"Old fashioned houses are the only field in which the past still has future"
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As far as the the roof support is concerned, the architectonic and structural solution found was to use pinewood roof truss in form of a triangle build in the old fashioned way with metallic joints, hold by concrete colums built on purpose. Thus avvoiding any resistent function of the external walls, which is a fundamental condition to be able to use them again. The reason we insist on using this kind of walls is they are made of a material resistant to thermal bridges, offering great confort at the inside, in winter as well as in summer. At the inside, the existing box between the fibre-cement roof tiles and the roof truss in form of a triangle were used to apply a thermal insultaion extruded polyestirene, that was in turn covered with wood.





Details of the Cupboard/ wardrobe/bed. It was an architectonic solution to try to concentrate these elements in only one place of the house, so as to solve the problem of such limited space. And we were able, in spite of the lack of space to provide for a kithchen and large living-room and bedroom.


 
Another architectonic solution, but in this case in order to try to solve the luminosity and ventilation, was the introduction of small holes with tilting glass brick windows.
 

Detail of the inside of the kitchen. In this area near the new window (as you can see), the typical double benches were introduced.  



To use the proper materials in this kind of rehabilitation is of extreme importance so as to be able to rehabilitate without adulterating.
It was difficult to find two old and symmetric stones to built the double benches. So we built two new stones completely simmetric that were then aged. The kitchen was decorated with handicraft and rustic tiles; the taps were purchased, recuperated and then applied. Old stones were used in the kithchen working bench. It is important to say that this kind of adpatation of new furniture to relatively heavy and irregular stones is not always easy to do. The external windows used follow the traditional architecture and are made of painted wood. The wood used in these cases is of extreme importance and is necessary to avvoid using woods that are not fit for the outside.



Detail of the existing building for storage and dog-house.

Detail of the rebuilding of the existing shed covered with tiles, beign transformed into a study. We would like to mention the way the design of the stone windows of the main house were reproduced, now in mortar, whitewashed in the colour of the foundation of the wall. 		 

(C)2002 Paulo Jones Lda
  "Casas de Portugal" Magazine - Photographer Nuno Martinho

  
   
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