# big basements/empty ground floors



## caju (May 11, 2015)

Hi all.

I'm at the beginning of looking at properties in central Portugal, and noticed that so many seem to have these big empty storage spaces on the ground floor or basement. Is this a thing there? Is there any reason why more people don't convert it into living space (or any reason why I couldn't do so myself?)


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Your house will need to have been granted a habitation license so you may inhabit it, this will also dictate how many square meters of habitation your house has. In traditional build the lower floor is storage/animal stalls, wine cellar, winter food storage so often without windows, traditional build is stones "balanced" on stones and is wider at the base and thinner at the eves, if you want to remove supporting stones from the ground floor to give window you will need to - somehow - structurally support all the stonework + roof above. The game called Jenga will show you the result if you are not extremely careful, the skill of this work has/is being lost as modern houses do not use this construction method.


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## robc (Jul 17, 2008)

caju said:


> Hi all.
> 
> I'm at the beginning of looking at properties in central Portugal, and noticed that so many seem to have these big empty storage spaces on the ground floor or basement. Is this a thing there? Is there any reason why more people don't convert it into living space (or any reason why I couldn't do so myself?)


There are a number of potential reasons for this. as strontrium says plus below.
It may be that they have not declared this area as habitable space and therefore no Property tax is paid.
The local authority may not have granted any planning approval for habitation but it is used anyway.
It may be storage or used occasionally for Festas.
Best thing is to ask the questions before progressing too far.

Rob


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## caju (May 11, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. Using an entire floor for storage just seems like such a waste of space. Even without windows I'd rather convert it to a guest suite or a big games/tv room, or something like that.

The thing about habitable area makes sense, I guess I'll have to look into how difficult it is to alter that with the local authorities.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

If the property is on the street, it may have been intended as a possible shop. 

As far as storage is concerned, many Portuguese properties, like those over the border in Spain used to have horreos - outside stores above ground where foodstuffs were stored. These were usually above ground supported on stone/concrete mushrooms to prevent rats and other vermin climbing up and eating the stored food stuffs.

Qué es un hórreo


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Traditional ground floor tends to have earthen floors and the whole house is build with no insulation, ie solid walls, wooden supported first floor, (wood not sealed so moisture can absorb and evaporate), closed T+G ceilings and non-sealed gabled roof. The doors don't seal, the walls need on-going maintenance of lime based filler or they will collapse - the whole structure can breathe so cold damp walls, floors, woodwork can loose their moisture, *if you not very careful and you seal* the ground floor windowless rooms then moisture cannot evaporate/disperse, the moisture and the black mold of winter which adorns damp places will take hold of walls, soft furnishings and clothes. Any wood within this sealed area will absorb and remain damp and above 11% moisture wood worm will thrive and wet rot will flourish. Once you have wood worm in the supporting timbers of the floor then they're no longer supporting timbers. In your property search in Central Portugal go have a look at a few traditionally built stone houses which are classed as " projects" but beware of standing on any of the wood.


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## Maggy Dampier (Jun 12, 2018)

We know two couples who had the bright idea of digging down to create more height in their lower storage rooms. Both had severe water ingress due to lack of tanking and one even has to run a pump constantly to prevent their living room being flooded. Beware.


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