Fajãzinha fills with scaffolding: renovation of traditional houses drives up demand for stonemasons in Flores

Century-old houses with new owners

Fajãzinha, one of the smallest and best-preserved settlements in the municipality of Lajes das Flores, has in recent years seen several traditional stone houses change hands, many of them shut up since their original owners emigrated. According to sources in the property sector, the new buyers — both mainland Portuguese and foreigners — are explicitly asking to preserve the original façade and building materials, rather than putting up new construction.

A shortage of skilled labour

This preference for renovation over new building has driven up demand for stonemasons and carpenters able to work with local basalt and timber, a trade that, according to sources in the island's construction sector, has fewer and fewer active professionals. The few remaining teams in Flores have order books stretching months ahead, which drives up budgets and lengthens completion times.

The price of preserving the landscape

Renovating in keeping with the traditional style is, according to the developers themselves, notably more expensive than building from scratch, owing to the cost of transporting materials and the lack of specialised local industry. Even so, sources in the property sector say houses renovated in the traditional style in Fajãzinha fetch resale prices clearly higher than equivalent modern builds, which encourages new owners to take on the extra cost.

A heritage the municipality also protects

The Câmara Municipal de Lajes das Flores maintains protection criteria for the urban landscape in settlements such as Fajãzinha, requiring the preservation of features such as exposed stone walls or the original window layout, according to municipal sources. Although these requirements push up the cost of renovation, buyers value them as a guarantee that the area will not lose its character over time.

More work in sight

With several more houses already up for sale in the area, local builders expect renovation activity in Fajãzinha to keep growing in the coming years, though they are calling for training for new stonemasons to meet demand without further extending waiting times.