Can you help before I buy a plot?

We can discuss an assessment appointment before purchase, subject to access and information availability. Legal title and purchase advice remain with your lawyer, while planning and technical feasibility need the relevant appointed professionals. Ask about a prior information request (pedido de informação prévia) to put a written question to the câmara before you buy.

Do I need to have an architect already?

No. We can identify the professional team needed for the project. If you already have an architect or design, we review the starting point and agree how the team will work together.

Can I build on any plot in Cascais?

No. Plots near the coast, cliffs or inside the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park can be subject to limits that prohibit new buildings, and gated estates add their own review. Confirm the classification of the plot with the câmara before you buy.

How long does a new build take?

It depends on the starting stage, design, planning route, site conditions and construction scope. We establish assumptions and dependencies before proposing a schedule rather than offering a universal completion period.

Can you work with an already approved project?

Yes, subject to assessment. The team reviews the approval documents, conditions, design information and remaining requirements before agreeing a delivery plan.

Are pools, landscaping and utility connections included?

They can form part of the coordinated scope. The proposal identifies what is included, the relevant specialists and any separate approvals, connection requirements or allowances.

What happens at handover?

We coordinate agreed snagging, commissioning records, manuals, warranties and outstanding actions. The appointed professionals identify the documentation and procedures relevant to completion and use of the property.

New builds / Cascais and Estoril

Your new home in Cascais, from plot to keys.

Bring the plot, the design and the construction together with a project manager coordinating the journey.

We assemble the architects, engineers, contractors and specialists your new home needs, with a clear brief, an agreed programme and regular updates. For owners who buy a plot, develop a design or already hold an approved project.

Discuss your new build See the journey

Cascais · Estoril · Birre · Alcabideche · Guincho

Modern stone and timber villa under construction above the Cascais coast, with the pool shell cast and site team reviewing plans

Plot assessment before you commitPark and coastal limits checked earlyRegular reports from abroadWritten scope and staged payments

Plot assessment

Start with what the plot can support.

Planning feasibility

The appointed architect assesses the applicable planning framework, existing approvals and constraints. A plot listing or an outline concept is a starting point for investigation, not confirmation of what can be built.

Site and infrastructure

We coordinate the surveys and specialist assessments needed to understand boundaries, levels, ground conditions, access, drainage and utility connections.

Budget and priorities

Define the intended home, specification and overall investment. Consider design fees, investigations, construction, external works, connections and contingency alongside the land purchase.

Building in Cascais

What is different about building in Cascais?

The municipality runs from the Estoril seafront to the Atlantic coast, and the rules change plot by plot. These are the questions that usually decide a Cascais new build.

01 / Natural Park and coast

Protected-area limits

Plots around Guincho, Malveira and the cliffs can sit inside the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park or a coastal protection strip, where new buildings can be prohibited outright. Confirm the classification of the plot before you buy it.

02 / Gated estates

Community rules

Many plots in Birre, Alcabideche and similar estates sit inside a gated community with its own architecture review in addition to câmara approval. Ask for the community rules and the approval timetable early.

03 / Applications

MyCascais and GeoCascais

Applications go through the câmara's online portal, MyCascais. Owner and technician must be registered, and the site is drawn on the GeoCascais map. Your architect normally prepares and uploads the documents.

A house you can renovate is not always a plot you can build on. Our Cascais house guide sets out the Natural Park and coastal programme (POC-ACE) limits in more detail.

Process

From plot to keys: the stages we coordinate.

01
Assess the starting point
Discuss the plot, your aims and the available documents. Identify the planning and technical investigations needed.
You receive: A defined assessment plan
02
Develop the brief and design
Coordinate the architect and engineers around layout, specification, performance and budget priorities.
You receive: A coordinated brief and design decisions
03
Establish the planning route
The appointed professionals identify the submissions, consultations and conditions relevant to the site and the proposed home.
You receive: An identified route and programme assumptions
04
Agree the team and budget
Compare construction proposals against the agreed information, clarify exclusions and define responsibilities, payment stages and change procedures.
You receive: A team, proposal and delivery plan to review
05
Coordinate construction
Monitor progress, coordinate actions and report on programme, decisions and proposed changes. Specialist and statutory responsibilities remain with the appointed professionals.
You receive: Regular reports, site photographs and action records
06
Complete and hand over
Coordinate snagging, commissioning information, outstanding actions and the documents identified by the appointed professionals for completion and use.
You receive: An agreed handover file and outstanding-items record

Planning

Plan around the site's actual requirements.

The planning route is established for your plot and your proposed design. The appointed architect checks the applicable municipal framework, any existing permissions and relevant coastal, heritage or protected-area constraints.

Investigations and consultations are built into the programme before construction dates are committed. We coordinate the information and actions required from the team. Approval outcomes and authority response times cannot be guaranteed.

Understand the starting questions

Our guide explains the distinction between exempt works and projects that need municipal control. Use it as background; the appointed architect confirms the route for your new home.

Read the permit guide

Delivery

Keep the decisions connected.

Programme and sequencing

Coordinate design information, contractor mobilisation, procurement and specialist inputs. Flag dependencies and delays as they emerge.

Cost and change control

Record assumptions and exclusions. Proposed changes are presented with their cost and programme implications for approval through the agreed process.

Visibility from abroad

Agree site attendance, reporting frequency and review calls before appointment. Updates explain what has happened, what comes next and which decisions need you.

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. Ground conditions, specification choices, utility requirements and planning conditions can change the eventual cost and programme. We do not publish a per m² new-build figure, because it depends too much on design, ground and specification.

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 new build.

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.