There is a reason many Portuguese people build houses and other buildings without permission from their local municipality on their land. We’ve heard various stories, but it seems that the general consensus is that it is a simpler process to be fined and then to legalise it than to attempt the legal process like we have done not just for our house, but also for the agricultural building to which this post is dedicated to. Although the legal framework for building work is the same everywhere in the country, different municipalities can deal with it in vastly different ways. As foreigners we never considered not following the official processes, and building an enormous building on the land, we knew, would not go unnoticed, as was proved correct when we’ve received two seperate visits from officials during the building process.
Although building work can stretch over years, not just because the various steps involved takes time to execute and complete, and at times are dependent on the weather, it is the official process that can add years to a final timeline.
I’ve tried to keep this blog post as consice as possible, not just with you as the reader in mind, but also to retain my sanity. Writing about it, made me relive those times of hard work and stress, and although I marvel at what we have achieved, and what I have proved that I’m capable of, reliving it came with a bag full of mixed feelings.
March – April 2022:
Having discussed the building of and placement with our architect of what we refer to as the workshop, but is officially an agricultural building, Michael placed and order with a company in France, and paid for the steel structure. Screb’s prices increased dramatically after Covid, which gave us pause, but when the architect told us that it is still a fraction of what we would pay for the same thing in Portugal, we didn’t waste any time to get the order in as soon as possible.
Payment was hardly done before we received an email from the architect telling us that they made a mistake with the placement, and that the land thought to be suitable is considered to border a forest, which meant that we are not allowed to build there. This forest, although nowhere to be seen, is a very real phenomenon on paper, which trumps reality in legal matters. Not to worry, we were assured, we can get the land redesignated.
This started a drawn out process in which I was eventually asked to meet with the municipal architect, as the architect’s firm has been unable to secure a meeting after various unsuccessful communications after the submission of the relevant paperwork. Although I tend to shy away from these things, I agreed reluctantly, as I have met him at a social event, and hoped it may help our case.
October 2022:
After a journey that started in Buzancy, north of Paris, our steel was delivered on a very rainy day. It seems that the weather gods always have the last laugh, but the first obstacle of the day came in the form of the delivery truck that was too big for the narrow 3 km dirt road to the quinta. Having no other choice the steel was offloaded on someone else’s field at the turnoff. This meant that we had to make another plan to get it to the land. Tim came to our rescue with his tractor and trailer, and the friends who initially joined us for moral support had to also lend a hand as the day progressed. But at the end of it, the long steel beams were on the land ready to be covered once they dried out, and the smaller pieces, doors, and other bits and bobs were dried off and packed away in the barn. Afterwards, Michael and I had to do a serious reshuffle in order to not just store everything in the barn indefinitely, but to also be out of the way so that we could still reach everything we use on a regular basis.
November 2022:
After explaining to the municipal architect that we didn’t mind where the workshop was placed, as long as we could build it somewhere on the land, he gave us the only location where it was legal to build. Of course, this was slap bang in the middle of our olive grove.
February 2023:
With the location for the workshop mapped out, we moved 7 olive trees to make space for the building.
We also made contact with a local builder, whose business card we got when Michael and I visited a building site where we spotted a similar agricultural building being built that we were planning.
April 2023:
After we received a quotation that we accepted, the builder started with the groundworks, which meant cutting away the soil at one end, and filling up on the other in order to create a level site. Although we always thought there was a gentle slope on the land, it became clear that there was quite a height difference once the work started.
April – June 2023:
Once the formwork for the foundation was completed, I experienced the first thrill of having big concrete trucks on the land.
July 2023:
The inside of the building was backfilled.
August – September 2023:
While the steel structure was put up, we were also busy with building the retaining wall. It was a joy to finally see the torn and weathered coverings finally being removed from the steel beams, so while Lawrence and I were working on preparing the foundation for the retaining wall, the three guys who put up the structure worked tirelessly on what looked like a giant Meccano building set. They were regularly hunched over the plans that were issued in French only, and I must admit that it was with admiration that I watched the process unfold.
October rain filled the inside of the building that made it look like a giant swimming pool. Many of the steps were weather dependent, which meant that there was nothing or very little happening during the rainy season, except for Midnight and Lily being fascinated by floating bits of wood.
February 2024:
Because of the placement of the building and sloping ground we needed to build another small terrace to protect the drystone wall that is our boundary fence, prevent water from running down into the workshop, and create a visually pleasing landscape. The foundation for this small retaining wall was dug and another 2 olive trees moved during Michael’s visit in February. Over the next couple of months, while work on the workshop continued, the foundation was thrown when the concrete trucks were on the land, and the wall built and cladded.
