Spending our Life Savings on an Abandoned Ruin
Spending our Life Savings on a Abandoned Ruin in Portugal
In this Portugal video, we look at off grid land/ruins along the Mondego river in the hope of finding a spot to build our dream home. We are looking at spending our life savings on this project so want to make sure we get this decision right. We think we have found the plot for us but are taking a bit of time before we take the next steps.
Be sure to hit that notification bell to be notified of future content coming soon! 🔔
⭐ Come Say Hello!
▹ Facebook: / travelbeans
▹ Instagram: / travel_beans
⭐ SERVICES WE USE:
▹ Where We Find Our Music (Epidemic Sound): share.epidemicsound.com/travel...
▹ Helpful KZhead Tools (TubeBuddy): www.tubebuddy.com/TRAVELBEANS
🤑 How to earn money on the road
▹ Teach English Online: www.cambly.com/en/tutors?refe...
ᯤ How to access WiFi on the road
▹ SkyRoam Personal WiFi: www.skyroam.com/?rfsn=2382845...
✈️ Travel & Medical Insurance (for nomads)
▹ SafetyWing Nomad Insurance: www.safetywing.com/?reference...
▹ SafetyWing Remote Health: safetywing.com/remote-health?...
NOTE: Some of these may be affiliate links, which means when you buy something we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you, and it really helps to support us - so thank you! :)
⭐ About Travel Beans:
Hello and welcome to our channel! We are Alex & Emma, a British couple who have been exploring the world together for over 10 years - from backpacking to vanlife:
2012/13: We both embarked on our own solo backpacking trips through Southeast Asia, where we would eventually meet at a hostel in the mountains of Thailand and begin traveling together. After a year and a half of backpacking around Southeast Asia & Australia, we returned home and to the corporate world!
2015: Travel Beans was born and we filmed our first videos on a road trip around Europe with friends! This was our biggest trip yet.. and you can go back and watch the entire adventure because we filmed ALL of it! This trip took us through Russia, Mongolia & China, on the longest railway journey in the world. Followed by highlights such as staying on a local island in the Maldives for a month, going on safari in Sri Lanka, couchsurfing & hitchhiking in Korea, seeing the snow monkeys in Japan, island hopping in the Philippines, trekking 60km through the centre of Myanmar, exploring the Indian Himalayas, and checking out some of the incredible US National Parks.
2016: Despite an unbelievably memorable year and a half of travels, which we were incredibly grateful to have had the privilege to experience.. we found ourselves in New York City, battling depression. At this point, we decided to go home and confront this problem head-on.
2017: After 6 tough months at home we decided to go away again, but this time with a goal in mind.. to turn travel into a lifestyle. We left the UK with just £500 in our bank account and a dream to make a continuous travel lifestyle happen! We both got online English teaching jobs to be able to fund our travels and to keep creating videos. We can't quite believe that our younger selves decided to take this plunge but we are so grateful they did as we are still on this journey today!
What now?
Over the years, we've discovered that we LOVE road trips and even decided to renovate our very own little VWT4 van into a campervan to be able to enjoy vanlife and spend more time on the road. We are now the proud owners of 2 awesome little campers - one based in the UK and one that we keep in the USA. You'll often find us using one of these vans to explore Europe and North America. If you enjoy this kind of content we'd recommend checking out our Italy Road Trip series, USA vanlife series and our Japan in a Tiny Van series as well as our UK vanlife content.
Our time spent overcoming depression has influenced our outlook on life dramatically! We are now traveling the world in search of what makes us happy. We love sharing the highs and lows of our trips through our videos and hope to spread a little positivity and light to all of the beautiful people who take the time to tune in and watch each week!
⭐ Make sure to Subscribe to our channel for more videos like this one! ⭐
BEANS OUT!
Money is an issue that every one has for a better and luxurious life, was hard for me until I started investing in Digital trading and was able to earn $36,600 weekly with an initial capital of $13,000 ,its months now & My family are benefiting from it, some might venture into stock to clear their mortgage,I believe whichever is best for your financial stability,venture into it by investing with the right sources,all thanks to Mrs Nancy for guiding me through.
Most people fail to understand that living a Life without passive income isn't worth much except trying to pay off debts and loans.
As a first time investor with Nancy , I started trading with $5,000, now my portfolio is worth $23,600 within the space 2weeks of trading with her,I only trust Nancy with my investments because I have some of my friends trading with her too
I have also been trading with her, The profits are secured and over a 80% return on investment directly sent to your wallet. I made up to $70,560 in 2months trading with her.
Quite interesting, how do I contact her?
