# Looking for building engineer around Caldas da Rainha



## Ahimsa.yoga (Sep 25, 2019)

Hey team, 
Im very new to this forum! I was hoping someone could give me some advice or has had a good experience with a Building engineer around Caldas da Rainha. We are looking at purchasing an old ruin and would love some peace of mind that the roof won’t come crashing down anytime soon. 
Thanks in advance, 
Bennie


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Hi,

Generally for domestic buildings there is no such thing as a Building engineer, if you are buying a ruin then no one can guarantee the structure. The accepted practice with old dilapidated buildings which have habitation license or exemption is to get a builder to "have a look and comment". If you want a full structural survey of a building which didn't have any structural calculations when it was conceived but was built to the local conventional standard by locals you will get what you asked for, an expensive but pointless survey with caveats
saying the method of construction does not comply with modern standards so no guarantee can be supplied..


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## Ahimsa.yoga (Sep 25, 2019)

Hi Strontium, 

Thanks for the reply. So the house or houses we are looking at are habitable they are far from ruins more just very run down and I need of renovations. 
I am a joiner by trade so most things I will do myself it’s just the structural aspects that I’d like a second opinion on. 
Roof and load bearing walls for example. 
I’m just looking for a contact that I can have a bit of a chat with and explain the project. 
Thanks again, 
Bennie


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Hi,
The age of the construction is an indication of the regulations (or not) in force when constructed. A habitation licence is granted if the house is old or conforms to the regulations when constructed. The "land registry" which your lawyer should be able to access and print off the article numbers you are interested in will give you all the available details, later houses need to have listed all the significant work and who did what, builders are registered here so only a registered ie qualified builder may do certain work and it is recorded on the paperwork . If a construction or significant rebuild is recent then the "local council" would need to have issued it as a "project" and this is also available. If, however, the building is older then it is granted a habitation license irrespective of how it was built, the majority of older country buildings inland from Caldas use field stone (stones from a field) with mud infill/pointing then later on lime mortar infill/pointing and usually no foundations. Traditional roof is ridge - load beam from gable end to gable end and untreated wood from beam to outer wall with tiles on top and no board or felt. The room ceilings are wood and sealed to keep the "attic space" vented to the outside but not he inside, so often there is no access to the attic space so no way of looking at the underside of the roof construction.


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## Ahimsa.yoga (Sep 25, 2019)

Hi strontium,
Once again thanks for the info. It’s much the same in New Zealand regarding registered builders. I am more so planing small alterations nothing major more internal renovations. What do you do job wise....


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Previously building then installing stuff mainly for one off research projects in University labs but also in the real world of solar panels. wind generators, water source heat pumps, renewables - diesels running on veg oil -methane for electricity generation from bio waste etc. But today I'm trying to plan a reroof of a set of 1950s wooden garages 10m by 5 m with maybe some rot in the roof structure but hidden under 20 yea rold layers of roofing felt nailed to the original pitched slate roof.


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