Repairing and Maintaining a Wooden Roof on a Property in Portugal

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When you purchase a property in Portugal which is not newly constructed, there is a good chance it will have a wooden beamed roof. While a wooden beamed roof, can be a beautiful and charming feature once restored, be careful as in Portugal there are a prevalence of pests which like to munch on your roof timbers.

Wooden roofs do require constant maintenance and attention to ensure these pests (woodworm, wood burrowing beetles and termites) are kept at bay and their appetites remain unsated.

If you are still inspecting and searching for a property to purchase, then special attention should be paid to properties which have wooden timbers supporting the structure to see if the pests are active.

Initiating a repair could be costly either in fees to a pest extermination company or the removal and replacement of affected timbers. Properties with a wooden roof do require constant maintenance and spraying on a yearly basis.

The most susceptible properties are located in rural areas, especially in forested areas. Although these properties may have their roofs supported by the denser, more impregnable rounded eucalyptus they are still prone to the army of insects looking for a free lunch.

Woodworm is one of the lesser problems in Portugal, destructive nonetheless. Without the correct treatment woodworm can burrow into even the toughest of woods and create a ‘Swiss cheese’ effect reducing the overall strength of the timbers.

The worst pest in the world, however, has to be the termite, a burrowing insect found in southern Europe. The lava of these insects can devour even the densest wood and can turn a roof in dust in a three-course sitting.

Untreated and undetected these pesky parasites can turn even the strongest and densest of woods into sawdust in a matter of months. Termites are one of the reasons the majority of older properties now have eucalyptus timbers as their main supports to slow down the space between their courses.

Although Eucalyptus was used in the past for it's resilience to wood munching pests, builders and carpenters in Portugal now prefer to have timber shipped from more northerly European countries such as Norway and Austria where the growth of the wood takes longer providing a much denser product.

Restored Wooden Roof

Well Maintained Roof

New Wooden Roof

You can of course purchase pine grown locally in Portugal, though most good builders and carpenters will avoid this as the timber is much softer and more prone to wood worm. Portuguese pine is due to this cheaper to purchase but you will have to weigh up the cost of treatment to your roof timbers over time compared to the cost of imported wood.

Therefore if you are thinking of purchasing a property with a wooden beamed roof it is important you look for tell tale signs of infestation to enable you to calculate the cost of repair prior to buying as replacing a roof can be a costly affair.

If you do wish to replace the roof of your property, it is pertinent to note in Portugal you will need to seek permission from the local council before commencing any works. If you are replacing materials like for like, then it is most likely you will only need a license to cover the work, which is easy and quick to apply for.

If you are going to be carrying out the works yourself then you will need to fill in the relevant form from the council stating your desire to repair or replace the roof and provide details of the materials you will be using. Once submitted to the council you will have to wait 15 days and if you have had no correspondence from them indicating any objections you should be free to commence the works.

Alternatively if you are getting a local builder to carry out the works ensure he also submits the application for a license to the council as you could find the works are brought to a halt if the council pay a surprise visit, which they do, to your property while these works are being carried out.

However should you wish to replace existing wooden roof timbers with a concreted beamed roof then you will need to submit a planning application to the local council authority, which can be a lengthy and costly affair and best avoided unless completely necessary.

*see planning permission in Portugal.