April 2024:
Preparing the floor was a multi-step process, before the final concrete pour could happen. In order to create the correct depth, the soil had to be levelled and the excess removed, before geotextile could be laid, and touvenant added, levelled, and compacted. This I then had to be watered daily to help it settle, while we waited for the delivery of the materials for the next step.
As the foundation was rough and uneven, Lawrence’s job was to smooth, and level it out.
In order to flatten any bumps or hollows, I spread a thin layer of sand across the whole area, before black plastic and insulation blocks were cut and laid. With the help of a friend, we managed to do over half the floor one day, before I tackled the rest on my own.
Next, Tim and I cut and fastened the polystyrene panels to the sides, put down another layer of either plastic or geotextile (as an experiment), before the big rebar grids were carried into place and tied together. We spread the job over two days, as carrying those grids tested my physical edges.
June 2024:
With everything ready for the underfloor heating pipes to be laid during one of Michael’s visits, it was a fairly straightforward, although time consuming process with the help of Figs and Lawrence.
June 2024:
The 29th dawned with a knot of anticipation in my stomach. The sound of concrete trucks approaching is always exhilarating, but also nerve-wracking. Having tested the skills of the people who we were using to throw the big floor by having them do the floor around the side and back of the workshop, I felt as confident as I could on an important day like this, especially as Michael couldn’t be present. Figs came for moral support and to keep an eye on the underfloor heating pipes. It was laid in sections, but damage to even just one of them, would have rendered a whole section unusable. Luckily nothing of the sort happened, and we could enjoy watching the experts at work, especially when they offloaded a ride on helicopter float.
All I had to do after the quinta grew quiet was to water the floor for the next couple of days to slow down the curing process of the concrete.
June 2024:
The delivery of the specially made sandwich panels for the building got me excited and nervous as I was hoping for everything to be done before I had to leave on my long awaited and carefully planned trip to South Africa.
July – November 2024:
It took longer than expected for the cladding to be done, as an essential machine broke and took time to fix, while I was also away for 6 weeks in South Africa on my first trip out of the country since I arrived in October 2020.
September 2024:
Temporary downpipes for the gutters were fitted in preparation for the rainy season.
November 2024:
Permanent downpipes for the gutters were fitted.
December 2024:
Michael cannot live without a project either taking shape in his head, or being executed. Having to clear the barn and move everything in it to the workshop meant that he had to order shelves and get them delivered and built during one of his visits. Unfortunately, they arrived just before he had to return to the UAE, but he was up for the challenge to get them built in time. Once again the delivery truck refused to come all the way to the quinta, which meant we got everything delivered in someone else’s field, and why I sat in the sun guarding our precious stash, Michael and Lawerence transported everything on the roof of our car and in Lawrence’s Land Rover.
April 2025:
With a visit from Michael scheduled for April, it was time to pay attention to doing some important groundwork between the small retaining wall and workshop, as well as digging trenches and laying pipes for getting electricity and water into the workshop, but also to future proof other projects we are dreaming of. A much needed drainage system had to be installed, and we also brought in touvenant to start preparing the area by the workshop we will eventually pave. Typical April weather meant glorious sunshine and pouring rain made work either a joy or a challenge.
September 2025:
Michael connected the underfloor heating pipes to a control panel after a visit to a supplier in the area to pick up all the different components he needed.
October 2025:
Official permission was finally granted from the municipality to start building.
December 2025:
Michael tested out the underfloor heating using gas bottles to test his proof of concept. We are planning to eventually run it off solar panels, but in the meantime he is teaching himself the ins and outs of underfloor heating to also be able to maintain and improve the system in the house, as we are not overly impressed with the company who installed it.
He also started the arduous task of wiring up the workshop, while we pulled in the main electric cable, ready for the electrician to wire into the main switch.
March 2026:
The engineering projects that were submitted previously was accepted by the municipality, and the next step in the paperwork journey is embarked on. From experience we know that the process will unfold in its own timeline, which means that the bureaucratic process is far from done.
Written by: Jolandi
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…three years later, it’s legal to begin doing the project you were already doing. I can see it was a carefully calculated compromise, being legal but also getting it started. This is no mere building, but an epic journey that is still underway. Your mental and emotional stamina needs to be there as much as physical!
