Town House with Large Garden

Granite town house with large garden for updating near Tondela. Suitable for B&B.

This imposing house is located on the main road between Tondela and Campo. Originally the ground floor to the front of the property would have been a small shop, today is serves as a store room. The property is in good order but does need updating, i.e. new kitchen and bathrooms. The ground floor areas could be rearranged to provide further accommodation.

Accommodation:
The ground floor is currently divided into several areas including the "shop" at the front, there is also a large wine cellar and 2 other sections, small garden room and wc. The first floor has, hall large kitchen, dining room/sun room sitting room with fireplace, bathroom, 3 double bedrooms, stairs to the second floor with 3 further bedrooms.

Outside, the garden has several mature trees, fruit trees, citrus etc. Garage and store area, small cottage which has a separate "lot" number which could be sold separately, or done up as a holiday let.

Price €195,000.00

Lisbon 3 hours, Porto 1.5 hours and 45 mins from the coast by car.
www.propertyforsaleincentralportugal.co.uk

Quinta Da Flores.

Quinta Da Flores.




Here you are in the heart of Portugal’s Lake District. Within a very short drive are a number of scenic lakes of crystalline water – deliciously warm in summer – great to swim, and safe. Some have restaurants/bars at the water’s edge, others you will likely have all to yourself.

A little to the north is the town of Castanheira de Pêra with its celebrated ‘Inland Sea’ (Prai das Rocas). The fast IC8 east-west highway will take you to the vast golden beaches of the Silver Coast (Costa de Prata) in around an hour, and to Spain in around two hours. The regional capital and Portugal’s third city, the A very rare and special private valley estate of 3 hectares (7.5 acres) of truly lovely park-like grounds, no near neighbours, with two restored stone-built farmhouses and swimming pool – excellent income potential.

Location

This is a little Shangri-La, tucked away down a longish track, all on its own in a green wooded valley – gaze out at the beautiful view and know that it’s all yours and, what’s more, that you will never be overlooked. For company you have the birdsong, the gentle rush of the waterfalls and the sigh of the breeze in the trees; yet this mini-paradise is just seven minutes’ drive from the attractive little town of Figueiró dos Vinhos, which has all your daily needs, including supermarkets/shops, a health centre and even a bus service direct to Lisbon airport and city.

picturesque medieval university city of Coimbra (noted for one of Europe’s leading university hospitals), is a little over an hour away. World Heritage Town of Tomar is about 45 minutes.

There is a small and growing expat community in the area – enough for company, if you want it, but never an expat ghetto. English is now very widely spoken, especially among the younger Portuguese.

The main house (‘Magnolia’)

Picture postcard, with rose-draped pergola and a little walled courtyard at the entrance. The main door leads into the large kitchen/breakfast room, fully equipped and fitted in charming farmhouse style. Just a couple of steps take you up to the dining room, partially tiled in traditional Portuguese ‘azulejos’, another good-size space which could also serve as a sitting room. Then on to the existing sitting room: big, light and airy, through the panoramic wrap-around windows it commands wonderful views over the estate. It could readily be converted to an en-suite bedroom, if desired. Satellite TV. A glazed door leads to a large terrace and those views again – facing south-east, it’s a magical spot to take breakfast.

Off the breakfast room is a double bedroom with tasteful en-suite bath/shower room and ‘hayloft’ type storage.

Off the kitchen is the orangery – a conservatory with Perspex roof, this is the place to sit with a good book amongst the tropical plants on a fresh but sunny winter’s day. Off this is an exceptionally large walk-in pantry with lots of shelving. Also off the orangery is a single bedroom with adult bunk beds, and a short passageway (walled but not covered) to a fully tiled shower room.

A short hop from the front entrance door across the courtyard brings you to the other double bedroom with en-suite shower room.

On the ground floor of the house are an enormous garage/workshop and two very useful storage rooms approached through a second walled courtyard.

Magnolia benefits from diesel-fired central heating, mains water and electricity, bottled gas, drainage to septic tank.

The second house – (‘Frangipane’)

Just behind and above Magnolia, this single-storey house is very suitable for letting or for private guest accommodation. It has two double bedrooms, both with en-suite shower rooms and with wall-mounted electrical heaters; a fair-size fully fitted kitchen with gas heater; and a long galley-style sitting/dining room with wood-burning stove, satellite TV and glazed door to a large covered veranda – great for the outdoor dining which is such a pleasant feature of life here.

Mains water and electricity, bottled gas, drainage to septic tank.