＋𝟭𝟱𝟳𝟯𝟰𝟬𝟮𝟯𝟭𝟰𝟬👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾💥💥
Ola Beans. I live in Midoes and have been here for 14 years. I've built a legal house on a farm and I also carry out building work in the area. My honest and hard won advice is to buy a house that is already a legal habitation that just needs restoring, not an unknown ruin that needs a full project to bring up to code. It's a massive nightmare to do things like this in Portugal. I'm trying to save you the years of pain, anguish and expense that I had to face, not looking for work, just offering you real-time advice. Feel free to reach out. Cheers
You are right. This was my first thought when I saw them looking for land and an abondaned house. In most countries of the world it's the same. Look for what you wish to do and for what you can do and what you have to do. Most sellers don't tell you about codes and regulations. Yeah, it can be a nightmare at least. I know what it is to work with local planning departments, not only in Portugal. They can crash your dreams and cost you a lot of money you never thought about it. Sewing systems, water lines, access to electricity and roads. In most developed countries these things are regulated. There are international building and electricity codes and the local codes not to talk about the more and more ongoing environmental codes you have to be aware of. Also the wildfire history. It is important today in southern countries. Anyway, I wish them all the best to find their dream property. This young famly deserves it.
Well said.....my question why is it a ruin, lack of support services? No water rights, no electricity. Dreams are fine until one day it is your worst nightmare .
I agree, there is a reason why just the land it is affordable. And the ruralness must mean that any power, water, and road networking will be expensive. Not to mention *why* there are no buildings or standing ruins near the water in such an old civilization. The other people were building on ruins of old palace-like villas that stood for a long while. The few scatterings of ruin Alex was seeing seem more like sheep pastures at best built by peasants.
Keep looking.
And with a young baby too .U have to think about getting trucks of materials in and out .
I'm portuguese, living in the countryside dealing with wildfires all my life, and I would never put my family at risk going to live into the middle of the woods. Wildfires are very common, uncontrollable, unfortunately. On the verge of an uncontrollable wilfire firefighters have to make choices such as should they protect an entire village or spend resources protecting a renote isolated house somewhere in the woods. Its easy to understand what the choice usually is. Choose a house in a village where neighbours can help you out and you can help them out in such an event.
I think you need something more accessible for your family and friends to visit you, and i would strongly suggest somewhere more accessible for when Noah gets older. Children need local friends and will value that more than stunning scenery! If you want to keep travelling as well, you really need to look for something that is NOT a ruin. Trying to make a habitable home from scratch with a baby in the mix will test you beyond limits. Hope you don't think I'm being too negative but speaking from experience! X
I love you guys! Just my 2 cents from a fan living here in the states with a few acres: more property = more $$$ even if you are doing the work yourself. No more going to the hardware store to buy a push mower. Now you're going to the bank for a loan on a tractor. The time and money you'll spend just maintaining acreage (driveway/road, drainage, and the never-ending nature encroaching on you) is a lot, never mind trying to build a ruin into a liveable home at the same time. I agree with a lot of the comments below - find a home that already exists and turn it into your own. Not trying to discourage you, I love living in the country, but time is precious and the learning and money curve gets really steep.
Somehow, Alex doesn't strike me as a carpenter, and Emma occasionally deals w depression. This could be a hot mess and a good way to end up single parenting. Being realistic is Everything. In a word: Naive
You need a reality check! Portugal is renowned for it’s difficult building laws. If the land is not classed as ok for habitation then you can’t build on it. Get a lawyer to check if you can build /renovate
That’s what Mr and Mrs Adventure did before buying their Mill. They had a lawyer assist them in many legalities. They’re originally from the US.
We've bought a house in the middle of france. It was already a liveable house. My husband wanted to make it better. But he discovered he didn't like building. I wanted land for a vegetable garden and fruit trees. But it was to big for me. Now we have sold it and bought a house which only needs some painting. With a smal garden for only a small amount of vegetables and flowers. We cannot wait to move into our new house and get rid of the stress the old one is giving us. I hope you're enjoying it more then we do.
I’d advise to keep looking. There’s bound to be something that won’t need so much work and will have property more suitable to your needs. Have you thought of approaching any owners that live in their houses currently and may consider selling? Older folk may want to be closer to family or medical care but just need a nudge. Also you need to consider where you’ll be able to get building materials and how would they get them to you. Also contractors for various trades. Would you be close enough to a big town for your own shopping, doctors, hospitals etc? Isolation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!
A ruin will take time away from each other and your family, so much great advice on here. It’s sunny, go back in the winter. Take your time on this major life decision, be in nature but near a town and healthcare.
💯
Amazing advice
The grass is aways greener and higher and you need to build a road to get to it.
My uncle rented 200 goats for a summer to clear forest to make a new field. They ate every bush and shrub and twig. They're like off road lawn mowers.
My wife and I left the UK 20 years ago for Spain and had a kid there. It's tempting to go remote and rural etc, we didn't and moved into a cute village with a diverse population. I'm glad we did. For us having a network of friends and neighbours has been the best part of our adventure. Not the sun, the sea or the culture, but the friends we made. I have friends who went remote and off grid and really miss that. Your project sounds long term, a decade minimum, make 110% sure, and make sure you have an 'out' option if it's not working out for you. Having said that, I'm not you and you aren't me so what works for one isn't always the way it works for the other. I wish you the best. It's always uplifting to see people following a dream. We did and it's been amazing for us and our kid. Good luck.
I think it's too much work also Noah is a little baby . It's not a good idea to buy this land. When you start working price will go up and up.😮❤❤ All the best.❤❤
Love your enthusiasm, so many come with the dream and leave broken. A ruin doesnt mean you can rebuild it. The river is near impossible to build on. Infrastructure virtually zero. 20 years living in the region, I know exactly where you are looking and its beautiful. Land means work, a LOT of work. I wish you luck but you are looking at a lot of paperwork, a lot of time and an awful lot of money! Whatever you are thinking time and money, double it and add more! Have been through this process, I know how hard it is!
