Vale Centeanes Carvoeiro, Algarve

Project

Some of the most complex builds in the Algarve are not new builds at all. The property at Vale Centeanes, Carvoeiro was originally constructed in the 1980s — a period when building regulations in Portugal were loosely enforced at best, and frequently ignored. When we opened up the structure, we found what we have come to expect from buildings of that era: a series of findings that were not on any drawing, not in any survey, and not something anyone could have anticipated without getting into the fabric of the building itself.

The project required a full remodel and the demolition of certain areas — not for aesthetic reasons, but because they had to go. Working around an existing structure with unknown conditions beneath it demands a different kind of management to a new build. Decisions have to be made quickly, with incomplete information, and the ripple effect of each one has to be tracked across a project with many moving parts.

The result is a property that performs structurally, meets current building regulations, and has been transformed from a dated four-bedroom 1980s house into something the client is genuinely proud of. Five bedrooms — all en-suite — a walkable roof terrace, an outdoor kitchen, and an interior bar area. A complete reinvention of what the property was capable of.