Outbuildings

By the large entrance car park is a two-tier separate stone house with two rooms. The upper is currently used as a library/playroom, but would make an excellent study or artist’s studio; the lower is used for wood storage.

Right next to the swimming pool is a large stone pool house, with two-tier cement floor, brand new roof and ventilator for barbecue. It has a character which cannot be simulated in any new building, and could readily be adapted for a variety of uses.

Tucked away in a far corner of the estate, and standing well above ground on a wooden platform (8m x 7m), is a military-style canvas tent, designed for eight men, with veranda, shower and cooking facilities. It would make a very unusual summer house or even adventurous guest accommodation – teenagers, especially, adore it. Below it is a lawn facing an exceptionally lovely waterfall, bedecked by giant ferns.

Above the houses is a water tower, to which water is pumped from the stream for free irrigation.

The grounds

Your own private park - you could take a longish walk without ever leaving your own property! And it would be a dreamy walk: past the fish pond (into which tumbles a little waterfall), perhaps pausing to take a crisp white wine in the shade of the round white pergola which stands on a lawn by the water; leave the children at the trampoline garden, where they have their own little formal ‘square’ with miniature wooden bench; then up ‘Fern Valley’, listening to the stream gently cascading through the trees on the lower terraces, to the hidden corner where the water enters the property; follow the babbling brook a long way back down to the lower reaches (where two streams meet), past the delightful marsh garden with its pampas grasses, perhaps pausing for a while in the shade of the willow, before coming to the tent garden, to refresh yourself with a cold beer or hot coffee by the waterfall, then finally beginning the steady climb back up to the houses. There are too many little surprises and secret treasures to describe here; suffice to say it is utterly enchanting and unique.

For all its enormous size and beauty, the grounds have been so designed that surprisingly little maintenance is required, and with just routine care the owner will enjoy many years of immense pleasure in this private wonderland.

Price € 395,000.00

www.propertyforsaleincentralportugal.co.uk

Casa de Poema

Casa De Poema




A stylish conversion of a classic detached two-bedroom Portuguese country house, with self-contained one-bedroom annex and pool, quietly located on the edge of a village in Portugal’s ‘Lake District’, good income potential.

Something of the spirit of famous poet Zilda de Veranda, whose home this once was, lives on in the charming spaces and elegant lines of this haven of calm. The owner has employed only the best materials, such as the African hardwood floors, with subtle taste, a sure eye for design and respect for the history of the house.

Location

Casa de Poema stands alone, not overlooked, at the edge of the village of Balsa, just five minutes’ drive from the small town of Castanheira de Pêra and its celebrated ‘Inland Sea’ (Praia das Rocas). Fifteen minutes to the south lie the attractive little town of Figueiró dos Vinhos and more of this region’s lakes (deliciously warm to swim in summer, and safe).

Sometimes called Portugal’s Tuscany, this is an area of lush green hills, crystalline rivers and lakes, sleepy villages and empty roads. It is arguably western Europe’s last ‘undiscovered’ treasure, though there are already many fortunate northern Europeans living here already – enough for company, if wanted, but never an expat ghetto – and this is an excellent time to invest.

Coimbra, Portugal’s third city, famed for its medieval university and known as ‘City of Doctors’, is around an hour by car, as are the vast golden beaches of the Silver Coast (Costa de Prata). Lisbon and Porto are a little over two hours.

The village of Balsa has a café and small shop within an easy walk of the house.

Accommodation

On the ground floor is good-size storage room, and next to it a very large traditional farmhouse-style kitchen/diner, with lots of worktop and cupboard space. A wrought iron spiral staircase leads up to the very stylish open-plan sitting room, divided by a wooden ‘breakfast bar’, useful for all kinds of things. A wood-burning stove generates amazing heat during the short winter.

Off this sitting room are two double bedrooms, not grand but cosy. There’s also a good-size shower room, but special mention must go to the ‘reading room’, a very Portuguese idea, where the family would sit by the fire, to cook, eat and chat. There’s a long wooden bench there now, but you could put a single bed or full-length bath in its place. The sitting room also has an exterior door, with steps down to the ground floor.

Up a short flight of steps and you come to the annex, which has a distinctly Mediterranean feel to it. Inside is a double bedroom with glass door to the outside, shower room, plus a newly fitted kitchen with dining area. Next to that is another roomy storage space. On top of all this is an amazing roof terrace, where you can sit and take in the wonderful views across the village to the Serra da Lousã beyond.

