Buying a house to renovate in Portugal: how to avoid skyrocketing building costs

In recent months, against the backdrop of the pandemic, purchases of homes to renovate and improvements to already inhabited homes have spiralled. But these always come together with issues related to building work, which may cause costs to skyrocket. With that in mind, we offer you some tips that may help you to avoid that scenario.

As Lucía Bravo, director of Elebé Arquitectura, points out, the pandemic crisis "has caused a radical change in the way we see houses, emphasising space and places inside the house for sports, leisure, and so on". Another growing phenomenon in response to this pandemic is the demand for houses to restore in more rural areas . "Houses far from the big cities with large plots of land and with much more space".

The boom in interest in restoring houses in Portugal has also driven up the unexpected costs that can arise during renovation work. Among other factors, these are consequences of planning issues such as the purchase of a house that lacks planning permission or is intended for a different use (like business premises or offices). There may also be a lack of information from the owners.

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"We receive calls from many people who believe that renovating the house they have just bought is very simple. However, most of them tend not to consider all the work to be done to refurbish the premises, which is unseen, but can seriously drive the price up," explains Bravo.

For this reason, it is advisable to carefully analyse the work to be performed before formalising the purchase. The architectural studio director recommends having a professional architect study and do a technical analysis of the realistic options for the renovation. This helps to avoid a situation that has become common in recent months: owners who have already purchased a house trying to find solutions to problems they did not have when starting the renovation.

So that the work is carried out successfully at the lowest possible cost, the studio has summarised four basic tips for those who are thinking of buying a house to restore:

1. Beware of properties at very low prices

The first tip is that, although price negotiations with the owner are common sense, you should be cautious if the price of the house is much lower than you would expect, and you don't know the reason for that discount. "The house may have some planning or construction problem that they're not mentioning," Bravo emphasises.

2. Find a house without previous restoration work

The architecture studio also reminds us that it is advisable to buy a house without renovation rather than one that is already renovated, because besides being cheaper, owners will also have the possibility to adapt it to their taste and needs. "You're unlikely to do a renovation on a house that has just gone through one," she adds.

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3. Visit the house several times

The third recommendation is to visit the property at different times of the day to find out "how much natural light enters the interior and assess whether that amount is enough for your needs," clarifies Bravo, who insists that "lack of light can harm your health and affect your quality of life. "

4. Consult a specialist

Finally, it is worth evaluating the work to be carried out with a specialist. "For those unfamiliar with renovations, it may seem that demolishing a wall or changing the layout of a bathroom is a simple task. However, these types of alterations usually mean that hidden elements, such as electricity or plumbing, must also be altered. Therefore, before buying a house to renovate, it is advisable to consult a specialised technician who can help you assess what the renovation will entail", concludes the director of Elebé Arquitectura.