I've realised that it has taken just under a year to renovate our old quinta to the stage it is at present. When we bought our quinta, it was named Dove Farm, so we decided to keep the name translated into Portuguese, which is Quinta da Pomba, we found out later though that the word dove and pigeon are the same word in Portuguese, so we are called Pigeon farm as well, which doesn't have quite the same ring !
A friend of ours called Emily (who was once one of our volunteers) had skilfully drawn up some plans for the new design for the quinta, but a year on we were still waiting, this was due to financial and bureaucratic reasons. So it felt great to be finally moving on with the project, license granted from the local council and a team of reliable local builders enlisted who were referred to us by a Portuguese friend, Eduardo.
Below is a picture of the original house; back in the old days this house had been half the size, with one large space partitioned by wooden panels and a fire place, and below a 'loja' used for keeping the animals. They added another room and loja later which explains the unusual roof design. The whole structure has been built on one very large granite rock which is the custom in this area... a convenient way to have solid foundations. Gullies have been carved into the granite outside to channel the rainwater away.
There was a barn opposite with a lovely old wood fired bread oven. Below is a photo of one of our German volunteers preparing the oven for baking. (We have now used the stone from the barn to renovate the quinta), but the oven is still there.
We wanted a terrace added to the house and after a few discussions I felt it would look better if the pitch of the roof was changed to allow for a more ascetically pleasing look, and to keep in with the style of this region. Trev has all the experience of building and I had none, but I trusted my sense of ascetics on this subject, and hoped with Trev's skill and know-how it could be done.
Before I show the process of the build, I've jumped to the current stage of the house to show you the contrast between now and then.
It was an organic process on some of the changes in design, mostly Trev dreaming into stuff whilst working. So the veranda was extended to curl around to the north end of the house. And we have a dorma window added to create space in the upstairs bedroom.
The view from the South West facing aspect, showing the bathroom extension and below the old 'lojas' that will be converted either to storage, extra living spaces or possibly a wet room spa !
So now to a photo gallery showing the procedure from the start to the present day.
 This is the house as it looks today.  |
Firstly there was the demolishing stage which included the take down of the tiles from the roof.  The original quinta with the roof off. |
 |
And then the wooden floors and joists were removed creating one large stone shell, here you can see Isaac, Trev's son with a large granite support that originally held the floor in place. |
 |
A good view of the front door and an interior door and wall with the exposed loja below. |
 |
And then the removal of some of the walls to upper ground level |
 | ||
Removal of the old stone fire place, Fernando in the background.
|
 |
A view from the west |
 |
Building the floor of the lower bedroom. Trev decided to use these supporting floor joists with a covering of cement instead of wood to protect the house from rising damp, afterwards we will lay an insulated wooden floor.  A view of the veranda and the large window of the living room to be. The bathroom walls and window have yet to be built in this photo.  Four months of a winter break, then the work starts again from April 2017. The large supporting beams for the upper floor are Douglas Fir sourced from a local wood mill in Serra Da Estrella mountains. Antonio, one of our builders carrying the lime and sand mortar.  Trev standing in the very narrow doorway to the lower floor bedroom. I'm not sure if this was a good idea of mine, but I wanted to keep the authentic farm house feeling of the original house so that included the narrow doorway and the step down into the living room.  Floor joists are put in place, with a good view of the built up walls.  The very long roof support beam with a view of the gable end and partition walls built to the roof.   The roof is appearing ! Me trying to look casual, but actually not comfortable with the drop below.  This big dorma window was a great idea of Trev's, it opens up a lot more space in the upper bedroom. It faces South East so will let in the morning light.  Trev and Nina, a helpful and capable volunteer with an architect's qualififcation.  The two velux windows are installed and the waterproof permeable membrane is fixed in place.  The dorma window letting the morning light in. There is now a window in each gable end, to allow for good ventilation in the heat of the summer.  Our group of volunteers preparing a huge amount of reclaimed locally sourced traditional tiles for the roof, it took a whole week with these willing cheerful helpers.  Ready for the roof.  Guess what Trev's been doing ??  Bathroom roof is completed.  It's now looking like a proper house, but not quite..... there's still the veranda roof to complete.  The veranda roof beams in place supported with the seasoned chestnut uprights atop a granite pillar. We wanted to keep an authentic feel to the veranda by using chestnut and granite which are local traditional materials. The narrow veranda is also in keeping with local vernacular. Eventually there will be chestnut railings installed.  This seasoned chestnut was sourced from our architect/ engineer's garden where it had been lying for a long time, it looked to me like a lot of rotten firewood but Trev could see the potential in it once it was cleaned up and oiled. It definitely lends character to the veranda.  Getting the final part of the veranda roof done.  Still orange but happy ! Satisfied that the roof is on and the house will be dry for the winter months. We are now preparing for the next stage by building a workshop that will house the tools and space to create all the windows and doors for the house. The floor boards have been bought and the plumbing is due to go in this month..... so I hope to be able to report back with the completion blog this summer !!! |
