Algarve, Espiche, Portugal

This Portuguese village house in the centre of the pretty village of Espiche has been stripped back to bare walls ready to either renovate into a beautiful little house with garden or to begin construction of a stunning 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house of 136m², spread over 3 levels with a rooftop plunge pool, off-road parking and ample terraces.

The existing property is on a slope, with the main ruin (measuring 51 m²) at the top of the plot and a small single room ruin (16m²) down steps on the lower part of the plot. The main ruin would make a lovely one-bedroom cottage, whilst the smaller ruin could be used as a BBQ house or laundry/ utility room. Given the slope of the land, it would be easy to install a small above ground pool that would blend nicely into the garden.

The 2 sections of outdoor space (upper and lower) give a nice amount of potential garden area and the property faces south, so has a lovely sunny position. There's a gate for direct access into the garden from the street. The main entrance into the upper ruin is directly off the street, where there is ample parking.

Renovation of the property without making any external changes to the existing house can generally be done without the need for an architectural project. However, if you would like to construct a brand new stunning property, there is already a superb, approved architectural project to build a spacious house. The project consists of an open-plan kitchen/ dining/ living room with a high ceiling and lots of light, plus access to generous terraces. There is also 1 split-level bedroom with access to the lower part of the garden, plus an adjacent bathroom on the ground floor. Upstairs is the master suite with private bathroom and a large balcony. There's access to an external staircase from the hallway, leading to the roof terrace, complete with a plunge pool and a sun-bathing area surrounded by shrubs and flowers. From this level, there are superb views over the rooftops. The project also includes solar panels for hot water, plus under-floor heating in both bedrooms, the living room and bathrooms, and air-conditioning in all three rooms. There is also provision for outside irrigation for all plants.

The property is in the centre of the village and is easy walking distance to cafés, bars and restaurants. There is a mini-market and a municipal market in Espiche, as well as a primary school and skate park. It's just a 3-minute drive to the beach in Luz and the much bigger town of Lagos is just a short 5-minute drive away.

This is the perfect opportunity to build your own home in Portugal! It's a nice plot if you just want to rebuild without using the project, or alternatively add your own personal touch to the stunning approved project drafted by a well known architect.