Casa Neroli

Things have been quite slow over the last few weeks; we have several email conversations with the architect about progress. I think they have been so busy with all the students starting the next year at the university and also getting the engineering projects completed. There are a lot to do and different people seem to be doing the various sections.

Finally today they advised that they now have all the projects completed and assembled and will be submitting them to the council today. Hurray! at last some progress. Of course I asked the usual question, how long, and got the usual 4-6 weeks. By now we know that you can add half as much again so probably 6-8 weeks.

All the time it’s people doing the work, we can of course push a bit, but when it comes to the council that’s it, it will take as long as it takes, we just have to be patient. That’s hard!

We kept in touch with Jules and Andy during the long cold winter months and the gap between last October/November till next Easter. We knew they were going to spend the Christmas period at their place, we were so jealous, so we kept email correspondence during the cold winter months. It was good to hear how their renovations were progressing.

What wasn’t so good to hear was the problems they had incurred during this time, when their little smart car had decided enough was enough and didn’t want to play anymore? I won’t go into the details here as that’s their life story and not ours, but just to say we will be catching up with them in the summer and listening to the experience so if we are ever unfortunate to fall foul of the same problems we might have an idea what to do.

The other benefit of keeping in touch is we could liaise on when we both possible visiting our respective properties, and whilst both families didn’t want to interfere with each other’s plans and life style it was nice if we could match up our visits for the occasion visit and story exchange and maybe just a beer or two.

We have made a lot of progress this year, especially when you think back to when this all started. The plan was 5 to 10 years and here we are at the end of Year 2 and we have the land and we have planning permission for the house, although we still are waiting on the final approval of all the little projects or Stage 2.

The pace has been good, not hurried, but always moving forward. In fact it has been a lot quicker that we anticipated, which keeps the excitement alive. Lets hope that 2013 will keep up the same pace, we don’t want to go much faster than this as we still need to get all funds in place. As we said right at the beginning of this project we do not want a mortgage, not do we really want to borrow any money to complete the project.

We have the majority of what we need and as long as we keep this pace and not any faster we will be on plan. Although we know that we still need to add some contingencies on top. You know that you will always need extra.

Our thoughts now are that maybe we can reduce the plan to 5 years, if we can get the final planning approval and get builders quotes in 2013, then that would mean 2014 for the build so we could be in during 2015/16. Well that’s where our minds are.

We hope that anyone reading this blog is finding it interesting or/and useful if you are going to attempt something similar. Please feel free to comment on the blog, especially if there is anything you would like to ask.

Lastly, we hope you have had a good Christmas and would like to wish you all great things for 2013.

All our love Ian & Teresa.

I know I have mentioned this before but as I am thinking about things, I certainly just wanted to mention again, if you are going to fly, book early, the earlier you book the cheaper you will get your flights. If you are able to be very flexible on what dates you travel and are not tied to the school holidays then there are some real bargains to be had, especially if you can travel midweek.

We have been tied into the school holidays because of Teresa’s work, but are seriously looking now at if we can get staff cover and go midterm and mid week to mid week. It makes that much difference.

Let’s try it in June as see if it works!

Success, the next bit completed Yay!

Just received an email from the architect we have just received formal approval from Fundão council for the architectual plans. That’s the main part of planing approval done.

The next Phase is all the smaller engineering projects to be put togther and be summited to the council. There is a project for each of the items like, electricity, gas, telephone. Water, dirty water etc.

The architect would be dealing with all of these and submit them as soon as they have all been prepared.

Onward!

We had arrived in the early hours of the morning; Marc and Mieke had waited up. We took a quick once around the apartment, found the bed and dived it for the night.

We arose the next morning and found the kettle and like all good Brits the tea was on. We had a much closer look around the apartment; we really have stuck gold here, it was very clean and well decorated and we had all the mod cons required for a holiday home and modern day living.

