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Painting a villa
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Hi Sunman,
Thanks, and thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
I spent 9 days just before Christmas looking at over 40 properties with every single agent in the town, and I did look at villas 100k over my budget with the idea of making a cheeky offer. You are right in saying that pretty much all the other villas I saw showed no signs of crumbling plaster. I must point out though it was a very small section, probably the size of a large fist, but it did beg the question that if it could go there, could the whole house start to crumble from the inside. My survey is booked for Tuesday and I have asked the surveyor to pay special attention to this and come to some sort of conclusion as to what has caused this. I did notice that there didn't seem to be a de-humidifer anywhere, which was something I did see a lot of in the vacant properties I went to view.
The dark looking fungus is on the North side of the villa, which happens to be the back side of the house where the swimming pool and sun terrace is (so basically the side you want to have looking its best). It is on top of a hill as well, so quite exposed. There are no trees close by or other properties overshadowing the villa and it is single storey.
If the surveyor does come back with some bad news, then it's not the end of the world, as I was torn between 5 properties, so have a few more options. One other was literally round the corner from this one, one in the Carvoeiro Clube, and one just the far side of Monte Carvoeiro. I was put off by the Carvoeiro Clube property by the annual costs I was provided by the agent (around 18,000 Euros a year) and the fact that there is a pretty grim looking unfinished development around the corner. The Monte Carvoeiro property didn't have a pool, so the cost of building one (based on a 30,000 Euro build) would have been over my budget.
Anyway, thanks again for your post, and for "peeing on my greens"
. In these sorts of matters, it is best to go in with your eyes open and your wits about you, rather than your head buried in the sand!
Thanks, and thank you for taking the time to reply. Much appreciated.
I spent 9 days just before Christmas looking at over 40 properties with every single agent in the town, and I did look at villas 100k over my budget with the idea of making a cheeky offer. You are right in saying that pretty much all the other villas I saw showed no signs of crumbling plaster. I must point out though it was a very small section, probably the size of a large fist, but it did beg the question that if it could go there, could the whole house start to crumble from the inside. My survey is booked for Tuesday and I have asked the surveyor to pay special attention to this and come to some sort of conclusion as to what has caused this. I did notice that there didn't seem to be a de-humidifer anywhere, which was something I did see a lot of in the vacant properties I went to view.
The dark looking fungus is on the North side of the villa, which happens to be the back side of the house where the swimming pool and sun terrace is (so basically the side you want to have looking its best). It is on top of a hill as well, so quite exposed. There are no trees close by or other properties overshadowing the villa and it is single storey.
If the surveyor does come back with some bad news, then it's not the end of the world, as I was torn between 5 properties, so have a few more options. One other was literally round the corner from this one, one in the Carvoeiro Clube, and one just the far side of Monte Carvoeiro. I was put off by the Carvoeiro Clube property by the annual costs I was provided by the agent (around 18,000 Euros a year) and the fact that there is a pretty grim looking unfinished development around the corner. The Monte Carvoeiro property didn't have a pool, so the cost of building one (based on a 30,000 Euro build) would have been over my budget.
Anyway, thanks again for your post, and for "peeing on my greens"
. In these sorts of matters, it is best to go in with your eyes open and your wits about you, rather than your head buried in the sand!-
laserblazer
- CVO Oracle
- Posts: 6209
- Joined: Sun Apr 30, 2006 11:11 am
- Location: Worcestershire and QdP
Re: Painting a villa
We had a similar situation when we bought our place. The roof leaked and in the time between buying the property and our first visit, the interior was in a shocking state. We fitted Positive Input Ventilation system which I believe works for properties with poor insulation that are empty during the winter. We still find areas where there is loose paintwork, it's not crumbly as such, it comes off in layers. I think this is because the building was not completely dry when it was repainted and it has caused the paint to peel away. I have simply removed the unsound paint with a scraper and then put some sealant on that was recommended by CIN followed by a couple of coats of emulsion.
I also had a chunk come out but I think this was damaged when the windows were replaced. Fingers crossed, it's pretty well sorted but I think there will always be remedial work to be done after a cold, damp winter. Hopefully, we will soon be able to spend more time in residence during the winter, which will help.
