Real projects and straight advice on buying, surveying and renovating in Porto and across Portugal — written by the builder doing the work, not a marketing department.
A look behind a few of our projects — what was really there, how we approached it, and how it turned out.
A nervous buyer, a renovated house that looked too good to trust — and a survey that said proceed. How a B+ grade and a costed list of preventative works got them a better price, not cold feet.
Read case study →A sound flat with a tired shared roof three floors up — a permilagem-funded liability the buyer would have inherited. Why the most expensive thing in an apartment is often the part you can't see.
Read case study →Damp that came back no matter how often it was painted over — because nobody had found the source. A house below street level, groundwater, a flooded light well, and a fix that saved the floor.
Read case study →Practical advice on buying, surveying and renovating in Portugal — the questions clients actually ask.
Real 2026 renovation costs from a builder who prices this work for a living — ballpark figures per square metre, the variables that move them, and the 6% IVA rule that catches foreign buyers out.
Read article →Survey or home inspection — same job, different word. No seller disclosure, no survey culture, an agent who works for the seller. Why foreign buyers in Portugal need the one independent voice in the room.
Read article →The Simplex Urbanístico reform sped up permits — and quietly moved risk onto you. Why unapproved work and a Caderneta that doesn't match the building is now the buyer's problem to catch.
Read article →Some of the most expensive defects we find are in buildings barely a year old — flush thresholds that flood, broken membranes, thermal bridges. Why a snagging inspection matters before the developer's window closes.
Read article →No certification behind the logo, awards you can effectively buy, reviews you can't trust, several websites routing to one operator, and engineers with no alvará who take no responsibility on site. What I've learned to look for before you hire.
Read article →Groundwater and the water table, rising damp, the roof leak that surfaces a floor below, condensation — the four places water gets in, and why finding the source beats any treatment. A builder's guide.
Read article →A beautiful historic-centre studio with serious water ingress — and a condominium that blamed the windows without ever inspecting the roof. A real, anonymised pre-purchase story.
Read case →What surveys and inspections actually cost across Portugal, what drives the price, and why €490 with a 24-hour report compares the way it does. Straight numbers, no sales pitch.
Read article →No mandatory certification for tradesmen, glossy brands that subcontract everything, deposits paid to companies that vanish mid-job. What to check before you sign — from someone who picks up the pieces.
Read article →In the UK or Australia, a survey before purchase is normal. In Portugal, most buyers sign with no independent information at all. Here's why that's a risk you shouldn't take.
Read article →The same defects come up in Porto property time after time — usually hidden behind fresh paint. Here are the big ones, and how to tell a cosmetic issue from an expensive one.
Read article →Good trades exist everywhere in Portugal. The hard part is scoping, comparing quotes, and managing the job when you can't be on site — or in the language.
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