Monumental progress – Building Project.

It was way back in August 2018 when we first began to design & plan how we might improve our new home (see blog: Brainstorming ideas).

We never imagined how many hurdles we would have to overcome to get where we are today. Let alone face a World pandemic involving months of enforced quarantine & isolation & nearly every public department & business being closed. Now we have all the new problems of the post-pandemic World to contend with, such as the significant increase in costs & availability of construction material & availability of construction professionals!

When we embarked on the initial architectural project in May 2019 we made clear from the start, that we had a budget of around €230k + a contingent for unexpected issues. The Architect at that time was ‘Nuno’, who produced the most spectacular design, which we were ‘over the moon’ with (see blog: Architectural miracle). 

Little did we know at that time that it would be another 3 years before Nuno’s plans got a construction quote (budget). By March 2022 the World had changed almost beyond recognition in many respects for everyone, but for our project, it was ‘Costs’! 

“Bad news travels fast. Good news takes the scenic route.”

The construction quotes we received were approximately 2½ times our initial budget & did not include the cost of constructing a swimming pool. This had a devastating effect upon us both at that time & utterly crushed all of our enthusiasm, to a point that it made Geoff feel unwell for over a week! 

“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.” 

Now if you knew Geoff & me, you would know that we operate best when faced with these types of challenges, particularly those that affect our dreams & future together. It was a simple choice to return to the ‘drawing board’ with a revised list of priorities for the building project.

• Swimming Pool – To enjoy the long hot summers!
• Agricultural Building (Large garage) – Storage for all of our vehicles & equipment!
• A small additional living space – To adjust our current room configuration!

Now armed with our new ‘priority list’, it was a fairly painless task to review the initial plans & the proposed budgets & simply eliminate those aspects of the design that didn’t feature on our priority list. 

May 2022.

Mr Pedro PARREIRA has been our Structural Engineer and project adviser/friend since the beginning & now with his new team of Architects; João Ribeiro & Rui Santos Nabo, they set about re-drawing the ‘New Project’, which they achieved in record time.

“Celebrating good news reminds you that there’s still hope.”

On the recommendations of our good friends (Restaurant O Ricardo) & Pedro, we requested a construction quote (budget) from a construction firm called ‘Esquadria Estável Construcoes’ and as luck would have it is owned/run by a neighbour of ours; Mr José Benedito.

“Remember to celebrate milestones as you prepare for the road ahead”.

On Monday 5th September 2022 we reached a mutual agreement with José Benedito & we signed a contract + paid a deposit for the construction of our dreams.

Construction commences on Monday 26th September 2022 & is scheduled to be completed within 12 months.