The main project last year was the conversion of the old part of the house into an apartment. It was a huge undertaking as we repurposed rooms and fitted both a kitchen and bathroom from scratch. By mid-summer last year it was complete enough for friends and family to come and stay and let us know what we needed to work on and what worked great.
The feedback was incredible and our guests absolutely loved what we had done with the place. Hard work really pays off! The last job we need to do before the apartment is considered ‘finished’ is to replace all the old windows and doors with new and improved ones, ones that provide much more soundproofing and insulation.
That job has already begun but may be put on hold as, we have big news: we’re going to rent out the apartment out to holidaymakers!
We’ve already started the process and a man from the tourist board over, who inspected our work and gave us advice on the regulations we need to follow, such as signage. But anyone who has lived in Portugal will know that it takes forever to get through bureaucratic red tape and get anything signed off.
We’re not expecting any miracles overnight, and it probably won’t even be this year. Nonetheless, the tourist board guy absolutely loved the apartment and that really excites us about renting it out and bringing more money into the village and so into Portugal.
The next thing that we’re focusing on over the next couple of months is the swimming pool. It’s having a major overhaul this month, as we are going to completely drain it, fit some steps and entirely repaint it. The first step after the winter was to drain it and then clean it.
It has been 4 years since we last painted it and it was very much a learning experience for us. It’s a huge step-by-step task. I’ve flown over from Canada to help them out with this, and also to visit my folks! This time around we’re going to fit some pool steps so that it’s easier for everyone to get in and out, which is today’s job. That essentially means that I’m slacking by writing this post and I should probably go back to work!
