but will do nothing to fix the damp that is causing the humid air and strange smell.

Locked up houses behave like a water pump because they heat up and cool down at different times of the day and temperatures vary dramatically in different areas of the home.

Take for instance a house on two floors. There is none of the traditional signs of damp anywhere except the first floor box room wall.

Here are the easily recognized signs of damp. But how did they get there? We know it is not rising damp or penetrative damp. What kind of damp is it?

Lets look at the cause first.
Because the house is closed up for long periods the moisture from the bathrooms and ground floor walls turns into invisible water vapour and is carried upstairs by warm air (Convection). As the house heats up during the day. The humidity starts to land on the coldest area of the house as the house starts to cool down in the evening. The humidity (water vapour) sits on the walls and ceiling as water droplets the condensation that we are all familiar with.

Once it turns into water it stays in the room to be added to the next day and the next day. Soaking the plaster and causing it to fail and fall off.

Fortunately this type of damp problem is easily resolved and we have the products, systems and expertise to remove the problem for good.

Condensation related damp can be a big problem in Portugal and not only reduce the sale value of your home but causing some rooms to be unhealthy and unpleasant to live in.
If you have this type of problem in your home contact casteloconstruction.com and we will give you a quote for fixing the problem so that you can get on with enjoying your home in Portugal

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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