Basic Architect’s Design Brief for the Watermill Refurbishment.

The following are some very basic ideas as to what can be done with the mill house we are beginning to renovate. As the build progresses, more information will be displayed here.

The mill house (water runs under it) and derelict warehouse to the west of the mill house are single storey. We considered lifting the floor level and positioning the living room and dining room in this area which faces a small walled garden and the larger area of land where the swimming pool will be placed. Also we had considered an exposed timber roof or other strong detail here.

As this elevation is not overlooked we also thought that we would maximize the view/light with a glass wall at the western gable.

Room Planning

The main part of the mill is two storey and will contain the following rooms:

• A master bedroom with two en-suite bathrooms and a dressing room. One en-suite to be a shower room with an extra large shower.
• The other to have a shower enclosure 80×80 minimum, bidet, full size bath, wc and wash basin.
• The preference is to access the larger en-suite via the dressing room if possible.
• “Snug”  small TV or reading room with room for a built into the wall wood stove and lots of book shelves.
• An office for a single desk.
• Kitchen with eating area for 8.
• Two other en-suite bedrooms with wardrobe space. Each en-suite to be a shower room with a large shower area of no less than 1m x 1,3. with a wc and wash basin.
• Wine store.
• Laundry room.
• Family bathroom.

The client  intends to use wood fired under floor heating, while all bathrooms will have electric under floor heating . The lounge and dining room will have a shared inset wood burning stove.

As for the cottage, it’s a small space of 60 square meters. The stone threshing floor faces south and so could be utilized as a patio.

Living in Central Portugal Questions and Answers

When we were thinking of buying a house in central Portugal we though that the weather was always warm. Even though we had visited the area for several years and at different times of the year we assumed that the weather was always mild. Especially as we arrived from Britain.

Central Portugal’s weather is undoubtedly milder than the UK with out the extremes of the Alentejo and the Algarve.

In summer the Algarve is approximately 4 to 5 degrees hotter that the Coimbra area and in the winter the central area is 3 to 5 degrees colder than the Algarve.

The Alentejo, due to its flat terrain suffers from high temperatures and warm wings in the summer and cold winds in the winter delivering a wind-chill that’s hard to imagine according to a British friend who lived there for several years. She said it’s the coldest that she has ever been !

Bananas and Snow, not an association that you would normally make. In fact bananas do grow quite happily here in central Portugal and we do get show.

This picture shows show on the Serra da Lousã in December 2008

To put things into perspective at the same time there was a hazardous weather warning in the UK because of the white out. Also the snow photographed settled at 1200 meters altitude.

Its common here to see people who have driven up the mountains to show their children the snow for the first time to bring back large balls of snow in the bonnets of their cars to show relatives and friends.

It rained a lot in the last couple of weeks. Our twice yearly rainy season!

I didn’t realize just how much rain had fallen until I turned on the swimming pool drain to lower the level of the water. This took ages, almost an hour to reach the previous level. I estimate that we had 35mm of rain. No wonder this area is so green and fertile.

The BBC have a good site if you are interested in what the rain is like today
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=4195

For more information on living in central Portugal visit Dreamhome-portugal.com.

All of the foreigners living around here are looking a little chilly at the moment. A sure sign that they are getting acclimated to the warm weather here in central Portugal.
Depending upon your body type, are you a hot person or a cold person it normally takes a few years to feel the winters as being cold. Or it could just be that you haven’t adapted your clothing to the more outdoors way of life that we live here.

Many people remark that their first winter in Portugal was the coldest that they have ever been, poor heating and little insulation make it difficult to keep a home here at UK winter temperatures.

If you are planning to take a trip here you can see at a glance the expected temperature and rain levels. www.climate-charts.com/Locations/p/PO08549.php

Or if you want to torture yourself on a cold, wet, grey day at home you can have an icon displaying the weather here in Portugal on your pc
click here http://wiki.wunderground.com/index.php/Weather_Stickers

Question :- What is the earliest time of year that you have had a barbeque in Central Portugal

How cold does it get here in winter?

The outside temperatures are normally very pleasant especially in the sunshine.

The story changes when you move inside your rustic stone house or more modern looking house of ten years old or more.

I a country were people have been brought up with no insulation AT ALL in their homes it has taken some time for the Portuguese to regard thermal insulation of properties as “value for money” It is very common to see older people wearing coats in their houses with the doors and windows wide open in order to bring into the house the last warmth of the afternoon.

Many houses which should have had insulation installed (to comply with building regulations) did not have it put in during the build to save money!!!

So if you have bought an old stone house or an older modern looking house what can you do.

One solution could be a wood burning stove, possibly running radiators or under floor heating pipes from it. Or electric under floor heating such as Warmup which you may have seen in B&Q in the UK and wall mounted electric radiators.

http://www.technorati.com/blogs/www.warmup.com

The worst of all heating is an open fire due to the draughts they cause, huge amount of wood required and the low amount of heat they produce.

Gas or oil central heating can also be installed.

Central Heating Boilers

The two most common boilers installed in Central Portugal are Oil and Gas.

Over the last few years we have talked to lots of people about their opinion of the system that they have installed and are using.