I also had a chunk come out but I think this was damaged when the windows were replaced. Fingers crossed, it's pretty well sorted but I think there will always be remedial work to be done after a cold, damp winter. Hopefully, we will soon be able to spend more time in residence during the winter, which will help.
Re: Painting a villa
hi Confused, glad you appreciated my mail,ConfusedBuyer wrote:Hi Sunman,
The dark looking fungus is on the North side of the villa, which happens to be the back side of the house where the swimming pool and sun terrace is (so basically the side you want to have looking its best). It is on top of a hill as well, so quite exposed. There are no trees close by or other properties overshadowing the villa and it is single storey.
I'd be interested to hear how many of the 40 villas you saw had a North side facing pool & terrace? not many I suspect, it's a kind of a design fault, the sun shines on the South, & so should your pool & sun terrace. I suspect that what you're getting into sounds cheap, but so it should, sorry
Re: Painting a villa
Hi confusedbuyer.
Sunman has given you some great advice and I share his concerns over the problems.
I would add that internal pipes in properties built about 30 years ago will be deteriorating now and will need replacement at any time.
The other damp problem is when the villa has a basement of some sort - this can cause a lot of damp in the wet season and some need to have de-humidifiers in constant use.
As said, black mould can develop over the next 2 months so maybe a better buying time is Spring when there may be even more villas on the market
There are enough villas on the market so there is no need to take any chances. Get the right place and you will love your time in CVO.
Good luck.
Sunman has given you some great advice and I share his concerns over the problems.
I would add that internal pipes in properties built about 30 years ago will be deteriorating now and will need replacement at any time.
The other damp problem is when the villa has a basement of some sort - this can cause a lot of damp in the wet season and some need to have de-humidifiers in constant use.
As said, black mould can develop over the next 2 months so maybe a better buying time is Spring when there may be even more villas on the market
There are enough villas on the market so there is no need to take any chances. Get the right place and you will love your time in CVO.
Good luck.
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Hi Sunman,
Yes - I was surprised when I logged into Google maps and looked at the satellite shot of the villa, and realised it was on the North side. When I looked around in December, the whole pool was in the sun. I think it works because the pool is sufficiently far from the villa that it doesn't suffer from shadows being thrown onto it. There is something that I haven't mentioned, which may have you wondering slightly about my sanity. The pool was drained and looking very sorry for itself, with a green looking puddle at the bottom. The agent said it was to save money during the Winter, but then confirmed it was so that the owner could fix a few of the tiles that had come off. One of the conditions of the sale is that he has this fixed and confirms that there are no leaks. I also noticed a couple of other things. The air conditioning units on the roof and side of the house looked rather rusty and also unlike some of the other places I saw, there were no obvious signs that it had been rented out (no pool depth markers, fire escape notices etc.). The agent mentioned that it did not have a licence to rent but the owner did anyway. I have been therefore reading with interest and a little dread, the stories on the forum about the hoops one needs to jump through to get one.
Anyway, the surveyor has been told to look into all these matters when he goes in on Tuesday.
Yes - I was surprised when I logged into Google maps and looked at the satellite shot of the villa, and realised it was on the North side. When I looked around in December, the whole pool was in the sun. I think it works because the pool is sufficiently far from the villa that it doesn't suffer from shadows being thrown onto it. There is something that I haven't mentioned, which may have you wondering slightly about my sanity. The pool was drained and looking very sorry for itself, with a green looking puddle at the bottom. The agent said it was to save money during the Winter, but then confirmed it was so that the owner could fix a few of the tiles that had come off. One of the conditions of the sale is that he has this fixed and confirms that there are no leaks. I also noticed a couple of other things. The air conditioning units on the roof and side of the house looked rather rusty and also unlike some of the other places I saw, there were no obvious signs that it had been rented out (no pool depth markers, fire escape notices etc.). The agent mentioned that it did not have a licence to rent but the owner did anyway. I have been therefore reading with interest and a little dread, the stories on the forum about the hoops one needs to jump through to get one.
Anyway, the surveyor has been told to look into all these matters when he goes in on Tuesday.
