Project Firefly, our off-grid, designer home in Portugal

01

The House On the Inside

36 windows that would have gone to waste became 'the' thing we designed our entire house around. They say one man's trash is another's treasure. That's been such a guiding principle during this build for us. The cross laminated timber panels are locally sourced. The cork floor tiling? Surplus that fit exactly to our floor surface. Table top? Found at a junkyard and upcycled. The fireplace? Hours of searching led us to this second hand beauty. The list goes on.

Living room with a blue velvet sofa, wood stove and a wall of windows onto the forest — Our view to the forest

Double-height interior with tall glass looking onto greenery — 4 meter tall ceilings, lots of light

Dining nook seen past a timber bookshelf — Shot from the kid's playroom

Dining nook with a grey armchair and timber bookshelves filled with books and jars — Shot from the kitchen and a peek toward the mezzanine

Pine kitchen with open shelves, a wood stove and a small high window — The kitchen! One of our proudest builds inside the house!

Timber bedroom with exposed rafters and two square windows onto the orchard — Our gorgeous mahogany bed, made with local carpenter friend, Chris

Wide view of the bathroom with black fittings and a window onto the trees — A view to the forest while showering... it's pretty nice!

02

The House On the Outside

Yakisugi is an old Japanese method: char the timber and it protects itself, no (chemical) paints, no upkeep (we hope!). The house changes colour through the day, holding leaf shadow in the morning and going soft and warm by evening.

A man wiping down a smoking charred beam in a cloud of smoke — Diego and lots of smoke

Charred black cladding planks leaning against an old stone ruin in the sun — All our cladding is burned, brushed and linseed oiled

Charred yakisugi cladding with a window catching the sun — We love the contrast of the black cladding and natural wood window frames

Leaf shadows across charred black yakisugi cladding — Leaf shadows across our yakisugi cladding

03

The Making Of It All

Nearly three years of building and literally countless photos we still need to sort through. Every bit of this house passed through our hands, and through the hands of family and friends who showed up with drills, patience and lunch. Kicking off in the middle of winter (November 2023), mud, temporary covers leaking, walls being raised by just three people, our daughter picking up a drill at 1.5 years old, our son at 1, everything taking longer than planned while learning how to parent two little humans. It was harder than we imagined. And still, we'd do it all again. A little different!

A toddler in a spotted coat using a cordless drill on the floor deck — Our daughter, also the smallest carpenter

A person in a plaid shirt working on timber framing seen through the trees — Carpenter grandpa cutting the foundational beams

A man crouching on the roof framing with a tape measure against a blue sky — Fabian installing the shed's roof

A man cutting a large pine counter top with a jigsaw outdoors — Diego made us a butcher's block / kitchen counter top! So pretty!!

A woman oiling timber cabinets outdoors — Wendy oiling the kitchen cabinets at 8 months pregnant

A man crouching on the roof rafters with a tape measure against a blue sky — Diego on the open roof (so grateful for winter sun!)

A small girl leaning on a new window sill with a tape measure — Our daughter confirming measures

A woman seen through the bathroom window sealing the frame from outside — Sealing the bathroom window

04

The Garden And the Forest

When we arrived to this forest land it had been neglected for over 30 years. We were told the farmers in this valley mostly grew wine and citrus species. The nearly 1 hectares are covered with old oaks, countless fig trees, plums, wild olives.. Lots of them were being suffocated by invasive species when we first found them. Freeing the trees has been an on-going task. That, and building the orchard, improving it after year 2, installing and growing our green roof and general landscaping on the terrace our home sits on.

Two children sorting a table full of berries and tomatoes in the sunlight — A great harvest day: blueberries, strawberries, physalis, tons of tomatoes!

Cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine in the sun — Tomatoes on the vine

A woman and a small child spraying a hose on the green roof garden above the forest — Watering the roof garden!

A woman and a child planting in the vegetable beds among leeks and kale — Harvesting with our daughter

Flowering lavender and sage with purple blooms in the roof garden — Lavender everywhere

A bowl of just-pulled carrots and beetroot with their leafy tops, lit by low sun — Beets and carrots!

05

Life in the Valley

Off-grid, at the end of a dirt track. Days here are slower and louder, kids by the fire, neighbours who lend tools, and a valley that decides the pace of things.

Two children wrapped in blankets watching the wood stove burn — Our kids enjoying the fire

Two children drumming on a cardboard box on the rug in the timber living room — Cardboard box drums, best toy in the house

A smiling baby pulling himself up at the playroom window — Cosmo in the playroom

A man and his two children by the tall timber window wall, eating fruit — Our window, and a snack

A woman helping a small boy climb a ladder under the trees — Cosmo climbing ladders

A small child picking a strawberry from a raised bed at dusk — First strawberry of the season

Two children walking down a wet forest track under a red umbrella — Rainy days, red umbrella

Four pairs of muddy wellington boots lined up on a timber deck in the woods — Mud on our boots

A man and a small girl waving from inside a rain-covered car window — In the car on a rainy day

A pregnant woman in a floral dress and boots holding her daughter's hand on the bare earth site — At the land, pregnant with Cosmo

Two children standing on the bonnet of the old car under the willow — Ophie and Cosmo on the hood of our pickup

A girl biting into a grilled corn cob in the evening light — Corn off the barbecue