PROCESS
From Dreams to
Keys in Hand...
Every Renacasa home is designed for one client and one site. That means our process is collaborative, sequential, and, most importantly, transparent about who does what at each stage. Below is the full journey, from your first enquiry to the day we hand you the keys.
You're never locked in until you're ready. Each stage gives you more certainty and every investment you make gets credited toward your purchase if you proceed with us.
1
FREE FIRST CONVERSATION
DAY 1
Tell us what you're imagining. A cozy studio for two. A family home with two bedrooms and a covered terrace. An off-grid retreat. A vacation home you'll rent out seasonally.
We'll ask about your land, budget range, timeline, and how you intend to use the home: full-time, part-time, or commercially. No obligation, no pressure, no charge.
You leave this call with a realistic sense of what's achievable, an indicative price band, and an honest answer about anything we can't do.
2
SITE FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT
DAYS 2-10
Before we invest in design, we need to understand your site. We'll review documentation you provide including zoning, REN/RAN restrictions, assess transportation access and slope, and identify any red flags that could affect permitting, construction or delivery.
Deliverables: A written feasibility report outlining what's permitted, what constraints exist, and whether a container home is viable on your plot.
This fee: Is fully credited toward your final purchase price if you build with us. If you decide not to proceed, you keep the report for your records.
Why we charge this: Professional site analysis prevents costly surprises later. This compensates our team for research that might otherwise be wasted if your site isn't suitable.
3
CONCEPT PACKAGE
WEEKS 2-4
Once feasibility is confirmed, we develop preliminary design options. This includes floor plan layouts, elevation sketches, and finish-level choices so you can visualize your future home.
Deliverables: Up to two design option comparisons, preliminary material selections, and a rough cost estimate.
This fee: Is fully credited toward your final purchase price if you build with us.
Why we charge this: Custom design represents dozens of hours of architectural time. This ensures we can invest properly in exploring options without gambling our time against price-shopping competitors.
What if you don't proceed? Y ou keep the concept drawings. However, they're labelled "Concept Only" and aren't stamped for permitting. They're perfect for understanding what your home could look like, or for sharing with builders who work from client-supplied designs.
4
DETAILED DESIGN & FIXED QUOTE
WEEKS 4-7
You select your preferred concept from Stage 2. We expand it into full construction-ready documentation: structural modifications, electrical and plumbing layouts, insulation specifications, and finish schedules.
Deliverables: Working drawings, MEP (mechanical-electrical-plumbing) details, material schedule, and a fixed-price construction proposal.
This fee: Is fully credited toward your final purchase price if you build with us.
Why we charge this: This is professional-grade documentation. If you take these drawings elsewhere, they're usable—which is why there's a fee. If you build with us, it's simply a prepayment.
Permitting note: These drawings can be submitted for municipal licensing in Portugal.
5
CONTRACT & BUILD SLOT - 40% DEPOSIT
WEEKS 7-8
You review the final proposal and contract. When you're ready to move forward, you sign and pay a deposit that reserves your production slot in our workshop.
Payment schedule: The deposit (40%) plus the previously paid fees (feasibility, concept, and design packages) count toward your first milestone payment. Remaining balance is spread across build milestones.
Your commitment: You confirm in writing that planning permission is obtained or that you are accepting all risks of proper permitting and that full build payment will be made. Without this, we won't begin fabrication.
What you get: A signed contract, locked build schedule, weekly photo and/or video build updates.
6
FABRICATION & FOUNDATION READINESS
WEEKS 8-20
Your home takes shape at our workshop. This includes structural modifications, insulation installation, electrical rough-in, plumbing runs, interior finishes, and quality testing. Foundation readiness (piles, pads, or slab) is performed on your land.
Milestone payments:
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Milestone 1: 20% — Structural phase complete, openings cut, framing verified
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Milestone 2: 15% — Envelope sealed, insulation installed, services roughed in, windows installed
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Milestone 3: 10% — Fit-out complete, systems tested, QC inspection passed, foundation readiness is completed
Communication: Weekly photo and /or video updates, bi-weekly check-in calls, and a scheduled site visit at Milestone 2, if desired.