Both of those properties will require a massive amount of work and money. I hope you two know what you are in for.
I agree with so many comments here, go for something much more sorted or finished that you can kind of just move straight into and gradually improve over the years. You love travel and don't want to be tied down to a massive renovation project of a complete wreck for many years.
I am not seeing this as anything positive for Alex.... Alex is not a worker and this will require a ton of work and continuous dedication... PHYSICAL WORK every day!!
Honestly, if I were you, I would look for something more like the Newby's have: a house that needs some updating and paint with a good roof on a nice piece of land. The amount of time you will both be able to work together on the house and land will be limited by Noah's needs. Alex, I know you're willing to learn how to build and use tools, but starting with a ruin could get overwhelming very quickly. As for hiring people to do the renovations necessary, from what I've seen on other channels, contractors can be unreliable and have employees that are not well trained. Follow the path you feel drawn to, but weigh all of the options carefully first.
Excellent advice!
Make sure the river is not the highest in 50 years!
Money pit.
I was thinking this as I watched the video. I can see too many pitfalls in both of these properties
Completely agree
It's an amazing place for sure! The Beans just don't seem like the "do it yourself" type of people though. They are always very reliant on other people to help them out. Just my opinion, I think they would be happier going for something more finished. I don't think they completely understand how much work, time, and money goes into something like this.
Alex is absolutely useless (his own words) when it comes to being builder savvy. Emma did their British Van by herself. Impressive, but she cut a few corners and didn't know quite everything about what she was actually doing. They also got scammed on more than a few of their vehicles as they are a bit too trusting and tend to avoid conflict even if it directly affects their property. I remember that at a camping place (in basically gunless GB) some jerk threw Emma's stuff out of the way and took her camping spot and she just hid from them. I'm afraid that they will be eaten alive and taken for a wild ride by the sharp business minded Portuguese contractors and builders. Cheap property is never really cheap.
@@spaceshiplewis I completely agree with you! Lol I have watched their vids too and how they are. They don't learn from their mistakes well. And I'm afraid for them. They are going to get taken advantage of again with this. They would be better off finding a nice already done place to settle down in. They just don't have the drive, motivation, skills, or back bone to do something like this on their own or with help without getting taken advantage of. So again relying on other people to help them like everything in their videos.
@@spaceshiplewis Yeah just looking at only their visit to the US. You can see the type of people they are. They rely heavily on other people to help them. They could not make it on their own for even a couple days. I bet they give up on this too and go run back home again.
@@spaceshiplewis I agree. If they had millions to blow, I'd say go for it. It's not worth Emma slipping into depression whilst Alex is overwhelmed by tools, geometry, and giggling it away. Imagine their surprise if they had to purchase a tractor or backhoe. Financially it could easily destroy their family and leave them in a world full of hurt. Dreams are best when balanced by being real about reality and accepting one's short comings.
You must have a massive bank balance because these builds will be an absolute money pit to complete
One thought that hasn't been mentioned yet: Have you thought about where Noah would go to school once he has reached the age? And where can he find other kids to make friends?
Advice from someone that's done this. Do not ask the seller for a cost of fixing the road. They will tell you what you want to hear. Get a proper quote from someone independent that fixes roads for a living.
Building a road of any length will cost a fortune, but more than that the type of road you could afford to build will be very expensive to maintain, sun plus rain plus storms will result in damage most years. The cost of getting materials to site can be huge. Working on slopes has the same issues of maintenance, you could spend years building and it may be destroyed by weather overnight. Anything more than two acres to be none wild will be a full time no more travel job. On top of that you can get held up waiting for cash to build up. You could spend 5-10 years before you even have somewhere to live unless you can get a caravan up there. To give an example I once built an extension that would have taken a builder 16 weeks to build. That would be 2-3 contractors on average on site over the time. My father in law was a brick layer and did all the brick and block work. I estimate I would work at around half the speed of a professional as I had to learn or think more than they would. Working evening and weekends solid I had to cover the 1500hrs build time = 3000 hrs for me. That amounted to 2 years with 16 hrs every weekend and 3 hrs each evening. In the end with time out for family etc it took 2 1/2 years and that was just a small extension and garage. Please do a full realistic spreadsheet with the work you can get done and the money you will need at each stage. Otherwise you could spend the best part of your life with Noah hardly able to spend time with him. Or you could be travelling around the world as the nomads you are. Remember nature doesn’t stop undoing your work if you go away for even a few weeks and definitely for more
I just have to say, having bought a three acre property that didnt need clearing, with a cottage that only needed renovating, I would never have dreamt how much work it would take. The reality is far from the dream. If you want to farm your land, steer clear from such a steep place. Looks like enough work on that place to have Noah feeling like he missed out on a family. Sorry but that is the reality I see.