Anyway, great summary Jolandi. I do not think it was too long or too detailed. I read and appreciated every word. Your photos are incredible: especially that giant crane delivering concrete – wow, wow. So disheartening to look at the lake inside the foundation and trust the process that it will dry sufficiently one day. I remember so much rain at so many stages of this project, and I feel my own satisfaction to see the inside dry and solid and reliable, even though it has no impact on my life. I am grateful on your behalf, ha ha. A part of me has logged that this will be a non-flammable building too, like your stone home. It is important, though my hope is that it is never tested. Bravo to you both! (and to the many who helped)
As the person in our house who reads all the directions and builds things like bunk beds, shelving, and storage cabinets, among other small-ish things, I pored over all your photos with avid interest as I read along. Obviously, this structure is a HUGE multiple of anything I have ever built! I tried to imagine reading the instructions in French and then picking through the piles of materials to put up the framework for the building. Incredible! (I think the prep work with the grading and floors sounds even more daunting as they are things I have never done in any form.) You two definitely have a vision and the talent and perseverance to see it through.
I’m exhausted just reading about everything that has gone into getting this far. Bravo to all.
The building looks fabulous. Yes, it may have taken a long time, but you have to be so proud of the outcome. Lots was learned and what an accomplishment. Hope you and Michael are doing well.
Terri
Thank you, Terri. We are very pleased with the end result, and although we still need to finish the electricity supply to it, and see the paper trail through, we are very glad we persisted and just kept going. We are doing well under the circumstances. 🥰
Hey Jolandi, what an amazing project you and your hubby are creating. I must confess I may have missed a post or three…but what will this workshop be for? So amazing to watch folk bring their creations into being. Does your quinta have a name? much love Linda xx
Hi Linda. So lovely to hear from you. We will use it for a variety of things. Firstly, it is a space to keep everything we need on the quinta. Tools, equipment, resources, our car, hopefully someday soon a tractor. It is also where work on various projects can be done out of the elements. Where we are in Portugal it is cold and rainy in winter, and scorching in summer. We are also hoping to explore growing mushrooms, which we will do inside this space. Who knows what plans and projects we will dream up in the future, but now that we have this building it can be used in a variety of ways. – Jolandi
Hi Jolandi
Congratulations on writing this round-up. It is great for the reader to relive what they have been following along with – and good for you to review what you have come through.
A post from another blogger caused me to go looking for one I had written “about nothing”. I was surprised that it dated back to 2018 and at the time was examining the ins and outs of writing the second book which has just now turned into “Louisa”.
Interestingly for you, it contains commentary about your Portugal project. So now we can both look back on “what happened to those 8 years?” Also, what happened to the book you were writing then? If you didn’t get a chance to finish it at the time, I hope it is still in a bottom drawer, waiting to be rediscovered “one day”. – xx Gwen
https://gwenwilson.com.au/2018/10/20/a-post-about-nothing/
I am amazed at how long we’ve been blogging friends, Gwen. How quickly time seems to pass, yet how much has happened in this time. My life certainly has changed dramatically. That book of mine is still in that bottom drawer, just waiting for me to make time for it. That said, I cannot see that it will happen anytime soon, but I haven’t yet abandoned it. I’m learning patience on the quinta, so we’ll see.
“It is a simpler process to be fined and then to legalise it than to attempt the legal process.” I swear there is an expression I often hear at work here in Jakarta especially for things related to the government: lebih baik minta maaf daripada minta izin, which literally means “it is better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission”. Southern Europe and Southeast Asia seem to have many things in common, culturally speaking. It’s actually very impressive to see the progress of building the workshop year after year, and I’m glad you persevered! I hope you will stay sane dealing with the bureaucracy (or is it bureaucrazy?), Jolandi.
I marvel at these similarities, Bama. And I think I am going to embrace your term “bureaucrazy” from now on, as it not only describes the process and feeling perfectly, but it also makes me smile. 😁
What a journey you’ve had, Jolandi. A wonderful read, I can feel the the way you describe how a simple idea – “we’ll put up a shed” – slowly turns into years of compromise and emotional whiplash. The bureaucratic tangles suck, and there seems to be nowhere in the world you can get away from it… But it does seem in Portugal and what you experience is even worse… but what is cool is how this building carries the fingerprints of so many people and moments: neighbours opening their fields, friends and willing hands helping you (rain and all), trying to keep the dream on track.
I imagine that walking into it now, even with bits still unfinished, must feel inspirational, stepping into the feeling of it all becoming very tangible, “we made it this far,” and that is inspiring. Cheers to your determination and continued progress in your dreams!
Thanks, Randall. What a beautifully worded comment. You are right in that we feel an enourmous sense of satisfaction knowing how much of ourselves we poured into it. And yes, we are very grateful for all the kindnesses and help we’ve received along the way. It does make for a deeper sense of achievement. Not that I ever would want to repeat that process, I must add. 😆