A Beautiful Home Emerges From the Ruins

Luke Riley Luke Riley
Casa Ribeira Seca, MSB Arquitectos MSB Arquitectos
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Today on homify we bring you a genuine tale of a ruins to riches project. An adventurous couple came across the opportunity to purchase a historical country home in rural Portugal. They knew that the house had been advertised as a renovators dream; however, as you'll soon see in the before pictures, that was an understatement to say the least. 

The building had been left abandoned for decades and looked more like a pile of bricks and mortar than a liveable home. Nature had taken over and had infiltrated every nook and cranny, leaving the building completely overgrown. With the help and guidance of a talented team from MSB Arquitectos, the owners were optimistic about bringing the old home back to its former best. 

What a mess!

Here is the home before any of the construction had begun. At this stage it would be difficult for most to imagine that this building could resemble a home considering the extent of the damage. To list a few of the issues: major portions of the outside render and bricks had fallen off, window frames had been damaged by vandals and there was severe structural damage to the internal walls. 

Something peeping out…

This is how the building looked during the early stages of work. The entirety of the roof had to be removed and most of the internal walls, for obvious safety reasons. So too did the entire west facing exterior wall to allow for the building to be expanded. It was at this stage that the owners needed to be very resourceful to save the original features of the building. They called in local craftsman to repair and save what they could. 

A teaser

First, we're giving you a small teaser of the finished home. It's clear from this image that the rustic architectural style has not been lost in the restoration process. A solid, timber door provides a grand entrance for the home which, along with the stone surrounds, give the space a raw appeal. The two tones of red chosen for the façade is an interesting choice; leaving us intrigued to see how the rest of the home looks…

A new outlook

After much hard work the home was finished. You'll notice straight away that the size of the home is considerably larger than the ruin that stood before, and takes on a classical form. The exterior has been given a clean, simple outlook that enhances the historical features and charming intricacies that were saved from the original building. 

A spectacular setting

In this shot, the spectacular setting that the home is positioned within is revealed. Cleverly, the glazings have been positioned to allow for views of the mountains and village to be seen from almost every room inside. 

A spot to enjoy the sunshine

This part of the world enjoys a warm climate for the majority of the year so it seemed only logical to make use of this as much as possible. In the stone-bordered courtyard the owners have set up some simple tables and chairs so that they can enjoy drinks and meals in the glorious Portuguese sunshine. 

For a similar historical restoration project, why not take a look at: The Rags to Riches House.

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