Hi Nancy! I just found your page!! Would you be able to send me information on finding a builder and architect in Portugal, or direct me toward where I can look? I appreciate it!
Elsa, that is a toughened. As far as architects you will want to Google “architect near name of town” and interview at least 3. Often they have a builder they like to work with. As most builders are “local” You will want to talk to as many people as possible in the community you live in. Finding a good builder you can work with is tough. And the PT process is a bit slower than you might be used to. But once you find a good builder you will be amazed at the work ethic and quality they provide. Boa sorte!
We bought a place and used an engineer who acts as general contractor and keeps his own crews. I’m not sure if there is a direct message feature on substack, if so, contact me😀
Thanks for the article. We happened to be in VRSA on 12 Oct. Hispanic Day…a huge Spanish holiday. Tour buses clogged the bridge from Spain and the streets were crowded by 9:30. I learned that typically it is a “bigger deal” with amusements for the kids, etc.
Bom dia senorhas, it’s exciting getting plans moving forward. Come back daily or every other day and review looking for things you might have missed. Tweak it and retweak often.
1) in back of house, consider moving washer dryer to exterior wall on east side and storage to left as you enter room.
2) As the Camara won’t let you increase your window size, one of your biggest challenges is bringing in natural light into your home. Based on what I see your living room and kitchen will be somewhat dark. As you face front of house assuming we are looking due north, the whole eastern & western wall abuts another building….. correct? If so, you will need enormous amounts of natural lights brought in. The only light into that area are 2 small windows on front of the house. Same with your master bedroom. So, look at putting in skylights in your master AND most in particular the living room/dining room and kitchen. Velux make electric skylights with rain sensors on then. Space equal distances - total of four?????
3) Pay attention on how to bring air into your home. I’m talking about cross ventilation. The glass panel by kitchen - how about a transit window you could leave cracked open and front windows as well. The east and west walls abut other buildings - correct? So, think about how do we get cross breezes into home.
Hi Richard and Juliana, Thanks for such extensive comments. A few notes: the front of the house is south. I am not concerned about light in the kitchen as one wall is entirely glass (panels and sliders). And we aren't too concerned about the master as we use this room primarily to sleep. You make a good point regarding the living room, however, every hole in the roof is a possible pickleball court problem. That is why we are thinking of flat panels of glass rather than skylights. We realize that air circulation is not possible with panels. But with the sliders open we have good cross-ventilation from front to back. And yes, transom windows are being considered wherever possible. I have noted your concerns and will discuss with architect.
Hi Nancy! I just found your page!! Would you be able to send me information on finding a builder and architect in Portugal, or direct me toward where I can look? I appreciate it!
Elsa, that is a toughened. As far as architects you will want to Google “architect near name of town” and interview at least 3. Often they have a builder they like to work with. As most builders are “local” You will want to talk to as many people as possible in the community you live in. Finding a good builder you can work with is tough. And the PT process is a bit slower than you might be used to. But once you find a good builder you will be amazed at the work ethic and quality they provide. Boa sorte!
We bought a place and used an engineer who acts as general contractor and keeps his own crews. I’m not sure if there is a direct message feature on substack, if so, contact me😀
As far as the bathroom situation goes... Tudo bem! Parabéns:)
Although it´s not related with the main subject but refers to VRSA, I took the liberty to send you this adress https://viagens.sapo.pt/viajar/viajar-portugal/artigos/os-encantos-de-visitar-vila-real-de-santo-antonio-durante-o-outono. Sorry for not being in english, nevertheless I hope you can enjoi it. Good luck!
Thanks for the article. We happened to be in VRSA on 12 Oct. Hispanic Day…a huge Spanish holiday. Tour buses clogged the bridge from Spain and the streets were crowded by 9:30. I learned that typically it is a “bigger deal” with amusements for the kids, etc.
Bom dia senorhas, it’s exciting getting plans moving forward. Come back daily or every other day and review looking for things you might have missed. Tweak it and retweak often.
1) in back of house, consider moving washer dryer to exterior wall on east side and storage to left as you enter room.
2) As the Camara won’t let you increase your window size, one of your biggest challenges is bringing in natural light into your home. Based on what I see your living room and kitchen will be somewhat dark. As you face front of house assuming we are looking due north, the whole eastern & western wall abuts another building….. correct? If so, you will need enormous amounts of natural lights brought in. The only light into that area are 2 small windows on front of the house. Same with your master bedroom. So, look at putting in skylights in your master AND most in particular the living room/dining room and kitchen. Velux make electric skylights with rain sensors on then. Space equal distances - total of four?????
3) Pay attention on how to bring air into your home. I’m talking about cross ventilation. The glass panel by kitchen - how about a transit window you could leave cracked open and front windows as well. The east and west walls abut other buildings - correct? So, think about how do we get cross breezes into home.
Great job you two. Hope you find this helpful.
Richard & Juliana
Hi Richard and Juliana, Thanks for such extensive comments. A few notes: the front of the house is south. I am not concerned about light in the kitchen as one wall is entirely glass (panels and sliders). And we aren't too concerned about the master as we use this room primarily to sleep. You make a good point regarding the living room, however, every hole in the roof is a possible pickleball court problem. That is why we are thinking of flat panels of glass rather than skylights. We realize that air circulation is not possible with panels. But with the sliders open we have good cross-ventilation from front to back. And yes, transom windows are being considered wherever possible. I have noted your concerns and will discuss with architect.