Renovating an old apartment in Lisbon: what to make to measure

Renovating an old apartment in Lisbon usually means working with walls that are out of square, tall ceilings and doorways where no two measurements match. That is why these homes call for made-to-measure solutions. Here is what tends to turn up once the work starts, how a fitted kitchen, wardrobes, interior doors and joinery deal with each case, and what has to be measured before anyone gives you a figure.

Why so many buyers are renovating older homes in Lisbon

Older buildings in Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra have what new builds rarely offer: high ceilings, tall windows, wooden floors and neighbourhoods where everything is within walking distance. Portuguese buyers want them for that, and so do the many people moving here from abroad. Most plan to keep the character and replace everything that gets used every day.

There is also a financial case. According to an idealista analysis, renovating an older home can raise its sale value by more than 25%, and in the Lisbon district the average rise reaches 27.9%. That is a market average and every flat is different, but it explains why so many people buy to renovate.

What those figures leave out is the work of fitting a century-old home with furniture designed for new ones. That is where made to measure earns its keep.

Renovating an old apartment in Lisbon: what you find once work starts

Every building has its own story, but the same handful of issues comes up in almost all of them.

• Walls out of square and out of plumb. In an older building a wall can be out by several centimetres between skirting and ceiling, and two corners of the same room are rarely at 90 degrees.
• Uneven floors. Floorboards settle over the decades. In a kitchen you see it straight away in the line of the worktop.
• High ceilings. Ceilings above 3 metres are common. That is a gift, as long as the units go up to meet them instead of leaving dead space on top.
• Irregular doorways. Old doors were made to fit their openings, which may be wider at the top than at the bottom, or a height that matches no standard size.
• Deep window reveals. Thick external walls leave a wide sill and a deep recess, which can be put to use or can get in the way of a worktop.
• Alcoves and odd corners. Blocked-up chimney breasts, old larders and nibs left by demolished walls create shapes that no catalogue unit fills.
• Old services. Pipes, drains and cables have been run wherever they would fit. Moving a kitchen can depend on where the building's soil stack comes down.

What made to measure solves, room by room

The rule is the same throughout the home. Instead of choosing a unit and then hiding the gaps, the piece is drawn from the real measurements.

Kitchen. In a made-to-measure fitted kitchen, the units are drawn for the opening as it is, with the wall's irregularities taken up in the trims against the wall and not in visible filler strips. The unit legs make up for the slope in the floor so the worktop runs level. Tall units can go up to the ceiling and gain an extra row of storage. If the kitchen moves, the plumbing and electrics move with it. If you are thinking of opening the kitchen to the living room, our piece on choosing a kitchen island or peninsula will help you see what fits.

Wardrobes. Alcoves and deep walls are the natural home for fitted wardrobes. Built into the recess, a wardrobe uses the full height and width, and the interior is laid out around what you need to store. Where there is a cornice, the top trim works around it or stops below it. For sliding versus hinged doors, see our guide to fitted wardrobe doors, interiors and finishes.

Doors. Made-to-measure interior doors are built to the true geometry of the opening and arrive fully finished. In an old flat that lets you keep the generous height of the original doors, instead of shrinking the opening to a catalogue size and filling the rest with plasterboard.

Joinery. Bespoke joinery takes care of everything else: shelving in a chimney alcove, a window seat in a deep reveal, a hallway unit in a narrow corridor, panelling that hides a crooked wall. These are pieces drawn for one particular corner, which is why they only make sense made for it.

What to survey before you ask for a quote

A quote for an older home is only worth something if it starts from measurements taken on site. At Aritmética das Linhas the visit and the measuring come before any figure, and the design is approved before anything is cut. The visit is where these get confirmed:

1. Square and plumb on every wall a unit will stand against, measured at the top, middle and bottom.
2. Floor level along every worktop and every wardrobe.
3. Usable height at several points in the room, and any cornices, beams or dropped ceilings.
4. Door and window openings, width and height at more than one point, plus the depth of the wall.
5. The route of water, waste and electrics, and where the building's soil stack runs.
6. What stays and what goes: original floorboards, old doors, tiles or mouldings you want to keep.

It is also worth finding out what the condominium allows and whether the work touches load-bearing walls or the façade. The survey will not answer those questions, but the answers change what can be designed.

If you are buying from abroad, ask for this survey before you plan the work in detail. Photos help, but they do not show a wall that is out by two centimetres.

One team per trade, from the opening to the final trim

In an old flat, a problem rarely belongs to just one trade. The crooked wall affects the kitchen and the door beside it, and a pipe that moves affects the floor. So it matters who coordinates the work, especially when you are managing it from another country. Aritmética das Linhas works with its own teams, one for each trade, with nothing subcontracted, across Greater Lisbon and the Tagus Valley.

If you have an older apartment to renovate, the first step is a visit with full measurements. From there you will know what needs to be made to measure, what can stay as it is, and what each part costs.

Frequently asked questions