There are still a few unrenovated farmhouses available from pounds 40,000, but by the time you’ve rebuilt, installed a pool and paid fees, you won’t have much change out of pounds 100,000, and the rents you can command will be as low as pounds 200-300 a week.Ten years ago, when they found some ruins in the hills north-east of Albufeira near Boliqueime, Ron and Becky Woltman were able to avoid estate agent’s fees of 5-7 per cent and, after a long search, buy for rather less and carry out restoration in phases using local labour. “There was no sanitation, and no running water,” says Mrs Woltman, who comes from Nottingham and whose husband is Dutch.Now, having bought another house nearby to live in, they have three lettable properties – one-, two- and three-bed – and offer “relaxing holidays” to parents, children, and non-golfers. “But,” she says, “it was very hard work, and anyone thinking of doing the same really needs to speak the language.”Mindful of a recent case in which a British couple lost their savings, having bought a property whose garden they then found was due to be bisected by a major new road, she also advises anyone purchasing to do everything, at every stage, through lawyers. And they should also be aware that if they fail to complete in the 30-60 days usually stipulated after signing the promissory contract, they stand to lose their 10 per cent deposit.”Theoretically, ” adds Bernard Jordan, “any vendor reneging stands to lose 20 per cent, although this would be difficult to get.

It shouldn’t happen anyway, if you use a lawyer and a government-registered estate agent, who has to obtain copies of all the relevant paperwork relating to the sale.” This includes the property’s registration with the local authority, the licence for it to be occupied, its title deeds, and its caderneta predial – a “logbook” document peculiar to Portugal.There are solicitors in the UK with Portuguese language and qualifications but, he says, he’s never heard of them being used or needed. Don’t bother with guest beds; just keep a couple of futons stored away.High ceilings are a blessing – they provide additional opportunities to maximise space. Instead of having bookcases spread around, have one which reaches the ceiling with a stowaway ladder for access to the top shelves. The same principle applies in a kitchen with high ceilings; install storage units from the top down. Obviously put the least frequently used items of kitchenware in the top cupboards.Miniaturised versions of kitchen fittings, including cooker, freezer, and fridge, are now readily available.

Your bed can have drawers underneath it, or you could opt for a fold-away. If you do, make sure you test it properly before you buy it – sofa-beds can be notoriously uncomfortable to sleep on. This breaks up the boundary between interior and exterior.Choice and use of furniture are vital. There is now a range of products (at a range of prices) especially designed to compensate for a small living space. Whenever you buy an item of furniture or a household appliance, always ask yourself whether the same product is available in a smaller size.Use furniture which can double up as storage space. “Try and avoid patterns and, again, lighter colours are better.” Clean, stripped wooden floorboards with a few rugs thrown around are a popular solution.Window-boxes can be useful. Use these in combination with plants inside the building, grouped around the window-sill, to create an illusion of the outdoors coming in.