By: Gabriella King
Published on: March 25, 2026
Buying a property in the Algarve in a state of ruin can be a daunting idea.
There are many hurdles you may encounter on the way to creating your dream Algarve property, with mountains of legal paperwork, authorizations from local townhalls, and finding a perfect architectural match for your ideas.
With great teams of builders, architects and interior design working together on a perfectly planned project, a ruin can become your future home in a stress-free manner.
There are many untold elements that you should be aware of before even considering buying a property that needs a full renovation.
Generally, a project takes a minimum of 2 years. This is something that many new owners don’t realise and it is a normal part of the process when considering architectural work.
The process usually starts with official topographic work, to examine the current plot and help your architect create new plans to offer different options of layouts for your home.
Once received, your architect and designer will draw in CAD software different options, offering paths in the layouts for you to choose how best to use the space efficiently and smoothly, whilst offering comfort and logic.
Once you have selected a floor plan you are happy with, your team will be able to focus on more details in regard to the planning – considering walls and more technical matters to be included in the home. Depending on the location of the property, different local town rules apply to the legalization process of the construction.
For instance, in the Baixa zone of Olhão, there are many protected townhouses that must follow strict rules for a project to be accepted in the townhall, and allow the construction to take place.
Your team will let you know all the necessary requirements before making any drawings at all, as you may not want to change the original inner charms of the old property.
I have worked on projects in the past where the initial ideas for the renovation were to keep the charm of the property, and the general existing shapes (such as the vaulted ceilings), whilst allowing for new elements to be included making the space more straightforward for modern-day usage.
However, when taking into consideration the rules of accessibility for wheelchair usage, which are required for new projects, it changed the direction of the planning very rapidly, into almost creating a whole new building and only keeping the exterior facade as the original structure.
While there are struggles to be taken into consideration before launching into a full restoration project, there are also great benefits that still apply.
Firstly, and perhaps the most obvious benefit, is that you will end up with a space that really suits the needs you requested within the property.
Whether this is a consideration on storage; having extra large bedrooms; or even en-suites for all the bedrooms, it is fully up to you, within the limits of the space itself.
Not only this, but many existing ruins are also set on a single floor and can be grown vertically, allowing to build a much larger space than what you purchased in terms of square meters.
You will be able to choose and select all your favourite materials for the interior’s design in the floors and walls, whilst already planning appropriately what size furniture will be added in which location.
This is often an element that is overlooked, but being able to plan side by side specific furniture alongside the space can sometimes be a great benefit, as at this stage it is absolutely possible to adapt the space to the objects you want to see inside the build.
There is also the opportunity to create custom size furniture to integrate the skeleton of the building itself and create a perfectly harmonious interior design.
Of course, with increasing prices on ruins, it makes this process slightly more difficult for investment opportunities, but there are often rare gems that can still be found and turned into stunning homes for rentals or personal use which gain incredible value once completed.
If you are considering launching into a ruin project, make sure to gather all information you need in advance and remember to keep in mind that it will not just be a ‘walk in the park’.
It will require a lot of your time and attention to have many meetings and a lot of patience whilst waiting for a variety of different legal approvals.
If you are struggling, I am always happy to help with advice and can recommend some great teams of builders and architects.
