As we write this post, we are in the first week in September.
We had just completed our sit near Batalha and were looking after our friends daughter and house-sitting as they went off on a motorcycle club meet-up in the Algarve.
Early in the week we dropped off the kitchen sink and some sockets at the architects warehouse, and the next day met the architects at the build site. Unfortunately, there are more delays with the house build. There are some issues with getting hold of the sub-contractors for the first-fix electrics. By this stage we had hoped that first-fix electrics and plumbing would be completed, but alas no. The architect is as frustrated as we are. Probably even more so as they have several projects on the go.
So, for now we remain digital and House-sitter nomads! We don’t mind too much though, these things seem to be normal in Portugal, so we really try hard not to let the delays on the build get us down too much.
Actually, it has been quite a busy week with loads happening to take our mind off the house. We met up with a couple who we could potentially sit for on occasions. We met the at their (and our) favourite cake shop, Atelier de Doce. They also brought along the two most gorgeous golden retrievers (Cooper and Sonny). They even have their own instagram page! They are a lovely couple, so we hope to see them again soon.
We even had time to have a cultural day out in Leiria and a walk around the village of Monte Real. The latter has a thermal spa and was quite a lovely walk, but lots of flies!
Wayne was also contacted by a young ex work colleague Matty, who had kept in touch through LinkedIn, and was bravely traveling all around Europe on his motorcycle. He had traveled all through France and the Alps making his way to the eastern part of Spain where we had dipped his toes in the Mediterranean and was heading to Nazaré to dip his toes in the Atlantic and see the big waves. The latter unfortunately, didn’t appear. It’s the wrong time of the year really, but he did walk along the beach! Matty is only in his twenties, so to do all that travelling on his own is quite inspiring!
We did get to meet up in the end too. And there were bikers galore, as our friends were heading off to a club meet-up in the Algarve and two of their friends turned up to join the trip south too.
Even though we were now back at Alcaria with our friends daughter, we hadn’t entirely left the previous sit near Batalha. They were not due to return until after the weekend, so we drove back on a couple of the days to feed the animals, water the garden and just give it another tidy up and get them some supplies before they arrived back. We are also getting some walking in again, and loving being able to take the dogs for a walk. There is also lots of cats at the Alcaria house. Only one is the “house” cat, but they feed all the others too, never a dull moment.
So, we are sorry there is not much to report on the house build, but we have made a decision to include a ventilation system. It was a difficult decision though, cause we are running out of money! But we thought long and hard…
There were many reasons why we decided to fit a MVHR system in our home though. Here are some of the most important ones to us:
* **Improved indoor air quality:** MVHR systems help to remove pollutants, allergens, and other harmful particles from the air, which can improve respiratory health and reduce the risk of allergies and asthma.
* **Energy efficiency:** MVHR systems can help to reduce energy costs by recovering heat from the stale air. This can be especially beneficial in cold months, where the heat from the stale air can be used to pre-heat the incoming fresh air.
* **Comfort:** MVHR systems can help to maintain a consistent temperature and humidity level in a building, which can improve comfort and reduce the risk of condensation and mold growth.
* **Reduced noise pollution:** MVHR systems are designed to operate quietly, which can help to reduce noise pollution in a building.
* **Longer lifespan of building materials:** MVHR systems can help to extend the lifespan of building materials by reducing the moisture content in the air. This can help to prevent mold growth and damage to wood, drywall, and other materials.
* **Reduced CO2 emissions:** MVHR systems can help to reduce CO2 emissions by improving the efficiency of heating and cooling systems.
In addition to these benefits, MVHR systems can also help to:
* Reduce the risk of sick building syndrome.
* Improve the performance of an air conditioning system if ever we need one.
* Extend the lifespan of heating and cooling systems.
* Reduce the amount of dust and dirt in the air.
We were looking for ways to improve the ventilation in our home, and we have read that a MVHR system is a good option to consider. It offers a number of advantages over traditional ventilation systems and can help to improve our health, comfort, and energy efficiency.
We are looking to make the house as close to a passive house as we can.
The ways that Portuguese fit there doors with stone sils is still a question mark for us in the air tightness factor, but they assure us it works and to trust the process, so that’s what we are doing.
We will probably be broke at the end of this build, but we should be comfortable all year round and should only have minimal energy bills! 😂😂
Thats all for this post. Thanks so much for reading if you got this far.
Hopefully we will have more news about the build progress soon.
Our Portuguese Life 