After the pandemic, I found this small countryside house in a charming and tiny village called Cortém, just 8 minutes away from my town Caldas da Rainha (Silver Coast, Portugal). After flipping a few properties, I finally found my next design project. This house is now for sale.
Coming from those years working as a 3D visualizer, building a "real life" project from the investor side truly is a different rush. Every penny counts, every decision matters and a mistake can't just be erased on photoshop.
The house was closed for many years. The previous owners (and the owners before) started to work on it more than 10 years ago - there was a "new" roof (but already with bug problems), windows and front door so I tried to use what was already available, even if it wasn't my first choice of models.
The main changes I made on the main structure were:
· Take down the kitchen wall so it created an open-space areawhere you can cook while looking at the view;
· Use the total height from the high ceilings and beams exposed (the previous owners were going to build a conventional ceiling - as seen in the photos);
· Build a mezzanine with a small closet in the tiny room that had no natural light;
· Build a second private bathroom in the big bedroom.
· Create a balcony in the big bedroom instead of stairs connecting the house to the main road.
This is the result.