I can totally understand after your years of travelling, that you want to have your own piece of paradise, to turn a ruin into your forever home. an excavator will make shirt work of clearing the land you want for access and to get lorries in & out. just check on getting water put on though as that will be one of the major expenses. I take it you'll go off grid for your electrical needs. just bear in mind you'll have a young toddler on your hands whilst trying to build and avoid steep drop offs. Good luck.
Just pray you make the right choice. I will for sure be a ton of work and the cost will be mind boggling. Don’t take on more than you can handle in your relationship. Dreams are nice, reality is another. It could be a strain in more ways than one
My advice is …. “rent your dream before you buy it.”. You have time on your side. All those properties will still be around in 12 months i’m sure.
Best advice I have seen in these comments is to rent first. Give it some time to get those rose tinted glasses off and really experience the reality of living, and trying to build, in such an isolated spot. Experience the intense heat of a Portuguese summer- you won't be having air conditioning out there for a long time. The land on both properties will not lend itself to a self sufficient life in terms of producing food, too steep, too rocky, liable to flooding near the river. But stay nearby for a while so that you can make a really informed decision. If you decide it's still for you, good luck! Your enthusiasm will have to translate into hard graft, deep pockets and heaps of resilience. If you bring it to fruition the rewards will be terrific. Don't kid yourselves over your own limitations, life savings are hard to replace! Wishing you well.
You are not going to like my comment, but I believe you should rent for a year first, to see if its right for you. While I am not against developing land, it becomes a major project, with unforeseen difficulties. And there are so many issues with improving a road, I don't know where to begin. Consider just one, you improve a road, and someone takes it, and somehow damages their car, or worse gets injured. You are likely on the hook. I know it looks appealing, but if you rent first, maybe the luster might ware off.
Never buy property till you've seen the area in both summer and winter. So many nice spots can be miserable in winter not to mention facilities closing down, road closures, floods etc. There may be good reasons those ruins are ruins... And trying to maintain ~10 acres and a travelling lifestyle, now that's hard work!
Hi guys, welcome to Portugal. You seem to be near us! We have been here for 3 years and are documenting it as well. I highly recommend to think about upkeep. We also wanted lots of land but spoke to people who lived here and said the more land the more expensive it is to maintain. Land needs to be streamed all the time (every 4 weeks or so) because of forest fires. We have only 3,400sqm and it’s hard to keep it maintained. Get a property registered as an urban land (if ore-1951) otherwise forget it. It’s a pain to legalise ruins with no habitation or exemption of habitation license. Don’t by. Property without checking with the lawyer and the neighbours the actual boundaries. So many nightmare stories about people buying properties and then realising their land was smaller/bigger than they thought. Think about being nearby airports (you both travel), schools, a city so you can enjoy cinema, restaurants and other attractions as a nice day out. Also think about good access so trucks can reach you easily for deliveries of materials and so on. Sometimes workers will say no if you are too hard to get to. Being near stover is lovely but also attract a lot of mosquitos so keep that in mind. Renovating a ruin is a really lovely project but it’s exhausting so plan your comforts specially with baby. Best of luck and if you need any help, let us know. We are in coimbra xx
You guys should watch some of the GRAND DESIGN series where people bough a ruin and in ALL cases it turned into a massive headache and an even bigger money pit. The end results were great but so was the debt. I would advise to sleep over this one for MANY nights and talk to people that have gone through the whole thing preferably in that area. If you guys then still go ahead then at least you will know what you are getting into. Good Luck
I moved to France 18 years ago and have loved the experience. My only word of wisdom would be don't get sucked into lots of land even the 8 acres is a huge undertaking unless you will employ help
So true.
depends on how much you have to 'maintain' vs how much is left to nature. That land looks pretty wild and natural. PS/I moved to France 15 years ago, hi neighbor!
I would say out of the 8 acres they could leave five of it pretty much untouched and kind of a wild state, and then the house in the path in the roads maybe one trail through the wild
You don’t have to manage the whole 8 acres nature tends to manage itself you just have to create your livability, spaces pads, roads gardens, etc.
@@tammy6992i think it’s required under Portuguese law to manage the overgrowth on your property because of the high wildfire risk.
I'm not sure if you guys realise but in Portugal the public has access to the banks of most rivers, regardless of who owns the land. So you have to bear that in mind when planning any facilities right on the bank..
Hey mate you are trespassing shouts Alex!!
No matter which property you choose, it will be a money pit and an exhaustive undertaking.
Well said, they seem to be daydreaming and a bit delusional.
well said to the well said! I love how sappy this shit is, complete dreaming for views from people who don't get off the couch@@nateseltos1401
In this beautiful weather both these patches of land look irresistibly inviting and lovely. Me, I am a veteran of the THW, a German disaster relief organisation and have worked in two floods of river Rhine in the Nineties. I see the beautiful big rocks in the beautiful rivers in the peaceful sunshiny day and think: "How do you get these boulders, each weighing tons, there?" The answer is: Intense water currents. Brute water force on a less pleasant day. Rain can be intense there and floods sometimes get bad. You Beans make sure to build your future home no less than fifty feet over the river level, yes? Remember river Ahr in 2021 as well.
