Caratão Village, Arganil, Portugal

Caratão Village

This property is perfect for a B & B, family home or a country getaway haven.

The furniture was made especially for this house and we prefer to sell it as a package, but if the buyer desires, the house can be sold without furniture.

 General House Construction

The house was designed by architect Lionel Baptista, and rebuilt from three Xist ruins.

When the house was purchased four years ago, the reconstruction had been recently completed. The inside was only a ‘shell’. The new owners installed everything, so all the equipment, systems, appliances and most of the furnishings in the house are new and of the highest quality available.

They personally designed the interior of their home so that the outside (the forest) was brought into the inside. Even the smallest details have all been lovingly created to bring the feeling of nature. Though this house is Schist, unlike most Schist houses in Central Portugal, it’s not rustic or dark. Nor is it stark ultra modern.  The style would be considered modern, but very comfortable and unique. All the rooms face south and have many large windows, so the house is always filled with an abundance of natural light. Like the surrounding forest, this home captures the feeling of peace, quiet and calm.  They call it ‘Bringing Nature Indoors’.

Most of the wood furniture has been designed by the owners and fabricated by German, Scottish and Portuguese carpenters, using mostly aged Chestnut, some Northern Pine and various other woods, in order to create ‘one of a kind’ pieces. Much of the lighting, fixtures, etc. have been designed (or enhanced) by the owners. The iron work was done by an authentic English blacksmith.

There are three bedrooms – one is currently being used as an office.  There is the possibility of building a fourth bedroom (the area of which has been set up with electric outlets).

They have seen many homes over the past four years and can honestly say that there is none other like theirs in Portugal. Though they’ve done their best to capture the most important elements for you to view, this house must be visited in order to fully appreciate its’ lovely character and charm.

House Interior

Windows

The entire house has a double window system. The outer windows are double paned PVC and the inner windows are double paned wood. The PVC windows have premium UV glass (to protect the inner wood windows from the sun).

The double installed window system prevents any drafts or loss of heat in the winter.

There are custom made wood screen windows in the bedrooms, living room, office, hallway and bathrooms.

The bedrooms have custom made wood shudders on all windows.

Doors

 The outer doors are PVC.  The inner doors are wood. Custom made wood screens are on the front and side entrance doors. Side entrance has a specially made sealer (imported from Germany) on the bottom of the door which fits snugly to the floor, to prevent drafts.

Inside Water Containment

The floors have an insulation system that prevents water seepage into the house through the ground floors.

Air Insulation

The house walls have an outer and inner wall, with space between the two walls, providing air space insulation.

Heating

There is central heat with radiators in every room.  The water is heated by a pellet boiler located in the non attached casita.  The boiler can be programmed to turn off and on at various times of the day/night. It also has a remote over-ride system so that the heat can be turned off as you desire. The casita is also heated from this system.

The back-up heat system is a large wood burning stove located in the living room. It’s a stylish modern design with glass panels in the front and back. This stove heats the top two levels of the house.

The thick Schist walls and insulated roof keep the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Water

The primary system is electric (150 gallon water tank) and the back up system is a gas boiler. This ensures that if you lose electricity, you still have hot water. Both boilers are located in the casita (detached from the house).

Gas

Gas is used for the back-up water boiler and the kitchen stove top. The gas system is run by a large gas cylinder, with a secondary large back-up cylinder, which ensures you never run out of gas.

Two large gas cylinders are stored in an outdoor enclosed storage room, located approximately three meters from the house.

Electrical System

The house has a centrally installed surge system that protects the house and appliances from damage due to electrical surges (which are frequent in Portugal).

Important Additional Information

Unlike many houses and properties in Portugal, this house and property is completely legal. Everything was done with permits so there will never be unexpected legal surprises (such as fines, orders to remove your construction, etc.) from the Camara (town hall).

Surrounding Area

The house is located in a very small valley surrounded by mountains. There is very little traffic on the ‘main’ road above, as there are very few people living in this area. The small cobblestone road that comes into our valley veers off the main road and ends at our house.

In this valley, there are three other schist houses, but currently, they are the only persons living here full time.  This valley is a legally protected area and surrounded mostly by pine forest. If you follow the water stream (which runs along the side and front of our home) a few hundred meters up the cobblestone road, you will find a small chapel, the village cultural museum, waterfalls and pools of water with calla lilies. There are many walking trails through the woods.

It is a 20 minute walk (5 minute drive) to a close village, where there are cafes, summer festivals and a public river beach.

Gois is a 15 minute drive and Arganil (slightly larger than Gois) is an18 minute drive. They both have a river beach, large supermarkets, banks, restaurants and all amenities.

Arganil also has a weekly outdoor market and a large complex with indoor pool, sauna, steam and small movie theatre.

There is a significant Expat community in these villages.

Driving time to the city of Coimbra is about 45 minutes. Porto is about 1 ½ hours to the north and Lisbon is about 2 ½ hours to the south. The ocean beach of Figuera do Foz is about 1 ¼ hours west.