Stuck roller shutters in Portuguese homes: why they jam and what a repair costs
Roller shutters jam for a handful of reasons: a worn strap, a broken winder, slats out of their guides or dirt in the channels. What you can check yourself, what a repair involves and what it costs in 2026.
Before the winter rain: ten checks on an Algarve house
Most winter leaks in Algarve houses start with a blocked gutter, a terrace drain full of sand or a crack nobody noticed. Ten checks to do in October, from the roof down, and who should do each.
Why your wall plugs keep failing in Portugal, and what to use instead
You brought a drill, a box of red wall plugs and forty years of knowing how to put up a shelf. Then the bit drops through as if it hit air. Here is why, and what to use instead.
Why your Algarve house grows mould in winter, and why it is almost never a leak
You land in April and the house smells wrong. There is black speckling on the north wall and a bloom inside the wardrobe. Almost everybody assumes a leak. It almost never is
Flyscreens for Algarve homes: which type for which window, and getting them fitted before summer
Fixed, sliding, roller or pleated: which flyscreen suits each window and door in an Algarve house, what to know about Portuguese shutter boxes, and what fitting costs.
Pergolas, gates and decking after an Algarve winter: the spring wood care that saves a replacement
Why spring is the one window to treat outdoor wood in the Algarve, how to check for rot, oil or varnish, and what the job involves before the summer sun arrives.