The modestly-sized but abundant walled garden is home to a swimming pool, very private but catching a lot of sun. Below this level is a large patio (by the kitchen) – a nice sheltered spot for al fresco dining – and a shaded car port with yet more storage space. There’s also plenty of off-road parking just outside the gate.

Income potential

Casa de Poema would make a fine house for permanent habitation, but is also compact and manageable enough to be a holiday home – with good potential to let when not occupied by the owner.

The annex is ideal for personal guests, but could of course also be let independently.

Price € 125,000.00

http://www.propertyforsaleincentralportugal.co.uk

Three renovated houses with land and pool.

Cascade House


A grouping of three fully restored rustic houses in excellent decorative order, with very realistic and substantial income potential, total of six bedrooms, 12m spring-fed swimming pool, standing in large grounds in an outstandingly beautiful location, gorgeous views.

This is a rarity – one of the most privileged locations in the region, and benefiting from a warm micro-climate.

The houses stand entirely on their own at the end of a cobbled street, tranquil and not overlooked, c. 100 mtrs from the village of Carvalhinhos. The village is obscured by a bend in the road. Beyond the houses is forest track, so there is almost no passing traffic. All three enjoy a sunny, south-facing aspect.

The view from all of the houses is quite breathtaking, down a wooded valley to the hills beyond.

The magical tropical gardens are bordered along 120m by a series of tumbling cascades.

Birdsong and the gentle rushof these cascades are normally the only sounds to be heard in this verdant paradise.

The property stands in the Serra da Lousã, Portugal’s ‘Tuscany’, one of the country’s loveliest and most diverse regions, noted for its lush countryside and warm, clear lakes and rivers (great for swimming).

Only forty minutes by car or train from the houses, Coimbra is the regional capital and Portugal’s third city. Here you can find vast shopping malls, as well as the quaint streets and squares one would expect of this medieval university city, on the banks of the River Mondego. It is known as ‘City of Doctors’, and has one of Europe’s leading university hospitals. Fast, reliable and cheap trains link the city to Lisbon and Porto.

For everyday needs, the town of Miranda do Corvo is only ten minutes’ drive from the houses. It has shops, supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, cinema, public indoor swimming pool, a health centre and a railway station (to Coimbra). Five minutes’ drive through the forest takes you to Espinhal, which has a few basic shops, a pharmacy, bank, cafés, restaurant and Sunday market. The picturesque fortress town of Penela is just twelve minutes away.

The Main House

Lots of character. Massively thick solid stone construction under tiled roof, fully insulated, exceptionally warm and cosy. Double-glazed throughout. Diesel-fired central heating. Mains water (a pleasure to drink), electricity, bottled gas, drainage to septic tank. Floors are tiled throughout, except for bedrooms, which have wooden floors.

Comprises (all measurements are approximate and in metres)::

Entrance hall (4.6 x 3.5) High-ceilinged and spacious. Telephone point. Doors to utility room (3.1 x 2.6), which also has exterior door, plumbing for washing machine, central heating boiler; and fully tiled shower room ( 3.1 x 1.9), with two-person shower, toilet, bidet, washbasin.

Steps up from the hall lead along a wide corridor (with seating area) to: Bedroom 1 (4.3 x 4.2), built-in double wardrobes, south-facing balcony with stunning views, TV point; Bedroom 2 (3.7 x 4.6), built-in double wardrobes, south-facing balcony with stunning views, TV point, en-suite bathroom (3.5 x 2.7), with giant spa bath, toilet, bidet, washbasin built into mirrored wooden marble-top vanitory unit with lights; Bedroom 3/Study (3.4 x 3.1), built-in wardrobe plus large storage cupboard, telephone and TV point.

Steps down from the entrance hall lead to: inner hall (2.7 x 2.0), with lovely old stone wall and door to walk-in under-stairs cupboard with shelving and light; door to kitchen (3.6 x 4.2), fully fitted with lots of built-in cupboards, long red-granite worktop, oven and hob, double sink, plumbing for dishwasher, feature stone wall on one side, exterior door to covered terrace.

The inner hall also leads to the sitting/dining room (7.3 x 5.7), an extraordinary room with a remarkable aura of peace. The original stone walls have been retained on three sides. Feature fireplace with fan-assisted log fire. Massive ancient chestnut ceiling beam. Feature tiled ‘carpet’ in dining area. TV point with satellite connection. French doors to covered terrace. Connecting interior door to Nut House (blocked by free-standing book-shelving).