As I read all the comments below, they are only echoing the kinds of thoughts I was having about the project. There are so many unknowns, and so much work involved that has the ability to destroy a young family. My advice as an older person, would be to take the advice in all the comments I read here. Take off the rose colored glasses, and buy a place nearer people, ready to live in (as you improve it), near doctors, groceries, etc. Stress is a difficult thing to bring into a young family. I hope you make the right decision.
Look at how much time and money the Endless Adventure has had to put into Clementine. And it still has issues! They should have gotten an RV that didn't need so much extra work. I agree with the others that spending more upfront on a more livable house will end up saving you more money (and heartache) in the long run.
Being an Australian and experiencing our bushfires, I would seriously think about all that vegetation on the land. Especially your entry and access routes.
As I understand it ,in Portugal, the government can force you to vacate during bush fire season ,that would have to be factored in too.
Portugal has nightmare wildfires too.
@@TravelBeans1_ 👋
I love the idea. I’m an architect and I recognize the challenges. But how awesome is it to be living in a ruin for the history and story and go off-grid completely eco friendly and sustainable. That’s huge. Of course you’re going to be realistic, you know the only thing you’re getting with the ruins is the value of the land and the base of a structure. It’s all new plumbing, electrical and full infrastructure. So you’re building your home from scratch. Which can be very much a large task but excellent as an adventure and project for life as your forever home. The best part is you guys love camp living so while it’s happening you can live in the camper. It’s an investment for your future and your children’s future which is so great. Im excited.
I don't want to put a downer on this but make sure you don't become fashion victims. Its seems there's a fad going around of "lets move to Portugal its much cheaper to live interest rates and inflation are so much higher back in the UK etc" Theres a good chance interest rates and inflation will be back to normal in a couple of years and you'll still be trying to get planning permission in rural Portugal.
Dreaming is one thing, but facing reality the other. Never ever I can imagine you two want to work years to clear the land and built a house.
Oh yeah, they can handle it. They have that boy that boy’s future in mind.
I'm with you, who will be doing all the work Alex is about as handy as an ashtray on a motor bike
👍 You've got that right.
@@TheSumo1955and the attention span of a goldfish😉🤣🤣🤣
I think they will be amazing
I used to live in the Colorado mountains. 1) The amount of flat to nearly flat ground drives the price higher for a good reason. DRAINAGE, the longer you live there the more you accumulate and want to do, improvements on sloping ground are sooo much more laborius/expensive, etc. 2) Check into water and sewage laws. A potentially growing family, animals, etc. ... - most people have never thought about what impact having a couple horses/animals can have on how much property is required per creature/human in certain areas. Some areas are fairly strict - due diligence required. 3) FIre History - dense undergrowth during dry years... check insurance rates 4) No idea what winters there are like but being snowbound due to rainy/snowy seasons presents issues many never considered 5) ..........
I can't imagine having a newborn and then undertaking all that! wow
Exactly!, enjoy your child / children. It pushes your marriage to the edge with little ones, even when you have a perfectly fine house in the uk! This project would ruin you in so many ways, i cant even inagine...
A big advice, i am Portuguese ,that areas you looking at are fire hazards itselfs ,definitely beatufull ,but with dense forest around the ruins, i wouldn't sleep in peace,i agree with sameone who said you guy's should buy a property like the newbies bought, the lack of experience in construction, is a big no in my opinion ,is gonna put a lot of pression and stress ,look for a property that doesnt need to be completely rebuild,,may be more expensive,but in long run is going to be cheaper, all the best
Don’t bite of more than you can chew! Working this land is quite an undertaking. You think you are up for this??
As a previous owner builder ,add a 1/3 to the most expensive quote ,and double the time expected to complete ,and you will get close to the actual costs and time taken. I'm not going to lie ,taking on such ,projects is going to test your relationship. I wish you both well. I did eventually finish mine ,2.5years later.
Eventually finished the building or the relationship ?
We have really rural land like this in the United States, just the infrastructure (road, septic, electrical, permitting, etc.) could cost $100,00 to $200,00 + the cost of a house. I don’t know the costs in Portugal but I would budget $500,000. Maybe more… I would definitely talk to a local contractor about building & labor costs and materials. I wish you guys the best of luck, but this is a longterm project.
I will say it again , get that boy Swimming Lessons ! All of you must swim ! Lots of waters !
I see this going about as well as their first van purchase in the states.
How can you not love the POTENTIAL here? It's beautiful guys. I'd certainly have your same excitement if I were 30 years younger and had some decent money to sink into the property. It's so easy to underestimate the complications, that can come under IDEAL circumstances. Please be careful and know your limitations and think about how much money you will require to have done what is beyond your personal abilities. Some people are born to take on these kinds of projects and some are born to have others do the work for them. The second group of people need plenty of cash flow to see the dream into reality. Only you two know how deep your pockets are and how much work you are truely able to do. I love you both and only want the best for you and Noah! As always stay safe! 💖💖💖
You got a right when you said decent money minimum 500k I'm in my fifties I don't know what we did wrong in life. These KZheadrs have it going on
It’s so amazing 😊
Minimum 500k > Limit skills and a baby. Yikes. > You will have to Hire everything out....