Transparency: If you can't visit our workshop in person during fabrication, we'll provide video walkthroughs.
7
TRANSPORT & INSTALLATION
WEEK 21
Your home travels to your site. We coordinate the truck, crane, and placement. We handle the physical positioning, anchoring, and sealing.
You're responsible for: Site access (minimum 3.5-meter clearance) and utility stub-outs at the boundary.
Cost included in base price: Transport within 100 km radius, crane rental for placement, anchoring hardware, and seam sealing.
Cost not included: Long-distance transport beyond the radius, crane overtime, site preparation, and utility trenching from existing stub-out termination to unit.
8
UTILITY CONNECTIONS & HANDOVER
WEEKS 22-24
We coordinate with utility providers or your existing connections for water, power, and waste connectivity. Once everything is commissioned, we do a walkthrough together, review documentation, and hand you the keys.
You receive: Relevant certificates, warranty documents, maintenance manual, and all keys/access codes.
Final payment: The remaining 5% is due before handover completion.
Aftercare: Two-year comprehensive warranty on workmanship and materials.
Welcome Home!
Why We Structure It
This Way
For Fairness
We believe you shouldn't pay for design work unless you're building. That's why every fee before the deposit is fully credited when you proceed. And we believe we shouldn't gamble weeks of professional time and cost without compensation. That's why each stage has a small investment attached that is credited to your final payment.
For Certainty
Custom homes involve complex decisions. Breaking the process into stages lets you pause, reconsider, or adjust direction at any point. You're never locked into a decision you're not comfortable with.
For Transparency
There are no hidden costs. The fees we charge cover specific deliverables you can hold, review, or use. If you choose another builder, those deliverables remain yours.
For Quality
By charging modestly for early-stage work, we can afford to invest properly in site research, design exploration, and engineering documentation. The alternative—free consultations followed by rushed proposals—benefits no one.
ABOUT PERMITS AND LICENSING
The short version:
Renacasa designs, builds, transports and installs your home. Obtaining permission for it to stand on your land is your responsibility.
Under Portuguese law, the urbanistic process attaches to the land and to the landowner. The application carries your name, your signature and your legal position as dono de obra. We can advise, explain and supply technical documentation. We cannot apply on your behalf, and we cannot guarantee an outcome that a Câmara Municipal decides.
We tell you this at the beginning rather than the middle, because discovering it late is expensive.
Why it works this way:
Permission depends on things we don't own and can't control: how your parcel is classified in the municipal plan, which restrictions overlay it, what the neighbours have been granted, and how your particular council interprets its own regulations. Two identical homes on two parcels twenty minutes apart can have entirely different outcomes. No manufacturer or builder can promise a permission they don't issue.
What we do to help:
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Supply full technical specifications, drawings and weight and dimension data for your submissions
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Provide transport and installation method statements
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Answer your architect's or lawyer's technical questions directly and promptly
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Tell you plainly if a site looks problematic, based on what we know
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Refuse to start construction until you confirm in writing that permissions are in place
What we can't do:
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Obtain, lodge or appeal a planning application for you
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Guarantee that permission will be granted
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Advise definitively on your parcel's legal status — that requires a Portuguese architect, lawyer or both
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Accept liability for works carried out without the required permission
A word on "temporary" structures:
Clients often ask whether a container home escapes licensing because it can, in principle, be lifted and moved. We understand the appeal of that idea, and you'll find websites in Portugal promoting it. Treat it with caution.
Portugal's planning framework was substantially revised with effect from 1 October 2026. The old provision that dealt expressly with modular construction was repealed, and the current definition of edificação turns on whether a construction is incorporated into the land with a permanent character, irrespective of how it was built or how it arrived. Using prefabricated modules, removable components or transportable structures does not, by itself, create an exemption.
Whether your installation counts as permanent is assessed case by case by your Câmara Municipal. The practical route is a pedido de informação prévia on your specific parcel before you buy anything.
* Nothing on this page is legal advice. Requirements vary by municipality and by parcel. Please confirm your position with a qualified Portuguese architect, lawyer or both before committing to a build.