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Your house in winter.
What the Algarve does to a home while you're not there — and why the damage you find in March was decided in October.
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Most owners come back in March and find the same things: a patch of mould in a bedroom, a stain under a window, paint lifting on the side that faces the sea, a terrace that let water through. It looks like winter did it.
It didn't. Rain only finds what was already open: a hairline crack nobody filled, a hole where a satellite bracket used to be, paint that was applied over a damp wall, a terrace membrane that was patched rather than replaced. Winter is the test. The result was decided before you left.
The most expensive houses we see are not the neglected ones. They are the ones that were fixed quickly and cheaply, several times — a plaster on the wound, every year, until the wound is the whole wall. This guide is about not being that house.
On the left, what sun, salt and damp do to exposed render: paint lifting, lichen on the cap. On the right, the same chimney after treatment: lichen killed, loose paint off, render repaired, primed and repainted. Villa, Algoz.
What's in it
What the winter actually does — and why the damage was decided in October
The eight things you find in March, each with what you see, why, and what it costs if you wait
The winter check: thirteen things to do or have someone do — a page to print and hand over
What can wait until spring, what can't, and the one item that is a safety matter
Written by the people who repair it
We are a painting and restoration company in Albufeira. Most of our spring work is repairing what was done quickly the year before — which is how we know what to look for. The guide is what we would tell you if we walked around your house together.
Found something on the list?
Send us a photo on WhatsApp or by email. You'll get a straight answer, and a fixed price if it needs one.
- One fixed price, agreed before we start
- A confirmed start date and handover date
- One contact person, from quote to handover
- A photo update every working day
- A clean handover — floors, furniture and terraces protected
- A written guarantee on workmanship
Found something on the list that worries you? Send us a photo. You'll get a straight answer, and a fixed price if it needs one.
Download the guide (PDF)