You should look at many more properties. It seems like a lot of work to clear the land and build something that is habitable. There is probably a reason the properties are still on the market. Look at a few more, then weigh the pros and cons before making a decision.
Living to close to a river often brings a lot of Moskitos and there still would be a slight risk of flooding sometimes. Hopefully the place you choose is not to secluded from a hospital and other needed amenities, kids often get sick or injured at that young age. Processing of the paperwork in order to rebuild the house can often take more than 12 month until you are allowed to start building. The last location looks amazing, I agree with you!
Find it hard to believe you guys are serious, but if you are the place to ask all the questions that need asking is the Câmara Municipal for the area who will advise what you can and can't do with any plot of land with a ruin. You don't need a vast amount of land anything more than a couple of acres will become a never ending chore of reducing the fire risk and your right to be concerned about the dirt tracks because in the rainy season they can often become impassable. Good luck with your search.
This is exciting! My husband and I recently bought an old press house in the Hungarian countryside on half an acre of land. Our house was in good condition, but still needed updating. Even just managing the half acre of land takes up a lot of time - or a lot of money. Even getting deliveries to find our house for building supplies has been a challenge. I would definitely look for something that is in a more liveable condition - especially with a young family. My husband is a professional builder and electrician waking up so we understand the demands. PS. He is also from Weston-super-mare ❤Good luck!
Beans... You might want to ask your fellow Portugal friends there what the risk of forest fires in that region is. I know that part of the north does get them. It's probably once every decade but still, you might want to investigate it.
Fires are everywhere in Portugal including this region!
I know a lot of people are giving you advice in the comments, but the only advice I have to say is that whatever project or property you end up choosing, if you intend to be there for many many years to come, plan ahead! Design everything to be accessible in old age! Less steps, more gradual inclines, everything necessary on the ground floor, etc. If you want to make it a forever home, design it to be usable, FOREVER! Your older self will thank you when your beautiful master bedroom and most loved balcony/patio areas don't have to be abandoned just cos you don't want to or CAN'T climb the stairs anymore. Looking forward to seeing how you build everything out in the future! Good luck!
Love your enthusiasm and wish you well but those rose coloured spectacles can lead you to a much darker place. Please be careful and don't get carried away. Sustainable living is in the most part unattainable and a pipe dream. Keep perspective and feet on the ground.
It'll take years and years but will be good viewing 💰💰💰
Admire your enthusiasm but these projects will take years of hard work and a lot of finance . I've followed you on your travels and am worried that you'll get itchy feet and want to move on again after a few months. Noah will need friends and a school. Winters will be quite isolated and I agree about mosquito problems near water...don't underestimate this! Also the cost of the road and foundations of house will take a great lump of your savings and logistics will drive you mad! Just some advice from someone with experience!!!
I watch a lot of offgrid stuff in Portugal and other places, if there is one thing you need in abundance it's work ethic and hard graft, made much harder by the heat. From what I've seen of you two, Alex seems happy to laze about watching Emma build vans and do all the graft and that was before the baby came along. Just my observation of what you show us, maybe it's done for effect, but keeping on top of the land maintenance alone is massive hard work unless you are going to get someone else to do it. Not sure it's the best idea, but others have said, it should be entertaining!
When you said "maybe I'm naive, but it looks really manageable" I had laugh out loud. The stars in your eyes are delightful, you are both young and energetic - so inspirational. There is so much to see in Portugal, and so many ruined properties to fall in love with ... taking the time to check out all the factors involved, as Emma said, is definitely the wise thing to do.
I’m so happy that you’re looking for property in your favorite country. I agree with the person who suggested getting a home you have to restore. Instead of starting from scratch. How much time will you be able to spend at your property if you have to start from scratch. Where will you stay how much money will you be spending to stay somewhere close by so you can work on your property. Good luck on deciding what to do. 🌹❤️💜🤗🙏🌺🤩
They are so inspirational 😊
Fantasy vs Reality on this one, good luck. You've been given good advice. But money pit, yes it will be.
You had me at the waterfall...but with a little one l would never want to be very close to water...all it takes one second
Mondego is a very tricky river, that's why they call it Basofias (bullshi**er), one minute it's quiet and low and the next minute it's jumped the banks and it's taking everything with it. I would try and get something upstream of the Agueira Dam just to be safe.
Tricky choice, Beans! Regarding the first property: amazing view but a very steep slope and loads of exotic, invasive Mimosa, as you pointed out. I live in a Mediterranean climate zone and trust me...exotics are a nightmare involving never-ending physical labour just to keep under control. They're also a fire hazard during summer. The second property looks insane! What a swimming hole and little waterfall and close to the two ruins, i.e. not a huge slog up and down to enjoy the water during the invariably hot summers! I'd go for the second, even if large, particularly if not as infested with exotics as the first.
I couldn't have said it better 😊
God bless you guys 🙏 I have been a residential contractor in America for 40 years. Both of those properties will require a massive amount of work and money. I hope you two know what you are in for. I did it one time. I put $120k into the property, but it was a showcase when I finished. That was also in the 1990s.
Whilst the waterfall is great, you could do with looking into whether or not that section of the river floods. Weather is becoming more and more unpredictable and flooding has the potential to turn a dream home into a nightmare. Unless you’ve got an endless pit of money, perhaps look for a property where you are able to do a lot of the renovations yourself?
