Residential Renovation in Póvoa de Santa Iria – Portugal

Fabrícia Mendes
Jan 1
3 min read

✦ Project Overview

This residential project in Póvoa de Santa Iria, Portugal, was developed with the goal of completely reorganizing the existing house, adapting it to the family’s new life stages, improving spatial functionality, and enhancing the property’s value without unnecessary structural waste.

The proposal was based on an in-depth study of the original layout, respecting existing pillars and structural elements, while introducing solutions the clients had not initially considered — solutions that ultimately transformed the way the house is lived in.

📍 Initial Condition

The residence presented a typical phased-construction layout, characterized by:

A garage occupying the entire ground floor
Access to the main living level exclusively via an external staircase
Compartmentalized spaces, especially the kitchen and living room
An attic with no functional use
A rear patio with no defined purpose and a significant level difference

Much of this information was provided through videos sent by the clients, requiring a careful technical interpretation of the existing spaces.

✦ Design Strategy

The main guideline was to reorganize the house without compromising its original structure, reusing pillars and walls whenever possible, while proposing a new spatial logic.

The project was divided into three functional levels:

🔹 Garage Level | Ground Floor

At the garage level, the clients requested:

Parking space for two cars
A bedroom with a full bathroom, designed to accommodate a future elderly resident, avoiding the need to use stairs

The solution balanced accessibility, comfort, and proper circulation, transforming the floor into a multifunctional space prepared for future needs.

In the rear patio, previously just an unused level difference, the proposal included leveling the floor to match the garage height, allowing the installation of a tank-style swimming pool, integrating the outdoor area with the built space.

🔹 Main Floor | First Floor

Originally, this level featured:

Two bedrooms facing the back of the plot
A kitchen and living room separated at the front of the house

The clients’ goals were clear:

Integrate the kitchen and living room
Create a master suite with a walk-in closet
Maintain a second bedroom, adaptable as a home office

The project’s key transformation occurred here. A complete shift in layout logic was proposed, relocating one of the bedrooms to the area previously occupied by the living room. This made it possible to remove nearly all longitudinal walls along the left side of the house, creating a large, continuous social space.

This new axis now accommodates:

Kitchen
Dining area
Living room
Direct connection to the front balcony

Meanwhile, the opposite side of the house was dedicated to the private area, including:

Master suite with walk-in closet
Guest bathroom
Home office / bedroom

🔹 Attic | Second Floor

As the family’s children grew older, the need arose to expand the house without increasing its footprint.

The solution was to take advantage of the attic, creating:

Two new bedrooms
A full bathroom
A living area, suggested as a study and shared space

To achieve this, an internal staircase was designed, directly connecting the main floor to the attic, transforming a previously underused space into a prime area of the house.

✦ Circulation and Comfort

Another major improvement was the creation of an internal staircase connecting the garage directly to the dining area. Previously, access to the main floor was only possible via an external staircase — a significant functional limitation.

This new circulation system brought greater comfort, safety, and practicality to the family’s daily life.