Outside is a large partially covered terrace (14.0 x 3.5) with toilet, barbecue, power point, feature lights, gorgeous views.

Nut House

Brick construction under tiled roof, insulated. Thick walls with cavity. Double-glazed throughout. Mains water and electricity. Bottled gas. Drainage to septic tank. Electric oil-filled radiators in every room. Floors tiled throughout, except for bedroom, which has wooden floor. Very suitable for letting, guest accommodation or ‘granny flat’.

The front door opens directly onto the open plan kitchen/dining/sitting room (6.1 x 5.1) with fitted cupboards, granite worktop, oven and hob, double sink, wood-burning stove, under-stairs storage with electric cylinder, feature stone wall, TV point with satellite connection, connecting door to main house (blocked by free-standing cupboard).

Wide, shallow steps lead up to a landing (2.5 x 2.0), with doors to fully tiled shower-room (2.6 x 2.0) with roomy single-person shower cabin, toilet, bidet and washbasin with mirrored cabinet; and to bedroom (4.7 x 4.3), very roomy, with built-in wardrobe, two south-facing windows and recess suitable for sofa or child’s bed.

Outside is a south-facing terrace (3.5 x 5.0) with barbecue. Lovely views.

The Cottage

Very charming and cosy, standing higher than and separately from the main house across a large terrace. Solid stone construction under tiled roof, insulated. Double glazing throughout. Mains water, electricity, bottled gas. Drainage to septic tank. Oil-filled electric radiators in every room. Floors tiled throughout, except for two bedrooms and staircase, which are wooden. Very suitable for letting, guest accommodation or ‘granny flat’.

The front door opens straight onto large open plan sitting/dining room/kitchen (5.2 x 5.1). Feature beamed ceiling. Shuttered window. Large log fire with glass door. Fitted cupboards, oven and hob. Double sink. TV point with satellite connection. Under-stairs storage cupboard. Door to Bedroom 1 (5.6 x 2.3), shuttered window, curved wall, telephone point (inactive).

From the sitting room stairs lead up to landing with fitted cupboard which houses electric cylinder. Door leads to Bedroom 2 (4.2 x 3.4), with built-in wardrobe, vaulted wooden ceiling, south-facing balcony with heart-stopping views. Other door from landing leads to fully tiled shower room (3.7 x 1.6) with brick-built single person shower, bidet, toilet, washbasin with mirrored cabinet.

Outside is a very large terrace (c. 6.6 x 6.3) with barbecue, wood storage and wonderful views. Partial shade from spectacular tangerine tree.

The Grounds

There is covered parking for two cars, plus space for three more.

The total plot is c. 5,000m2 (1.25 acres), terraced, south-facing, bordered by a lively stream, which tumbles down a series of cascades and chutes - enchanting. The gardens are truly fairy-tale, perhaps even more so when illuminated at night, and conceived to resemble an Asian tropical garden. It is a maze of winding paths, little terraces, giant rocks and moving water. There are several very grand and mature trees, a number of fruit trees, as well as unusual and exotic plants one would normally associate with the tropics, but which survive here in the warm micro-climate.

Below the cottage is a lawn and rose garden with water tap, and below that a 12 x 3.5m swimming pool. This is very special, in that it simulates a local river. Fresh water is drawn from the stream (which is spring-fed) through 600m of black piping in the sun. The water is delightfully warm in summer and, being without chlorine or salt, silky on the skin – and no red-eye! The smooth shingle on the floor of the pool is very pleasant to the feet.

By the swimming pool is a small wooden pagoda with straw roof, table and chairs and a portable barbecue.

Immediately below the main house is a lawn, across which runs a little stream.

To the side of Nut House is a brick-built shed (3.1 x 4.7), used for the storage of firewood and tools, with electric light, power point, water tap and gas water-heater.

Below Nut House is a pretty little walled garden with sunken Japanese-style soaking tub for two adults, with hot and cold running water. Soft lighting makes this an especially romantic way to pass a summer evening!

A little further down is a fish pond into which water falls from around 4.5m above. Below this is a small vegetable garden.

On a crag in the middle of the garden stands a little red Chinese pagoda with wooden seating and electric light.

The automatic irrigation system (drawing water from the stream) is also included in the sale.

For all its size and great beauty, this is a low maintenance garden, which with a little care will bring immense pleasure to the buyer in the years to come.

Price €795,000.00

http://www.propertyforsaleincentralportugal.co.uk