They will be too busy Working....to ever have the time to enjoy....a waterfall.
Also pretty dangerous when you have a toddler...
(The second house next to the river > the rocks around the house are smooth and rounded, that means they have been under water frequently. Its worth checking to see the rivers flood history in that area, and since Northern Portugal has a lot of dams, if that is no longer an issue.) Personally I think both plots are probably too big to manage on your own, and Id much sooner take a do-er up with all services connected, than an outright ruin, the cost of running electric/ water / roads too and from the land will eat up funds quickly. How much time and cash to even start getting a roof over your head before you even look at the land? I can only wish you well.
I'm excited for you. Our experience of building & renovating would lead me to agree with other comments though. I remember well the excitement. But don't rush! We know you want to get started but there's lots of opportunities. You'll be amazed what else comes up now that you're looking. My advice - wait......for something that has at least one building that's semi liveable that you just need to renovate rather than starting from scratch, especially with a baby. Easy road access also to get equipment in & out. Roads swallow money, you want to spend your money on your land & home. Completely starting from scratch has the potential to halt any further travel plans I imagine, as your money will get eaten up. You could become disillusioned very quickly with nowhere to live & not able to travel as your money gets swallowed up. Learn from the van experience! It had a lot of hidden problems you never imagined. Try to foresee & eliminate those this time. Breathe, enjoy the journey, wait for the place you can't live without. It's there waiting for you.
Sage advice!
Wait.....for something that has at least one building that's semi livable... that you just need to renovate rather than starting from scratch, especially with a baby. It's not good for the three of you to live with so much stress all the time.
I was looking for land in the Scottish Highlands to build a property on. My Scottish uncle said look at the terrain, is it level, soil or rock, drainage, safety, access and away from land slip. Above all just remember you cannot live on the view only. Wise words.
Have you been following Mr. and Mrs. Adventure? They bought a place in the Algarve and are in the process of restoring/building their dream home there, and their posts are FULL of what they have learned.
Mr and Mrs Adventure (KZhead ) are doing exactly what you are in Portugal.
Both properties look great but I'm with a lot of other commenters here: don't buy a ruin. You have the shows Grand Designs or George Clarke's Remarkable Renovations that show you, when ever someone tries to do up a ruin, it ends up taking twice as long, and costs twice as much as they were expecting because there are ALWAYS unexpected problems. Start checking out places you can renovate rather than rebuild. The admin work alone in Portugal will be enough to make you happy you didn't buy a ruin. Second thing, if you are set on one of these properties, 25 acres of relatively flatter land is going to be WAY easier to manage than 8 acres of very steep land. Just be sure anything you build is above the "once in 100 year" flood line, as we know one in a million chance events happen 9 times out of 10 ^^
This is sparking all of the imagination! In a video, can you go over what weekly/ monthly life looks here? If you are doing construction, are you 2 hours from a hardware store or 30 min? Is there a hospital near by? How far are you from the airport? I am having a hard time grasping/ understanding the give and take decisions you are making
Living near a river, youneed to know if the land has ever flooded🤔. How can you clear massive acres? The most important question is can you get to a hospital inan emergency 😮. Its all so beautiful. Please choose very carefully. You have time. That perfect nearly ready home will be found and celecbrated. Best of luck to my favorite Beans❤❤❤
I think "The Kingfisher" has potential to be the name for the property!
I don’t know if you guys have crossed paths and may already be friends, but “Mr. and Mrs. Adventure” aka Brittany and Drew are doing this very thing now in Portugal. I think they may be an amazing resource for you to speak to on what they have encountered and how hard making a ruin livable may be. Whatever you choose, wishing you all the best! ❤️
interesting to see the Long Process of obtaining necessary Permits, the planning, developing the land, hiring the labor /developers. Before making your big decision , hopefully you guys sit down to consider this will be a long project taking yrs, requiring the necessary commitment , the patience, to see the project through, not easy when you also have a young infant. Good Luck
btw, do hire an expert to make 100% sure your land is not on any Historical site, the permit allows you to Tear Down existing 'Ruin' structure and rebuild the way you wanted, and to have access to the remote land, i've heard of horror stories of foreigners buying a piece of wonder land, only to find out later their neighbors wont grant them access to said land.
I think both of the proposed properties might be more than you both could chew!!!
Having at least one habitable structure on a piece of land should be a starting point. It saves you some time and money initially, and even if it’s a miserable place you would at least be on site to work on projects on the land and any structure improvements.
Definitely touch base with Mr and Mrs Adventure. They just bought an old water mill in Portugal. They hired an excavator guy, and he has already cleaned up their land so much and uncovered many terraces.
You should check to see if that river ever gets flooded. This is one setback for living close to water.
Get in touch with Brittany & Drew of Mr & Mrs Adventure. They seem like great people I am sure they’d love to have a chat with you! They are renovating an old water mill in Portugal and have done most of the process to at least give you helpful tips…good luck!