This is not a scientific piece of research but it does give a very good feel for what to expect when you choose either Bottled Gas or Fuel Oil. We have not made any distinction between the two types of bottled gas which are Propane and Butane.

There is no “Council Provided Gas” in Central Portugal

Price wise it seams that if gas is a little cheaper in one part of the year oil is cheaper in another so they just about even them selves out.

Oil boilers need to be serviced by an engineer every year. The typical cost of this is 200 Euros and should include a new oil filter, new burner nozzle a hoover out of the burning chamber and a chemical flue and fire box clean.

Incidentally our engineer sent by the manufacturer charged 30 Euros for the same product that we can buy at out DIY store for under 6 Euros.

We have heard a lot of complaints about people who have had problems (no heat) when they have had a delivery of dirty or contaminated oil. These problems can be frustrating and time consuming to sort out.

Propane is often preferred for central heating over butane as it burns cleaner and hotter. Gas systems only need servicing every 3 years and to not normally require boiler parts to be changed regularly.

Both gas and oil are delivered without you having to anything other than call the supplier.

Don’t expect same day service !

Our recommendation. If your home is used only as a holiday home. Install Gas as you will have a more reliable system that should work instantly when you turn it on. Keep a spare bottle of gas or two on hand if you have central heating.

We are pleased to offer several properties with central heating already installed in Central Portugal – and it really does make a difference! Click here to find out more.

A recent FUTSAL event ran by the local council and supported by Portuguese football club Benfica was training days for 5 to 14 year olds. Both girls and boys were involved and all have had lots of of fun.

The event was over 2 sessions and only cost 20 Euros per person.

You’d be amazed at how often there are fantastic, professional and amateur activities and events which are held in the councils of Central Portugal. The community spirit amongst local villages is incredibly strong, and everyone is invited to take part. To get to know these areas better, why not visit Central Portugal and find your dream home.

Who gives loans on property in Central Portugal?

These financial companies all provide loans to buy property in Central Portugal:

BANIF
www.banif.pt 00351 217211500

Barclays Portugal
www.barclays.pt 00351 800234567

BBVA
www.bbva.pt 00351 800208

BES
www.bes.pt 00351 707247365

BNC
www.bnc.pt 00351 8082016162

BPI
www.bancobpi.pt 00351 800221022

BPN
www.bpn.pt 00351 808 224444

CAIXA GALICIA
www.caixagalica.pt 00351 213306300

CGD
www.cgd.pt 00351 707242424

CREDITO AGRICOLA
www.credito-agricola.pt 00351 808206060

FINIBANCO
www.finibanco.pt 00351 808224365

MILLENNIUM BCP
www.millenniumbcp.pt 00351 707502424

MONTEPIO GERAL
www.montepiogeral.pt 00351 808209020

TOTTA SANTANDER CPP
www.totta.pt 00351 808283848

There are several options for arranging mortgages in Portugal discussed on Dreamhome-Portugal, visit today and feel free to e-mail over any questions you have.

Can You Receive Sky in Portugal

You can bring your SKY satellite receiver, don’t forget your viewing card ! and watch 90% of the programs that you watched in the UK.

You will need a new satellite dish normally a 1.2 meter dish. Not the smaller one that you used in the UK as the signal is weaker here.

Installation of the system and dish should cost you around 120 Euros.

Alternatively there are many locally available satellite systems with a huge range of programmes and prices.

There are several properties for rental in Central Portugal which already have Sky points installed. To view rental property in Central Portugal, please follow this link.

What’s the best way of moving my money from here to central Portugal?

I have money in my bank account to buy my property. I want to know how to transfer it to Euros at the best possible rate.

I don’t want to lose money when I transfer my money to central Portugal

The answer is a Foreign Exchange Service.

The Foreign Exchange (currency, forex or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions.

Why is this important… If you have Sterling equivalent 100,000 Euros to transfer from your UK Bank to your account or the account of your lawyer in Portugal you want to make sure that you are not losing money. For instance if you had a transfer fee of only 1% difference in rates You are loosing 1,00 Euros !!! in other words more than a years water and electricity charges for your new life in central Portugal.

Here are a few companies that may be able to help you and give you the opportunity to compare transfer rates and charges.

OANDA.com, The currency site provides currency and foreign exchange rates.

Travelex.com, for all your foreign exchange, foreign currency, foreign money.

Globex Foreign Exchange, globexfx.com. Is an international leader in business foreign exchange as well as large scale personal foreign currency exchange transactions.

OzForex, ozforex.com.au. Offers better rates, great service and an easy way to transfer and receive funds internationally.

Foreign-currency.com. Our travel money service allows you to securely order foreign currencies and traveller’s cheques at unbeatable exchange rates as well as zero commission …

Americanexpressforex.com. American Express Foreign Exchange Service offices.

Thomascook.com. Corporate Foreign.

Torfx.com. TorFX is a leading provider of foreign exchange services, offering competitive exchange rates for foreign currency exchange.

Moneycorp.com. you can rely on our expertise, guidance and personal service. … Managing foreign exchange risk when making international payments can be challenging

Travelex.co.uk. Find the best foreign exchange rates and get commission-free foreign currency.

Remember taking a little care in selecting you financial transfer partner can save you a bundle and make your home purchase in central Portugal easier.