Just a general guide for information there was 3 bedroom areas, a large open area that included a living area with log burner and TV, a dining area, table, chairs etc all this plus a well-equipped kitchen. There was also a very nice bathroom with the usual amenities and a large walk in shower. The view on all sides was amazing you could see for miles. The whole apartment was on the upper or 1^st floor and accessed by a separate external staircase and door. So whilst above the owners we were completely separate.

The next stage was to see just how far away from our plot we were, the apartment was very much in the area that I suspected it was, but sometimes your mind plays tricks. No tricks here it took about 15-20 minutes across to our plot, and it was a very welcome sight as we pulled up outside the hut to see everything was all still there, not sure why it wouldn’t be but there you go.

After a visit into Fundão to the supermarket and a couple of hours trying to fine all the stuff we needed for a few days, as we do not what to be shopping, well for food anyway, everyday, it was back to the apartment.

The place just fitted the bill for what we needed. So back on the, if you do anything like this discussion, do look around for local people who rent out property it is certainly worth it. Much more relaxing and certainly saves a few bob.

Woohoo! Its time to set off again. Boy it just couldn’t come soon enough. Just for a week this time so we are flying again, Gatwick to Lisbon, pick up a car, then about two and a half hours across the country and we should be at the apartment by about 10:30pm.

Well that was the plan. Everything started off well, Gatwick was no problem, the flights no problem, negotiating Lisbon airport to get to the car hire no problem, but then the fun began.

Now you have to remember back to my earlier blogs about the electronic toll systems that Portugal has introduced and that the car hire companies hadn’t worked out how to incorporate it into their system / cars. Well I had read before travelling this time that Europcar had now sorted it and their cars are now fitted with the Via Verde transponders.

I guess you should also know, because it does have an impact on this story that I am not particularly over keen on fiat cars, they seem to have a strange, slightly off set seating position with the pedals that makes my back ache.  A lot of car hire companies and Europcar were no different use a lot of fiats.

We landed at about 8:30pm so as we knew where we were going at Lisbon airport, we were one of the first at the Car Hire desk. The first thing was, please it’s not a fiat is it? Yep you got it, it was, so after registering my protest, the assistant behind the desk agreed to change the car to a Peugeot, and it has got the transponder hasn’t it. Yes was the reply!

So after doing the paperwork we made out way to the pick up point. Handed our papers to the young lady to be told, “Huh, cars not back yet!” “When will it be back?” I asked, “Dunno”. Ok so off I go all the way back across the airport back to the car hire desk, pushing in front on the somewhat longer queue, I attracted the assistants eyes, and eventually they changed the details, upgrading me to a station wagon, now I don’t really want a bigger car, I just wanted a car with the transponder, but hey ho.

Back across to the pick up area, where there now was a very much longer queue, walking to the front, after all I was now a priority, I ran the wroth of a somewhat, irritated, rude English gentleman, who really had not got a grips of what was going on, but never mind eh! I am sure he was just tired.

Off the agent went, returning with a fairly newish Renault Megane Station Wagon, much to big for what we needed but hey ho! “It has got a transponder,” I enquired again. I had repeatedly mentioned this at the desk when doing the paper work. “ Of course” was the reply “and where would it be” I enquired, “just there look”, “where”, “there look”, “arrh, oops its doesn’t have one”. You could have guessed it couldn’t you, you just knew what was coming.

It was now getting on for 10:00pm and we still had about two and a half hours drive to a place we weren’t sure where it was. I managed to dig out Marc & Mieke telephone number and find a corner in the car park where I could get a phone signal. I called and explained what was happening and they very understanding and said they would wait up.

Eventually after another 30 minutes and another change of car, this time to a Volkswagen golf estate, we were off, complete with luggage and yes a transponder.

We did the trip across to the Beira region, that’s where our plot and the apartment are, turning off the motorway around 1:00am.

Now we just had to find the apartment, in the dark, with no streetlights, they seem to turn them off at around midnight.

