Building Contractor

Some Suggestions:
1. As you are a Belgian expat, I remind you that you also have the French forum for expats in Portugal

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=4384

The French usually choose to renovate old houses, maybe they can recommend someone for your work.

2. Search in some villages near Alentejo or Algarve, similar houses to yours that are in restoration works. Better than to recommend someone, is to see their work in progress with your own eyes.

3. Please visit the Stay Classy Vlog at Youtube, and this link video attached below.

The owners of this new hotel at São Brás de Alportel (Algarve),  Frank and Veronique, made a truly good job on renewing some old houses and maintaining its historic features and own soul. This can give you some ideas to your project 

Channel "Stay Classy Vlog" :
https://youtu.be/360c3KbHP4s

This hotel website:
https://www.farmhouseofthepalms.pt/

Thanks Johnny

Another question, about building laws.

Hi everyone,
My architect insists it is mandatory to install an IT connection and network when renovating an existing house. The same for a gas-connection.
I am not interested in either of them. On top of that, we live in a very rural area with the nearest town 35 km away.
No way that we will ever have access to public gas or optical cable network.
I am told that we need to have optical cable, network cable and coax cable distributed throughout the house, with connection points in every bedroom and more.
This sounds really excessive to me especially that we don´t even have public tap water, sewer system etc.
The proposed connections are very also expensive.

Advice is very welcome.

Leo

JohnnyPT wrote:

3. Please visit the Stay Classy Vlog at Youtube, and this link video attached below.

The owners of this new hotel at São Brás de Alportel (Algarve),  Frank and Veronique, made a truly good job on renewing some old houses and maintaining its historic features and own soul. This can give you some ideas to your project 

Channel "Stay Classy Vlog" :
https://youtu.be/360c3KbHP4s

This hotel website:
https://www.farmhouseofthepalms.pt/

Thanks Johnny for sharing this. What a fantastic place. It looks like the French have really injected some class into this place.

Hi Leo,
I am afraid that your architect is right... But you can go to the Town Hall where you belong to confirm this.

Telecommunications:
Since 2019-11-15 there is a mandatory requirement for Telecommunications cables pre-installation in new or reconstructed buildings (Article 59.º) with the exceptions (Article 59 & 60.º) - Law No. 123/2009

https://dre.pt/legislacao-consolidada/- … oma/indice

Artigo 59.º
...
2 - A obrigatoriedade de instalação dos sistemas de distribuição de sinais sonoros e televisivos do tipo A, por via hertziana terrestre, é aplicável aos edifícios com dois ou mais fogos.
...

Artigo 60.º Excepções ao princípio da obrigatoriedade

Exceptuam-se do disposto no presente capítulo os edifícios que, em razão da sua natureza e finalidade específica, apresentem uma remota probabilidade de vir a necessitar de infra-estruturas de comunicações electrónicas, desde que devidamente fundamentado e acompanhado por declaração de responsabilidade do projectista.


____________

Gas:
Since 2018-08-21 there is a mandatory requirement for a gas pre-installation in new or reconstructed buildings (Article 3.º - 2) - Law no. 59/2018

https://dre.pt/pesquisa/-/search/116130 … /maximized

____

Additional information about Gas (association for consumer protection website):

https://www.deco.proteste.pt/comunidade … cao-de-gas

(Post #5)
A menos que o edifício que está a reconstruir seja destinado a atividade agrária, industrial, comercial e de serviços, terá de ter uma instalação de gás que cubra todos os fogos.

O anterior DL 97/2017 estipulava (no ponto 2 do artigo 3º) o seguinte: "Excluem-se da obrigação estabelecida no número anterior os edifícios destinados a habitação própria em que o promotor da obra opte pela exclusão da instalação de gás, as edificações destinadas a atividade agrária, industrial, comercial e de serviços que não tenham prevista a utilização de gás e os edifícios ou frações abrangidos pelo âmbito de aplicação do Decreto-Lei n.º 53/2014, de 8 de abril." O ponto 3 do mesmo artigo indicava: "Os edifícios e frações referidos no número anterior que pretendam, posteriormente, utilizar gás devem ser dotados de uma instalação de gás e cumprir todos os procedimentos previstos neste diploma."

Compreendia-se que a necessidade da presença de uma rede de gás ficaria dependente da vontade do promotor de obra - numa lógica simplista de se não tivesse acesso a gás, não teria rede de gás.

Mas com as alterações introduzidas pela Lei 59/2018 (ponto 2 do artigo 3º), só se excluem da obrigação "as edificações destinadas a atividade agrária, industrial, comercial e de serviços que não tenham prevista a utilização de gás."

Face a esta alteração, o nosso entendimento é que "Todos os edifícios a construir ou sujeitos a obras com controlo prévio nos termos do regime jurídico da urbanização e edificação devem ser dotados de uma instalação de gás que cubra todos os fogos, devendo as obras de construção, de reconstrução, de ampliação e de alteração respeitar o projeto dessa instalação de gás".

Ou seja, qualquer edifício terá de apresentar uma rede de gás em conformidade com os requisitos legais, mesmo que fique depois tamponada e não seja operada.

Again, thank you Johnny.

Still, I find these regulations totally redundant.
Coaxial cables are obsolete, with nowadays wifi and blue-tooth technology the same counts for network cables.
Optical cabling in a house in the middle of nowhere?
Gas distribution; fossil fuel should not be promoted anymore, let go made mandatory!
But we have to follow the rules if we want a building permit.

Best  regards,

Leo

Leo, I suggest you speak to the Town Council first and raise this issue.

In the case of telecommunications, the exception should apply to you. There is only an obligation in case there are 2 or more housing units / dwellings (article 59-2), which should not be your case.

Regarding gas, I think that given the remote location of your house, your architect could argue the high probability that piped gas will never be made available in that location, by signing a responsibility declaration to be attached to the housing permit when submitted to the Town Hall.

Best regards

Leo,
Re your architect question, he/she is just forward thinking and advising you well when it comes to resale in the future, it is more likely than not that any purchaser would want these and it is certainly easier and cheaper to do it now while you are renovating than retrospectively later on
Steve

I agree with Steve. I had houses where bottled gas was pipes through the house (from 2 bottles in a room where the delivery company could eaily exchange them). Having wired internet, phone and TV connections in a house is a bonus.