Planning limits
Each municipality sets building indices and limits in its master plan (PDM). The appointed architect checks what additional area, height or footprint is permitted for your property.
Extensions and structural works / Portugal
Extend or reshape your home, with the permits handled.
Added floors, extensions and layout changes, coordinated from feasibility to completion.
Structural work needs the right professionals in the right order. We coordinate the architect, structural engineer and contractor around what the building and the rules allow, so you know the route before you commit.
Lisbon · Cascais · Sintra · Algarve · Porto · Coimbra · Castelo Branco
Feasibility before you commitArchitect and engineer coordinatedPermit route identified earlyWritten scope and staged payments
Feasibility
Start with what the building and the plot allow.
Structure
A structural engineer assesses whether the existing walls, foundations and roof can carry an added floor or an opening, and what reinforcement is needed.
Existing approvals
Unlicensed past additions can block new approvals. We check the documents on file before design begins.
Permits
Which structural works need approval?
Works that change the structure, volume or external appearance of a building generally need municipal control before they start. Your architect prepares the submission with the structural engineer's design.
Portugal is reforming the licensing regime (DL 108/2026, in force from 1 October 2026), so the route is checked for your municipality before dates are committed. Approval outcomes and response times cannot be guaranteed.
Further reading / Permits
Understand the starting questions
Our guide explains the difference between works that are exempt and works that need municipal control. Use it as background; the appointed architect confirms the route for your project.
Read the permit guideProcess
From feasibility to completion: the stages we coordinate.
- 01
Assess feasibility
Review the property, your aims and the planning framework with the architect.
You receive: A feasibility view and assessment plan
- 02
Design and engineer
Coordinate the architect and structural engineer around layout, structure and budget.
You receive: A coordinated design and engineering brief
- 03
Submit for approval
The appointed professionals prepare the submission and respond to the câmara's requests.
You receive: A submission and programme assumptions
- 04
Appoint the contractor
Compare proposals against the same drawings, clarify exclusions and define payment stages and change procedures.
You receive: A proposal and delivery plan to review
- 05
Coordinate construction
Monitor progress and report on decisions and changes. Structural responsibilities remain with the appointed professionals.
You receive: Regular reports and site photographs
- 06
Complete and regularise
Coordinate snagging and the completion documents the appointed professionals identify, so the new area is properly recorded.
You receive: An agreed handover file
Delivery
Keep the structure and the living space connected.
Living through the works
If you stay in the property, we plan access, dust, noise and services so the works disrupt as little as possible.
Cost and change control
Structural surprises are presented with their cost and programme effect for your approval before work proceeds.
Visibility from abroad
Agree site attendance, reporting frequency and review calls before appointment, with photographs of anything that will be covered.
Appointment
Understand the scope before you commit.
Your proposal sets out the project management charges, inclusions, site attendance and reporting arrangements. Project management is a separate service, with its price agreed with you before any work starts.
Professional fees, investigations and construction costs are identified separately as the scope develops. Early budgets state their assumptions and uncertainties, and we do not quote a price for an extension before the scope is understood.
Clear responsibilities
A coordinated team
Architects, engineers, contractors and specialists hold the responsibilities assigned under their own appointments, licences and insurance. Contractors are vetted and verified, and proof of liability insurance is requested before work starts.
Project management does not replace technical certification or contractor obligations. The project agreements explain who you contract with, payment arrangements and warranties.
FAQ
Questions before you begin
Start a conversation
Tell us about your project.
Share the essentials so we can assess the project and the support you need.
What happens next?
We review the location, scope, budget and timing, then get in touch to discuss suitability and any further information needed before a site assessment or proposal.
✓
Thanks, we have your enquiry.
We will follow up personally, usually within 24 hours.