Home repairs in Espinho

Espinho has a lot of second home housing, shut up for part of the year. Empty properties bring two familiar problems: dry traps that let drain smells through, and pipework that only shows a leak when somebody comes back. A check before and after the season is what avoids the emergency call.

From the grid by the sea to Anta, Silvalde and Paramos

The town of Espinho was laid out as a grid, with streets known by numbers, and it runs right down to the beach. In the same building there are homes lived in all year and flats that only open in summer, and the building feels both: a soil stack that goes months with little use, and owners who are not always nearby.

Silvalde sits at the southern edge of the built up area, with a long beach popular for surfing. Paramos, on the way to Esmoriz, has a beach and the Paramos lagoon, also called Barrinha de Esmoriz, and has always been one of the most rural parishes in the council. Anta is a busy town with plenty of residents, shops and some industry, and Guetim, just north of Anta, is much smaller.

Drains, blinds and upholstery in a beach town

Drains and stacks when the house fills up again

A smell from dry traps goes once water runs through them. What does not sort itself out comes after: the house fills up, everyone showers the same weekend and a plug that was half formed in the pipe closes for good. In a building with several holiday flats this can happen on several floors in the same few days, and the shared soil stack is the first to complain. We clear them with an electric snake or high pressure jetting, and our page on drain unblocking in Porto describes the service, which covers Espinho too.

Blinds with salt and sand in the tracks

Near the beach the wind carries sand and salt into the tracks. The blind starts to scrape, gets heavy to lift, and the strap, pulled hard, eventually snaps. A blind left down all winter in a closed house can jam on the very first pull. We clean and lubricate tracks, replace straps, springs and slats and repair electric motors. More on blind repair in Porto on the service page.

Sofas and mattresses before and after the season

A sofa that spent the winter in a closed house picks up a damp smell, and so does the mattress. At the end of summer it is sand, sun cream and dog hair. The cleaning is done in your home by hot water extraction and booked through the upholstery line, 933 535 818. Book a few days before family or tenants arrive, because the fabric needs time to dry. How our sofa cleaning works is on the service page.

Opening and closing a holiday home: what to check

A walk round the house on the day it opens and the day it closes catches most problems before they turn urgent:

• When opening, run water down every drain, basin and the bidet, and flush the toilet.
• Look under the kitchen sink and around the water heater or cylinder for damp or drips.
• Raise and lower each blind all the way, slowly, without yanking the strap.
• When closing, shut the main stopcock, so a leak cannot run for months unseen.

Hot water, electrics and locks

In a house that has stood empty, the gas water heater, known here as an esquentador, may not light first time, and the breaker may trip when everything goes on at once. If the key to a holiday flat has been through many hands, changing the lock cylinder settles who can get in. For these faults the general line is 928 286 711, open 24 hours. For the rest of the year we have a guide to seasonal home repairs.

How to book a visit in Espinho

In town, give your street number and the nearest cross street: with numbered streets, that is the quickest way to put the house on the map. In Anta, Guetim, Silvalde and Paramos, give the parish, the street and a landmark nearby. On Mondays the weekly market takes up a long stretch of Avenida 24, so if your home is close by, tell us.

If you are not in Espinho, someone you trust can open the door. The quote is given on site and has to be authorised by you, so keep your phone close at the agreed time.

Parishes and districts

• Espinho
• Anta
• Silvalde
• Paramos
• Guetim

Services available in this area

Questions about home repairs in Espinho

Other areas

• Porto
• Matosinhos
• Vila Nova de Gaia
• Maia
• Gondomar
• Valongo
• Vila do Conde
• Póvoa de Varzim