I'm thinking about moving to Portugal what's it like finding competent tradesmen there? I'm a UK house builder/developer completing a restoration on a secluded property in Lithuania. Here's a few things for you to consider .1. Ease of getting materials to site, inc the location of your nearest builders merchants and can you buy online and have it delivered? ( Driving 40 km to buy materials you hadn't planned on needing ( as is the case with ALL refurbs ) is a waste of resources particularly time ) 2. finding competent reliable tradesmen is paramount, don't go for the cheapest option it's a FALSE ECONOMY. The house/project that guy has found seems very romantic but it needs a ton of careful planning by an experienced pro to pull it off, or years of heartache and wasted money/time. just my penith worth. I wish you all well.
Good luck with land hunt we moved not to far from some of the shots in the video, a year ago,please take time to think the whole situation through, we are probably old enough to be your parents, however we have met lots of people here who have done what you are looking to do. We are very near to Gois and I would suggest that you have a tour around here and if you want come and have a coffee with two oldies and get may be a different prospective on living in this most beautiful part of Portugal,send us a message, as I write this 12 water planes have just passed us, hopefully only a training mission 4:25
Not on a training mission but a very big fire lousa
If you get the property with the waterfall then be sure to add hydro power as you could use the naturally falling water to power your home without destroying the view or environment.
Places like that will turn into a money pit, there is a reason for the lower prices. Just clearing the land every year will be thousands. Buy something smaller and manageable or you will regret.
Regarding your dream of raising your son on these properties - I think Noah will be at least about 10 or 12 years old before you will be able to live on either of them! To me, those aren't ruins, they're just a few walls left standing. It's going to take years and years to clear that land, build roads, build a house, and who knows how long it will take to go through all the red tape that Portugal is famous for before you can even start doing anything. My suggestion is to wait, do NOT jump into a project like this! Rent an apartment in a nice village or small city and get a feel for what it's like to live in Portugal before considering buying property. And if you do buy property, buy a house that is already liveable but might need some work. Starting from scratch on raw, overgrown land with a few walls where a house once was is insanity. If you two aren't millionaires who can dole out money to all the workers and craftspeople you'll need, the realities of taking this route will surely not turn out like your fantasies.
The land with the waterfall is gorgeous! But I would lose my mind trying to keep up with a little one around water that close to your home. The first property seems like he would have more freedom.
Ooh look green trees and a river and with land so cheap let's live here. That is the dream. Building a home with electricity, water, sewerage and tons more problems is reality. Tread carefully Beans as any slip now could result in hell in the future.
Which ever you pick, you could start out with a tiny home with solar panels and a Porta Potty that can be serviced, cheaper too buy your own new. Then you can work on your dream home and use it for a cottage later.
I'd suggest living in a village near where you want to buy first. Settle in, get to know folk; understand the lay of the land, and become part of the community, and only then look for a property to renovate. Local knowledge is so important. Imagine this in reverse, ie your Portuguese equivalents buying a remote ruin in this country, what advice would you give?
Build a tiny home built to look like a castle! The outer wall could be your defenses with the round towers. Um, waterfall? Yes please. And the view from the other property, wow. Better to have your house up a bit should the river ever flood a lot. Touch decision. I always wanted a waterfall. I do worry a lil bit though as you're not very handy and this is a massive undertaking which will get extraordinarily expensive quickly if you have to pay others to do the work. Both properties have trees, but does either have stone you can excavate and use? Is there proper ground for a septic and drain field? Has the water been tested? How far down is the water for a well? And can you get equipment TO the site to actually excavate and build it? How far away is the nearest grocery store and petrol station? Is there enough south facing clear view land for solar? Are there any rare creature habitats that would inhibit your building or clearing? Has a soil test been done? If so, how far down is rock? Hard to drill a well, septic, geothermal heating or foundations through a lot of rock. Frequency of fires in the area? Earthquakes? Will you have water rights to the river? Is the soil right for growing food or would you need a greenhouse? Availability of reliable, skilled contractors in the area? Are their build requirements such as house must be completed in 2 years? How much are the property taxes? How much snow or rain do they get as that can make getting to/from the property hazardous or impassible at times and does any part of the drive there flood? If you get 2 foot of snow, how far a distance would you have to plow? A 2 mile driveway won't be fun in that case. Lastly, as you have a child, how far is the nearest GOOD hospital? These are crucial things to know. What an epic undertaking, but how exciting at the same time!
Like your friends the Dubys, I'd look for some property with buildings in tact, even if you have to do some rehab. I'd also look for a less remote location.
07:32 you’ve either bought a kayak (as in purchased one), or you’ve brought a kayak with you. You can’t have bought a kayak with you. 14:22 don’t just look at these properties during the nice weather. What’s it gonna be like in the down season (presuming this isn’t a holiday home and you’re gonna be there 365 days of the year). Does a torrential down pour flood the property? What’s the already iffy “road” like when it’s wet?
Portugal doesn't look dry like Spain. That's a big plus!
I am so glad that you are taking your time and really thinking about it. You also have to think where you are going to live while you are building your house. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
They are beautiful properties but invasive mimosa and large areas of land to keep clear on top of building and the expense of being off grid... Very challenging. If you like to work very hard and have lots of money... Good luck!
Can't wait to see which one you get and watch the progress.