Well to cut an even longer story short, I amazed Teresa, by finding our way to the apartment, which was in the middle of nowhere in the dark. I had remembered certain key points from the area when we were looking for properties a year or so before. I have to be honest, I amazed myself as well and I guess a certain amount of luck played a hand as well.

We were still very unsure about the planning process in Portugal, the one thing we did know was it was different to the UK. We had several discussions with both the architect and the estate agents and whilst we thought we had the main process in mind, we were still unsure on the detail.

Earlier in the year we had finalised the plans of the house and where we wanted to locate it. However this was just between us and the architect and maybe a bit of the builder. The next part of the process was to get the plans summited to council for planning approval. The architect handled all of this as part of the contract. The first stage was to get the architectural design approved; the council would be looking at the size of the house, location, and facilities.

The architect advised that this would probably takes around 4 weeks, so in our mind we allowed 6-8 weeks, but we would need to keep reminding the architects as it was very busy for them at this time of year, with all the students at the university.

During the run up to the submission we still had a few questions, some seemed trivial but we felt this is our house, our project so if we are unsure we will ask. Don’t care if people think, why are they asking this, I am going to ask.

Today September 19^th 2012 the plans were finally submitted to Fundão City Council.

Now we just need to sit and wait.

It was time to get organised for the next trip. We had already arranged the flights, way back in March. If you ever do anything like this, always remember that airlines, particularly the budget ones, and the earlier you book the cheaper the seats. Although at the time of writing I think even the national airlines are operating this way now.

Part of the fun of the whole project is arranging the trips, its great to be able to go several times a year, although still restricted by the amount of annual leave I can take from work. I guess I am fortunate as well in my job that I can plan my destiny and I have a very understanding boss.

We always know when we are going, usually because we have to plan around Teresa’s job, being in education so keep a constant eye on the airlines websites for the flights being released, they are usually around 6 months before. So if you can, use this little tip, it will save you a fortune on flight costs.

Following on from our thoughts on accommodation, we contacted Marc and Mieke at Quinta Ponta Nova and the apartment was available on the dates that we were planning, so we booked, paying a deposit at the time and the balance just two weeks before travelling. Both transactions tested my skills at Google translate and using a totally Portuguese web site. Earlier in the year I had managed to transfer money from the UK to the Bank account in Portugal, but now I had to transfer money out.

The challenge was made even more interesting as the account I had to transfer into was a Belgium account, so Euros to Euros but still an international transfer. Plus Montepio (Portuguese Bank) also seemed to have separate links for International transfers, transfers in Portugal from one Bank to another and yet another link for internal to Montepio.

Google translate was great but still didn’t really tell me which one to use, I need a second opinion, so once again I used the aid of the great people at Remax. Several emails later and I had it cracked, the money was transferred and confirmation from the people at Quinta Ponta Nova that the money had got into their account.

Hey I am getting good at this stuff!  Better not get over confident though eh!

The exchange rate to the Euro was quite good at this time and we knew that we would soon have to start paying out fees etc. to the architect and maybe others, plus it would make life easier when we were over there to be able just to go to the cash dispenser and get cash without having to think about exchange rates all the time.

So it was time to give World First a go again. For some strange reason I was more nervous about doing this time, why was that? I wasn’t going to transfer as much as before and it was to my own account, maybe just because I hadn’t used our new Portuguese Bank account yet and this was the first transaction. Oh! Well its only money! Yes but its my (oops our) money.

It might also be that although we could get access online from the UK with no problem, the banks site is entirely in Portuguese so everything we did had to be processed via Google translate. Also World First had just released a totally online exchange process, which would give a better rate if used.

I needn’t have worried, the whole process from arranging the transaction at World First, paying the bill from my UK Bank account to seeing the Euros appear in our Montepio Account went as smooth as silk, and only took two days.

I guess the point from this blog, is take your time, check everything as you go, use a language translator. Google is great for this. Oh! I never thought I would say this, but thank goodness for Google. No they didn’t pay me for that, yet!!!