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Hi Cereza,
It's a single storey villa with no basement, so there won't be any subterranean damp issues.
It's a single storey villa with no basement, so there won't be any subterranean damp issues.
Re: Painting a villa
The paint is the most important, take advice from the paint shop opposite the Fataci on the industrial estate, they're very obliging and speak good English, the labour costs will possibly be a little more expensive but you get what you pay for, well sometimes anyway! Good luck. 
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Thanks Pato
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RichardHenshall
- CVO Senior
- Posts: 317
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:21 am
Re: Painting a villa
More alarm bells. Most people don't drain pools for the winter because of the cost of the water to refill. Sounds like someone who's not paying for the pool guy and/or their water/electricity. An empty pool can lead to problems with ground movement, depending on groundwater/rain - an empty pool can try to float out of the ground, in extreme situations, or it might be disguising leaks. Grout/tile repairs are needed from time to time but proving that it has been done right takes years. Normally, this work is done in the spring - drain, fix and refill within a few weeks. If you search this forum about pool grouting you will find mention of some pool's re-grouting needed in a year or two and others lasting much longer. Our pool hasn't been touched since before we bought in 2004. You might be better to negotiate a lower price and have the job done properly to your own high specification.ConfusedBuyer wrote:... The pool was drained and looking very sorry for itself, with a green looking puddle at the bottom. The agent said it was to save money during the Winter, but then confirmed it was so that the owner could fix a few of the tiles that had come off. ...
Just for balance, I wouldn't dismiss a property will these issues, if you know what you're buying. If it has verandahs it can be welcome to have the side of the house facing the pool in shade, though are you missing a seaview by facing the wrong way? If there isn't a view, make sure you're not comparing prices to those that have one. Most paint/plaster problems can be fixed. If it is a distressed sale, then hard negotiating may be more possible, even if it feels like kicking someone when they're down.
Re: Painting a villa
I've bored on enough Confused and made my views clear so I'll withdraw & wish you luck; my last word will be that if this agent tells you that plaster falls from walls as a matter of nature in The Algarve & that people empty pools for winter I wouldn't believe him if he told me today was Monday!ConfusedBuyer wrote:Hi Sunman,
Yes - I was surprised when I logged into Google maps and looked at the satellite shot of the villa, and realised it was on the North side. When I looked around in December, the whole pool was in the sun. I think it works because the pool is sufficiently far from the villa that it doesn't suffer from shadows being thrown onto it. There is something that I haven't mentioned, which may have you wondering slightly about my sanity. The pool was drained and looking very sorry for itself, with a green looking puddle at the bottom. The agent said it was to save money during the Winter, but then confirmed it was so that the owner could fix a few of the tiles that had come off. One of the conditions of the sale is that he has this fixed and confirms that there are no leaks. I also noticed a couple of other things. The air conditioning units on the roof and side of the house looked rather rusty and also unlike some of the other places I saw, there were no obvious signs that it had been rented out (no pool depth markers, fire escape notices etc.). The agent mentioned that it did not have a licence to rent but the owner did anyway. I have been therefore reading with interest and a little dread, the stories on the forum about the hoops one needs to jump through to get one.
Anyway, the surveyor has been told to look into all these matters when he goes in on Tuesday.
bon chance
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pickwick
- CVO Senior
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:33 pm
- Location: Caramujeira & Glasgow Harbour
Re: Painting a villa
Hi Confusedbuyer
Caveat Emptor! I too am sorry to rain on your parade - what price bracket are you purchasing in? I ask because it seems to me that all these issues add up to a lot more money!!! Are you using Peter Densham for your survey?
We bought an "older" 3 bed property 7 years ago and spent over 100,000€ to bring it up to modern standards (pipes, electrics, kitchen, bathrooms, heating system, log burner, windows, painting and pool equipment etc) so make sure you know exactly what you are buying.
If you need any help or have any questions please ask!
Pickwick
PS We are in CVO at present so if you want a second opinion from a builder or architect as to the costs you might be facing............
Caveat Emptor! I too am sorry to rain on your parade - what price bracket are you purchasing in? I ask because it seems to me that all these issues add up to a lot more money!!! Are you using Peter Densham for your survey?
