Read AD’s June cover story on Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s house in Portugal here.
At this point in their careers, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have stopped counting the number of homes they have renovated—both for themselves and on behalf of their many clients. But as the AD100 designers discovered while restoring their new vacation house in Portugal (see AD’s June cover story), there’s something new that even seasoned veterans can pick up every time.
They admit that they didn’t realize how challenging the project would be—from the logistics of working in a remote corner of Portugal to the intricacies of farming and land stewardship in an unfamiliar climate. “Trying to get the details that were important to us from miles and miles away was a constant source of stress,” Berkus says.
Was it worth it? To them, absolutely. Here, Berkus and Brent share five takeaways from the five-year project.
A quartet of sheep roam the property.
Hire the Best Bilingual Local Project Manager You Can Find
Berkus and Brent quickly discovered that communication was the biggest obstacle to renovating a property in Portugal. To that end, even before they closed on the property, they enlisted a project manager fluent in both Portuguese and English who oversaw the renovation from beginning to end. They urge anyone thinking of buying property in Portugal—or anywhere you don’t speak the language—to do the same. “The manager can act as a bridge, accompany you throughout the entire process, and provide assistance in selecting and supervising the project and construction teams,” Brent says.
For the construction work, the designers recommend looking for contractors who are currently working on projects of a similar scale and visiting a few of their recently completed jobs. Don’t rule out commercial contractors for a residential project: “They tend to be well-organized,” Berkus notes.
Another tip: If you plan to ship or store items or materials from abroad, enlist a customs broker and storage provider.
A peacock wanders amid rows of lavender at sunset.