Building permit

Why did it take so long to obtain the building permit for your Boutique Guesthouse-Moncarapacho with swimming pool and two rental accommodations in Portugal? We often received this question. We have now started construction and hope to be ready by summer 2025!

Why did it take so long to build our Guesthouse here in the Algarve? Is your land perhaps not building land but agricultural land? Do you want to build more than is actually allowed?

Nope, none of that. We tried to do everything neatly and everything was sorted out by our lawyer before the purchase and we were allowed to build on this land. It wasn't all about that. Then what? Do you have a minute?

Corona
During the entire process we suffered a lot from the Corona measures. The approach here in Portugal has been very strict. Sometimes we were not even allowed to go from our own municipality to another municipality to prevent contamination between the villages.

The municipality of Olhao was closed to the public for a long time and therefore communication between our architect and the architects of the municipality was very difficult. Our architect was also difficult for us to reach. As a self-employed person, he was extremely afraid of getting Corona.

Our experience here in Portugal is that in general communication here is best when you meet someone in person. Emails and WhatsApp are often not opened and contact by telephone is also not optimal due to the language!

Photo: Maarten and architect at Olhao town hall

Alojamento Local
In Portugal you must have a permit to rent out, the so-called Alojamento Local or AL. You will see a sign with AL on every rental accommodation. Starting an Alojamento Local, renting out our two accommodations, was also our intention. Until this new fire safety law suddenly presented itself!

Fire safety
In the meantime, a new fire safety law was introduced. This had quite a few consequences. Not only did we have to take all kinds of new laws and regulations into account, but no one knew exactly what happened. Not the architect and not the municipality. There were simply no officials who understood it. That did not make much progress and this created a backlog in assessing the submitted building permits.

Due to this same law regarding fire safety, we suddenly had to stay 30 meters from the road and 30 meters from our neighbors at the back. However, our plot is only 30 meters deep! So a solution had to be urgently sought.

Problemos
Our creative and inventive architect decided that we should become a kind of hotel/country house, either rural tourism or agrotourism, also called Casa do Campo. Then 10 meters, instead of 30 meters, would be sufficient. An additional advantage was that we were allowed to build more than normal with a normal AL!

If the architect had said that we could only build a house consisting of three cubes, we would have said yes. After years of waiting for the building permit and living in our caravan on our land, we would have happily agreed to everything!

Photo: the first submitted design was too modern for a Casa do Campo

First request
Our first application for the building permit was rejected because our construction plan was too modern for a Portuguese country house/hotel. Not surprising, we didn't even know at the time that we were becoming a Casa do Campo or running a hotel! Our design was too modern for a rural country house. A few other requirements were also missing.

Casa do Campo
When we got home we immediately googled "Casa do Campo". What had we actually said yes to? Loosely translated, Casa do Campo is a large country house/hotel in the countryside.

Turismo, rural, agriturismo are forms of tourism that make use of the typical qualities of rural areas such as agricultural activity, tranquility, space and small scale. But also that you offer regional products and hotel services, for example.

A few weeks later, the consequences of the Casa do Campo also became visible on the architect's new drawing. We were richer with a real reception and a lockable suitcase room for the suitcases of departing guests. Or poorer, another extra 10 m2!

The biggest joke is that much later we received a letter from the municipality of Olhao stating that our plot was not covered by this new fire safety law. All the extra work and efforts for nothing, unfortunately there was no way back then. Anyway, whoever says A must also say B!

We're going for it, we're going for our own hotel. The two rental accommodations will be luxurious, chic, modern, comfortable and cozy, just as our guests are used to at home. And if possible, with your own workplace.

Photo: architect after his serious motorcycle accident

Request an extension
Well, and we haven't even mentioned our self-employed architect, who has a serious motorcycle accident! Two arms and a leg broken.

Then we had to request a postponement from the municipality and everything was at a standstill for more than 5 months because the architect was unable to change the drawings. The second amended building plan was therefore not submitted until July 2022. And then he was on the top boss's desk for another 5 weeks to be signed.............!

Although rejected again on September 21, 2022, we now knew exactly which 7 (administrative) points needed to be corrected. After a telephone conversation with our architect and the architect from the municipality, we had the idea that we would now be very close to the architectural building permit.

Our architect submitted the drawings again on October 17, 2022 and unfortunately we had to wait until May 2023! Fortunately this time it was approved. The architectural building permit has been obtained. We can build, but first we have to take the technical drawings to the municipality for approval):

Photo: Casa do Campo worthy

Technical building permit
You may only submit the technical drawings once the architectural permit has been granted. In order not to incur additional delays, we commissioned the architect to have these technical drawings made in October 2022.

These were ready exactly on time (after a lot of pushing and pulling on our part!). The technical drawings of our engineers were immediately submitted to the municipality of Olhao at the beginning of June 2023. Unfortunately, after four months I haven't heard anything at all):

November 2023 message from the architect. Unfortunately, the technical drawings have not been fully approved. There is a section missing on the thermal plan. It turns out, according to the engineer, that two years ago this thermal plan was no longer a requirement for the municipality.

But yes, sometimes people do ask for it, according to the engineer. Well, that doesn't make any difference, I should have made it immediately just to be sure! We've had this happen before. Often something is not done out of a kind of economy, while this delay costs us so much more time, money, energy and annoyance.

The worst thing is that both Maarten and our contractor already indicate to the engineer before handing in in June 2023 that this project also needs to be handed in. Anyway, you think: they will know it, it will make you tired!

January 2024
And then suddenly on January 4, completely unexpected during this holiday and public holiday period, the redeeming phone call from our architect. Everything has been approved.

WE GET TO START BUILD!
Almost surreal and unbelievable after almost three years of waiting. Now the contractor has to go to the municipality to submit his contractor papers and the blue book. If these are in order, the contractor will be given permission to build our Guesthouse. Construction will start in February 2024, we thought! But even now the municipality of Olhao managed to keep the tension going until the end.

Photo: Maarten with the blue book

Maarten had put a manual signature on one of the papers and the architect a digital one. Well, of course that's not possible. A few extra weeks! Anyway, on March 13, everything was found to be in order. The groundbreaking will probably take place on April 1, 2024, and that's no joke! We want to open in the summer of 2025, bem vindo or be welcome!

Photo: the construction agreement was signed here

And then things suddenly go fast. The construction agreement has been signed together with our contractor Dima. We paid the first invoice and a week later this large excavator arrived on our site! Yes, after waiting three years for the building permit, we started on Wednesday March 27, 2024, even a little earlier than planned!

If you want to see how construction is progressing, click here ! If you want to see what offers we already have for our future guests, click on attractive offers .

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