We bought an "older" 3 bed property 7 years ago and spent over 100,000€ to bring it up to modern standards (pipes, electrics, kitchen, bathrooms, heating system, log burner, windows, painting and pool equipment etc) so make sure you know exactly what you are buying.
If you need any help or have any questions please ask!
Pickwick
PS We are in CVO at present so if you want a second opinion from a builder or architect as to the costs you might be facing............
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Hi all,
I just contacted the agent about the potential risks of having an empty pool, and his response was thus:
" I have my swimming pool empty and will not refill until April, I do this every year (10 years) and never had a problem, with regard to the agent/architect, did you say you were buying a property where the pool is empty? the only time you can get a problem with a pool being empty is with the plastic/fibreglass ones as there has been a few issues where they have not kept the shape but this has been only with one company selling very cheaply made swimming pools however that was many years ago and they have now been in business for many years."
It is worth pointing out that the pool on the property is kidney shaped, and has small tiles on its walls, rather than being plastic or fibreglass.
I am quite keen for the owner to fix the pool before I put my 10% deposit down, as I am worried I may lose it if he renages on the condition to have the pool operational before completion.
Pickwick - yes please! My surveyor is going in tomorrow, but I think it would be worthwhile to get a builder/architect to look at the property before I hand over 10%.
Can you please e-mail me your contact?
I just contacted the agent about the potential risks of having an empty pool, and his response was thus:
" I have my swimming pool empty and will not refill until April, I do this every year (10 years) and never had a problem, with regard to the agent/architect, did you say you were buying a property where the pool is empty? the only time you can get a problem with a pool being empty is with the plastic/fibreglass ones as there has been a few issues where they have not kept the shape but this has been only with one company selling very cheaply made swimming pools however that was many years ago and they have now been in business for many years."
It is worth pointing out that the pool on the property is kidney shaped, and has small tiles on its walls, rather than being plastic or fibreglass.
I am quite keen for the owner to fix the pool before I put my 10% deposit down, as I am worried I may lose it if he renages on the condition to have the pool operational before completion.
Pickwick - yes please! My surveyor is going in tomorrow, but I think it would be worthwhile to get a builder/architect to look at the property before I hand over 10%.
Can you please e-mail me your contact?
Re: Painting a villa
Hi C.B.
I have been sitting on the side of this thread, looking at progression.
It appears to me that you are fairly new to all aspects of owning a property over here, regarding everything related to upkeep, maintenance, contacts etc.
I have lived here very happily for seven years and like you wanted to purchase when I first moved. However the three good offers I made on properties, at the time, were rejected. Euro was high and market buoyant.
I have been renting ever since and know that I would have lost at least 30% of the value by now, if I had bought then. I have lived in two rental properties', unfurnished, have brought them up to my specs, with the owners consent and have had not one problem.
The reason I am posting this, is to suggest that you rent for a while, get to know as much as possible about, who to contact, how to do things and finally get them done. Also gives you much longer to find the right property. I.e. Location, quality, standard, and a load of other items. Just ask Licy, who posts on here on a regular basis. As by my experience, this is the best way to go about it and have been more than happy in my present Villa for the past four years. Mind you it took a few moves to find the perfect requirement.
I wish you luck in your quest.
I have been sitting on the side of this thread, looking at progression.
It appears to me that you are fairly new to all aspects of owning a property over here, regarding everything related to upkeep, maintenance, contacts etc.
I have lived here very happily for seven years and like you wanted to purchase when I first moved. However the three good offers I made on properties, at the time, were rejected. Euro was high and market buoyant.
I have been renting ever since and know that I would have lost at least 30% of the value by now, if I had bought then. I have lived in two rental properties', unfurnished, have brought them up to my specs, with the owners consent and have had not one problem.
The reason I am posting this, is to suggest that you rent for a while, get to know as much as possible about, who to contact, how to do things and finally get them done. Also gives you much longer to find the right property. I.e. Location, quality, standard, and a load of other items. Just ask Licy, who posts on here on a regular basis. As by my experience, this is the best way to go about it and have been more than happy in my present Villa for the past four years. Mind you it took a few moves to find the perfect requirement.
