Construction in Porto
New builds, extensions and structural work — from the drawings to the permit, from the foundations to the finish, with the same team throughout.
What does a construction project include?
- New builds, from foundations to finish
- Extensions and structural changes
- Drawings and planning permission
- Finishes through to handover
Where we work
We are based in Rio Tinto, Gondomar, and work across Porto, Gondomar, Vila Nova de Gaia, Matosinhos and nearby areas. For other locations, contact us to confirm availability and the conditions of a site visit.
New builds, from foundations to finish
A new build starts long before the first wall goes up: with the survey of the plot, the foundations and the structure that will carry everything else. From there the work advances in linked stages — blockwork, roof, water and electrical services, wall and floor coverings, finishes. We handle all of them with the same team, so that the next stage is never left waiting on whoever carried out the last one. It is that sequence, and not the speed of any one detail, that decides how long a construction project in Porto takes.
Extensions and structural changes
Extending a house or opening up a load-bearing wall is not the same as putting up a partition. Touching the structure means first understanding where the building's loads come down and reinforcing whatever needs it before anything is removed. On extensions there is also the join between what already exists and what is new: foundations, joints and roof have to follow one another, or the difference shows up a few winters later as cracks and damp. We assess that at the site visit, before there is any price.
Drawings and planning permission
Most building work needs drawings and planning permission from the council of the municipality where you are building, and that is where many projects stall. We go through that stage with the client: we gather what the council asks for, work alongside whoever prepares the drawings and keep the programme for the work tied to the programme of the application. That avoids the most common scene of all — team and materials ready, waiting on a document still under review. What is our responsibility and what is yours is written into the quote.
Finishes through to handover
Construction only ends at the finishes, and it is by them that the work is judged when the client walks in for the first time. Painting, flooring, plasterboard, door surrounds and skirting boards are done by the same trades that work on our renovations — they are not passed to a last-minute subcontractor. Before handover we walk the property room by room and put right whatever is still to be put right. While the work is under way, the progress and the photographs sit in the Client Area, without depending on a phone call.
How long does a new build take?
There is no single answer, and be wary of anyone who gives you one over the phone. A new build depends on three things that are only known on site: the size and complexity of what is being built, the time the council takes over the permit — which does not run at the pace of the people building — and the access to the plot, which governs plant, materials and site set-up. To that add the weather, which counts at the structural stage. What we do is the opposite of a vague promise: at the site visit we measure, assess the plot and whatever already stands on it, and give you a stage-by-stage programme inside the written quote, with what depends on us kept separate from what depends on third parties. The visit is free in Porto and the neighbouring municipalities, and the quote is free and without obligation.
What makes the price of a construction project vary?
The estimator on this site gives an order of magnitude per square metre for renovation, kitchens, bathrooms, painting and flooring. For a new build there is no square-metre figure that can honestly be quoted without seeing the plot and the drawings — the price is formed from four groups of decisions:
- The size and the footprint. Gross floor area, number of storeys and the way the building sits on the plot change the volume of foundations and structure, and that is where the weight of the budget lies.
- The plot and the access. A sloping plot, one needing earth retention, or one that lorries and cranes struggle to reach, calls for plant that a flat plot beside the road does without.
- The services and the level of finish. Water, electrical and climate systems, and the materials chosen to line and cover, separate two projects built to the same plan.
- The drawings and the permits. Specialist designs, fees and the time an application takes belong to the total cost of the work, even when they are not bricklaying.
None of these factors can be judged over the phone. Request the free quote or book the site visit: we come out, take the measurements and give you a written price, item by item, with no obligation.
How we get started
- 01
Tell us what you have in mind — by phone, on WhatsApp or through the form.
- 02
We come to you, take the measurements and listen to what you want. The site visit is free in Porto and neighbouring municipalities.
- 03
You get a written quote, free and with no obligation, setting out who supplies what.
Shall we talk about your project?
Describe the work you have in mind and we will tell you whether it is for us, what it costs and when it can start.
Other specialities
- RenovationFull or partial refurbishment of apartments, houses and commercial spaces.
- FlooringLaminate, solid wood, vinyl, tile and microcement with professional levelling.
- PaintingInterior and exterior, surface preparation, plastering and decorative finishes.
- Drywall & False CeilingsPartitions, suspended ceilings, coving, and acoustic and thermal insulation.
- Small worksRepairs, adjustments and one-off jobs. No job is too small.
- 3D DesignSee your space before the work starts. Decide with confidence.