This is a great new idea from Hey Portugal. You’ve seen your ideal house and location but it’s going to need some work. Maybe you can’t visualise your new home in a finished condition and need some direction? You can now get an Architect to give you an initial design idea of what you can do with your renovation project, for a very low cost of only 50€ per room. Here is an example of what you would get for 450€ (9 rooms). Why pay thousands of euros to find out the possibilities?

“Weekend house on the outskirts of Alvaiázere”

Request to the architects

“We bought a small building on the outskirts of Alvaiázere covering an area of 112m², that we would like to renovate in order to use it as a weekend house. We would like a house with 2/3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 dining room and 1 living room. We would like the house to enjoy the northeast facing garden and tremendous views .”

Strategy

The intervention strategy is based on the following principles:

1_Demolition of the clay block structure, which is next to the original stone construction; it has low construction quality and reduced architectural value;

2_Renovation of the stone parts of the building and enhancement of its architectural features;

3_Clear separation between night zone and day zone: concentration of the bedrooms on the ground floor and in the attic; location of the kitchen, the dining room and living room on the level -1 with direct access to the garden.

House layout

[Level 0] The access to the house is through a patio area that provides the transition between the outside and the inside and in which will be planted a magnolia tree.

The entrance is made up of a large mezzanine that overlooks the dining area located in the lower ground level. This space has access to the bedroom area arranged on two floors in the main house.

On the ground floor is a bathroom (equipped with a washbasin, a toilet and a shower) and a double bedroom. The bedroom is spacious, bright, and has an ensuite bathroom.

[Level 1] Going upstairs you reach the attic.

On this floor the space is divided in half, in order to create two single bedrooms. On the wall dividing the bedrooms and the landing there are two fitted wardrobes giving storage space.

[Level -1] Level -1 is the main level of the house and is organised in two spaces: a dining area and a living area. Both have a strong relationship with the garden.

On the side of the stairs lies the dining area made up of a broad kitchenette (located underneath the mezzanine entrance) and the dining room.

The living area is situated in the main part of the house. This space is constituted by a 30m² room that has two openings to the garden. The room is organised with a sofa area where you can talk, watch television, or simply observe the landscape and an area with a small table dedicated to games. There is also a big bookcase that occupies the back wall.

Major works to be implemented
To renovate the existing building and organize it in the way described, it will be necessary to:
_demolish the clay block structure;
_consolidate the existing stone walls and reinforce the wood floor structure (if necessary);

_construct the exterior walls, the slab, the stairs and the roof of the entrance area;
_construct the floor of level -1 with it suitable waterproofing and thermal insulation;
_run new electricity, water supply and sanitation services;
_create new openings (doors and windows);
_construct the interior walls in light frame with the respective doors;
_recuperate the existing wooden floor and put new flooring in the other rooms.

Estimated cost

The cost of the rehabilitation works is difficult to estimate at this stage since it is dependent on the conservation state of the building and on the additional work which may incur along the construction period.

If you want to ask the architects about your property, click here to download the order form.

Contact us at Hey Portugal for payment methods.

by Alexandra Castro | Nicola Natali Architects