I wish you luck in your quest.
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pickwick
- CVO Senior
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Tue Oct 03, 2006 5:33 pm
- Location: Caramujeira & Glasgow Harbour
Re: Painting a villa
Hi
Have sent you a PM. LICY has indeed had some bad luck but they did build their own villa rather than buy a ready built one. The advice to rent makes sense if you can afford to spend time here in the way suggested. As for the best time to buy to get best value - who knows??
Pickwick
Have sent you a PM. LICY has indeed had some bad luck but they did build their own villa rather than buy a ready built one. The advice to rent makes sense if you can afford to spend time here in the way suggested. As for the best time to buy to get best value - who knows??
Pickwick
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ConfusedBuyer
- CVO Regular
- Posts: 39
- Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:03 pm
Re: Painting a villa
Hi DVBRO,
Thanks for the message. It did cross my mind when I started to look at the villa rental websites and could see that I could rent a villa for not very much money during the low season for the few weeks I would be out there. However, the thing is, owning a villa abroad has been a dream of mine for a while, and I will now be looking to use it more than I originally planned, as I can currently work from home 2 days a week, as long as I have a reasonable broadband connection. So - this could mean popping over most weekends.
In terms of return on investment, I really do think it is a good time to buy. There are a lot of properties on the market at the moment, making it a buyers market, but I sincerely believe that things will pick up soon. There has been a lot of positive noises in the property market in the UK, banks are finally willing to lend and a lot of people are looking to buy. This has resulted in a sellers market and prices are subsequently shooting up. This will result in some UK property owners feeling a little more affluent in terms of being able to either re-mortgage to release equity or sell and make a tidy profit. There are definitely bargains to be had in Spain and Portugal, and I think that people will have an appetite to buy abroad again and take advantage of these deals.
I have been at this crossroads before - Cape Town in 2000, where I looked at properties knowing full well they were very good value, and didn't follow through. Lesson learned!
Of course, I could be wrong, but as I say, it's not just about making money. It's about fulfilling a dream. It's also nice to be able to offer it to friends and family, such as my Mother to escape the long UK winters and to take my 10 year old daughter, who spends about 90% of her waking time in the pool when we are on holiday! I am also stretching the budget, so I was able to focus on the type of property that I would potentially want to retire to (still a long way to go, but worth considering!).
Anyway, thanks for the thoughts and best wishes. I should get the survey report on Friday. Depending on how that turns out, I will be contacting Pickwick to send in their builder before I hand over my 10% deposit.
CB
Thanks for the message. It did cross my mind when I started to look at the villa rental websites and could see that I could rent a villa for not very much money during the low season for the few weeks I would be out there. However, the thing is, owning a villa abroad has been a dream of mine for a while, and I will now be looking to use it more than I originally planned, as I can currently work from home 2 days a week, as long as I have a reasonable broadband connection. So - this could mean popping over most weekends.
In terms of return on investment, I really do think it is a good time to buy. There are a lot of properties on the market at the moment, making it a buyers market, but I sincerely believe that things will pick up soon. There has been a lot of positive noises in the property market in the UK, banks are finally willing to lend and a lot of people are looking to buy. This has resulted in a sellers market and prices are subsequently shooting up. This will result in some UK property owners feeling a little more affluent in terms of being able to either re-mortgage to release equity or sell and make a tidy profit. There are definitely bargains to be had in Spain and Portugal, and I think that people will have an appetite to buy abroad again and take advantage of these deals.
I have been at this crossroads before - Cape Town in 2000, where I looked at properties knowing full well they were very good value, and didn't follow through. Lesson learned!
Of course, I could be wrong, but as I say, it's not just about making money. It's about fulfilling a dream. It's also nice to be able to offer it to friends and family, such as my Mother to escape the long UK winters and to take my 10 year old daughter, who spends about 90% of her waking time in the pool when we are on holiday! I am also stretching the budget, so I was able to focus on the type of property that I would potentially want to retire to (still a long way to go, but worth considering!).
Anyway, thanks for the thoughts and best wishes. I should get the survey report on Friday. Depending on how that turns out, I will be contacting Pickwick to send in their builder before I hand over my 10% deposit.
CB