Hello

Number of posts : 5 Registration date : 2009-01-11

Hello
I am Shaz and my partner is Yvonne and we are hoping to move to CP within the next month or so. We have just been over for a viewing trip and feel totally over whelmed by all the properties we have seen. I have read a lot of advice on another forum and am so nervous of making a mistake.We did find a house in Server do Vouga we really liked and after the builder quoted us E15,000.00 to replace the roof, we suddenly became very scared of it all. The house is on for E65,000.00 and needs a bathroom,kitchen and new floors etc, which I am prepared to do myself but the roof is a problem. The owner has said she will drop the price by E2500,00 and we are really not sure if that is a good deal or not. I know I sound like a crazy person but you know when you just want to say 'Mum, what shall I do', when really my Mum would say something stupid anyway!!!
Any advice would be appreciated, we do have a second choice house with a really nice couple who are Uk agents but just not sure if I should give up on the first one yet.
I just love CP by the way and met some really nice people there, just miserable that I am back in the UK with this horrible rain.
Kind Regards
Shaz

Subject: Re: Hello Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:15 pm

Hi and welcome to the forum.

E15,000 is very excessive for a new roof. I can only recomend you seek independent advice from a solicitor.
Don't be disheartened if you do not by the house you have set your heart on as there are many lovely properties and beautiful places in CP.
Goodluck with your search.

net net

www.alvorge.net

Subject: Re: Hello Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:09 pm

Hi Shaz and welcome.

Don't be put off by the quote from that builder, if you like the property get other quotes !

The quotes we received on our project varied by almost 3 times !! (With the most expensive being an English builder )

Don't be afraid to put in an offer when buying the property - you might be surprised !!

Number of posts : 5 Registration date : 2009-01-11

I have asked for another two quotes, so I am waiting for them to reply.
I do love the house, you know when you walk in and you just know its the right one, well its that house for us. I did want to put in an offer but I also got the impression from some agents that 'this was the price and no offers or you will offfend people'.
I also found that when I said 'I can build and plaster and do all the carpentry myself, they looked straight through me as if I hadn't spoken at all'!
I have lived all o f my life in Africa, so I am ok with the 'hurry up and wait' sort of thing that seems to be going on, and I didn't lose my patience when every agent ,except one, was half an hour late. I love Portugal and I loved CP so I am going to do what ever it takes, its just really helpful to have a forum with kind people who have been there and got the tshirt. The agents form choice number two are really helpful so we might end up with that house and it wont be such a bad thing, at least it has a new roof!
Thank you
Shaz

Subject: Re: Hello Sat Jan 17, 2009 1:13 pm

Hi Shaz,

The Portuguese builders have an idea that British people are rich and a lot will try to rip you off. You should pay a lot less than €15,000 unless the roof is amazingly big.

You can get a roof done quite cheap but it will depend on the materials used, wood or concrete, what type of wood.

An absolute MUST is that is needs to be well insulated, this is something you can do yourself if you want to keep the price down, but it must be done. A bare teracotto roof is boiling in summer and freezing in winter. We were here last year and we survived, but our roofs are all now insulated.

Don't let me put you off with the roof thing, you will find people locally who will help you get the right price.

Not heard of Server do Vouga, where is it near?

Subject: Re: Hello Tue Jan 20, 2009 1:35 pm

following on from the advice above, the cost of replacing a roof depends on the size and design, a complicated roof with a chimney, dormer windows and several slopes will always cost a lot more than a simple double or single pitch roof, other factors are access to the roof, scaffold and the materials to be used, concrete can be cheaper than wood, especially if the wood is to be seen and needs to be better quality, if the quote is for a concrete roof to replace a wooden one, do you know that you need planning permission to do this, also will the walls be strong enough to support the extra weight? if the roof is just a straight forward replacment in wood with new tiles, then a license is still required to do this work, most people dont bother, but at least you should know what the laws are so that you can make a choice.

just to give you an idea, this whole new roof, new tiles, insulation, wood imported from Austria, etc cost us just over 15,000 euros.

Hello DSC02539

if anyone is interested in building projects, there are some more pictures of the two houses we have just rebuilt in the links below, they are not quite finished but getting there.

https://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o34/omostra06/House/martinchel/?start=0

Number of posts : 5 Registration date : 2009-01-11

Wow, your house looks beautiful and you have given me a lift this morning. I was starting to get bogged down with buying a left hand drive car here and selling my right had drive, getting my parrot her papers, getting some sort of idea how much it will cost to move my furniture and finalising a choice of house. It has really helped seeing your pictures as I can tell the house I am looking at is half the size of your one, so I do think we are being over charged. I haven't heard yet back from the agent re other qoutes but my second choice house is looking more promising as the agent is extremly helpful and it does have a new roof. It just didn't give me the same feeling as my favourite but you can't always get what you want. (so my mother used to say).
I have looked at all of your pictures and I can see you have worked really hard and it has paid off.
Thanks
Shaz

Subject: Re: Hello Tue Jan 20, 2009 9:52 pm

Thanks for that Shaz, it is starting to come together now.

I have some more pictures on the link below, sort of before and after shots,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_house_on_the_hill/

Number of posts : 5 Registration date : 2009-01-11

I can't believe how much work you took on!!!
I am having nightmares about a roof and rotten floorboards and you bought a shell! You really make me feel so positive when I see what you have accomplished. In fact it must have had some effect on me seeing the pics as we finally managed to buy a left hand drive car this weekend.I am not going to recommend the dealer in the UK until I have actually dirven the car from London to Lancaster.But I will say so far they seem very competant and up together.
Did you rent nearby while you took on the house and did you hire builders or do a lot yourself?
Oh and a really honest question for a really honest answer................How far over or under the budget you gave yourself did you go? I just hear people say 'what ever you budget, double it'.
Thanks for your help and sharing your pics.
Shaz

Subject: Re: Hello Sat Jan 24, 2009 10:01 pm

Hi Shaz,

My best advice is to take your time ... its a buyer's market at the moment and if this purchase fails there are plenty of others to chose from. There are some builders advertising in my directory (www.beyradirectory.com) who might be able to help you.

Good Luck!

Jay

Subject: Re: Hello Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:56 am

Good luck with the left hand drive car - we bought one from a company in Basingstoke and had no problems with them at all ! We have almost finished the matriculation using a company called Tomardoc - it's taken a long time but you don't pay them unitil it's done !!

Subject: Re: Hello Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:25 pm

Shaz wrote:: I can't believe how much work you took on!!!
I am having nightmares about a roof and rotten floorboards and you bought a shell! You really make me feel so positive when I see what you have accomplished. In fact it must have had some effect on me seeing the pics as we finally managed to buy a left hand drive car this weekend.I am not going to recommend the dealer in the UK until I have actually dirven the car from London to Lancaster.But I will say so far they seem very competant and up together.
Did you rent nearby while you took on the house and did you hire builders or do a lot yourself?
Oh and a really honest question for a really honest answer................How far over or under the budget you gave yourself did you go? I just hear people say 'what ever you budget, double it'.
Thanks for your help and sharing your pics.
Shaz

we lived on site for a little while when we first bought the ruin, then we lived for 6 months nearby at my brothers house, then we rented a cottage by the lake, where we are now, hope to get moved in very soon.
as for budget we are more or less on target for our first idea of what we would spend, we have made a few little changes to the house as the build has progressed, we added bathrooms to all the bedrooms and the cottage layout was changed as well as building extra garden walls, so we will spend more than what was on the original budget/quote but we have added more so i guess its still ok. we did do quite a bit of work at the start but due to us both having fulltime jobs the builder has done most of it.