Built properly, for the Atlantic climate.
Damp and mould are common in Portuguese homes. Ours are built to stay dry, healthy and comfortable all year.
Walls made for the Atlantic.
Eight layers, mostly wood fibre. Warm in winter, cool in summer, and open to vapour, so the wall stays dry.
- 1Gypsum-fibre board. fermacell, 12.5 mm. The solid inner wall.
- 2Wood-fibre insulation. STEICOflex, 50 mm. A service layer for cables and pipes.
- 3Air gap. 10 mm.
- 4Gypsum-fibre board. fermacell, 12.5 mm. Stiffens the frame.
- 5Smart membrane. STEICOmulti renova. A smart, airtight layer: it lets damp dry out of the wall, but stops it getting in.
- 6Timber frame + wood fibre. STEICOflex, 120 mm, between timber studs.
- 7Wood-fibre board. STEICOspecial dry, 60 mm. Weather-resistant, vapour-open.
- 8Breathable render. Sto-Decosit K, 2 mm.
- Insulation
- U-value 0.17 W/(m²K): how little heat passes through the wall. Lower is better.
- Moisture
- No condensation inside the wall.
- Summer heat
- About 14 hours for the day's heat to come through.
Healthy to live in, every day.
Fresh air all year
Ducted HVAC with heat recovery brings in fresh air and keeps the warmth. Clean walls, with nothing hanging on them. Triple-glazed windows.
A chef's kitchen
Professionally planned by a chef with 20 years' experience: the layout, the storage, the way a real cook works.
Natural materials
Floors in real wood, stone or local tiles. Worktops in local granite and quartz, which do not stain like marble.
Small things, every day
Smart storage solutions and thoughtful details, planned around how you really live.
About wood-frame homes.
Is the wood treated with chemicals?
No. The frame is compressed structural timber, low in sap, which is what attracts termites. A protective seal runs around the base of the frame, and a termite barrier sheet covers the foundation.
What about damp and mould?
The wall is breathable: moisture can move out instead of being trapped. The wall calculation shows no condensation inside it, which is what stops damp and mould.
Will it be hot in summer?
The wood fibre holds the heat back: the day's heat takes about 14 hours to come through the wall. By then it is night, and cool outside again.
How long does a wood-frame home last?
Built properly and kept dry, as long as a masonry house. Our frame partner gives a 30-year structural warranty.